Need Help ( Perfect Tank For Discus)

[Captain Trout]

Hi there,
I'm new to this forum, i have been keeping tropical fish for a number of years and worked at a Aquatics but never really saw or kept any discus, I have put a deposit down on some discus.
and they have said that they will keep them for me for a couple of months because i worked there. Anyway what should i include in the prefect Discus aquarium. i would like neon tetras and maybe a couple of cory's but what about decor and things like pumps and lighting.
Thanks any pic would be great.

Cheers

 

[markandhisfish]

1st thing to consider is what size tank are you working with? and is it cycled?

 

[Captain Trout]

well the aquarium is about 285 litres, with a 15 litre filter. thanks and hope to hear from you.

 

[markandhisfish]

285l , so youre looking at 62ukg/75usg . so tank size is absolutely fine . the usual reccomended way suggested to new discus keepers is a complete bare bottomed empty tank with daily wtaerchanges of around 30% . not completely needed but its a time proven method for growing out young discus. i dont like tanks like that as i think they look too sterile for my liking . i would suggest however keeping things simple tho , as you do need to keep discus tanks extremely clean. id go for maybe a thin layer of sand with either a big piece of bogwood or maybe a couple of silk plants , so that there is somewhere the fish can seek a bit of refuge , but the tank is still nice and open , making maintainence easier. remember these fish will have been raised in bare empty tanks , so this wont cause the fish any problems . in fact i found that once i stripped everything back , my discus were in fact happier . they will also prefer subdued lighting . tank tem should be 28 to 30

add at least 6 discus , all at the same time .. i know you say you have put a deposit on some , but take a read through tish . it will give valuable pointers as to what to look for when selecting your fish .
http/www.aquariumhobbyist.com/discus/beginner/index.html

good tankmates for discus include cardinal tetras , rummynose tetras german blue rams and corydora sterbai

a good way to start if your discus are juveniles is 4 feedings per day with 30% waterchange every other day . tetraprima is a good food , as well as frozen foods such as krill , mysys etc . if youre going to feed livefoods i would stick to brineshrimp , as discus are very prone to worms/internal parasites which can easily be brought in with livefoods , but brineshrimp are safe as any parasites are saltwater ones and will not be able to live in freshwater .

 

[simonas]

everything Mark has said is spot on

Not long set a discus tank up myself. The feeding point is essential,they require plenty of regular feeds to strengthen them up. In my opinion the biggest problem with them is if they do not start feeding asap as they can fall behind the pecking order if they don;t eat which can be frustrating

they are great fish, stronger than books would have you believe and make an attractive addition to any tank in a small group

 

[Captain Trout]

Thanks Guys,

I'm going to buy some sand and wood tomorrow, Any ideas for which wood e.g bogwood, driftwood or monpani i think its called, going to have a large shoal of tetra and a plec and three corys and about 5 discus is this also o.k,

 

[ddgbumblebee]

It sounds good but get 6 corys instead, they are very social and aren't happy in smaller groups. I think driftwood would be best for this aquarium and have seen aquariums set up in the way you are describing with discus and it looks fantastic! Good luck, I hope you're successful!

 

[markandhisfish]

agreed 6 would be a better number for the corys . also for the discus id go for 6 minimum . this will spread any agression for the plec id reccomend something like a golden nugget or a bristlenose . you will probably get a better deal on the wood on ebay or aquarist classifieds, it tends to be pretty expensive in shops .

 

[Captain Trout]

Thanks Guys,

Will have alook on ebay first see what driftwood they have will let you know.

Cheers

 

[markandhisfish]

look forward to some pics once its all set up .

 

[Whitey_144]

look forward to some pics once its all set up .

this tank sounds good

I have thought about setting up a discus tank so always interested in these.

let us know how it goes!

 

[markandhisfish]

to be perfectly honest i got bored with ,mine . sure they are gorgeous to look at , but they dont do much . i sold mine on after about 6 months .

 

[waterdrop]

to be perfectly honest i got bored with ,mine . sure they are gorgeous to look at , but they dont do much . i sold mine on after about 6 months .

Yes, they can be rather "stately", even more so than angels sometimes don't you think?

 

[markandhisfish]

yes . altho i am glad i kept them as i learnt a lot that i will take into my fish keeping in general , so i cant say i got nothing from it .

 

[simonas]

They are quite stately but am finding mine are quite interesting at the moment and have settled really well. I;m enjoying the planting aspect aswell and making a tank look nice something which I haven;t done for most of my time fishkeeping

If you enjoy that then you;ll enjoy the discus