hello everyone,
I decided to start this thread as information not only for those who seek it but for myself as well. i wanted to ask people with more experience to help the ones without it (people like myself).
in the next few weeks im hoping to buy 3-4 discus and get a pair to breed for myself, i have a 45G that im setting up for them only, a 55g community, and a 10 backup. if i should need any more (as i have a feeling i might) ill buy another, which i might do anyway in the next day or two (we'll see). what im planning for is to breed them and if i make enough money to pay out my discus that i bought im happy, anything extra is bonus =).
---> If you find some information is wrong (from experience or otherwise) please post it. Add your own info and input to this thread. Also add your questions, comments, and pics
. Hope this is useful to everyone ---
General information that i found online -
79-86° F, KH 1-3, pH 6.1-7.5 (breeders usually keep the temperature on the higher end 85-87 when breeding)
"At our Breeding facility the breeding pairs are kept at 86' , pH at 6.8, Hardness between 80 to 100 PPM. 50% of water is changed daily, and aged water is added.
To induce spawning, cooler water is added at times."
The following site sells Discus that it breeds. i just found this site and i already love it! they also have books on discus.
( http://www.discusmadness.com/index.html )
Another useful site on discus, breeding keeping and general info:
http://www.simplydiscus.com/library/index.shtml
Discus -
Discus are fish that can have very vibrant and amazing colors, especially since they are FW. They are generally expensive, and cant really be found as fry because most breeders grow the fry out to have a larger profit when they sell them as adults. The average price I've noticed (Assorted discus/most discus types) range around $59. obviously this price depends on the fish. some go for well over that price and some are found under that price.
One risk of discus, as with most other fish, is the risk of death. this is one thing i am worried about too because i have never kept discus before and honestly I'm not sure what to expect. Discus need more specific water than other fish, warmer water, and specific breeding conditions, in essence, they are harder to keep, but as i heard not too difficult to breed, and can be profitable to breed them. keep in mind this is more expensive than your average fish and, and maintenance costs, at least if you are starting for the beginning.
Tips/Other Info -
Discus like to stay in groups and it is suggested that they are in groups of 5-8. although since they are expensive, i personally don't think this is necessary, i say at least 3, even if you decided to put them in your community tank, i think at least 3 should be the starting point if you plan for discus. and for breeding, the more the better. getting discus for breeding is a risk in itself because you never know which one is male and which is female until they breed, so this is a risk, getting more gives you a better chance for a pair.
if you get them for breeding, have them alone in that tank, but have a back up tank or at least a divider for breeding purposes.
Discus shouldnt be part of a large variety community tank because although they are peaceful fish, there are few exceptions of fish that they can be mixed with in a tank. most keep discus alone, or with other small fish, ive heard they do mix with tetras for example. here is a quote from a website i found this info on.
"They don't do well with other fish in the tank (there are a few exceptions)."
Breeding -
once they breed, they will take care of their fry, but it is suggested by many to take the other tank mates out for a better fry success rate. but KEEP IN MIND -- The fry eat off of their parents skin/scales for the first week! if they keep eating off of the parents too much after that they it can result in the parents dieing because the fry should be big enough by week 1 to start eating on their own, the parents need the protective coat on them to survive, and the fry can't keep nibbling at it. sometimes it takes a little bit longer for the fry to start eating other food, so keep the parents in till they are feeding on their own. this is sometimes a little bit tricky, because you cant keep the parents in too long for the fry to eat too much from them, and you cant take them out to early either, or the fry will starve. but after the first week, you should start feeding them baby brine shrimp or even powder flake food to have them start eating food.
At first the fry grow vary rapidly, and most breeders keep the first for longer to get more profit rather than selling them as cheaper fry.
Risks -
Now i thought about this, and im looking more into it right now, but one thing i found is that, yes, discus mix when they breed, but this is the risk. some types of discus mixing with others can lead to infertile offspring, and if your looking to sell the offspring for profit, it can bring down the price of the offspring because of their infertility. you never know what mixes your going to get with a mix pair, and i wanted to have a mix pair myself, but i'd rather not take the risk, and im going to stick to getting all of one kind, that way i know how much they cost and i know how much to charge if i sell them/their offspring.
Death.. as with every other fish. these fish need greater care than the average fish and more specific water qualities.
going through online research i read some pretty useful information, and something i found was not to keep discus with a carbon filter because this can lead to disease in the discus, so be careful!
Water and Tank -
most say that the minimum tank size should be a 50g. also, frequent water changes are highly suggested. breeders make as much as a 50% water chance DAILY! others do less daily, or a few days a week. but yes, water changes are extremely important! i've even read and heard of breeders who make water changes with "aged" water so they dont disrupt the fish as much with new water, but something intresting is that putting colder water (not too cold now! lol) into the tank every once in a while induces breeding.
-----
Again, i will add information to this as it is provided. im sure i missed many aspects of keeping them, so i will be updating this to keep with current information. But there is nothing better than first hand research. i encourage people to research them before they decide to buy them, this thread wont be enough to teach you everything you need to know, but its a start.
Thank you, and Good Luck with your discus!
I decided to start this thread as information not only for those who seek it but for myself as well. i wanted to ask people with more experience to help the ones without it (people like myself).
in the next few weeks im hoping to buy 3-4 discus and get a pair to breed for myself, i have a 45G that im setting up for them only, a 55g community, and a 10 backup. if i should need any more (as i have a feeling i might) ill buy another, which i might do anyway in the next day or two (we'll see). what im planning for is to breed them and if i make enough money to pay out my discus that i bought im happy, anything extra is bonus =).
---> If you find some information is wrong (from experience or otherwise) please post it. Add your own info and input to this thread. Also add your questions, comments, and pics
. Hope this is useful to everyone ---General information that i found online -
79-86° F, KH 1-3, pH 6.1-7.5 (breeders usually keep the temperature on the higher end 85-87 when breeding)
"At our Breeding facility the breeding pairs are kept at 86' , pH at 6.8, Hardness between 80 to 100 PPM. 50% of water is changed daily, and aged water is added.
To induce spawning, cooler water is added at times."
The following site sells Discus that it breeds. i just found this site and i already love it! they also have books on discus.
( http://www.discusmadness.com/index.html )
Another useful site on discus, breeding keeping and general info:
http://www.simplydiscus.com/library/index.shtml
Discus -
Discus are fish that can have very vibrant and amazing colors, especially since they are FW. They are generally expensive, and cant really be found as fry because most breeders grow the fry out to have a larger profit when they sell them as adults. The average price I've noticed (Assorted discus/most discus types) range around $59. obviously this price depends on the fish. some go for well over that price and some are found under that price.
One risk of discus, as with most other fish, is the risk of death. this is one thing i am worried about too because i have never kept discus before and honestly I'm not sure what to expect. Discus need more specific water than other fish, warmer water, and specific breeding conditions, in essence, they are harder to keep, but as i heard not too difficult to breed, and can be profitable to breed them. keep in mind this is more expensive than your average fish and, and maintenance costs, at least if you are starting for the beginning.
Tips/Other Info -
Discus like to stay in groups and it is suggested that they are in groups of 5-8. although since they are expensive, i personally don't think this is necessary, i say at least 3, even if you decided to put them in your community tank, i think at least 3 should be the starting point if you plan for discus. and for breeding, the more the better. getting discus for breeding is a risk in itself because you never know which one is male and which is female until they breed, so this is a risk, getting more gives you a better chance for a pair.
if you get them for breeding, have them alone in that tank, but have a back up tank or at least a divider for breeding purposes.
Discus shouldnt be part of a large variety community tank because although they are peaceful fish, there are few exceptions of fish that they can be mixed with in a tank. most keep discus alone, or with other small fish, ive heard they do mix with tetras for example. here is a quote from a website i found this info on.
"They don't do well with other fish in the tank (there are a few exceptions)."
Breeding -
once they breed, they will take care of their fry, but it is suggested by many to take the other tank mates out for a better fry success rate. but KEEP IN MIND -- The fry eat off of their parents skin/scales for the first week! if they keep eating off of the parents too much after that they it can result in the parents dieing because the fry should be big enough by week 1 to start eating on their own, the parents need the protective coat on them to survive, and the fry can't keep nibbling at it. sometimes it takes a little bit longer for the fry to start eating other food, so keep the parents in till they are feeding on their own. this is sometimes a little bit tricky, because you cant keep the parents in too long for the fry to eat too much from them, and you cant take them out to early either, or the fry will starve. but after the first week, you should start feeding them baby brine shrimp or even powder flake food to have them start eating food.
At first the fry grow vary rapidly, and most breeders keep the first for longer to get more profit rather than selling them as cheaper fry.
Risks -
Now i thought about this, and im looking more into it right now, but one thing i found is that, yes, discus mix when they breed, but this is the risk. some types of discus mixing with others can lead to infertile offspring, and if your looking to sell the offspring for profit, it can bring down the price of the offspring because of their infertility. you never know what mixes your going to get with a mix pair, and i wanted to have a mix pair myself, but i'd rather not take the risk, and im going to stick to getting all of one kind, that way i know how much they cost and i know how much to charge if i sell them/their offspring.
Death.. as with every other fish. these fish need greater care than the average fish and more specific water qualities.
going through online research i read some pretty useful information, and something i found was not to keep discus with a carbon filter because this can lead to disease in the discus, so be careful!
Water and Tank -
most say that the minimum tank size should be a 50g. also, frequent water changes are highly suggested. breeders make as much as a 50% water chance DAILY! others do less daily, or a few days a week. but yes, water changes are extremely important! i've even read and heard of breeders who make water changes with "aged" water so they dont disrupt the fish as much with new water, but something intresting is that putting colder water (not too cold now! lol) into the tank every once in a while induces breeding.
-----
Again, i will add information to this as it is provided. im sure i missed many aspects of keeping them, so i will be updating this to keep with current information. But there is nothing better than first hand research. i encourage people to research them before they decide to buy them, this thread wont be enough to teach you everything you need to know, but its a start.
Thank you, and Good Luck with your discus!
