Discus Information

[afilter]

All,

I thought I would provide this information in a new thread for anyone interested in discus since it seemed to get lost in another where fish keeping egos seemed to rule the discussion instead of discus.

IMO discus are the ultimate freshwater fish and compare to SW. They are challenging, but very rewarding if you take the time and set up the proper environment for them. After doing just about everything possible in FW I came across Discus and I successfully kept 6-8 adult discus in a fully planted 75g set up before making the jump to SW a few years ago.

Some basic requirements include:

Water quality- Extremely good, you can never have enough filtration, I would recommend RO water if available and I had great success with a product called blackwater extract. Stay away from under gravel if possible especially if you think live plants might be in your future plans.

PH 6.0-6.8 slightly acidic

Temp 80-85

Substrate and decor: Fine gravel or sand with lots of driftwood and tall plants they like to hover by the wood along with tall plants.

Plants-If you have the lighting I would suggest live plants various val, swords, apongen bulbs etc. If you are even thinking about live plants seed your substrate with laterite(fertilizer) when you initially set up the tank. You can always add the plants later.

Inhabitants- Suggest staying any from larger fish. Although Angels are closely related they are not the best tank mates for Discus as they usually prove more aggressive. Small schooling tetras and dwarf cichlids such as RAMS make the best tank mates. I had a pair of Rams with 12-20 cardinal tetras and some lemon tetras.

Discus themself-There are many variations out there today for various prices. Suggest you start with juvenals 2-4" which will be more cost effective as well. I started with 12 and ended up with 8 healthy adults and two pairs.

Tank size- IMO in my opinion 30gal or larger is best. My brother currently has two juvenals in a 25g eclipse setup. 55g or bigger would be best for adults. I prefer a 75gal because of the extra depth which provides extra swimming room. I started with a 30g and 6 juvenals. As far as size of fish, I have seen some really large ones, but IME most get to be 6-8" at most.

food-blood worms, beef heart, brine and flake where what I used. I am sure there are a lot of other preparations out there now as well.

There are a ton of books and articles out there on Discus. Anything by Wattley or Hagen is pretty good. Do your research.

I am sure if you hang around this site long enough you will find some great info as well.

The one thing I have learned in all my years in the hobby is there is no one right answer only some better than others. As you will learn there are many different opinions out there. As I stated earlier I would encourage anyone considering this venture to do as much research as possible and learn what you can from others mistakes.

For more information on Discus here are a couple of links where you can find some books from one of the masters, Jack Wattley, and a forum devoted just to discus:

http://www.wattleydiscus.com/index.htm

http://www.awforums.com/discus/default.asp

As I stated earlier there are a lot of opinions out there. By no means do I consider myself an expert. As I stated earlier I have left discus for now to try SW. There are a lot of people out there to learn from including some experts such as Jack Wattley and some others that do this for a living.

Discus are just like any other fish, you need to know the basic requirements and then try to provide them to the best of your ability. They are just a little more demanding and expensive than most fish. Don't be afraid of them, just do your research and have fun after all that is what this hobby is all about, learning and having fun.

Good luck,

 

[AdamsZoological]

Great post, afilter, I think people should find it very useful, and be able to pick more information out of it, than trying to sort through the information in an argument. Excellent information, and I think anyone that follows it, should do well with their fish.

 

[Christmasfish]

Hi
I notice on pictures if bichirs they often have large discus for company.
(as well as giant cats, pacus and whatnot)

But jus carz I sar it on d innernet or TV don maek it so....

I have what is said to be a Nile Bichir..but his official name was Bichir bichir.
HE is growing fast and changing color, but not identifiable yet.
Only sure thing known by lfs about the breeder and parents is one fish is 29" and the other is a whopping 36". And their 8 baby bichirs were a surpise tank size changeover gift. So I'll assume 28-32 for adult .
Are discus big enough for full grown bichirs not to be snackmates vs tankmates. Would slow, clumsy large bichir upset them? Tank at present is to be about 175 gallons and tall enough to keep escape attempts down(no leverage) current decision is at 26 (it is being made this summer so I keep adjusting measurements.. ^_^ which keeps raising the gallons. Basement level..no weight worries). Still planning filtration and decor. Want a large grain sand bottom. He doesn't have to have company, but it would be nice to have some top level monement. And I want them as easy going as he is without being dinner.

Also these are long range plans...at least 10 months or more. HE will have no tank mates til he is 20" All hiis company wil be sink or swim until then. The big tank will be this summer so he can grow into it.
He is 8 inches now. And sooo cute..well..personable..

 

[AdamsZoological]

I doubt you'd have very happy Discus in tank with big Bichirs, although the Bichirs may not try to consume adult Discus, personally, I think the Discus would find them extremely intimidating, and quitre possibly spend all of their time in hiding. My guess, is it would be a very stressful environment for Discus.

 

[afilter]

I am not familiar with Bichirs requirements, but I would not recommend any fish that large in with Discus to include cats or any kind of sucker fish such a plecos. Plecos may seem harmless, but they have a tendency to grab on to the sides of discus and remove their slime coats thus stressing the discus and exposing them to disease.

As Adams Zoological stated I would expect larger fish might stress the discus. IMO Discus display tanks seem to do best when they are species only or have other smaller schooling tetras or other peaceful dwarf cichlids such as rams. The only larger cichlid I have kept with them is an Uaru which is very similar in requirements to discus.

 

[Christmasfish]

Hmm, that was my biggest concern after adult size since i read the above fact snapshot. That they may be shy and sensitive enough to be unhappy with a preddator, despite him being less aggressive.
And I don't want to keep other big bottom feeders, specially if they are likely to take a chink out of him.

I was looking for large(read a unswallowable hibodys of 12-15 inches or small group of 20 inch fish) , not too feisty top/middle dwellers. My search will continue...

Bichirs in a general sense are large, slow with okay vision and excellent smell. They must be able to breach for air. But have gills that work okay. Eat fresh/dead. Like heavy filtration/slow current. Do not bother over territory or such except with other bichirs at maturity. Are congenial, but if you wander in strike distance; look small enough and it is close to dinnertime.....he may try ta swallow ya

 

[BrianNY]

Aaron, those are some great links. My passion for the discus keeps growing.
Thought you might enjoy seeing them in a large group. They're highly social creatures and enjoy the company of their own kind.

I would encourage those wanting to keep discus to try. There's so much information available now, so many forums and so much better equipment today than years ago. They aren't hard fish to keep. They do require a commitment in time, and they are far from inexpensive. But for me at least the reward of seeing them grow and flourish is more than worth it.

 

[Guest]

Hey Brian..Quick question...Considering your Discus still don't look full grown yet are you planning on a larger tank? Seems a little stuffy in there.

 

[BrianNY]

Very funny. gotz (and cool nic). Truth is I've 11 adults (a few near adults) in that 55 gallon. We've had the debate already about conventional wisdom and the 1" per fish rule. No, I'm not planning on a larger tank. Go back and read the locked thread on discus if you like.

 

[Guest]

I've seen the debate...It was a hoot.. I agreed for most part on both sides. I mean we all have no idea what all you have running the 55gal. I mean if its just run of the mill conventional equipment then chances are they prob. wouldn't last for too long after full maturity. On the other side you may have a higher turnover rate on your water for filtration which in that case will allow for more fish not to mention the frequency of care made on the tank. I myself deal with odd-ball FW fish and SW. So I know what some things can entail. What works for some may not work for others. BTW thanx for the compliment on the nic.

 

[BrianNY]

You're quite welcome gotz. Thing is I'm nowhere near fully stocked on that tank. I'm growing out 5 more in a 29g and whhen the time comes, I'll get another 55 for them and start the process over. I would never havve believed this could be done either if I didn't see it at a local breeder. I've spoken to many other discus keepers and breeders who are doing the same thing. I've a friend who's referred to as "the grow out queen" on discusasahobby.com. She's got 18 adults in a 75g. This isn't something I invented, but rather been advised to do buy several expert discus keepers. And so far, they've been right. Mind you, I do a lot of water changing. Thank God for Python

 

[Guest]

Thats exactly my point. you said it yourself. You carry out several water changes. Yet some that may read your thread may not realize all that what you do to maintain larger amounts of fish.

 

[BrianNY]

Could be, but that wasn't my intent. I just said what was possible and someone released the hounds on me *LOL*. Besides, how many people do you know who'll go out and buy 18 adults in one shot? Most people, without knowing, would buy 2 to 4 juves, put them in a community tank, and eventually lose the fish. I'm a firm believer that a novice discus keeper, should only have discus. Once they get familair caring for discus first, then it's practical to introduce them to "a few" other species. So maybe I didn't say it so well, but I was trying to get that girl to think about starting with "only" discus.

 

[Guest]

I hear ya! however since you post here often you should've know better that many people would be reading. Especially those looking for info. They may take what your saying like its a piece of cake. I agree no-ones gonna drop all that money on 18 discus. But heck now a days you never can tell with some people..LOL.. Hey what kind of hounds was it they unleashed on ya? LOL

 

[AdamsZoological]

Well, Brian seeing me reply to him again on the topic of Disucs, is probably an 'Oh hell' reaction, but, not here to start a debate. Anyway, I dont know all the specifics, but if its working for you, all good then, personally, I dont agree with it, and its not my way to do it, but, to each their own, right? Anyhow, my main issue, was that the thread came across as advising a novice to heavily stock a tank in that fashion, that more than anything, I think is a bad idea to advise a 'newbie' to do. Whether or not it was your intent to do so, I dont know, if it wasnt, thats all fine, no doubt a novice can succeed with Disucs, but even a very minimally stocked Symphysodon tank, is alot of work for a novice, let alone one that is very heavily stocked. Anyway, best of luck with your methods, as I said, to each their own, enough of the bitch fest.

 

[BrianNY]

I just went back and reread what I posted to her. She's even PMd me. I think she's a nice young girl. She asked me if I would only keep 1 in a 75g. And I told her how many "could" be kept there, and then mentioned the filtering and water changes. And, that's when those hounds came out . I won't get into what kind they were .

But you're right about something gotz. Someone else could think, cool let me do that. Highly doubtful though. Anyway, I was simply responding to her.

 

[Guest]

The point I was making was, "You Never Know". There is alot of people on-line to fully guarantee anything. Maybe we all need Disclaimers..LOL

 

[BrianNY]

Disclaimers???? How about forum poster insurance???

 

[afilter]

Guys..No disclaimers here.

I started this new thread to provide information and an open discussion on Discus. All opinions are welcome. As we all know there are many different ways to do it from a very labor intensive overstocked sterile environment to a fully planted display tank.

Please stay on topic, no need to rehash old business from a previous thread.

Thanks,

 

[afilter]

All,

Just to clarify...what I am really looking for in this thread is how you keep your discus with as much detail as you want to provide. Similar to my first post. Include filtration, type of water, temp, water changes, tank mates aquarium setup(bare bottom/substrate), any good discus links you are familiar with, etc. Whatever you want to provide.

We all know there are a number of documented ways to keep discus, what I am interested in is how each of you are successful. Then the novice or the experience aquarist alike may be able to glean information on what they think might work for them. after all this site is about sharing information.

If it turns out well maybe we can start a new thread and just post the info. there or even ask the staff to save it as a profile. The one thing that is evident is that people who care for Discus are passionate about the hobby and their fish.

I will post a request on the profile thread for Discus and then the staff can weigh in as well.

Look forward to seeing your posts.

Have fun,