Acclimating discus.

[Car1os]

We are going to get a couple discus fish and the seller recommends we do the following.


When you buy discus fish from Discus.com I pack them 1 to 2 fish per bag with multiple bags in a Styrofoam shipping container with cardboard over wrap and heat packs. Have a clean bucket available for the acclimating process. Open the shipping container and the individual bags; pour them all into the clean bucket. After they are all in the clean bucket with the packing water they were shipped in, pour out three quarters of the packing water then start the acclimating process.

Add 2 cups of your aquarium water to the bucket of new fish once every 8 to 10 minutes, do this 3 to 4 times. Now after 30 to 40 minutes from the time you began net the fish from the bucket and place into your aquarium. Do not acclimate for over 40 minute as they can deplete the oxygen in the bucket and suffocate. Turn off the lights for 3 to 5 hours and let them continue to acclimate in the dark. That evening you can turn on the lights and give them a small feeding of frozen bloodworms. They will recognize this food and show some interest in eating then. By the next day they will feed more aggressively. Be sure your tank temperature is 86 to 88 degrees, these warmer conditions will help them rebound from their travel stress.

Special note: Do not be alarmed if some of your newly acclimated discus fish lay on the bottom for a while, often they are disoriented and cool from their trip. In a few hours, after they have warmed up they will all be upright exploring their new surroundings and acting normal.

This looks completely different than what ive seen so id like to hear your thoughts.

 

[HoldenOn]

Acclimating shipped fish, and especially a fish as delicate as discus can be a real trick. That being said people have several different methods, I know someone who acclimates them to the temperature and puts them in after 30 minutes. He does this because it takes up to 2 weeks for a fish to truly acclimate to water chemistry. I do agree with the low lighting and small feedings early on. Overall sounds like a good system, I'd follow it.

Also bigger cichlids like that are hilarious. I know a oscar that plays dead if you don't feed it at the right time lol, don't worry if they lay around for a little they should perk up.

 

[Guyb93]

What a hassle !! But I’d do it , sounds excessive but discuss are like white trainers ( sneakers ) one wrong step and there done

 

[Colin_T]

Put an airstone in the bucket of water with the fish. It keeps the oxygen levels high and makes the fish more relaxed because there is some water movement.

Find out what the pH, GH and KH of the water is at the suppliers. Then match your tank to that. Then the fish won't have to deal with any pH, GH or KH variations and will settle in sooner.

Keep the tank lights off for the entire day you get them. Just leave the room light on and tank light off. That will give them plenty of time to explore in the semi darkness. The following day when the room is light you can turn the tank light on, (see below for more info on turning lights on).

After the fish have settled in, reduce the temperature to 26-28C. Having the water slightly cooler (for discus) means you can raise it to 30-32C if they get sick. Whereas if the temperature is already on 32C and they get sick, you can try increasing it to 34C but most heaters don't go that high.

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TURNING LIGHTS ON AND OFF
Stress from tank lights coming on when the room is dark can be an issue. Fish don't have eyelids and don't tolerate going from complete dark to bright light (or vice versa) instantly.

In the morning open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the tank light on. This will reduce the stress on the fish and they won't go from a dark tank to a bright tank instantly.

At night turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the room light out. This allows the fish to settle down for the night instead of going from a brightly lit tank to complete darkness instantly.

Try to have the lights on at the same time each day.

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TWO LIGHT UNITS
If you have two light units on the tank, put them on timers and have one come on first, then an hour later the second one can come on. It will be less stressful for the fish.

In the evening, turn the first light off and wait an hour, then have the second light go out.

If the lights have a low, medium and high intensity setting, have them on low in the morning, then increase it to medium after a couple of hours, and then high for the main part of the day. In the evening, reverse this and have the medium setting for a few hours, then low. Then turn the lights off.

Even with 2 lights on the tank, you should still do what is listed under the title Turning lights on and off.

 

[Car1os]

Ok thanks guys