discus tips?

[romosoldier]

anyone got any tips on keeping discus and stuff that might help their health. anything will do, i wanted to buy some discus but i know they arent the easiest fish to keep so im looking into getting some but i dont want to be clueless of their needs if im going to get them.

 

[golfhacker]

Here's a site with lots of articles on how to care for discus.

http://article.discusnews.com/

Some basic tips: Keep them in warm(82 degrees), acidic water(6.0 - 6.5). 1 adult fish per 10 gallons of water. They are schooling fish and like to be in groups of 5 or more. They need clean water. Do at least two 20% water changes a week. The amount of water changes depends on your stocking level, your filtration and the types of food you feed. Just keep the tank clean and don't overfeed. Follow these simple tips and you'll have no problems taking care of discus. And finally, start out with healthy fish.

 

[halfmoon_bay]

first all buy discus from someone reputable and they know what they are talking about. lfs are ok but I wouldn't go that route. I have been told if its your first time getting discus buy them at around 50cent size or so not adults either. ask what kind of water perimeter the seller has and try to get as close as possible.... always keep your water clean ...water changes and adequate food supply... good luck

 

[hillbilly]

anyone got any tips on keeping discus and stuff that might help their health. anything will do, i wanted to buy some discus but i know they arent the easiest fish to keep so im looking into getting some but i dont want to be clueless of their needs if im going to get them.

Before you buy any discus, research as much as you can about discus. Read, read, read. I see on the forums every day that someone has purchased discus, and ran into problems because they didn't know this or that. Discus are not hard to keep, they just have a few different demands than some other fish. Clean water is the most important one. Now that I have been keeping them for a few years, I cringe when I hear people say they only change water in their tanks with other species every two weeks. I'm thinking, your fish live in a sewer.

 

[romosoldier]

Thanks for the info everyone, i was just looking through the threads ive started and ran across this one
since this thread ive looked up and learned alot about discus, and even bought 5 juvenile discus which ive had for almost 2 months now. =)

 

[Fishwhore]

its an adventure......this is my first time also with discus and got 2 pairs to spawn for me within a month of getting them in 7.5+ ph. i bought them as adults... one thing i learned is try to buy discus from a local breeder. if they are good breeders they will breed raise discus in local tap water conditions...makes it easier for wc...mine are in 8.0 ish ph and doing well....

post some pics...id love to see what you got.....thx GL...

 

[smarchant22]

i might get slammed for this but i do 1 water change a month for my discus, granted my filter is for a tank twice the size of what i have, but i havnt once ran into any problems

 

[Yoda1]

I would say 2 things.

Do your research first. Discus aren't something to be rushed into.

And also, rather spend a bit extra and buy good quality fish from a reputable seller.

 

[Yoda1]

i might get slammed for this but i do 1 water change a month for my discus, granted my filter is for a tank twice the size of what i have, but i havnt once ran into any problems

People should do what works for them.
I know others will throw their hands up in horror.
But if it works for you then great.

Out of interest, what are your water parameters (ph and Kh)?

 

[busterbrown]

Smarchant22, you might want to pick that water change rate up before your fish get sick. I have a 120gallon with a FX-5 and a eheim 2217 and i do water changes every other day of 60-70%. Your fish may as well live in a sewer man. Water changes are very important with discus and all other fish actually. GIve those guys a good variety of food also. romosoldier id go bare bottom with those juvies, its the easiest way to do it, the more the bare the tank the healthier your discus with will be and the faster they will grow. Juvies need a lot of food also, fed them atleast 5 times a day