55 gallon planted discus possibility

[PoopSmart]

I currently have a 30 gallon planted with a couple discus, rams and tetra, and the discus are about 2 inches maybe right now. I know that is much harder to get any bigger than a 55 gallon tank to do a planted set up, and someone recently offered me a 55 with stand for 75 dollars.

Do you think it is a good idea to buy this now for the future and at this price? I know Discus don't grow too fast, mine will only eat bloodworms and sometimes spiriluna brine shrimp and beefheart. But would this be a good size tank just for a few discus and maybe a clown loach or a nice school of corydoras.

Advice please

 

[oshp132]

My two cents....Discus actually grow rather quickly. The key is daily water changes. I don't do as large of water changes as most discus keepers, but I do change about 20-25% daily. You will find that if you can increase your water changes to about 40% daily, that your fish will grow great! You can actually grow your two discus out to at least 5" in your 30 gallon tank! I have recently purchased two 4 1/2-5" discus that were grew out in a 30..I will attach photos if it will allow me. Next, $75 for a 55 gallon with a stand is a little steep in my opinion. Keep your eyes open on this site, I recently purchased a 55 gal tank, stand, hood, lights for $50 from a fellow MFK (The purchase was for a friend, I didn't keep the tank).
Hope I helped, MIKE

 

[PoopSmart]

aww shoot, well I bought the tank and it came with a hood and a flourescent strip and the stand looked brand new, so I didn't mind. This guy took really good care of it.

But thank you sincerely, I had heard about the water changes because fish secrete hormones or something that stop them from growing so the key is just to change the water more often, at least thats what an angelfish breeder told me.

Do you know what a good buffer is to use for discus? because I use just a bunch of driftwood and a water conditioner that is supposed to keep the pH below 7, but I can only get it to stay under about 7.4.

 

[Dkarc]

aww shoot, well I bought the tank and it came with a hood and a flourescent strip and the stand looked brand new, so I didn't mind. This guy took really good care of it.

But thank you sincerely, I had heard about the water changes because fish secrete hormones or something that stop them from growing so the key is just to change the water more often, at least thats what an angelfish breeder told me.

Do you know what a good buffer is to use for discus? because I use just a bunch of driftwood and a water conditioner that is supposed to keep the pH below 7, but I can only get it to stay under about 7.4.

What is your normal tap water pH after it is aged? As long as its below like 8.2 or so discus will do great in it. And dont worry about the hardness of the water, only time that matters is when you are trying to breed them. Other than that, warm, clean water (via frequent water changes), and good clean food is all that's needed.

-Ryan

 

[Fry]

$75 isn't great for a used 55 gallon tank and stand but since the hood and light were included that's a whole new story. Great deal!

 

[abpositive]

$75 isn't great for a used 55 gallon tank and stand but since the hood and light were included that's a whole new story. Great deal!

I agree.
Have fun!

 

[PoopSmart]

Well thanks a lot guys. Right now the discus is in about 7.4-7.8 and I guess that is what my water is aged since that tank is about 7 months old. Would the fact that i have driftwood affect the pH any? But the tap water is at least 8.8 and hard as a rock. Great for african cichlids, but I really don't want to breed or keep them, as I enjoy discus much more. Has anyone ever bred discus in basic water and been successful? Or are their eggs just infertile under those conditions?

 

[apistomaster]

I have been able to breed and raise the fry of wild Blues and Browns, also Domestic types in water with a pH of 7.6 and up to 400 ppm TDS.

I recomend a pH close to 7.0 and TDS of up to 300 ppm for a little easier going.

It isn't necessary to try to match the conditions typical for those where wild Discus are normally found when keeping and breeding Domestic Discus. The domestic Discus have been raised for so long in captivity at higher pH and hardness that the hard part of reproducing soft acid water has been made unecessary. Eggs do hatch better if you try for moderately softwater. 6 or 7 dDH is another way to state the 300 ppm TDS value.

PH of 8.0 or more and higher levels of TDS can cause some difficulty in getting good hatches but Domestic Discus may be kept in this type of water without much difficulty. The most practical reason for maintaining pH at 7.0 or slightly lower is that it reduces the toxic effects of ammonia should the level rise for some reason.

The water changes are important to Discus to help maintain lower levels of waste product. The idea that there are specific hormones released by discus that inhibit growth is something of an urban myth among some Discus keepers. No such substance has ever been actually been identified.

 

[PoopSmart]

Thank you apistomaster, that was extremely helpful.

Yeah I heard that hormones thing from an angelfish breeder, but he also told me about a good recipe to use for getting rid of discus parasites involving a pinch of fresh garlic and beefheart so I believed him when he said it about the discus.

And since the discus prefer subdued light (if I'm not mistaken), I think I am only going to use one 18 in. flourescent strip on top of the 55 gallon. What would be a good substrate with the discus though? I had no substrate in mind with driftwood w/java fern and swords tied to them, but I think it would look a lot better to have something on the bottom.

 

[greyhoundfan]

Aged water means water you store before you put in tank for water change. Not the amount of time you've had water in your tank. Most discus keepers that have the space will age water in a barrel, trash bin and keep the water pre-heated same as tank, aerated and pretreated with a water conditionor. Since you said your tap pH is 8.8 that is a bit high for discus. Take a water sample and let it stay over night and test it 24 hrs after. Hopefully your pH would have dropped some by than. If not you should consider aging your water first instead of exchanging water straight from tap.