Time to introduce discus

[MissClaire]

Okey dokey:
I bought my tank a month or so ago and have 4 rosey tetras, 10 neons, one female bristlenose, 4 black widows, 2 red dwarf gouramis, 2 apple snails and 6 corys that have been accomodating the tank awaiting their new friends. (yes I am aware the neons might become lunch for the discus) The tank is 170 litres.
My next edition of fish is a couple of clown loaches and two new discus.
What do I need to know about discus, im a complete noob to these fish (being a past owner of african cichlids) is there anything I should know, any little hints on keeping them etc etc, Im a bit scared as they are very expensive and I dont want them to die from a careless mistake on my behalf!
I didnt know which group discus came under so I posted here
Thanks for your help
`Claire

 

[parker313]

What kind of cory cats do you have? Most cories can't stand the high heat that discus require. I don't know about the gouramis and black widows.......

I came up with 44US gall for 170L - that would be OK for some juvie discus but eventually they'll probably get too big....

 

[MissClaire]

Hey, the corys I have are:
2 x c.adolfio (i think)
2x sp. cf. sterbai
2x c. stenocephalus (I think)
in the fish store i noticed that they have display tanks with cory and discus so I hope she hasnt got it wrong!
I was thinking about only getting two discus at most.... i didnt realise they need a higher tempreture

 

[finnster]

Good friend of mine keeps his Discus at 84 deg f.
He has Cory Sterbai and Trilineatus in there with em and they're fine.

 

[David]

Sterbai cories can withstand the higher temps easily enough, so you should be fine. I also keep my tank at 84 usually. Actually 44 gallons will easily fit even two adult discus, depending on what else you have in there. Good luck.

 

[MissClaire]

Thank you!
Im picking them up tomorrow, but im taking in a sample of water again to be tested just to make sure! I want it to be perfect for when they arrive at their new home! I'm wanting some blue ones and I noticed last time I was there they had some smaller blue ones, and they were alot cheaper then the large show pony ones ....about (aussie dollar)$50-$100 each compared to $300-$400
I also read if they are a darker colour and sulking not to buy that one!
yipee im so excited! I hope my water conditions are perfect otherwise I will have to wait a little bit longer

 

[elgecko]

I saw an article in a fish mag just recently about companion fish with discus. One of the fish on the list of fish not to keep with discus was black widows.

 

[MissClaire]

I saw an article in a fish mag just recently about companion fish with discus. One of the fish on the list of fish not to keep with discus was black widows.

oh true? well im going to the lfs in about 30 mins and im taking back 2 rosey tetras as they are nippers (and will keep 2) so maybe I should take back 2 black widows and keep the other two as well to even it out that way if my dicus dont like them they only have to deal with 2 not 4. what were the fish that made good tank mates?

 

[David]

Actually having less barbs and black widows will only complicate things. You have to understand that they are semi-aggressive fish, and that they need to be in larger schools and quarrel amongst themselves so they won't bother the other fish. Having 8 barbs in a tank with some discus probably won't be as damaging as having just one or two barbs, which will beat up the discus out of boredom. If I were you I'd get rid of all of the black widows and barbs, or get more of them, preferably get rid of them all, but definitely don't have less.

 

[digital_run]

I didnt think clown loaches and discus were acceptable tank mates...!?

 

[Doggfather]

Black widows tetras are fin nippers so it would be wise to keep them away from your disucs

I didnt think clown loaches and discus were acceptable tank mates...!?

Clown loaches are fine with discus

I was thinking about only getting two discus at most.... i didnt realise they need a higher tempreture sad.gif

I would advise against this. When keeping 2 discus, one will become aggresive and dominate the other. IMO, discus should be kept in groups of 4 + or not at all.

 

[MissClaire]

Thanks for all your help guys.....
UNfortunatly I havnt returned with discus yet as my PH is still too high. I bought some PH down and a tester kit until I get it right!
Thank you for all your advice on tank mates for the discus...Ive noticed the black widows quarrel amongst themselves and dont touch any of the other fish so I think I will keep them and see what happens.......its the seprae(?) tetras im worried about ( sorry I thought they were called rosey tetras but I checked at the lfs) I managed to catch two and take two back but the other ones outsmarted me! Im planning on catching the other two when I go to get my discus but they are so fricken quick! The only reason is because they seem to nip at my dwarf gouramis and neons so I wouldnt put it past them munching on my new discus!
But thankyou, you have all been so helpful!

 

[finnster]

I agree with what some of you have said about barbs etc. If they're kept in a large group then they're too busy paying attention to what each other is doing to bother about other fish. The danger is when there's only 2 or 3 of them - then they get bored - then they look for long trailing fins etc!
I personally would not dream of putting barbs or the likes of Serpae tetras in with Discus - they will nip them.
Along with a good friend of mine, we have discovered that if you want to keep one of the ''harder to look after/more delicate'' type of fish, then you've got to concentrate on looking after their needs only. I keep Orinoco Altums, my friend keeps Discus.
The best tankmates are Cardinal Tetras, Black Neons or Rummy Noses, they are excellent tankmates, do not bother the fish at all - and - they are excellent shoalers too. These dither fish actually encourage the ''delicate/shy'' fish to come out and to eat - ''hey if those little fellas are swimming around happily, then it's ok for me to come out'' type of thing.
A clean up crew should consist of peaceful Corydoras such as Sterbai, Trilineatus, Similis etc. - and Bristlenose and Otocinclus are great for keeping algae at bay. From personal experience you can ignore all the concerns about Brissy's and Oto's clinging to these fish. As long as they are well feed - Spinach, algae wafers etc - then they will not be a problem.
Another tip is too avoid overactive fish such as Clown Loaches who can be very lively during the day and even lively at night - they will disturb your Discus when they are at rest.
Keep your temp at 82-84 and carry out plenty of water changes - regularly rather than big water changes every so many weeks - it's worked well for us and it keep nitrates well down.
Regarding pH - ensure that your water matches your LFS water rather than aiming for a specific pH - you can alter that later.
The main concern with Discus is Ammonia, Nitrites to a lesser degree but Ammonia is, as for most fish, the big danger. If a Discus turns dark and looks a bit slimy then Ammonia could be the cause - keep test kits handy and test regularly.
Hope this helps - but remember - these are just personal opinions from personal experience.
GOOD LUCK!

 

[MissClaire]

Thanks for the advice finnster!
I just got 2 clown loaches damn, I wish I had of seen your post earlier...Im fond of rummy noses so when I take my serpaes back (which I will when I can catch those smart little f#$kers haha) I will swap them for some rummys. Im also considering taking the black widows back from the advice given but I am fond of them...however in the long run Ive got to look after number one (the discus) so I'm going to do what is best for them.
Perhaps when I get the discus I should see how they interact together (with black widows) and at the first sign of nipping I should take them back? Or just take them back.... there is so much to learn and know!!
You have all been very helpfull....once the PH is right I will have many pictures of my new discus up here!!

 

[David]

Don't worry clown loaches can be kept with discus ith no problems. My LFS has discus, angels and clowns together in one big tank, and I myself have kept them together. I agree about the more than 4 discus comment, as when I only had 2 one was killed by the other. Hope the black widows are okay with your discus, and good luck.