Hey all I have always been a native, or african chiclid fish keeper. That being said I want to convert one of my 75s to a discus tank. Any information you guys can provide on them would be great. Also I was wondering how they do with plants. My africans tore apart every plant other than the nana I put in there. The only fish I have that would be in the tank other than the discus is a common pleco about 13 inches long. It was a fish my wife had to have and she loves so needless to say its going to stay. I have read mixed thing about keeping commons with discus, eith the commons sucking the slime coat off and killing them. Anything information you can provie is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Discus information
- Thread starter OhioMFK
- Start date
Discus aren't that difficult to keep
But you need to do a lot of research.
Get their requirements right, and they will be fine.
The basics:
Although the prefer softer water, stable is better than constant fiddling to achieve a lower ph/hardness.
Temp around 30*C
They do better in bigger groups. min of 6.
A mature filter is a must
Plenty of water changes. Aim to keep Nitrates as low as possible.
A planted tank is possible if you are keeping adults. But it does make cleaning more difficult.
Plecs have a reputation for latching on to Discus.
So I wouldn't not take the chance.
And also they are very messy, so will make keeping the water pristine more difficult.
But you need to do a lot of research.
Get their requirements right, and they will be fine.
The basics:
Although the prefer softer water, stable is better than constant fiddling to achieve a lower ph/hardness.
Temp around 30*C
They do better in bigger groups. min of 6.
A mature filter is a must
Plenty of water changes. Aim to keep Nitrates as low as possible.
A planted tank is possible if you are keeping adults. But it does make cleaning more difficult.
Plecs have a reputation for latching on to Discus.
So I wouldn't not take the chance.
And also they are very messy, so will make keeping the water pristine more difficult.
Also. I should stress.
Most important. Buy quality fish. Find a supplier with a good reputation. And buy from him. It may cost a bit more but in the long run it will be worth the extra $$
Don't buy cheapo fish from your lfs or from Bob down the road.
The fish could be decent. But possibly not, and you will only have problems.
Most important. Buy quality fish. Find a supplier with a good reputation. And buy from him. It may cost a bit more but in the long run it will be worth the extra $$
Don't buy cheapo fish from your lfs or from Bob down the road.
The fish could be decent. But possibly not, and you will only have problems.
www.simplydiscus.com, That is where I got started on discus, and there are a lot of good people over there to ask for advice. I have bought discus from both KennysDiscus(Kenny Chaung) and CentralOhioDiscus (Mike Beals), who is also now a vendor here on MFK. They have some of the highest quality discus you will see in the U.S. I had to break open my wallet but the fish are worth every penny!
http://www.centralohiodiscus.com/
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showt...t-shipment-(mostly-medium-to-large-size-fish)
http://www.centralohiodiscus.com/
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showt...t-shipment-(mostly-medium-to-large-size-fish)
Thanks for all the information! Ill definitely look into the vendors you suggested. That damned pleco just creates mess. I figured having a planted tank would help insure the water quality was optimal and stable for them but if it would make it more difficult id just do fake plants. It will definitely be a discus first tank. How do you think a spiny eel would fair in a tank with discus?
Lots of discounts, from SimplyDiscus sponsors, this weekend. 
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Lots of discounts, from SimplyDiscus sponsors, this weekend.
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
I would recommend kennys discus on simplydiscus.com, and there'e ton of info on the site as well...........