Discus care and breeding.first time help

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Skyeboy

Polypterus
MFK Member
May 4, 2016
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Im thinking of trying to start up some breeding projects to make side side money and support the hobby. I have bred cichlids in past. I am new to discus. I did research on the care and what they need. I have a few questions.
Should i spend the money and buy a,proven pair or should i get 6 or 8 individuals and hope they pair.
Im going to be using a 40 breeder tank. White or blue painted back and sides
Debating whether to use my eheim filter with spray bar and just aim the flow down or if i should get a big sponge filter.
Am i better off bare bottom or can i use sand? I made a couple pvc breeding tubes already.
Is there a certain discus type that people prefer or are in demand? I really like the turquoise galaxy or the eruption.
Thanks for any help or input.
 
For filters, I recommend a sponge filter or HOB.

For the tank, I think you will need a series of progressively larger tanks. The 40 breeder will work while the juvies are still feeding off their parents' slime coat. After that I think you will need to move the juvies up to a 55 for a little bit, then a 75, and then possibly into a 125. It kind of depends on how big you want to grow them out before you sell them. Most places and people don't want them until they're at least 2.5" though. You will need to be able to feed the juvies 4-6 times a day, and vac out the bottom after each feeding, so bare bottom is a must. Lastly, the juvies should have daily 50% or more water changes. You might have to increase the water change amount as they juvies grow. So, that is mostly what you're in for. Also, you should decide if you want to ship the fish or not. It could help you sell more fish.

I would recommend you check out SimplyDiscus before you get started. Those guys over there will be able to tell you everything you need to know.
 
Get some quality strain discus, this is super important if you want to make money. The ability to ship also helps.

Water as clean as possible, using RidX may help to keep tanks debris free. Check the usage of probiotics in aquaculture thread ;)
 
from what i heard i think u need RO water at some point not sure when tho. maybe when they almost laying eggs or maybe for the fry not sure
 
yg2089 said:
from what i heard i think u need RO water at some point not sure when tho. maybe when they almost laying eggs or maybe for the fry not sure
Click to expand...
Not really, that's mostly for WC discus or if you have very hard water or high PH but the captive bred strains are quite toleranr
 
40g bare bottom and a sponge filter will get the job done. Paint the bottom, back and sides white or light blue your preference. Using R/O or tap really depends on what your water parameters are... is it well, City water is it hard is it soft so many different factors on why or why not to use R/O or tap. I've bred Discus in both Tap and R/O. R/O with lower TDS produced a higher fry yield than tap. Was it the female? I had a female produce 200+ eggs and 80+ eggs on different spawns. There are so many factors in breeding Discus, What worked for me and others does not mean it will work for you! It is all trial and error... buying a confirmed breeding pair will be a lot easier than getting a group and letting them pair off. It comes down to what you want and how much money and time you have to play with them :-)
Breeding for money is easier said then done lol breed for the passion and the experience!
 
:cool: As stated above, 40g breeder bare w/ spongefilter is a good start. Some of it is skill & some just luck / timing. A proven pair does increase the odds a bit but not a guarantee for success. As for strains, they are as varied as the day is long. Some swear by the German others are passionate about the Japanese. Discus lovers are a select & sometimes picky lot so making money is not guaranteed. You'll most likely spend more than you'll make & that's if all goes well! Not trying to discourage but going in w/ eyes wide open & no false promises is necessary. "T"
 
Be careful with buying confirmed pairs. Some times sellers get rid pairs of them because they produce a offsprings with high rate of deformaties. That's what happened to me once after I purchased a confirmed pair. Once they began breeding, 50% of the batch ended up being runts that I had to cull. I ended up breaking up the pair then mated another male with the fertile female from the pair. My feeling is that sometimes when pairs are formed from same brood, there will be a higher probability of genetic defects due to inbreeding. Other times, pairs are sold because they may be horrible parents or they may eat their young. Or they constantly fight. There's no short cut when it comes to having a good breeding pair. The best way to get a pair is to raise groups of similar breed of discus from different sources to reduce the chance of inbreeding. Then just take time to let nature take its place. It's better to raise juvenile discus so that you can patiently learn what it takes to keep them healthy. Then when they are maturing as healthy adults, the breeding will come naturally.
 
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If you're doing it for money, you're doing it for the wrong reason. As mentioned earlier, you'll likely end up spending more than you'll make. I've been where you're at...bred all kinds of cichlids and wanted to challenge myself with discus. They're definitely more demanding than other cichlids, in terms of care. You'll get more enjoyment growing a pair out yourself but purchasing a proven pair will expedite the process.
 
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