New To Discus, Advise Required

[michaelwgroves]

Hi, I am thinking about introducing Discus into my 250g planted community tank.

I was thinking about buying a single Discus to begin with and see how I get on, then increase stocking levels if I am succesful.

Basically my water parameters are ph: 7.2 (maintained with co2), Temp 25. Please see my profile for exact fish list, water parameters and equipment.

Is there any really bad fish that I should not have in with discus, also what about lowering my ph and increasing my temperature as this could have a knock on effect with my current stock?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated before I jump in.

 

[angelmouse]

Ace no peeping, i know your here lol

 

[Ace Of Spades]

SHOULD BE ASHAMED!!!...is THAT a picture of you btw? just curious

 

[angelmouse]

oh my

 

[craftycarper52]

to be honest there are not many fish that can go in with discus as discus need specific requirements. the temp for a start needs to be around 29 celcius which many fish cant cope with.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

As the above post says, the temperature is too low. You would have to up that to around 28-32.


Most of the fish on your list should be okay with the Discus especially in that size tank, but I would consider removing the silver dollars.


I wouldn't start with one if I were you. You probably won't have much success with it...

 

[mike os]

temp too low... min 28, max 30c

mollies, sharks & foxes, probably gourami's are likely to either have problems with temps or cause discus stress.

in a tank that size you want to start with at least 6 x 4"+fish

 

[michaelwgroves]

okay, main concerns appears to be temperature, I'll check out temperature guides for current stock, paying particular attention to the fish you mention.

What about ph though?

 

[rabbut]

There are about 10 fish on the list that I wouldn't put with discus, most noteable, silver dollars, silver sharks, any loach other than the Clowns, and the congo tetras. Main reasons are either fast swimmers (older discus associate this with danger) and nocturnal activity, though people have sucess with clown loach....

I keep my disucs at a pH of 7.5. So long as they aren't wild caught, your pH would be fine. You only realy need to drop the pH if you are keeping wild caught fish (not recomended for beginners), or if you want to breed them (usualy done in another tank for easyness)

Many people won't research discus first, and then run into problems. They then blame the fish for their (put quite bluntly) ignorance. Before you even think about buying these fish, research them like crazy untill you can answer any discus questions that crop up. IMO these are not difficult fish to keep, if you have researched first. They are however considered "advanced" for a reason. Once you are researched well, copy an existing set-up. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, forget the research. If it does not work, you will get a gut feeling about whats wrong. Follow your gut in this case and you will fix the problem 9 times out of 10.

Do your self a favor. Don't fall into the "Discus newbies" trap and buy your fish before researching them, and you will avoid most problems. Also, waterchange religiously. Keep the water clean and fresh and the fish will do the rest themselves. I go for 50% twice a week wherever possible, but a minimum of 50% a week for fish over 4 inches. 50% daily would be advisable for fish under this size, as a minimum.

HTH
Rabbut

 

[michaelwgroves]

There are about 10 fish on the list that I wouldn't put with discus, most noteable, silver dollars, silver sharks, any loach other than the Clowns, and the congo tetras. Main reasons are either fast swimmers (older discus associate this with danger) and nocturnal activity, though people have sucess with clown loach....

I keep my disucs at a pH of 7.5. So long as they aren't wild caught, your pH would be fine. You only realy need to drop the pH if you are keeping wild caught fish (not recomended for beginners), or if you want to breed them (usualy done in another tank for easyness)

Many people won't research discus first, and then run into problems. They then blame the fish for their (put quite bluntly) ignorance. Before you even think about buying these fish, research them like crazy untill you can answer any discus questions that crop up. IMO these are not difficult fish to keep, if you have researched first. They are however considered "advanced" for a reason. Once you are researched well, copy an existing set-up. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, forget the research. If it does not work, you will get a gut feeling about whats wrong. Follow your gut in this case and you will fix the problem 9 times out of 10.

Do your self a favor. Don't fall into the "Discus newbies" trap and buy your fish before researching them, and you will avoid most problems. Also, waterchange religiously. Keep the water clean and fresh and the fish will do the rest themselves. I go for 50% twice a week wherever possible, but a minimum of 50% a week for fish over 4 inches. 50% daily would be advisable for fish under this size, as a minimum.

HTH
Rabbut

Thanks for the advice, I'm gonna hold fire while I research my tank mates. In the mean time, you mention massive water changes. Is this really necessary in a big tank like mine. 50%, that 450 litres. I'm now thinking of getting a pair to start with. Also, should I be using RO. I typically use on 20% RO as my plants prefer tap water.

 

[rabbut]

Thanks for the advice, I'm gonna hold fire while I research my tank mates. In the mean time, you mention massive water changes. Is this really necessary in a big tank like mine. 50%, that 450 litres. I'm now thinking of getting a pair to start with. Also, should I be using RO. I typically use on 20% RO as my plants prefer tap water.

As you do your research, you will quickly find that a pair is the expencive option (due to recomended groups)....

The secret to discus IMO is lots of clean fresh water. They don't seem too fussed about the pH, GH or KH (within reason) just so long as their water is clean and fresh, so IMO, yes, 50% a week would remain the minimum. You hear of a few people doing less, but they are the exception to the rule, not the majority

All the best
Rabbut

 

[michaelwgroves]

How many would you recommend as a starting point in a 900 litre tank?
So your saying they not bothered by tap water?

 

[rabbut]

Not in mine, they go strait into dechlorinated tap water, pH 7.5, GH 8-12 from the hose via cold tap at every waterchange. they often come to "play" in the flow of water going in again.

What are your water stats from the tap? If they are rediculously hard/alkaline, they may well require RO, but IME RO isn't needed as often as people think. Also, I find hardness is more important in many cases than pH...

5-8 is the recomended starting group, or a proven pair. Proven pairs are upwards of £200 each for poor examples/cross breeding pairs, right through to rediculous costs in the high thousands for a good pair... Individuals go from £15 up at 4" which is the size I'd buy at.... You will ocasionally find some cheaper, but it usualy occurs with people that have finished breeding them, or whom didn't know the pairs true worth.

It is important to be realy thorgh with your research, as we cannot easily give all the information you need through general "start-up" questions. These fish are considered "advanced" still for a reason. Realy, trawl the many websites out there and read as much as you can manage before going for your first group You will be glad you did later

All the best
Rabbut

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

How many would you recommend as a starting point in a 900 litre tank?
So your saying they not bothered by tap water?

Tanks is about 240 gallons. Normally a good rule to follow is 1 Discus per 10 gallons.

Maximum you could put into the tank is 24 (recommended for a beginner anyways), but I think I good number would be 10-15.

 

[kev_kb]

I wouldn't run metal halides on a Discus tank unless you have lots of plant cover over the surface.

Also a lot of plants won't stand the increased temperature that Discus require so that's something else to research.