Discus Water Conditions

[Rayfishowner]

Hey guys,

I’m from NJ and have relatively hard water. Would like to keep discus and have the opportunity to get a few for a good price. Will they thrive in hard water? These will be 2 inch juveniles from a local breeder who uses RO “soft” water. Also, any tips for water quality? I know they are fairly sensitive so how often should I do water changes and what percentage at a time? I keep a densely planted tank so will this lower the amount of water changes I do or will I need to do just as much. The tank is 75 gallons and will be relatively densely stocked (8-12 juvenile discus and angelfish). I will weed them out as they grow since I know this will be way too over stocked when they mature. Also any other general tips will be appreciated. The strain available is called “blue scorpion” and although I have a few years experience with angelfish will be completely new to discus! Thanks!

 

[ryansmith83]

Your chance of success with 2” fish in a densely planted setup is slim. It’s easy to stunt their growth at that size. My suggestion would be to start with larger fish in the 4.5 - 5” range. They’re usually past the crucial growth period and they’re not quite as sensitive.

Harder water is fine but the trade off is frequent water changes. Like several other genera (Hoplarchus, Uaru, blackwater Satanoperca and Geophagus, etc.) they do poorly when there is an abundance of bacteria present, and bacteria don’t thrive in the acidic waters these cichlids evolved in. If water changes get lax, the fish get stressed, and stressed fish almost always lead to the dreaded white feces of hexamita.

People will argue about it all day and tell you that they’re fine in dirted tanks, or planted tanks, or with one water change a month, but I’m telling you as someone who has extensively kept and researched them for 20 years and who cofounded and administered the SimplyDiscus forum for 13 years, every horror story I’ve read with discus comes back to two things: skipping quarantine/cross-contamination and failing to provide frequent clean water.

 

[tlindsey]

Hey guys,

I’m from NJ and have relatively hard water. Would like to keep discus and have the opportunity to get a few for a good price. Will they thrive in hard water? These will be 2 inch juveniles from a local breeder who uses RO “soft” water. Also, any tips for water quality? I know they are fairly sensitive so how often should I do water changes and what percentage at a time? I keep a densely planted tank so will this lower the amount of water changes I do or will I need to do just as much. The tank is 75 gallons and will be relatively densely stocked (8-12 juvenile discus and angelfish). I will weed them out as they grow since I know this will be way too over stocked when they mature. Also any other general tips will be appreciated. The strain available is called “blue scorpion” and although I have a few years experience with angelfish will be completely new to discus! Thanks!

This is a great thread imo please read.https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...oft-water-cichlids-in-hard-water-rant.714934/

 

[Rayfishowner]

This is a great thread imo please read.https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...oft-water-cichlids-in-hard-water-rant.714934/

Thank you!

 

[Rayfishowner]

These are the blue scorpions btw. If anyone Can comment on the quality and strain I would really appreciate it. To me they look really nice lol

 

[Rayfishowner]

Your chance of success with 2” fish in a densely planted setup is slim. It’s easy to stunt their growth at that size. My suggestion would be to start with larger fish in the 4.5 - 5” range. They’re usually past the crucial growth period and they’re not quite as sensitive.

Harder water is fine but the trade off is frequent water changes. Like several other genera (Hoplarchus, Uaru, blackwater Satanoperca and Geophagus, etc.) they do poorly when there is an abundance of bacteria present, and bacteria don’t thrive in the acidic waters these cichlids evolved in. If water changes get lax, the fish get stressed, and stressed fish almost always lead to the dreaded white feces of hexamita.

People will argue about it all day and tell you that they’re fine in dirted tanks, or planted tanks, or with one water change a month, but I’m telling you as someone who has extensively kept and researched them for 20 years and who cofounded and administered the SimplyDiscus forum for 13 years, every horror story I’ve read with discus comes back to two things: skipping quarantine/cross-contamination and failing to provide frequent clean water.

Thank you so much! Your knowledge and experience is much appreciated. Just to clarify, what’s the reason behind not adding 2 inch discus to a planted tank? Is it the maintenance or the hard water? Also although I do have hard water, I can definitely find ways to lower the gh and change the ph. Would that be recommended or should I just stick with larger discus. The reason why I rather not buy the large specimen is because I like seeing fish grow to adults and the price really sky rockets lol. I don’t think I can afford 100+ a fish at my current social economic status (college student). I’ll definitely provide plenty of water changes. Do you think a strict regimen of a water change every week and lowering the stock (say 3 discus and 2 angels in a 75) would keep these fish healthy and happy? Sorry if I’m being a bit headstrong. It’s just larger fish are not in my budget range lol.

 

[tlindsey]

These are the blue scorpions btw. If anyone Can comment on the quality and strain I would really appreciate it. To me they look really nice lol

View attachment 1441022

I see 2 that I would actually say we're healthy the others look too thin. I personally would take ryansmith83 advice.

 

[Rayfishowner]

I see 2 that I would actually say we're healthy the others look too thin. I personally would take ryansmith83 advice.

Okay thanks. I’m currently considering getting 6 from this group or maybe just pausing on discus and starting fresh when I’m out of college lol. The only thing that is turning me towards them is the price but I guess I’ll have the judge the health of them. Thanks again!

 

[tlindsey]

Okay thanks. I’m currently considering getting 6 from this group or maybe just pausing on discus and starting fresh when I’m out of college lol. The only thing that is turning me towards them is the price but I guess I’ll have the judge the health of them. Thanks again!

I personally would pass on those. I want you to succeed with Discus.

 

[Rayfishowner]

I personally would pass on those. I want you to succeed with Discus.

Lol thanks. I want to as well ?. I’ll do some more research and come up to a decision but I’ll keep all of your opinions in mind while doing so. Thanks again for your continued help!