Discus Temp

[jandb]

Hello, I've had 8 small discus qt'd for 8 weeks. They've done real well and I'd say have almost doubled in size. Ive been keeping them at 82-83 degrees. Im ready to introduce them into my planted 340 gallon. The challenge is the temp hovers between 80.5-82 degrees. Should that be a problem?

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

How big are the discus now and how big is your quarantine tank?

 

[jandb]

The qt is a 20 long. I'd say they're close to 2" now.

I'm just worried about the temp in the display being too cold for them.

 

[jandb]

Here they are a couple weeks ago eating. The blue ones have grown much faster.

 

[K_Cichlids]

I won't recommend putting 2" discus into planted tank and with temp under 86f, but that is just me.

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

Here they are a couple weeks ago eating. The blue ones have grown much faster. View attachment 1236552

Yes, the blues are typically more dominant and establish themselves higher up in the hierarchy of the tank.

I won't recommend putting 2" discus into planted tank and with temp under 86f, but that is just me.

I mostly agree with this. It sounds like you are off to a good start in growing them out. If you want to continue taking good care of them then I would leave them in the 20 long with large daily or every other day water changes and feed them 2-3 small meals a day. Then, I would look for a 55-75 gallon tank on Craigslist or somewhere cheap. Move them into that once they hit 3" and continue the same care. Once they hit 5-6" you can then move them into the 370 planted tank. However, be prepared to up your water changes on that tank and you will probably have to mess with the fertilizer dosing and CO2 to find a spot where the discus are happy. The ph swings in a planted tank are hard on discus, especially young ones. Once they're older/larger they can handle a bit more without issue.

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

Oh, and the temp at 82 is fine as long as they are eating well and appear healthy. I would keep it at 82 or a little higher until they are at the 5" mark. Then, they should be fine with the 80.5-82 in the 370 no problem.

 

[jandb]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the advice.

 

[jandb]

Well, kind of a funny twist. When I bought the 8 small ones I also got 2 approximately 4" fish from the local breeder. I decided to grow the small ones out more and put the larger 2 in the display tank. The night before I was set to do this they laid eggs! That was yesterday. The eggs are kind of a clear/light brown color. Should I do anything special? Should I continue with daily/every other day water changes? Thanks.

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

You're beyond my knowledge. Ive never researched breeding them. I would encourage you to join SimplyDiscus if you're interested in following through breeding them. It would be really cool if the two 4" discus turn out to be a true breeding pair.