Discus coming tomorrow

[kris10]

Ok so I have been cycling my 75 since January and am finally ready for my fish. My only problem is the accumulation instructions say they need to be alone for a few weeks and I have 6 tetras and 3 corydoras. I hate to move them but I don't want to stress the discus in any way so what the heck do I do!!


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[kris10]

I have bred angels for years and have done ton of discus research, however these are my first
Discus so I have 0 experience. Also I set up a planted aquarium. The instructions say no plants and snails...I also have them as well !!!


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Mebbid]

That's silly. Where did you get the discus from?

 

[Shedd]

I have 2 discus with plants, and snails for 3.5 years and never had issues with them

 

[Shedd]

My discus were with a clown loach when i got them and they are still fine

 

[kris10]

Somethingsphishy.com. It says to do put them in a solitary tank for the first two weeks to prevent stress before putting them with anything else?? You think I'm ok to just put them in the tank with the tetras once I accumulate them??


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[kris10]

I ordered a clown loach as well


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Mebbid]

Somethingsphishy.com. It says to do put them in a solitary tank for the first two weeks to prevent stress before putting them with anything else?? You think I'm ok to just put them in the tank with the tetras once I accumulate them??


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

It will be fine to add them. I would skip the clown loach if possible though, they need to be kept in a shoal of 5+ and get too big for a 75.

 

[NigelK8485]

It will be fine to add them. I would skip the clown loach if possible though, they need to be kept in a shoal of 5+ and get too big for a 75.

+1, don't do the clown loach. It isn't a good choice for your tank for the reasons stated.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[candymancan]

Im not sure why they say the discus need to be kept solitary for x amount of time.. but I personally think that's bogus.. All my discus I bought.. put the bags in the tank for like 20 minutes and poured them over my sink in my net and dumped them in the tank and I haven't had a issue with my discus..


Sometimes though they wont eat.. I have had a few go on hunger strikes for a week or so. You gatta find out which food they like to eat, and feed them what they were fed on from the previous owner.. And sometimes they just wont eat the same foods period.. I have discus who tear beefheart up.. others wont touch it, some love blood worms, others don't touch it, and a couple like flakes and the rest don't care for it

 

[kris10]

Oops I meant clown pleco I don't know why I said loach! Thank you guys. How often should I do water changes the first week. This seller is saying 25% a day for a week


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[kris10]

Oops I meant clown pleco I don't know why I said loach! Thank you guys. How often should I do water changes the first week. This seller is saying 25% a day for a week


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

Also candy man. I have bought a variety of discus food so if they're picky they have some choices, I'll keep you guys posted I'm sure I'll need your help


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Mebbid]

Oops I meant clown pleco I don't know why I said loach! Thank you guys. How often should I do water changes the first week. This seller is saying 25% a day for a week


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

As many as it takes. We can't give an x number of water changes because it all depends on you as an aquarist and how you handle the tank.

I would say test the water and work to keep the nitrates below 10ppm. Whether this requires daily changes or not is going to be up to how much you feed them. Just don't skimp on the food to keep the number of water changes down.

 

[Shedd]

+1, don't do the clown loach. It isn't a good choice for your tank for the reasons stated.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

sorry forgot to read tank size. Mines bigger. I actually have 4 loaches but typing is so frustrating on I phones and I never type stuff right

 

[kris10]

The tank is cycled well and My nitrates are preety close to 0, I have always done at least 25% weekly water changes so I'm hoping the discus do great (fingers crossed) I will not skimp on their food to save water changes! I don't mind the water changes at all and I got a clown PLECO not a clown loach oops


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[candymancan]

Water changes depend on the nitrates.. How often you feed them and how many fish are in the tank... How many discus are you getting and how big are they ? How many other fish are in the tank... Growing discus need to be fed at least 3 times a day.. With all those feedings.. Nitrates can build up fast.. In my 44g pentagon I had 7 discus in there (2 were only 2 inches, the others 3 1/2 and one was 4) 22 neons and I fed them 2-3 times a day.. I changed 70-80% of the water every 2 days because after 2 days the nitrates started to get to 20ppm, and I like to keep mine below 20. With my 92g tank, I have 8 discus, the same neons and other fish in the previous tank and the same feedings.. but Im going to change 70% of the water every probly 3-4 days because of the increased water volume.


The nitrates don't need to be 0.. discus are much hardier then people make them out to be.. in fact I have a harder time keeping platies alive lol. I can tell you though that 25% weekly isn't enough if you are going to have a lot of discus in that tank.. They need to be fed a lot to grow and nitrates build quickly.. That's why I did 70-80% every 2 days in my 44g tank and why im going to do that ever 3-4 in my 92g tank. I don't have time to do daily 20% water changes, that's why I do one large one

 

[NigelK8485]

I'd acclimate them more than candyman suggested. Floating the bag will match the temperature but not the pH, etc. For such expensive and delicate fish a drip acclimation is the only way to go.

As Mebbid said water changes are all about keeping the nitrates below 10ppm. Just for a base number though, most people I know with discus are doing 30% changes every three days or so.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[candymancan]

I'd acclimate them more than candyman suggested. Floating the bag will match the temperature but not the pH, etc. For such expensive and delicate fish a drip acclimation is the only way to go.

As Mebbid said water changes are all about keeping the nitrates below 10ppm. Just for a base number though, most people I know with discus are doing 30% changes every three days or so.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

I guess the reason I don't need to acclimate them.. Is I buy mine locally.. and all our water is the same for the most part. I haven't had a discus or any fish for the matter die from floating and them dumping them in.. Discus aren't fragile...

However they DO NOT like fertalizers from plants.. even if I half the dose.. they act extremely weird.. so don't use plant ferts

 

[sinibotia]

Please keep me update on how your discus do! I got around 30 discus for a research project from somethingsphishy and all but 3 have died.... I don't necessarily think it's their fault, but my professor and I are entirely at a loss as to what went wrong and we think it may have just been a chronic issue from the start... keep us posted on how things work out for you!

 

[NigelK8485]

I guess the reason I don't need to acclimate them.. Is I buy mine locally.. and all our water is the same for the most part. I haven't had a discus or any fish for the matter die from floating and them dumping them in.. Discus aren't fragile...

However they DO NOT like fertalizers from plants.. even if I half the dose.. they act extremely weird.. so don't use plant ferts

Nobody is saying that discus are fragile little flowers that will wither away and die at the drop of a hat. Compared to other fish they are more sensitive to water quality and chemistry. They require more pristine water, changes in temperature and pH will affect them more than hardier species of fish. So while matching the temperature and just throwing them in the tank most often won't result in death...it does create unnecessary stress to the fish. With that stress, coupled with the stress of a new environment, add the stress of just having gone through being caught/netted and transported, you're lowering their immune systems and opening your tank to a wide array of diseases. To me it just isn't worth it. Even if it hasn't happened to you, for me I'd rather wait it out the hour and drip acclimate over just dumping them in a tank.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice