If you are thinking of getting A discus, you are not ready. If you really want discus, I suggest you read the stickies in this forum and other discus forums before you buy fish. Otherwise, you might as well flush your money down the toilet. Heck, just send it to me instead! Discus keeping is not rocket science, but have certain needs that if you don't give them, will result in certain discus disaster. Guaranteed. One must learn these needs first. You need clean, warm water at all times. This means as many water changes as often as it takes to give them clean water at all times. Temps. 82 to 86 degrees. I keep mine at 84-85. You need a variety of high protein foods. A tank of appropriate size, 1 adult discus per 10 gals. of water. Discus are social creatures, and need to live in groups. A group does not mean 2 or 3 fish. A group is 4 or more, with more being better. Juvie fish will stunt at the drop of a hat, so they should not be placed in planted tanks, tanks with gravel, or any type of tank that makes cleaning difficult. Only adults should be housed in such tanks. Give juvies their own tank, not shared with other species, as this can cause problems. Never buy discus at the LFS. Fish from the pet store are often culls or stunted, and have stopped growing. Stunted discus have eyes that are too large for their body, and often have a football shape. Get your discus from a breeder. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. There is stuff to learn about these fish before you go out and buy them.
