If you are going to mess with the pH, you are going to learn that keeping discus is hard. As for breeding. Save that for down the road after you have a good handle on keeping them healthy and alive
discus questions
- Thread starter Snook000
- Start date
I agree. learn to keep them first. you can get 6 for your tank with good filtration and plenty of wc's. domestics do not need low ph. many people breed discus in ph up to 8.0. there is a lot of old info on discus that scares people and a lot of it is wrong. do a lot of research. you can also take a look at simplydiscus.com. I have wild discus in a ph of 7.6 and they are big, fat, and healthy. they won't breed in that ph but this is a show tank. domestics are much more comfortable in higher ph.
i use to use PH Down. but it got expensive. (rember keeping discus means 50% water changes...) and that $5 a week for a bottle.
so i gave up on that. I kept 6 discus just fine in my 55gallon. But now im down to my pair that paired up (also for sale, planning to grow out the fry in my 55gal).
As for the breeding. It takes a while (almost a yr) for a shoal to bond and form a pair. then a lot of trial and error for them to get it right. then, you have to start using RO water to make sure the hardness is low for the eggs to hatch. then when they do hatch you have to buy bbbs. then when the fry grow you have to feed them beefheart or other frozen foods, etc... and u have to feed them 6 times a day... it costs a lot of money and time to breed. I change my fry tanks water 50% daily (minimum).
from my experience, they are not so hard to care for. they eat do change their minds alot on food though. once tame, u can pet them while feeding.
water, i just use tap water. it's slightly hard water. but they thrive.
so i gave up on that. I kept 6 discus just fine in my 55gallon. But now im down to my pair that paired up (also for sale, planning to grow out the fry in my 55gal).
As for the breeding. It takes a while (almost a yr) for a shoal to bond and form a pair. then a lot of trial and error for them to get it right. then, you have to start using RO water to make sure the hardness is low for the eggs to hatch. then when they do hatch you have to buy bbbs. then when the fry grow you have to feed them beefheart or other frozen foods, etc... and u have to feed them 6 times a day... it costs a lot of money and time to breed. I change my fry tanks water 50% daily (minimum).
from my experience, they are not so hard to care for. they eat do change their minds alot on food though. once tame, u can pet them while feeding.
water, i just use tap water. it's slightly hard water. but they thrive.
