Discus Have Done Spawned For The First Time

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hi all.

i would like to just share that 2 of my 7 discus which are 2 blue turks which i thought may have been pairing off have in the last hour or 2, spawned and layed about 50 or so egg's. i know they proberbly won't survive, but oh well. i just proves that i am doing things right in my discus tank. think i may have to invest in a breeding tank.

 

[mhancock]

hi all.

i would like to just share that 2 of my 7 discus which are 2 blue turks which i thought may have been pairing off have in the last hour or 2, spawned and layed about 50 or so egg's. i know they proberbly won't survive, but oh well. i just proves that i am doing things right in my discus tank. think i may have to invest in a breeding tank.

Am thinking about adding discus to my community tank, do they need a similar amount of space as angelfish?

 

[ainsy]

Good news Mark - you must be doing something right or they wouldn't breed! Yes rearing them is the very tricky next step. If you haven't already take a look at the thread by DevotedToDiscus - a brilliant read (But don't let it put you off!!!!)

mhancock discus generally don't do well in community tanks as they prefer a much higher temperature that most other fish. They also do best if kept in groups of 6 or more as they are a schooling fish. Best to work to the 1 discus per 10USG 'general' rule - so 6 would need a 60USG tank.

 

[mhancock]

Good news Mark - you must be doing something right or they wouldn't breed! Yes rearing them is the very tricky next step. If you haven't already take a look at the thread by DevotedToDiscus - a brilliant read (But don't let it put you off!!!!)

mhancock discus generally don't do well in community tanks as they prefer a much higher temperature that most other fish. They also do best if kept in groups of 6 or more as they are a schooling fish. Best to work to the 1 discus per 10USG 'general' rule - so 6 would need a 60USG tank.

Hi Ainsy,

Thank you that is very helpful. I have 225l, so about 60 USG. I presume that if I have other fish as well as 6 discus then I would be overstocked? The tank is heavily planted and over filtered, and I do 90% water change every week so nitrates are either very low or zero so presumably I can overstock a bit. Are discus more sensitive to overstocking than other fish?

Would 2 or 4 discus be OK or would they be unhappy in those quantities?


Mark

 

[ainsy]

Hi Mark,

The temperature will be the problem - discus like it at the warm end of 30c or a little higher. (Although I have heard of people keeping them as low as 28 - but never done it myself). At those temperatures your community tank wouldn't be a community for very long if you catch my drift... most of your other fish will die prematurely. The exceptions that are often kept with discus are Corydoras sterabai and cardinal tetras and peaceful rams (I am sure there may be a few others also)

Discus can be skittish fish & won't do well with boisterous tank mates. Do you check your nitrates regularly? Discus are big fish that like to eat meaty meals like beefheart & such...nitrates soon build up. Many keepers change their water once per day rather than once per week. I have found this unnecessary but still change 85% of the water every other day.

People do keep them as pairs - but usually larger adults that are a breeding pair - other than that they are really happier in groups of 6+


HTH

 

[mhancock]

Hi Mark,

The temperature will be the problem - discus like it at the warm end of 30c or a little higher. (Although I have heard of people keeping them as low as 28 - but never done it myself). At those temperatures your community tank wouldn't be a community for very long if you catch my drift... most of your other fish will die prematurely. The exceptions that are often kept with discus are Corydoras sterabai and cardinal tetras and peaceful rams (I am sure there may be a few others also)

Discus can be skittish fish & won't do well with boisterous tank mates. Do you check your nitrates regularly? Discus are big fish that like to eat meaty meals like beefheart & such...nitrates soon build up. Many keepers change their water once per day rather than once per week. I have found this unnecessary but still change 85% of the water every other day.

People do keep them as pairs - but usually larger adults that are a breeding pair - other than that they are really happier in groups of 6+


HTH

Thank you that is very helpful. My tank is already at 27c so fish should be OK at 28c, but I need to move some stock first!