Getting 4 Discus shipped in later this week, what should I do to prepare?
 

As the title says, i'm going to be adding four 2-2.5" red pigeon blood Discus to my 55 gallon planted tank, and my main concern is with my CO2 injection, with Discus this small, will I need to put my CO2 on hold for a while until they get larger? Or alternatively, if I run an air stone on the tank with CO2 still running, will the air stone cancel the CO2 that i'm injecting or will it just add more oxygen without affecting the CO2?



Aside from the CO2 though, is there anything else you guys would recommend to prepare for their arrival?


I just really don't want them to die on site lol That'd be a really expensive mistake...


Thanks in advance!

Miles, not to insult you by any way shape or form, how much reading/ study have you done on discus?

That aside co2 shouldn't bother them significantly, just watch them and keep up on your water changes!

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I've done quite a bit of research, just not on initial introduction to my specific setup. I've read the discus sticky on here, as well as a lot more research on discus specific forums.

Should I turn it off the day of their arrival to help ease the acclimation process?

ok just checking :D

And I wouldn't, might as well acclimate them to the water they are going to be in, I turned my lights off floated the bags and added water over the next hour, some people plop and drop.

But you should be fine with the co2 on, or off. to err on the side of safety, might turn it off and then slowly turn it back up and watch them

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Make sure to get your params in check meaning everything should be to where you feel like you can keep those params constant

Not to disagree with any of the above posts, but since you are getting very small juvie discus whose immune systems are not yet well developed, you would be taking far less risk by not running CO2 at all for the next couple of months until they grow out some, preferably to over 3 +".
The use of CO2 could readily produce some unfavorable pH swings, which is a serious no-no, especially for very young discus.
Since you are running CO2 now, I'm assuming your tank is fairly heavily planted, which is also a bit problematic from the standpoint of being able to adopt a good tank cleansing routine, to produce & maintain the high water quality & conditions those young discus really need, until they grow out some more.
Do yourself a favor, and place all your focus on keeping those discus healthy & thriving, even if your plants suffer somewhat in the meantime. Your emphasis should naturally be on the expensive fish.
And I would also suggest you consider adding 2 more discus when you can, so as to maintain better social compatability, and lessen pecking order/aggression issues which could develop soon.
Hope this helps you.

Thanks for the advice! I'll turn it off today, they should be arriving tomorrow morning... I was going to buy 6, but then decided that I should probably test the waters with 4 first, in case of a massacre... I believe my water parameters are fine, but i've never kept these fish before so I have no clue how they'll react. If all goes well with these first 4, I'll certainly be adding two more.

Just keep in mind, Miles, - that when discus are first introduced to new surroundings, they are of course stressed, and may tend to hide out and be skittish, lose their coloration or darken, and may not eat for a couple of days or more.
Just relax, give them some time to become acclimated and comfortable with their new environment and your routine around them.
They will eventually come around, so don't panic - if they are good, healthy stock to begin with, they'll be just fine in a little while.
But do add a couple more in due course - from the same supplier & of the same stock if you can. And do check your water params daily for the first few days, and don't neglect the wcs - lol.
Best of luck to you.

Don't forget to get your temp up to at least 82. My tank runs around 85. If I reduce the temp the discus start to lose their appetite. Their color is a teeny bit better at the higher temp, too...

Tommy

I was going to try to get a couple more from the same stock but unfortunately they just ran out :( So now i'll either have to get a couple slightly larger (3-3.5 in) red pigeon bloods or do a mixed color tank.... Its unfortunate, I really wanted to do one single color strain!


Anyway, the Discus are alive and well! Two arrived looking fantastic, the other two were laying on the bottom for the better part of yesterday but overnight they have all perked up and are now swimming and hiding at the back of the tank. I just installed a fluval surface skimmer yesterday so that may help with keeping them calm with a boosted oxygen exchange. Should I wait a couple of days before doing my first wc? Or just go ahead and do it today?

Edit: Pics are coming soon! Right after the tank wakes up :)

good to hear!! make sure and offer them tasty food and get them eating

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Don't put off your wcs, Miles. Start your regular wc routine right away - they'll get used to it quickly - no need to worry - if they could, they'd thank you for the fresh, clean water each time you do a wc - lol.

When you get the 2 new ones from different stock, be sure you do a proper quarantine. When the time comes, just contact me and I'll tell you exactly how to proceed to do a proper QT.
Best of luck to you.

I'm not sure I have the means to do a proper QT, but the place where I got my Discus from quarentines their fish for two weeks prior to sending them.

That's fine, but it doesn't solve the problem of the new fish from different stock cross-contaminating your existing fish with something they're resistant to, but your current fish are not, or vice-versa.
All you really need is a 10 gallon QT tank, with small filter & heater to do the job.
Probably less expensive than losing 2, or more, X $50. each fish, or so.
If that's not doable for you when the time comes, you risk losing some fish, but many take that chance without dire consequences - the luck of the draw.

Would the tank be bare bottom or with substrate? I have one empty up and running at the moment that I could possibly use