Breeding?

[KimmyFishy89]

I agree with everyone above Racheal. Cycling your tank is one huge issue. Read the article by Alien Anna on cycling your tank the others have mentioned. Its a great article, and explains alot you need to know


Another disaster in the making is you keeping discus fish when you are just starting out. Discus fish are extremely sensative to water conditions and germs that are normally on hardy fish (Such as platys or guppies) and dont harm them can potentially kill your 80+ dollar fish It is nearly always recomended to keep discus by themselves, and it is also recomended you dont keep discus until you have atleast 3 years expierence.

 

[CFC]

Hmmm, im sure weve had this conversation before rachel

 

[KimmyFishy89]

In my opinion Racheal you are much better off listening to the guys on the forum than any LFS as they have absolutely nothing to gain except more knowlege by helping newbies and experts alike!

 

[guppymonkey]

Angels and Discus aren't community fish at all. They are pretty large fish and require a large tank that usually is populated by just them. Discus are very sensitive fish that require a high temperature and very specific water conditions or they will die. Both Angels and Discus will eat the neons and probably the guppies too.

Redtailed sharks are very vicious fish that harass all the other tank mates and rip their fins apart.

Catfish are ok sometimes. Depending on what species they are. If they are plecos they can grow quite large but are usually peaceful. If they are corydoras they are a schooling fish and should be kept in groups of 3 or preferably more. And there are many other species of catfish some docile, some aggressive.

Mollies are a brackish fish. That means that they prefer water that has some salt in it. Not as much salt as the ocean but more than freshwater. Salt is bad for catfish who don't have scales. So mollies and catfish are bad.

Since most of your fish will kill the other fish I doubt you will have to worry about raising their young.

 

[ryan]

rachel. i know how it feels. when i first had a tank i thourght i had the best lfs guy ever. but he ended put all the wrong fish together half were killed and most of the rest died because i added to many at once.

you should listen to these people they know what they are doing and they wouldn't stop you doing what was right, what would they gain. if they say your doing the wrong thing it is up to you what to do about it but 99 times out of 100 they are going to be right i am afraid.

Now my opinion-your fish

they may do fine but it is unlikely, i had discus and angels with neons and they were fine but i did the same in another tank and they weren't so it is better to be safe rather than sorry, the other sound fine. providing the catfish is ok, what variety?
angels and discus are not recommended together but you could try it after all mine worked, but don't blame anyone if it dosen't work.

Tank cycle- you sould cycle your tank for at least 2 weeks before you buy fish and at first by the hardier ones 2 or three each week preferable 2 and when the tank is well matured move on to the sensetive ones like discus

Rachel, please listen to our advice we want to help you. but in the end its you decision and i hope it works out keep me posted

good luck

 

[Rachel]

Hey, i just want to say i really do appreciate everybodys advice. The man in the shop is desinging our tank and hes told me exactly how long to wait before i can add the fish.

As so many people on here are convinced the fish would not be suited with each other i really dont want to risk it, so please can someone tell me which fish can go in the tank. I only have one tank and i wanted a variety of fish but i really do want discus and angelfish. The tank is costing hundreds to get made and i wanted a variety instead of just one kind but if the fish are going to be a danger to each other then i completely see where you are coming from and will talk to the man in the shop about the fish i believe (from your advice) to be kept together.

I thought he was being honest because he said that he would refund the money of any fish that died, or replace them free of charge (not that i wud want to replace them if they werent meant to be in the tank)! And he told me not to trust websites, as youve all said not to trust lfs. Well i think as there are many more of your opinions than just his, i will go with your word, but please can someone advise me on which fish to have.

Thanks, sorry about all this.

 

[Cian McLiam]

Have to agree with the rest, after all, we're not selling you anything, your fish shop is, so we have no vested interest other than the health of your fish. Theres a lot of great info on here and on a lot of other sites and to disregard it just adds to my impression that whoever is giving you this advice is plain ignorant.
Discus are a whole hobby to themselves and are totally unsuited to this setup, if your retailer has a problem with this, ask him to mail me at [email protected]

Ken

 

[Cian McLiam]

Hi, me again.
Hope that last post didnt seem rude, its not meant to seem angry at you,just your retailer.
I have strange psychic abilities and have seen the following taking place in the near future:

Rachel: Hey, shop owner, all those fish you sold me died...
Retailer: you must not have fed them properly, not to worry we have loads more fish for you to purchase

We dont like to see anyone dissapointed with their new hobby, its all very confusing at the start but unless you go through it you wont have the knowledge required to make this inot a fascinating and rewarding hobby.

Best of luck,

Ken

 

[Rachel]

Hey, thanks, i do know what youre all saying and i am very weary of the man in the shop now. I think i will just have one or two of the types of fish i origionally wanted.

 

[rsz]

just thought i'd say that if you don't add anything to the water to cycle your tank, all you'll be doing is checking that your filter works.

 

[KimmyFishy89]

Danios are used for cycling tanks, because they are very hardy. Platys are good aswell as guppies.

 

[fisherman9844]

Rachel, IMO we need to check the basics here and go from there. Forgive me if you've posted this before but what size tank do you have and what kind of filter do you have on it? Do you have a test kit? If not, you need to get one before you start stocking your tank with fish. If you do, what are your pH, KH, GH, ammonia, and nitrIte readings? You can easily check all of these with Aquarium Phamaceutical's Master Test Kit - approx $20 at your LFS, $11.99 plus shipping at http/www.bigalsonline.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi and you can see a picture of it as well.

Discus are spectacularly beautiful fish but they are "high maintenance" to say the least. Are you prepared to do daily 25% to 35% water changes on your tank? Are you confident in your ability to achieve and maintain the pH and other water parameters they require? Discus are unforgiving of mistakes and since they are also quite expensive, you may want to reconsider this until you have a little more experience.

I know, we all know, how exciting that first tank is and how anxious you are to get it going and filled with beautiful and interesting fish. But fishkeeping requires patience and that is sometimes much harder to learn than the water chemistry!! You've made the right decision and there lots and lots of folks on the board ready, willing, and capable of helping you avoid the mistakes most of us have made. Get those water parameters posted and let's see where we go next!!