discus

[hockeydude15]

i just got a 55 gallon aquarium and was wondering if its big enough for discus fish. I also would like to know if they are expensive or not

subject line edited by corvus, just fixed spelling

 

[Devilishturtles]

Well, I'm not all that positive. Discus can grow up to 7-8 inches as grown adults, and are a schooling fish. That would mean that you should have atleast 3 or 4. I would say a larger tank would be better, but a 55 would do.

And discus are pretty expensive depending on what kind. I THINK most run around 15-25 dollars a fish?

Sorry, I cant help more. You might want to ask Christmasfish, I know she used to have one...

 

[Cichlidguy]

yes, and they can be expensive, but they're alot cheaper when you get them from a breeder. The average price at a fish store is around $50-$80

Whats the pH of your water? Discus are very intolerant of higher pH and like very acidic water. They are also intolerant to bad water, and need at least two water changes a week. Some discus keepers even change the water every day.

 

[Devilishturtles]

hah, I just came back to post about water quality, and saw cichlidguy's post.

Yeah, you do need to know all of your water parameters, because they are soft, acidic water fish.

And I saw some kinda small discus at my lfs for about 25 dollars, maybe I'm just lucky, or they were selling them because they were so small? They are normally pretty expensive, so I don't buy much from them...

 

[Guest]

How much experience you have with aquariums?

Discus are sensitive fish that like clean (several WC's a week, especially juvies), acidic, soft water. If you don't have much experience with keeping fish. I'd advise trying to keep a simplier community tank.

 

[madasafish]

It's not adviseable to buy discus when they're young. Best to buy them when they're older. BrianNY is the resident discus expert, so I hope he'll pop in some time today or tomorrow.

Your best bet is to be suspicious of any cheaply-priced discus unless they're coming from a breeder. Before you buy them, you should check out sources online to see which are the healthiest discus (stress is shown mostly by black vertical stripes on the torso, which don't appear when the fish are healthy). Also, know whether certain varieties are worth spending more money on. Some varieties are quite common; others are rare.

BrianNY keeps many of his discus in a 55 (for good reasons), but many ppl will tell you that these fish really need more space. Eventually, they should have a larger tank (I recommend a 125) with good plant cover so that they feel at ease.

Bottom line... please research *a lot* before getting these fish. They're really for absolute experts and ppl who are willing to spend a huge amount of time on them, as they require a lot of care and excellent water conditions. If you don't think you can devote a lot of time to them, start with an easier cichlid, e.g. angelfish.

 

[Christmasfish]

Sorry, I cant help more. You might want to ask Christmasfish, I know she used to have one...

Key word USED TO. My daughter so far has a 1/2 ratio of hit/miss

BrianNY is a long time keeper and experienced discus keeper. He'll give ya the brief adn skinny.....

But I can tell you that unless you or a household member has the spare time to be servant of rounded ones...you should maybe go look at some nice silver dollars instead..... ^_^

It was not the sun or a sport ball that round iconography of the mochas stood for..... it was DISCUS!!
Those scientific teams just assumed it meant the sun because it was made of gold and had rays...but the truth is out there

 

[hockeydude15]

sf

thanks for all of your help
i might look into another cichlid tank insted.
I have a Malawi 20 gal.
What do you recommend me getting (what type of species)
thanks!

 

[madasafish]

Hunh? Who were the Mochas? You're not talking about the Moche are you? I've never heard of the Mochas.

EDIT: sorry. That might have sounded a little confrontational. Didn't mean it to. I am interested in finding out who you mean by the "mochas" though. Did a bit of studying in SA cultures, and haven't heard of this one.

 

[Guest]

Hockey,

I think you made the right decission. Discus are a beautiful fish. Theres a reason they have been coined "the king of freshwater".

Discus require a huge amount of care, especially when young and growing rapidly. If your not prepared to put lots of daily care into a tank, Discus are'nt for you. They are a huge commetment.

Whats your tap water para's after standing for 24 hours (PH,GH,KH)??? This would be a big help in determining the type of cichlids that would thrive in your water.

 

[Christmasfish]

Hunh? Who were the Mochas? You're not talking about the Moche are you? I've never heard of the Mochas.

EDIT: sorry. That might have sounded a little confrontational. Didn't mean it to. I am interested in finding out who you mean by the "mochas" though. Did a bit of studying in SA cultures, and haven't heard of this one.

Family joke..other than having a whole towns (Borquez, Silva and Moreno) we have family all up and down in SA specially Brasil around sao isobel..sao paulo ..caserahs(in mountains and I am sure spelled different)
anyway, since I eat cocoa in huge quantity down there even more than they do (they even brew it like coffee), they say that slipped in was some en.dee.ohs muh.kays (the Moche) and I am the throwback..^_^ and I say i like coffee better (lie) and gringo-ize my dialect horribly..hence the MOCHA joka.
If you heard the way they say SaoPaulo.. it just get garbled into one word. I figger they can say it how they like since they live there..^_^


OT:Wow..it has been so many years..I really should stay in touch....then I can go catch my OWN darn SA species while visiting...
but as I once mentioned in the lounge long ago..I speak none of my childhood languages since my head injury..the therapy plan never thought to teach me to speak again to ALL my family and not just my spouse..

 

[nick_schembri]

I say go for it. I'm 16, I'm still studying and I have kept discus for about 5 months without losing a single fish. I even have a breeding pair. Discus are not all that difficult, unless you want to breed them. All they need are biweekly water changes (I do 20%). 3 or 4 discus (better if 4) would be fine in a 55.
Nicky.

 

[BrianNY]

Nick is right!! Discus are not that hard to keep. His key line is that he's still studying. They simply require more knowledge and time than all other FW fish to keep them in optimum health. I know Nick asks questions and spends time. He's a dedicated aquarist.

Keeping things as simple as possible is important to a beginners success. Discus do stress easily and will succumb to a wider variety of maladies. My advice to a beginner would be this.

1. Don't worry too much about PH and hardness. Discus will adapt easily to most water.

2. Don't mix them with any other species at first. In this way you'll insure the discus get their share of food without over feeding.

3. Keep the tank bare bottom and wipe it clean at least twice a week. Discus produce a heavy body slime which can cause problems keeping the tank clean.

4. Change water at least every other day. I change 40% daily, but then I keep a lot of fish per tank.

5. Sponge filters and lots of aeration. Higher temps deplete O2 quickly.

6. Provide a varied diet. Frozen blood worms, Tetra Color Bits and Earthworm flakes are all you need. You'll probably have to tempt your discus to eat at first.

7. Have a problem? Come back and ask a question.

HTH

 

[Christmasfish]

^
^
^
^ See what I mean about service to a round one? I was only half joking...


I'd add one more thing!
If you take the plunge from total idolation of the swimming plates....?
Be really..reallly sure of your source!!!!!!!
Don't buy them at any old place and shop by price alone.
you are better paying $25-40+ a piece for animals that were well cared for and free of parasites..than trying to deal with $15-20 discus that are sick or develop weird

 

[hockeydude15]

wow!! i never thought id get this much feedback. Thanks a lot for all of your time i really appreciate it. BTW this will be my third cichlid tank i just
dont have much expirience with discus, so i checked here first before researhing and im glad i did!

 

[Christmasfish]

^_^ Good Luck! And be sure to ask the long time discus keepers anything you may want to know.... PM for stock sources and good books!

Not me! I am still in processing info about them and getting used to looking at them...heh

 

[BrianNY]

Ditto on buying quality, healthy discus. Sometimes the obvious eludes me Christmasfish!!

 

[Christmasfish]

Naw, I dont think that comes in mind most the time when beginning...

HEH! You see, your wounds are scarred over and faded by now...mine are still kinda infected and smarting still. And I was just the bystander!