DISCUS -How do I make 'em Happy?

[Exiled]

Hey all:
I have fallen in love with the Discus ....trouble is, I never had any!
I have read all types of things about them on the web, but for some reason the facts arent jiving between my sources. (for example...some sources say a 20 gal tank is prefered fpr a pair of Discus, whereas others say not. Some places have recommended varying temperature ranges, some say Comminuty tank is fine others say keep them in species tank) It's getting confusing.
I would love it if people who actually kept Discus's themselves would give me some advice? Thanx!

I need to know:
1. Do they prefer a tall, deep tank, or a long wide one?
2. Is a 50 gal tank sufficiant for keeping 3 or 4 immature Discus?
3. What other fish do they get along with well?
4. My water is about 7.5--8.0 alky. What's the safest method for bringing it to their liking? And how acid do they prefer their home to be?
5. DO they have any special lighting needs/aversions?
6. Plant needs? Some sources say bushy plants--others say ribbon-like plants.
7. What temp. is best?
8. Would anyone mind emailing me pictures of your Discus's tanks? LXN271@sbcglobal.net

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[Cian McLiam]

Hi exiled,
I have kept Discus in the past and I too am foolishly mad about them!
To give my opinion:
They prefer a tall tank, they feed at all levels and will eventually be deep bodied so need the extra 'leg room'
50g should hold 4 or 5 4" Discus, but 2 adult Discus would be more likely to settle in and tolerate change.
There are many good choices for companions, and unfortunately many more bad choices. Neons are out, as are most cories. Although they are popular companions they come from cooler waters. Dwarf Cichlids are a better bottom feeder. Apisogramma are both colourful and peaceful (mostly!)
Rummynose Tetras are beautiful and can tolerate the heat well, most plecs will eventualy learn that a tasty meal is waiting on the Discus's back so could be a bad idea.
Try peat in the filter to see if you can stabilise the pH to no lower than 6.8, any lower and you risk a pH crash. Reverse Osmosis or de-ionising units will pay for themselves, in mental health as well as medical expense!
They prefer darkly lit aquariums, floating plants make them feel more secure, as will lots of bogwood and small fish swimming in the open.
Their natural enviornment contains very little plant life, but any Echinodorus species should do well in a Discus tank.

Hope this helps,
Ken

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Exile, I recommend not having any tankmates with them at all. These guys are new to you, and a little different then other fish you've kept. Keep it a species tank until you are completely comfortable with them and have ironed out any problems that might come up. The more species you keep in it, the hard it is to diagnose something that goes wrong, if something goes wrong. If you love Discus, then I'm sure they will be enough for you

And don't worry about temperature - they will do fine in temps from 74 up to 84 - this is the reason why you hear so many different numbers - because they are all right! The important thing is stability, keep the temperature stable. I find 78 to be a nice midway number, not too warm, not too cool.

And don't forget to check out that 65 gallon tank I was talking about, it's perfect for them!

 

[Exiled]

Thank you, Ken!
You have been a great help!
Also thanks to Cichlidaddict for your help...
I am now off to price some BIG tanks. (guess I'll use my 20 gal for some other species).
PLease, if anyone else has info and experiences with Discus, I'd love to hear from you too. And if anyone has pictures of their Discus tanks, I'm really interested in seeing them!
What a great website!

Ciao

 

[Exiled]

Hey peeps -- well I bought a 55g tank tonight...for a great deal. It's an All-Glass that's 48" x 24" x 18" (I think). They included a wood stand, hood with bulbs, a heater and a Tetra external filter for $279.
It's being delivered tomorrow morning. I'm super excited.
I baught some plastic plants and gravel today too. I hate plastic plants but I have to wait till it's all set up and got some fish in it before I get the real ones.
None of the stores I went to tonight (3 in all) had any Discus fish. They weren't sure when they were going to get any.
I guess I'm gooing to have a plant-only aquarium for awhile.
This will give me time to learn about the Discus.
Anyone have any books about them you might suggest or be willing to sell?

 

[BlueAngel]

at work we keep discus. They are in a 55 gallon and have some corries, blue rams, rummynosed tetras, a pleco, and some ghost shrimp for company. where I live has extremely high ph (8.4 from the tap) so we collect rainwater to do their water changes with. dunno if this helps ya but it's worked for them at work thus far! Good luck!!

 

[Exiled]

And your Discus's get along well with the other inhabitants? I really like blue rams. Rummynoses are cute--never seen em for sale around here though. I've heard of people using rainwater to soften the water, but I think our air is too polluted to use rainwater. I was gonna throw some peat into the filter, once I get the tank set up. It's going to be about 2 weeks before I stock it. Hey-can you post a picture of the tank?
Thanks

 

[Exiled]

Also--does anyone know if Driftwood is OK for the Discus? (I have posted a driftwood thread on both cichlid forums)
Thanks!

 

[Cian McLiam]

Congrats on the new tank!
Driftwood is perfect for Discus tanks, be sure to rinse it well and soak it fora week or two, this will prevent it turningthe water almost black! Be sure to ceck the tank for musty rotten odours that indicate the wood is rotting. Rotting wood will harm Discus.
I can recommend any books by Bernd Degen, Jack Wattley, Axlerod and the Aqualog books. Sadly mine arent for selling!!
Rainwater is only suitable if you live really in the middle of nowhere. If your car or the windows of your house get mucked up with dust after rain, dont use rainwater, if you live near any form of industry (I mean within 200 miles!) I would be very wary of using it either.

Ken

 

[Lithril]

At least if the lfs doesn't have any Discus in yet exiled it'll give you plenty of time to get the tank cycled.

 

[Fishsmurf]

Exiled,

Glad you got the tank you wanted. I'm another who kept Discus, unfortunately I have moved to Dubai and couldn't bring my tanks with me.

The best advice I can give is on water quality. These guys thrive in good water. Maybe look at adding another filter. Get your tank cycled (whilst you don't have any fish in it why not go fishless?) then once the discus are added keep your water quality pristine, some people actually recommend daily changes, in my discus tank I was doing 40 - 50% twice a week.

As for tank mates I would go with the person who suggested just sticking to Discus. Once you are comfy looking after them then maybe look at some species of Rams or some of the Tetra's.

Again as mentioned they can be slightly nervous, so low light tanks with plenty of plant cover are good.

I appreciate this is not great etiquette (so mods / admins please forgive me, but Discus are such an expensive investment / specialist species for most of us that any help / resource should be used) a great resource is:

Simply Discus

As the name says it is a Forum dedicated purely to Discus. Have a great read, a wealth of info.....

HTH.....

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Exiled

The aquarium dimensions you gave (48x24x18) Are those of a 90 gallon tank, which would be great for Discus none the less, but something between the 55 gallons and the dimensions does not work. If the tank is 48" long and only 55 gallon, then the dimensions are probably not the best for Discus.

This is not a critisism of the tank you chose, just a friendly warning before it's too late to take it back. Can you varify the length of the tank?

 

[Sinuhe]

There's a Finnish couple who have a website up about their tanks, and an aquarium diary. Unfortunately, they only have a small English section, but take a look, anyway, their Discus tank is one of the most gorgeous tanks I've ever seen!

http/www.uta.fi/~sk63895/akvaario/750_litraa.html

 

[Exiled]

Wow, thanks for all the messages guys....
Ok....
--About the dimentions of the tank....I'm not positive about them but I do believe it's 48 inches in length. It's going to be delivered today. They didnt have any tall tanks, and I couldn't pass up this deal. After shopping the net and then around my city, the deal the owner of the store was giving me blew all the others out of the water (so to speak). He also let me have anything else I wanted in the store at 30% off. Gravel, rocks, plants, background, plant growing lightbulbs...
--If Discus will absolutly NOT do well in a wide tank, then I must accept that and plan for Discus in the future with a properly shaped tank.... Due to it's length, I think it will be perfect for some territorial fish....some other Cichlids. I plan to aquascape the tank with driftwood and plenty of rocks, so perhaps African Cichlids will be happier with me than Discus. It's up in the air right now ...I will be letting the tank cycle for several weeks anyway before I add fish... I'd like to let the driftwood stabilize and let the live plants get a strong foot-hold first. I'll be testing the water a lot to see what "normal" is for my tank. Also, I need the time to practice manipulating pH, GH and all the other biological factors. In my past tanks, I didn't really need to do much of that. Then I'll have several weeks to learn all about the feeshes best suited to what I've got to offer.
--To be honest, Discus are sounding like a lot more work than I imagined they would be. It isnt discouraging though, because I really love them, however I also do not want to be fighting the elements trying to keep them healthy and happy. If my water is never right, and the tank isnt quite right, than I'd rather find a species better suited to the habitat I can surely provide for them. Discus can come later.
-- WATER QUESTIONS:
1. When you change your water, what method do you use? The largest tank I ever had was only 20 g and changing the water was simple, and the tank was right next to a faucet too. This tank is far from a water source, and frequent water changes with the volume of water going to be changed seems a bit daunting. Does anyone have a nice efficient method? Maybe some sort of siphon contraption?
2. What test kits do you use/like/recommend?


Thank all for your links and suggestions....every bit is helping me get back into fishkeeping after 10 years...

 

[Lithril]

Just read through your last posting and you said you'd "let" the tank cycle for several weeks, just wasn't sure if you realised what cycling was and to get it to occur? If I'm pointing out the obvious just yell but it has been known in the past

I prefer the liquid test kits to the tablet forms but thats just cos I havent bothered getting a metal rod to crush the tablets up with and the plastic ones bend too easily.