Need a bit of info before I jump into Discus keeping

[Water]

Hey MFKers. I've been doing some research online and I want to be right so I needpeople to correct me if I'm wrong, I have questions as well lol. I've kept a wide assortment of cichlids in my years of fish keeping and now I think I'm ready to tackle Discus lol. I've had Angelfish before as well... Pretty sure Discus are a lot harder to keep than Angelfish though.. Anyway..

First off, Discus need to be kept in groups of 5+ or a pair.

They need daily water changes.(50%+ for Juvies and about 30% a day for Adults)

WC Discus are more colorful but harder to keep that domesticated Discus.

They do not need substrate.

Tank mates should be peaceful in temperament and should not nip/eat the slimcoat of the Discus.

Discus can be kept in any types of water(Excluding extremes).


Now to the questions:

1. How many Discus could I keep in a 46 Gallon bowfront for life and still keep the minimum 5+ group of discus?

2. Does my water need to be aged, or can I just treat the tap water and place it into the tank?

3. My water is pretty basic.. about 7.6 on the ph scale. If I were to have a breeding pair, would the eggs be able to hatch in this type of water?

4. I know that Discus often come with parasites.. Whats the best way to deworm them?

5. Would New Life Spectrum(NLS) fed exclusively be a good diet for them? and Why do people fed Discus beef heart? I thought it was bad to feed any type of fish mammalian meat.

6. I haven't had much luck finding any sites on different types of color variants of Discus.. Could someone help me out and find a link for me?

7. Lastly, Do Discus like water currents(IE Power heads)?

I may have more questions.. until then.. I'll be going over the stickies and doing more online research.

 

[Water]

Ignore the last question.. Just found that one out..

 

[3dees]

simplydiscus.com is a discus forum. there are a lot of myths and half truths about discus keeping.
young discus need to be fed many times per day so daily wc's are a must.
actually, domestic discus are more colorful.
substrate is ok but bare bottom is better for young fish. it makes cleaning the tank easier.
a 46 gal. is fine for groing out discus but only large enough for a mated pair.
less than six can be done but usually results in aggression which can lead to sickness and/or deaths.
7.6 ph is fine. domestics will breed in ph higher than that.
I have adult wilds in 7.6. show tank only. I change water from the tap with only prime, and do a 60% wc every 4 or 5 days.
the important thing is to get good stock. very few lfs's will have quality fish.
discus are no harder to keep than any other fish. give them clean water, quality food, and the righ tankmates and you will have no trouble.

 

[jdvue]

Now to the questions:

1. How many Discus could I keep in a 46 Gallon bowfront for life and still keep the minimum 5+ group of discus?

-I would keep a pair in there. 46 gallons is too small for a group of 5+, unless you are growing out juvies.

2. Does my water need to be aged, or can I just treat the tap water and place it into the tank?

-Technically, aged water is best for all fish. But I have been able to get away with tap and treat water into my discus tanks before.

3. My water is pretty basic.. about 7.6 on the ph scale. If I were to have a breeding pair, would the eggs be able to hatch in this type of water?

-Its not pH. Its water hardness that affects the fertility of eggs. Softer= better. I mixed R/O water with tap for higher success rates.

4. I know that Discus often come with parasites.. Whats the best way to deworm them?

-Depends on what they are. It's most often gill flukes. your local shop can help u out.

5. Would New Life Spectrum(NLS) fed exclusively be a good diet for them? and Why do people fed Discus beef heart? I thought it was bad to feed any type of fish mammalian meat.

-Discus live in the 80's where beefheart will be ok. Its good for their growth. But they can be fed any other varied diet.

6. I haven't had much luck finding any sites on different types of color variants of Discus.. Could someone help me out and find a link for me?

simplydiscus.com

7. Lastly, Do Discus like water currents(IE Power heads)?

as you know, no.


--as a side not, it seems you fancy the wild ones, if so, they will require alot more strenuous work. They water will have to be acidic and softer. They are more prone to disease and hard to acclimate to prepeared foods.

 

[live2fish2011]

for question 7. my discus love to swim with the current. there is a timer set 2hours/day. they could avoid it but they like to come near and swim against the current. i guess they are exercising lol

 

[3dees]

I will argue with jdvue on the wilds. my tank is proof that they are no harder than other discus. they do not need soft acidic water unless you plan on breeding. my wc's are straight from the tap with prime, and my ph is 7.6 and a bit on the hard side. actually, wilds are less prone to disease. they are a stronger fish than domestics. I had my fish mailed from Florida. I floated the bags for about 20 min. for the temp, and dropped the fish in the tank. the seller that I bought from will not sell wilds until they are eating flake and he treats them before shipping. thats why it's important to get your fish from a reputable breeder or importer. my tank has been running for about 14 months and I have not lost one fish. I have not ever added any meds. this is my first tank with discus. it's not rocket science, and easier than most would believe. your best bet it to go to simplydiscus.com. you will get all the help you will need.

 

[Water]

I will argue with jdvue on the wilds. my tank is proof that they are no harder than other discus. they do not need soft acidic water unless you plan on breeding. my wc's are straight from the tap with prime, and my ph is 7.6 and a bit on the hard side. actually, wilds are less prone to disease. they are a stronger fish than domestics. I had my fish mailed from Florida. I floated the bags for about 20 min. for the temp, and dropped the fish in the tank. the seller that I bought from will not sell wilds until they are eating flake and he treats them before shipping. thats why it's important to get your fish from a reputable breeder or importer. my tank has been running for about 14 months and I have not lost one fish. I have not ever added any meds. this is my first tank with discus. it's not rocket science, and easier than most would believe. your best bet it to go to simplydiscus.com. you will get all the help you will need.

Its been about 2 days now since I registered with Simplydiscus,com but I still can't post since the mods are taking their sweet arse time approving me to the forums. So my best bet would be to go with wilds. I assumed they would be stronger than domestics simply because I doubt domestics were bred for disease resistance and other sorts.

Also, I have a local breeder that sells 3" Marlboro, cobalt, melons, pigeons for $30 each. Is this a good deal?

 

[3dees]

it's really hard to tell without seeing the fish. with 3" fish you are going to have to treat them as juvies. at least 6 feedings per day and lots of wc's. if you get any fish with pigeon blood genes, make sure you have a very light substrate and background or they will pepper.

 

[Water]

it's really hard to tell without seeing the fish. with 3" fish you are going to have to treat them as juvies. at least 6 feedings per day and lots of wc's. if you get any fish with pigeon blood genes, make sure you have a very light substrate and background or they will pepper.

Ah crap no way? At what size would I stop feeding them 6 times a day? I was really thinking about going with Pigeon blooded ones and I have a dark blue background.. and I'm planning to leave my tank BB but with black background tapped on the bottom..

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3904531

The blue on the left of the picture is the background I have.

 

[3dees]

you could start cutting back at about 4" or just buy larger fish. pigeon bloods will pepper with dark bottoms and background. count on it. some people don't mind the peppering, but personally I think it ruins the beauty of the fish. sorry, but you can't have it both ways. the darker the tank, the more pigeonbloods will pepper.