Looking at getting into Discus

[Iffrat]

I have been doing research for the last few months about getting into discus. I am looking at picking up a 210 Gal tank that is RR but i plan on using it with my 2 FX5's until i build a sump later in the future. The tank is 72x24x29 and i plan on running about 1-2" of sand and i doubt i will get into a real plants any time soon.

My questions are
1. What should i be looking at as far as amount of fish with the above setup?
2. Is there anything i should be aware of as far as mixing different strains?
3. I hear a lot about pH and RO water vs tap water and still not sure how to approach this. It seems to be a constant fight with people who say pH is 100% something that has to be controlled and others who say it works without. I dont like to just have fish not die but would like to have a thriving community but i also dont want to have to have a RO set up if i dont have to. Can i have a thriving discus tank with treated tap water and how close should i be watching the pH levels in the tank? I assume that this is going to be something that i cannot ignore so would something like the "Pinpoint pH Monitor" something that would be recommended or what would be a better solution?
4. Any other tips or tricks or advice would be greatly welcome. I have been keeping fish for over 10 years and have grown a lot in the hobby but i am always ready to get information from others.
5. I plan on getting the fish from Kenny's Discus or a local guy who has about the same quality fish as well so all fish should be above average quality.

Thank you so much for the time to respond and help me out. I am really excited to get thing moving forward and getting some fish here in the next couple of months.

 

[Iffrat]

I have watched the videos from "The King Of DIY" about keeping discus and know all about the water changes so no need to hammer that in here.

 

[mrrobxc]

Think a minimum of 8.8 gallons per discus. As for tankmates, you have many options to play with. Simplydiscus has a good section just on tankmates.

As for pH, it depends on what your local tap is. When I lived in Los angeles, it was a real challenge to keep discus healthy and happy. Here in philly, I keep mine in my tap and mine are wilds.

Always buy from a reputable dealer as your source is one of the most important things.

Tell me your tap water parameters and let's go from there.

 

[Iffrat]

When i get home i will pull a pH test and let you know. Its city water and typically runs 7.2 and up but i will check and make sure when i get home. I typically treat with Prime and have never had any issue but i have never kept discus so im sure that will change.

and 8.8 gal per fish seems like a lot of fish ~ 23 fish is much higher than i was thinking.

As far as reputable dealers they are both highly respected on simplydiscus with a lot of satisfied people. Some of the nicest fish i have ever seen ...

 

[mrrobxc]

I have the same tank as you just a bit taller. I will have 8 discus, 5 altums, 2 pink tailed chalceus, 1 red wolf, and 1 hystrix ray. I also have 8 Columbian tetras that will one day end up as food. Point is, you have plenty of tank space.

Those vendors on simply are good. I like wilds. I find them more disease resistant than domestics if you get from the right source.

If you are at 7.2, I'd say you will find them easy as long as you keep up with the WC's. I used to stress about RO. I even stressed about again water.

Today, I simply treat my tap with seachem safe (powdered form of prime and much cheaper) with my tap. I don't age my water or premix with SAFE.

Easy....

 

[Iffrat]

Yea i will check the pH when i get home .. working 2nd shift this week .. bla ... but i am looking at doing a discus only tank .. thinking that a big tank like that with a bunch of them will look really good. Thinking water changes 2-3 times a week in the 10% range .. probably 25gal each ... you think the 2 FX5's with all bioglass should be good enough?

 

[mrrobxc]

I have 2 fx6. I would say do weekly 50 percent. Buy a magdrive 950 with some hosing long enough to reach a sink or drainage use that to pump the water out. It takes less than 10 min to drain. Then use an aqueon water changer to fill it back up. Use your hand to temp match to tank water and put in one teaspoon of PRIME before you refill. That's it. 30 min water change with no sweat and no buckets.

For the fx6 filters, remove the back foam pad from the bottom tray. Fill the bottom tray and the middle tray with bio media and fill the top tray with filter floss (I buy non toxic quilt batting from amazon. Very cheap and same as filter floss). When I do filter maintenance, I just unscrew the top of the filter and replace the floss. Easy. Then, once every two months, I rinse the sponges that line the perimeter of the baskets.

I use 2x300 watt ebo jager heaters to set temp.

I would do 15 discus and leave room for tankmates. Buy them at a minimum of 4 inches since growing them out requires a whole lot more work in gravel vacuuming and water changes.

 

[mrrobxc]

I just re read your thread. If I could do it all over again, I'd go with Sumps from the beginning. My stand is shallow so I'm limited but Sumps are easier to maintain and you can really keep nitrates down easier as a result of ease of maintenance. Why spend 480 bucks on 2 fx6's when you can do a 55 gallon sump, a 1200 gph mag drive pump, and customizable media for much less.

 

[Iffrat]

Checked the water from the tap and im guessing its around 7.8 pH give or take .. i dont like the API test kit for anything other than a general idea and will get a proper tester soon.

What can be done to knock the pH down from 7.8?

I already have the FX5's from my current setup so i will be using them when i upgrade. The sump might be out of the gate but i might wait on it.. haven't decided yet. I am still 1-2 months out from getting fish so im not that worried about it yet.

 

[mrrobxc]

The only good way to get pH down is RO. You can get by with 7.8 I'm sure but I had difficulty. Good stock will help. Buy them from a vendor who keeps their fish in harder water.

I wouldn't mess with pH adjusters. They can make the water unstable and add TDS. Even almond leaves will require that you out in a ton and they really can cloud the water and inhibit your filters as they decay. You will need too many for your tank volume and they need to be replaced every few weeks. You'll end up with a big recurring monthly "leaf" bill if you go that route.

RO is the way to go.