Are Discus As Hard To Keep As Everyone Says?

[Aquarium Freak]

I would really like to get into the hobby of keeping Disus but each time I go to do it I read even more on how hard they are to keep with perfect water and diet and the list goes on 8O . My question is are Disus really that hard to keep? I would probably have a 55g or so with maybe 3 Discus some Cardinal Tetras and Cory's. I just want to know if they are as hard to keep as my research says.
P.S. I will be reading through the Disus post's on here
Thank You

 

[RoK]

If you can provide the care, water changes just about every day, and intend to keep them until they die (hopefully of old age), I'd say go for it.

 

[Tiffi]

Water changes every day??? Man, those fishes are not breed to be hardy at all, aren't they?

 

[BrianNY]

Discus in fact are one of the hardiest fish I have kept. It isn't that they are difficult to keep, more that they require more care and even more than that, more knowledge.

As Melissa found out, the common mistake new discus buyers make is buying juvenile fish for community tanks. Even experienced discus keepers will have problems with that scenario. They have some very specific needs and shouldn't be treated like angelfish or anything else.

Discus are expensive but also very rewarding. I'm always thrilled by growing out young discus to adults. I encourage people who want the aquarium king to go for it. If you buy 5 or 6 young fish, you can easily raise them to maturity by providing them with there own bare bottom tank and doing the needed water changes and tank maintenance.

 

[Bubble_B0y]

Water changes every day??? Man, those fishes are not breed to be hardy at all, aren't they?

lets not forget EXPENSIVE fish indeedy !!!

discus will set you back $30.00 Minimum !!!

 

[Tiffi]

Well, $30 is not that much, you get close to that with quite a few species around here.

I don't want to offent you, Brian, I just don't understand this very well from an ecological point of view. Why is it that you say they are hardy but they require fresh water every day? Do they swim in the super sparkling cleanest rivers in nature?

 

[BrianNY]

Not offended at all Tiffi. In fact I welcome any discussions about this great species.

Discus come from the black water regions of the Amazon tributories from Peru to Brazil. We really can't duplicate any species natural environment in even the largest closed ecosystem. I've been to the Amazon and it's staggering in size and the amount of water that flows. I've stood on one bank and was not able to see the other. It's immense.

As most know, discus feed their fry from a slime coat. This means that even young discus will produce a heavy slime coat which does shed and get all over everything. In an aquarium, if not removed from the water column, the slime will be a breeding ground for harmful bacteria (especially at the higher temps discus need), and add to the volume of DOCs.

I say they're hardy because they usually give you lots of warning when something goes wrong. Cloudy eyes, turning dark, or prolonged hunger strikes are typical and are mostly caused by a poor environment. It generally takes quite awhile for them to succumb fatally to a poor environment so the knowledgable aquarist has time to make adjustments.

Having gone through 2 bouts of discus plague (both caused by me), I've seen them fully recover from what appeared to be certain death. Any species that does that, I regard as hardy.

 

[macman7010]

Discus in fact are one of the hardiest fish I have kept. It isn't that they are difficult to keep, more that they require more care and even more than that, more knowledge.

That is 100% right, Discus are cichlids and by nature cichlids prove to be hardy fish and for the most part Discus are very hardy. I have seen Discus who were very thin with a condition known as "razor back" caused from internal parasites and worms, and after several weeks of treatment they regained thier normal apperance and were eating vigerously.

As Brian stated Discus come from the "Blackwater" regions of the Amazon. These regions do contain clean waters, but the water is dark in tannic acids and very low in ph somewhat because of all the rotting vegetation these waters contains. Jack Wattley, Dr. Axelrod and others went through tremedous pains to bring us the modern Discus hobby.

One reason that Discus keeping requires regular water changes is because if you are keeping sub-juveniles with juveniles or juveniles with adults the fish secrete a hormone that impededs the growth of the smaller fish. Pictures on the internet, in magazines and in books can show you what an impeded, improperly fed and wrongly kept Discus can look like - Not Pretty.

Nutrition is a big part in Discus keeping success so is the prevention and treatment of Hexamita and Internal Worms. Also Head and Lateral Line Erosion occurs in Discus but again with proper water quality and regular maintenace these issues should remain at a big minumum.

When I came to AA asking about Discus I was doing bi-daily water changes of 30% on my 80 gallon Discus tank. Brian recommended I start doing daily water changes which at first made me concerned I would shock my Bio-Filter. I said what the hay and gave it a shot. Not only has my water remained cleaner the growth level of my fish has greatly improved. Thanks again for that tremendous advice Brian!

 

[Tiffi]

@Brian: See, I didn't know about the slime coat and that it influences the water quality that much. Now it becomes clear, why you should make that many water changes.

So how big should a discus tank be and how few discusses should be allowed in there to not influence the water quality that much? Let's say maybe as much as most of us "regular" aquarists are used to - once a week.

 

[macman7010]

a lot of that depends on size of fish, whether they are sub-juvenile, juvenile or adult. adult discus get to be pretty nice sized so a large tank is needed. you can raise a small shoal of juvenile or sub-juvenile fish in a 30 gallon long.

 

[Tiffi]

yes, but what would be the restirictions to change water weekly? Have like a 500gal tank and 3 adult discus ?

 

[Aquarium Freak]

Thanks everyone I might just go for it ! I do have an empty 33g but would that be enough to keep them in? There is a guy who sells Discus around here for $25. Than you everyone again

 

[BrianNY]

Thanks for the kind words macman. As for tank size and water changing, IMO the rules change whether the discus are adults or juveniles.

You could begin to grow out 5 juveniles in your 33g Aquarium Freak. The thing is you'd need to move them to a 55g at around 4 inches or they will likely stunt at that size. An adult pair in a 33 is fine. I keep my pairs in 29s or even 20s.

As for pwcs and adults Tiffi. I have kept 5 adults in a heavily planted 125g while only doing weekly pwcs. The heavier the bioload, the greater the need for water changes. I keep a watch on their eyes for any sign of cloudiness. If you detect that, time for a water change.

 

[caudelfin]

I talked to a man who came to fix my furnace yesterday. He looked at my 90 gal and told me he had 55 gal tank with a Discus and a few other fish in it. He said he treats it no different from any other fish. He changes water once a month. Feeds all the fish flakes. The Discus is about 6 - 7 inches in breadth. He wondered how I kept the water so clear in my tank, if that tells you anything. I have not seen it, but I may go to his house to see what it looks like. He only lives about 6 miles from my house.
caudelfin.

PS I told him he could not do that for a Discus needs pristine water conditions, and he laughed.

 

[Zezmo]

I do not keep Discus myself. But, at our local Aquarium society monthly auction (SVAS). There are lots of discus for sale there, all varieties. A bag with 3-5 silver dollar sized ones usually goes for $3-8 dollars, and a single 4-5inch adult will rarely go for more than $15 dollars.

 

[Guest]

Wow, I dont think I'll be going out to the lps any time soon to get some discus. I knew from the start they were hard but not as hard as it seems to be from what I've just herd in this discussion. I was planning on planting my 210 co2, the whole nine just for them, but daily water changes. say it isn't so.

 

[greenmaji]

Wow, I dont think I'll be going out to the lps any time soon to get some discus. I knew from the start they were hard but not as hard as it seems to be from what I've just herd in this discussion. I was planning on planting my 210 co2, the whole nine just for them, but daily water changes. say it isn't so.

Im just jumping in here.. LOL
BrianNY as explained that daily water changes might not be needed once the discus are adults and in a hevily planted tank (he has a 125 currently and changes the water weekly, he said that in this thread and I can think of 2 or 3 others that he has mentioned this tank). the dayly water changes are needed for raising and spawning discus and if your going the whole nine just for discus why not reaserch auto or semi automatic water changing systems..

I considered Discus recently.. Brian explained the issues that discus have to me and I tried to think of ways around the problems.. the only things I could come up with were waterchanges, a givin.. automated waterchanges or possibly algal turf scrubbing (ATS) to help with removing the body mucus issue.
once I did more reaserch, I think I can swing a reef tank so, LPS coarls (I like frogspawn ) might be in my future.

 

[BrianNY]

I make certain assumptions when people ask about keeping discus. The first is that anyone who buys these fish wants to give them the best possible care. The second is that they think they know more than they actually do. That's because they've read a paragraph in a book somewhere or talked to someone in an lfs.

This thread started with a question. Are discus hard to keep? The real answer to that is no, they are not. Both the question and the answer are too simplistic. You see in order to be successful at anything most people need a combination of knowledge, experience, and the desire to succeed. The only thing I can do for someone is give them the benefit of my knowledge which has been reinforced through my experiences. This doesn't mean I know everything in the world about discus. I admit that I don't. Like most things, the more you learn about a particular subject, the more you realize how much more there is to learn.

Is it hard to learn how to play the guitar? No. Provided one has the desire, is shown the proper technique, and devotes some time to practice, anyone can learn the basics of playing a guitar and gain enjoyment from it. If the goal is to play like Eric Clapton, now it becomes much more difficult. Well keeping any aquarium species is similar. Unless your goal is to become a Jack Wattley, anyone that wants to can keep discus.

As for your repairman caudelfin, I'm neither going to condemn nor applaud him. It's curious that he has but one discus. Did he have others and what happened to them? He knows nothing about keeping or caring for discus. Nor does he desire to. He's happy to have a tank that pleases him with as little labor as possible. To him that's his success. It wouldn't be a success for me.

Here is the way I should have answered Aquarium Freaks question. For anyone that enjoys spending time interacting with their aquarium, and for anyone that gets satisfaction from taking a hands on approach, you will find the discus very rewarding. If you're prone to giving up on things, or just want a tank that requires very little maintenance, this is not the fish for you.

 

[kmayhew01]

well said brian. I personally dont agree with keeping a fish like Discus and giving them less than perfect conditions. That is my personal opinion and I am sure that many people disagree, but I dont belive in keeping any fish or animal in anything less than the best I can give them.

 

[caudelfin]

"As for your repairman caudelfin, I'm neither going to condemn nor applaud him. It's curious that he has but one discus. Did he have others and what happened to them? He knows nothing about keeping or caring for discus. Nor does he desire to. He's happy to have a tank that pleases him with as little labor as possible. To him that's his success. It wouldn't be a success for me." --- BrianNY

I am inclined to condemn him for not learning more about the fish he is trying to keep. I think I will visit him and check his set up and his knowledge of fish keeping and perhaps make some kind suggestions. He knows nothing about Discus except that he saw one in the lfs and thought it was a "cute" little fish.

I consider to be successful my fish must be happy in their environment. How do I know that they are happy? If they play tag and swimming around through all the ornaments, caves, hollow logs, plants etc and rush to the top to get fed when they see me come near the aquarium. They will take food from my hand and fight over who gets there first. The water mets all the standards and the nitrate is 20 ppm or lower. I keep it around 10 or under if there are no algae eaters in the tank, if I have some in a tank then I try to keep it under 40 ppm, actually higher than 20 and lower than 40 ppm.

And because I do not like to constantly change water, clean filters and vacuum the gravel I keep half the amount of fish that the tank might hold or less.

Exception: The 29 gal slipped up on me when it became a rescue tank and it has approached its limits with about 22 - 23 inches of fish in it. It has an Emperor 400 and a large Triple Flow Corner Filter in it. The triple flow Corner Filter is suppose to be able to handle a 100 gal tank. The water is very clear, there are no algae growing in it and the water measurements are excellent. It does take 2 - 3 five gal water changes weekly. There is no algae and the water is very clear.