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Discus Questions

4K views 45 replies 18 participants last post by  kalawai2000 
#1 ·
I was comtemplating keeping discus, however I have no idea what they require :/ What fish can they be kept with? Amano shrimp? Neon/Cardinal Tetras? MTS? What type of water conditions will they require, can I keep 3 in a 36 gallon? If not, how many in a 36 gallon? ...
And what do they eat?

I love the way they look, and they are so graceful moving about... I really just love them. They are my favorite fish by far, and from what I've heard they are difficult to keep. I am really interested in keeping them, so any input is greatly appreciated. :)
 
#3 ·
As CatB has so kindly suggested, please read my guide, per his link shown above.
If you really want to successfully keep discus, you need to do your research ahead of time, and then get yourself a larger tank, at least 55 or 60 galllons.
If you do that, then I'll be happy to tell you where to get healthy, quality discus stock, within an hour's drive of Toronto.
Regards,
Paul
 
#9 ·
I really just can't afford the 55/60 gallon tanks... even if I could, my parents wouldn't allow me to buy it. School takes up lots of time that could be used for generation of money. Is there any way I can support ANY discus in a 36 gallon? I can do almost anything with the tank so long as it stays at 36 gallons.
 
#4 ·
I agree with Paul. I have kept discus (& even had some unplanned breeding) in a 29 standard tank years ago, but I was somewhat experienced & it was a LOT of work...

Tommy
 
#10 ·
Keeping just 2,3, or 4 discus can be, and generally is, an invitation for undesirable pecking order/aggression issues.
You need to keep a minimum number of 5 or 6 discus for safe, reasonable social compatability, hence the need for a 55/60 gallon tank.
And over & above that, a heavily planted tank is not at all a good medium for newbies to discus to get started off with. That could also lead to unwanted problems.



If I decide to get a larger tank, what species are compatible with discus? Which types of snails, shrimp, fish and bottom feeders are they compatible with, if any?

I'm quite sure my guide lists a fairly large number of other species of fish which are compatible with discus, and can handle the higher discus temps.
Refer to it in the Tankmates for Discus section.



And paul, your guide suggests one discus to 10 gallons if water.

Per my earlier remarks above. Yes, 1 mature, adult discus per 10 gals of water.
 
#7 ·
The Simply Discus forum is all about keeping these fish. All of them are big believers in frequent water changes - these fish like clean water. Temperature is also above average, enough that many plants do not thrive with them. Read and learn before you leap.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forum.php
 
#13 ·
you could easily keep 6-8 SMALL discus in your tank just fine. But that would only be for a while, you would need to upgrade your tank in a few months or sell them and start over with 6-8 SMALL discus again.

Small means under 3". When they hit 4"+ time to sell or get a bigger tank.
IMO not worth the effort as their true beauty begins at about 4"
 
#14 ·
oh, paul just said that!!:icon_roll
 
#15 ·
I agree. I had 3 discus in my 29 gallon for 8 months and then added 2 more. They are very agressive in that kind of small container but you can do it if you put in weekly water changes and a sponge filter. I recently got a bigger tank (72) and all of a sudden they are much more docile! I'd start with Angle fish first and then move to discus if you are still interested in that in 6 to 12 months from now.
 
#16 ·
Well, you learned much the same way as many other discus-keepers do, including myself.

In my first stab at keeping discus many years ago, I put 14 small juvies in a 40 gal tank, and it wasn't many weeks as they grew some when it dawned on me that the size of my tank was way too small for keeping that many sub-adult discus.

And before I could come to grips with that, and decide to sell a bunch of them , or give them away, I promptly lost 5 of them just over a few days.

Big lesson learned for me. That's when I decided I had to do a lot more research into discus-keeping, and start listening to what the discus gurus had to say.

These days I can honestly say to discus newbies that raising/keeping discus is not difficult at all, so long as you ensure you get reasonably good-sized, quality, healthy stock to begin with, and carefully follow a few simple 'rules'.

You'll find my '6 cardinal rules for newbies to follow' located here in the 'Fish' section, which I posted a couple/a few months ago. Sorry, the link isn't fresh in my mind.
 
#17 ·
Here's my post on the '6 cardinal rules....', for those of you who have not read it, but may wish to do so:

D-I-S-C-U-S - 6 Cardinal 'rules' for newbies to follow

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There's been a lot of talk on this forum lately about raising and keeping Discus, and I thought it may be timely and appropriate to post this thread.

First I'd just like to mention once again that discus are hardier than many people think, and are not difficult to keep, so long as one is prepared to accept and adhere to a few key practices that will provide the best chances of success with discus.

There is nothing new here to experienced discus-keepers in the listing of the points that follow, and even to many newcomers to discus who have at one time or another, read these simple but effective recommendations, and recognize their validity.

The problem I found however, judging by the large number of posts by discus newbies on several forums that reflect frustration, disappointment and misfortunes, is that it seems far too many novices to discus, for whatever reasons, do not pay serious attention to what they're being advised to do, or not do.

Perhaps this is because they think they may know better than the discus 'gurus'. Either that, or they don't have the time, inclination, or financial resources to do what is being suggested, and follow a different path.

Some may feel they just want to try a different approach, deviate
somewhat, try something new they feel will work for them - whatever - there are many reasons why some newbies will proceed in another direction, only to be met with failure.

Which leads me to post what might be considered to be trite, old hat, redundant, or even agonizingly repetitive commentary, but following this undernoted advice should prove to be a near guarantee that one will achieve success with discus.

This listing is recorded more or less in order of importance:

1) - D - Do your homework well before delving into discus. Read and research all you can beforehand. Googling will certainly help, as well as spending a good deal of time reading the posts and threads on the simplydiscus.com forum, particularly the stickies in their 'Discus Basics'
section, which will provide you with much of the material you need to digest.

2) - I - Investigate and learn of the best sources to get your discus stock. Find those breeders &/or importers that are long time, well-experienced, responsible, reputable, and known to supply high quality, healthy, and well-shaped discus. Buy your discus from one of these sources in order to insure that you get off on the best footing possible.
This is the single, most important factor in succeeding with discus.

3) - S - Set up and plan to follow a strict regular routine of fresh water changes, tank wipe-downs and cleansing, vacuuming of wastes, and regular filter and media cleaning, changes, replacements, and maintenance. Be fully prepared for the kind of commitment it takes to produce and maintain the highest water quality and conditions that you can.

4) - C - Carefully consider the type of tank set up you start with. Make sure the tank size is ample enough to start with 5 or 6 discus. Don't be tempted to begin with a tank of less than 55 or 60 gallons, and don't try to justify going smaller by just getting 1, 2, 3, or 4 discus for cost or other reasons.
Wait till you have sufficient resources to get a proper-sized tank, and the suitable size and number of fish to insure continuing good health and harmonious discus sociability.
Do not start with small, undersized, very juvenile fish which have not yet developed a more mature immune system, are more demanding to raise properly, and much more prone to health problems and other issues. Get fish of at least 3.0" in size, preferably larger.

5) - U - Undertake to start off with a bare bottom tank, unless you're getting fully adult fish and have previous good experience with maintaining a planted tank. If you must have some decor, limit yourself to a very thin sand substrate layer, and perhaps a piece of driftwood with just a couple of small plants attached, or one or two potted plants.
Once you gain several months' of experience getting to know your discus' traits & behavior, and your discus get larger, then you may proceed to an aquascaped environment. Feed a varied diet, several times a day, and learn which foods will achieve a nutritious diet, by researching.

6) - S - Simplify. Keep things as simple as you can to start. Don't complicate your start with discus, at least at first, by placing them in a heavily planted environment, using CO2 and a strict fertilization regime. Make sure your tank is fully cycled before adding the fish, and don't be tempted to alter or change the pH of your water, or modify your water conditions and params by using chemicals of any kind. No need to use RO water or adopt any other procedures that would tend to complicate what should be a simple start to your discus launch.

Follow these 'rules', and there's little doubt you will succeed with discus !
 
#18 · (Edited)
I like all of these rules and wish I would have done more research when i first started other than asking the guy at the LFS what he thought, and then going on to bite off more than i could chew from another store because he wouldn't sell more than 3 to me for my 29. Live and learn.
 
#19 ·
I have the means to do a 50% WC each week or a 25% twice a week etc. (Lucky me has giant siphon and room right next to a tap) I have a 150 watt heater with a max 85 degrees temp. I have a marineland penguin 350B which does 350 GPH. I have read up on plants.
 
#20 ·
But your tank is still too small to raise & keep a suitable number of discus successfully, as previously elaborated on. You'd only be inviting problems for yourself by trying to do so. Please listen to the above advice, so you don't experience disappointment and likely failure, not to mention the loss of expensive fish.
Wait till you can manage to get a larger tank, and gain more experience with fish-keeping generally.
 
#24 ·
You got something a little bigger ? Bigger by 2 gallons ?
Sorry - it still won't do. Please listen to the advice you're getting, and not keep plugging around here until you get an answer that you want to hear. Forgive me if this sounds harsh.
Save your $ until you can get a much larger tank - Meantime, you can do a lot of research on discus, and gain some more general fish-keeping experience.
You might want to consider joining the simplydiscus.com forum, and do some lurking there for a while. Believe me, it will help you see the light about discus.
 
#26 ·
Discus are pricy, it's not like throwing tetras in a tank and if the tank wasn't ideal you lose $5-10 dollars worth. It stinks when that happens but it is not the biggest monetary loss. You could be setting yourself up to losing a lot of money if you put discus in that tank. Save up, read up, and do it right IMO.

I think discus are amazing myself, you have good taste. But when I one day get a discus tank going I am gonna have the means for the right outcome.
 
#27 ·
IMO Discus are being *Over Look* When I hear stuff like you can't feed beef heart to discus in a planted tank. Stuff like that make me want to say something.
The info you hear or see online is mis-leading.

Keeping Discus isn't hard, Like every other freshwater fish they need weekly water change and some good feeding, good filter.

You can do one discus in your 36g and make her/him the leader of that tank.
Get yourself a $15 discus and try it out yourself. Aquabid have some pretty good one you can get.

Don't go spending $50 per fish till you get the hand on keeping them.
 
#29 ·
But I already BOUGHT the tank! It's sitting in my room, filled! I was thinking that my filter turns the water over TEN times an hour. If it was possible I would get discus. Thinking 35 percent WC each week. But I do like In.A.Box's suggestion, maybe I'll start with uno discus. I'll see what my filter is capable of, and the tank will surely be cycled. But paul is just tearing me apart, you are completely right, I am looking for the answer I want. But if discus are not for me, which I will learn from my one discus experiment, perhaps I could try more. But if it doesn't, I'll stick with angels until I get a bigger tank.
 
#33 ·
You like the suggestion because you've ignored the numerous, experienced members telling you not to do it and have been looking for one person to agree with you.

I don't know why you "upgraded" from a 36 to a 38 when that's a lateral move, knowing what everyone had already told you about a bigger aquarium.

Listen, nobody here can force you to do anything. But they also are interested in giving you enough information such that your fish aren't miserable and you don't have a bad experience with them. Like the poster above said, be patient. You'll have a place of your own soon enough, and then you can buy a bigger tank for discus.
 
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