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physicsdude

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
385
Location
New York State
Hello all! I have a 30 gallon extar tall tank that I am considering putting one discus fish in. However, I have no experience with this animal, and I am curious if my fellow aquarium hobbyists have any suggestions or advice on them. In addition, if I do set up the tank, I would need a very silent yet powerful filter for the fish. Am considering the new Rena Filstar XP series, but am open to ideas...Thanks for any advice my friends!!!
 
You could also consider one of the Fluval Models, I have the 304 for my 55g tank and its really quiet.
 
oh my god

you have to study up for quite a while for a disucs


they are the pickiest fish ever!!!!! they need EXACT water chemistry you have to tend to their every need, and start out with a small one so that way you arent out like $100 for 1 discus


owning Discus is like owning SW they need to be precise and have to have the EXACT chemistry


so hope you study up on the discus

IMO they are beautiful especially the snakeskin
 
Yes, I know that they are the most difficult fish to take care of, that's the reason why I want to house them! No, I don't need to study for discus, as they dont' require special foods, but just very clean water conditions maintained at near constant levels. Saltwater tanks are easy, but hard to keep up. Had a twenty gallon SW tank for awhile, but was too costy to maintain, especially while going to college. Kept a pair of seahorses in it. Also, a friend had a monster tank, like 175 gallon where he kept a SW octopus. So, SW is not that hard...
Thanks for the advice on the Fluval, sounds good. Am still looking at the filters for the best.
 
Whats up. First off let me say good for you. Discus are in my opinion the best looking and challenging fish to own. I have 4 in my planted tank. One is a wild that has grown to about 7 inchs so far.

I have a pretty good understanding of the fish so let me lay some info on you.

1. GO TO www.SIMPLYDISCUS.COM I can not stress this enough ! Definatly check out there forum
2. Get to know you meds such as metronadizole, Praziquental, and a few good Antibiotics
3. Make a quarentine tank. Especially if you plan on doing a planted tank. ANd, if you do plan on getting into planted tank, never think of putting a discus in it intill you have a vast knowledge of planted tanks. I mean down to the bare chemitry.
4. Buy your discus from a REAL breeder. 80% of all the fish I have bought from LFS have all had HEX and worms.
5. Do as much reaserch as you posibly can before you go and buy a discus.
6. Never buy one discus. EVER. This is just asking for disease. Discus are a schooling fish and are not happy unless in groups. They get stressed to much when alone and hide and get sick. So go get 4-6 fish.
7. My name is Tiptoptank on simplydiscus Please PM me with any questions you have. DON'T RUSH INTO THIS.
 
tiptoptank said:
6. Never buy one discus. EVER. This is just asking for disease. Discus are a schooling fish and are not happy unless in groups. They get stressed too much when alone and hide and get sick. So go get 4-6 fish.
DON'T RUSH INTO THIS.
Click to expand...

Well put tiptoptank, I just want to stress that I don't think putting a single discus, or even any discus, in a 30-gallon is a good idea. Unless you do strictly breeding and have a pair, I would suggest 120 gallons minimum, discus will get LARGE and of course they do better in a school of 5+
 
tiptoptank said:
Whats up. First off let me say good for you. Discus are in my opinion the best looking and challenging fish to own. I have 4 in my planted tank. One is a wild that has grown to about 7 inchs so far.

I have a pretty good understanding of the fish so let me lay some info on you.

1. GO TO www.SIMPLYDISCUS.COM I can not stress this enough ! Definatly check out there forum
2. Get to know you meds such as metronadizole, Praziquental, and a few good Antibiotics
3. Make a quarentine tank. Especially if you plan on doing a planted tank. ANd, if you do plan on getting into planted tank, never think of putting a discus in it intill you have a vast knowledge of planted tanks. I mean down to the bare chemitry.
4. Buy your discus from a REAL breeder. 80% of all the fish I have bought from LFS have all had HEX and worms.
5. Do as much reaserch as you posibly can before you go and buy a discus.
6. Never buy one discus. EVER. This is just asking for disease. Discus are a schooling fish and are not happy unless in groups. They get stressed to much when alone and hide and get sick. So go get 4-6 fish.
7. My name is Tiptoptank on simplydiscus Please PM me with any questions you have. DON'T RUSH INTO THIS.
Click to expand...

I've never kept discus, but if they get sick so easily why not just run a strong UV on the tank?
 
You can run a UV but, in a planted tank it has been said to deminish Iron levels. Most people have discus in BB tanks just because it's so much eaiser.( No graval, no decor, just sponge filters.)


O one more thing. You need to do ALOT of water changes. I do 50% twice a weeks which most would think is still not enough.

Little discus (1-4 inch) need to be feed at least 3-5 times a day with diverce diet such as CWB's, color bits, hikari bloodworms,and maybe a flake food. I would suggest CBW's and a good bit like color bits and a staple diet. These are the bes for growth and color.
 
Hmm sounds challenging! Thanks for the link to the discus site- seems to be pretty knowledgeable. One thing I do ask tiptoptank is if keeping a two or three discus in a 30 gallon is a good idea. I am a college student, so space is somewhat limited at the moment...a 30 gallon seems to be the biggest I can get into. Thanks so much to everyone who has offered their advice on this topic!
 
physicsdude said:
One thing I do ask tiptoptank is if keeping a two or three discus in a 30 gallon is a good idea. I am a college student, so space is somewhat limited at the moment...a 30 gallon seems to be the biggest I can get into.
Click to expand...

Just chiming in to offer my 2 cents. I have kept discus for about 4 years now, matching up a pair in my tank. IMO my tank is too small, but that is all I had when I first got in this hobby, 12" in width is all my tank is so you can imagine how it must feel for the discus(7") making u-turns :wink: . Never place 3 in a tank because two will usually pair up and the third will be casted aside, pecking order for food will come into play and the 3rd will usually not get his daily portion, and succumb to stress and disease.

I don't believe discus are a hard fish to keep, but water changes are a must. Low pH and soft water, with a variety of food a few times a day and you have a recipe for success :) . Don't place tank in a high traffic area, discus are usually very shy and get startled easy, causing them to bolt and thrash to on side of the tank potentially causing harm to themselves.

I understand space is an issue for you, but IMO 75-gallon would be a minimum for atleast two. If I knew back then what I know now about discus, I would of bought the largest tank I could afford. My dream tank is a 150 gallon planted discus tank. Sorry so long, hoped I helped?
Great Job on pre-planning!!!!!
 
30 gallons is definatly enough room to grow the fish out in, but you will have to upgrade to a bigger tank after they are grown. (1 year old)

30 gallon should be changing water every 2 days. were if they were in 1 55 you wouldn't need to change water as much.

If you do go buy some fish from a LFS I would suggest Mertoing them first ( 92+degrees at 300-500mg per 10g every 8 hours with a 50% W/C) then wait 3-5 days and Praziquental them. I use Hakari Prazi-pro and follow the derection on the bottle. But, if you go to www.Jehmco.com you can pick up Pure prazi for cheaper.

If the fish still look like they are breating hard or useing a gill ( and don't have any open wounds) I give them a Formalin dip (2tsp per gallon for no more the 50 mins.)


I hope one day for a 150 as well I could do such a good job. Do you have pic;s of your discus tank?
 
I am sure it has been said..... but

You don't need exact water chemistry.... They need STABLE water chemistry! You need to feed lots and varied diet. This has already been said. Do visit simplydiscus.com. You will get specific advice. 30 gals would be ok to raise 5-6 juvenile for a few months but if you want to keep a few a 30 would only really be suitable for a breeding pair. A 75 gal would be ideal to set up to raise 6-8 juvenlies then it would be large enought to house them as adults.

If you want it planted or with gravel, wait until the fish are adults. Juveniles are sensitive and need clean water, 20 -30% PWC's per day while growing out.
 
Question on discus

Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the tips and replies! Does anyone recommend a book on discus? I bought one off e-bay named Discus by Degen. Does anyone recommend anyone real good refernce style book? Also, would buying bottled water and using it exclusively for the tank be a solution for doing so many tedious water changes? Thanks guys! Nice pics by the way!
 
Don't go playing with pH, more disasters are created than solved by using pH changers. A pH of 8 point something can be fine IF it is stable. The less chemicals the better, the only chemical (apart from meds) that most discus keepers use in dechlorinator.

Nothing replaces pwc's.
Discus keepers mantra: "Water change, water change, water change"

Your tap water should be fine. Make sure it is aged first so the CO2 in the atmosphere can equilibrate with that in the water.
 
Hey all! Well, I went ahead and won the Rena XP2 off Ebay, so one problem solved. Now, I check all the LFS and they sell discus, just one dam animal, at $50.00 a piece- o_O! And thats for a small 3" one- they want $100 for a 4" or 5"! So, i think I need to find a local breeder? Does anyone have any tips on finding them? Thanks again!
 
Funny mattrox........... I know the first three you've listed personally. I've purchased fish from Great Lakes and Discus farm, and met all of them at variuos discus workshops. JMO physicsdude but you won't find a more knowledgeable and honest person than Cary at Great Lakes.

The thing to be aware of is that shipping can be quite expensive, so for economy of scale it's best to buy 5 or 6 discus at a time. You will be getting fish of the highest quality and can be fairly certain they are disease free.
 
hey guys! in doing a little research, the only real troublew i forsee with water quality for discus is the ph. i know that one needs to age the water first at the right temp, etc but what si good for lowering the ph? i have heard of using peat moss for this purpose in a filter, but what about using a chemical, like tetra's blackwater extract, to take care of this...?
 
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