Would I be OK adding Discus to my planted tank?

[current516]

I want to add some Discus

I have a 60g, 24" tall, High Light, CO2 injected, heavily planted tank (Amazon Swords and many more). I have 6 Cardinal Tetras, 1 German Blue Ram, 1 Gold Nugget Pleco, 2 Siamese Algae Eaters, 4 Ottocinclus, and 1 yo-yo loach.

PH= 6.8-7.2, KH=9.5, 50% WC weekly
I dose Excel, Potassium, CSM+B, and Nitrate

My questions:

KH=9.5 Too high?

Also my Phosphates are at 2.0 ppm and I have to dose to keep my Nitrates up to 20? Is 20 too high for Discus

I was hoping to avoid buying an RO/DI unit. But I was planning on buying a UV sterilizer.

What do you think? Would I be OK with Discus?

 

[triazole]

its recommended that adult discus be added to a planted tank. juvies need frequent pwc's to clear out decaying food to prevent stunting. this is best done in a bare-bottom tank. from what i know (which is a tiny tiny bit), your water parameters look fine to me.
BTW, your tank looks stunningly natural.

 

[current516]

its recommended that adult discus be added to a planted tank. juvies need frequent pwc's to clear out decaying food to prevent stunting. this is best done in a bare-bottom tank. from what i know (which is a tiny tiny bit), your water parameters look fine to me.
BTW, your tank looks stunningly natural.

Thanks! Anyone else?

What is considered adult? 3"+, or 5+"? I could probably add a mid-week PWC if need be.

BTW- the photo in my gallery is my old tank. I moved and haven't had time to post a photo of my new tank. It looks totally different, but thanks for the compliment. I was fond of that setup.

 

[BrianNY]

The KH will likely keep the discus from spawning but shouldn't prevent you from keeping them. An adult is anything over 5 inches or 18 months old. I would not suggest juveniles for this tank, but adults would be terrific.

 

[Thebluyak]

check out discusforums.com

I learned everything about discus there. I use so many forums its hard to keep up. I use this for my plants, piranha-fury for my fish and when i was getting discus I used the one mentioned above.

 

[gheitman]

One thing I didn't see mentioned was the temperature of the tank you want to put the discus in. I don't keep any myself, but from what I have read discus require higher water temperatures (82 to 88 deg F) which some of your fish and plants may not tolerate. The German blue ram makes a good tank mate for discus so you should be fine there. Otos do best in temperatures up to 80 deg F according to my research.

 

[current516]

An adult is anything over 5 inches or 18 months old. I would not suggest juveniles for this tank, but adults would be terrific.

Thanks, but Ouch! 8O That's my wallet talking. From what I've seen adult discus are much more expensive. And I've read that I should add them all once, or is that just with juvies?

I planned on adding 4 or 5 to the tank. Could I add 2 or 3 at a time? Is there a good place to buy Discus fairly close to Albany, NY? I'd like to see the fish that I buy.

check out discusforums.com

Thanks. I was looking around that site, but the stickies didn't seem to have what I was looking for. I even posted this same question there. I posted it before this one and it still doesn't have a reply. Maybe it's my forum etiquette, unclear posting, or maybe AA just rocks!!

from what I have read discus require higher water temperatures (82 to 88 deg F) which some of your fish and plants may not tolerate. Otos do best in temperatures up to 80

Thanks. I keep my tank around 80 now, With my light it sometimes gets up to 82. I was going to slowly up it a couple of degrees. All my fish seem fine, but I willl keep an eye on them.

 

[gheitman]

Good luck with your discus. I've always wanted to keep some but don't have a tank big enough to take care of them properly.

 

[triazole]

i think you should add all at once. adding them in batches would involve quarantining the the new ones, and added hassles.
if you are getting juvies, you could grow 6 of them out in a 29g, and transfer them to the planted tank. that way your wallet would be happy too!

 

[current516]

Does anyone know a good place to buy Discus within a couple hours drive from Albany NY?

 

[Jchillin]

The only source I know of is on Long Island. Nassau Discus is the name of the retailer.

Nassau Discus I'm sure he can make some arrangements with you.