First group of Discus.. some advice

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
take them back to the store and see if they will refund u the money if not get store credit or something. start with a new healthy batch from kenny and you will be addicted in no time i assure you lol.
 
doubled
 
Water said:
30% bi weekly doesn't even come close to the amount of water changes needed for juvi Discus. The function of these large water changes is to remove most of the toxins left from their poop/uneaten food/food bits. The even low amounts of these toxins will stunt young Discus. This is why large water changes are done, to avoid that from happening. Before you start doing large daily water changes, I suggest you test the pH of the water in the tank and the pH of the water coming out of the tap. If they are the same, you're clear on doing large water changes. If they are a bit off, leave the water in a barrel with some air bubblers and allow it to sit for a day or two so the pH can correct itself. As for worrying about killing beneficial bacteria(bb) from the large water changes, that simply will not happen if the water is treated. I have done 100% water changes on my tanks before and I have NEVER experienced mini cycles. If your tank hasn't been up and running for a while, then adding Discus to the tank wasn't a good idea to begin with.

Also, the Discus pictures you posted up are of stunted Discus. Buying from LFS's are never a good idea unless you know what to look for. Try returning those Discus.. and read up on how to select healthy juvenile Discus.
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sorry to jump in this thread but i just want to ask water something about what she said about the ph,, [I suggest you test the pH of the water in the tank and the pH of the water coming out of the tap. If they are the same, you're clear on doing large water changes. If they are a bit off, leave the water in a barrel with some air bubblers and allow it to sit for a day or two so the pH can correct itself]] that bit there can you explane that to me please??i did nt know that was how to change the ph and will it go up or down,,thanks
 
fish n chips said:
sorry to jump in this thread but i just want to ask water something about what she said about the ph,, [I suggest you test the pH of the water in the tank and the pH of the water coming out of the tap. If they are the same, you're clear on doing large water changes. If they are a bit off, leave the water in a barrel with some air bubblers and allow it to sit for a day or two so the pH can correct itself]] that bit there can you explane that to me please??i did nt know that was how to change the ph and will it go up or down,,thanks
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ph can change after it as been in the tank for awhile that is why you see alot of discus keeper "age" their water
 
doubled again lol sorry trying to do this and look at kenny shipment at the same time =p
 
fish n chips said:
sorry to jump in this thread but i just want to ask water something about what she said about the ph,, [I suggest you test the pH of the water in the tank and the pH of the water coming out of the tap. If they are the same, you're clear on doing large water changes. If they are a bit off, leave the water in a barrel with some air bubblers and allow it to sit for a day or two so the pH can correct itself]] that bit there can you explane that to me please??i did nt know that was how to change the ph and will it go up or down,,thanks
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The kH in most tap water is poor.. because of this it's ability to retain the pH level it has out of the tap is very poor. As the water ages the pH level will drop. I have this issue.. problem is mine will drop to the 4's.. I use a buffering agent in my tanks and it boost my waters kH and keeps the pH around the same as my tap. This works best for me because I don't have to keep huge tubs full of water laying around. My tap water has close to the same params as my tank minus the chlorine.. which I treat off. Works great for me
 
MFNRyan said:
How can you tell they are stunted? it does not matter to me if they are really... I think they are beautiful fish and if they don't grow an inch I'm fine with that. They look cool to me and are just something to watch swim around. the only reason I do WC is to remove nitrates.. I try to keep mine below 10ppm. I never have ammonia or nitrites in my tank. I do a water change and let it settle a little.. then check my nitrates.. if they are around 5ppm I do more water. I am not a noob to fish keeping.. I would not throw any fish in a new or uncycled tank LOL. I don't store water so doing such a large WC would be ludicrous for my tank. With my filtration toxins are not bad enough to ever need to change that much water off lol
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Google "How to pick healthy Discus" and a few items should pop up. You really don't care how stunted Discus look right? Only care that they swim in your tank? Well, for one, they won't swim for very long in your tank if they're stunted. The toxins I'm talking about are not associated with nitrates or ammonia. Lets say you take a crap and piss in a bucket. Run it through a filtration unit to where it gets rid of Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. Would you still drink it? I'll answer for you, No. Why? Because there is still impurities left in the water. This is what I meant. Discus stunt very easily. The fact that you failed to do research before purchasing your Discus just shows that you ARE a noob. It doesn't matter if you have 100x turn over rate on your filtration system. If you do not do large water changes, your Discus will become stunted. Good luck, because your Discus will need it.
 
what it comes down to is are you happy. yes your fish are a bit stunted, but I have seen worse. they may not reach dinner plate size or be perfectly shaped, but if your ok with 4-5" fish then don't worry about it. you need to adjust your maintenence. wc's are your fishes best friend. you can't change too much water. the only way to get around this is to buy adults.but even they need more wc's than most other species. before spending anymore money, make sure you are going to commit to the care that these fish need. discus are not for eveyone. there are many beautiful species that are less demanding.
 
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