i was thinking of starting a planted tank, and discus came to mind. first thing is a 55 gal big enough for 1 or 2 discus? and i 've heard that discus are extremely sensitive, is there any special minerals to ad to the water? the tank is currently cycling so its gonna be a couple weeks before i do anything.
planted discus tank?
- Thread starter dreamandscheme
- Start date
you need to remove the concept of discus are hard to keep out of your head, they are pretty easy as long as you do your research and get them from a reputable breeder.
the slightly acidic water for discus isnt really important unless your breeding them. water stability is ALOT more important than low ph, just make sure your ph doesnt flank. temp of 82-86 again it has to be stable as well.
discus are very sociable and always comes in group in the wild, your better of getting atleast 6, but in your 55, i think 4 should be ok. if you can go for a bigger tank the better.
if your going planted, i suggest that you get adult discus, approx around 5-7inches. they are alot hardier than juvies since your going for an unstable environment..unless you got your plant system undercontrol.
water change is THE MOST IMPORTANT part in caring for discus, alot of discus owners will say everyday WC is a must or some will say once will should be fine, its one of the most popular argument in discus, i suggest follow what the breeder your getting your discus from is doing. other than that i think you sould check out this site simplydiscus.com, alot of good people aswell as reputable breeder will help you out. good luck man
cheers
the slightly acidic water for discus isnt really important unless your breeding them. water stability is ALOT more important than low ph, just make sure your ph doesnt flank. temp of 82-86 again it has to be stable as well.
discus are very sociable and always comes in group in the wild, your better of getting atleast 6, but in your 55, i think 4 should be ok. if you can go for a bigger tank the better.
if your going planted, i suggest that you get adult discus, approx around 5-7inches. they are alot hardier than juvies since your going for an unstable environment..unless you got your plant system undercontrol.
water change is THE MOST IMPORTANT part in caring for discus, alot of discus owners will say everyday WC is a must or some will say once will should be fine, its one of the most popular argument in discus, i suggest follow what the breeder your getting your discus from is doing. other than that i think you sould check out this site simplydiscus.com, alot of good people aswell as reputable breeder will help you out. good luck man
cheers
benito1188;1788412; said:
That is by far the best advise regarding discus you will ever get, there are far too many opinions/ideas etc about keeping these fish, find a good dealer and copy, you can't really go wrong with a good source and same conditions, hope it all works out for youkingborris;1789664; said:
I agree. A 55gal. sucks as a planted tank. It's just not wide enough. A 75gal. would be better, with it's wider width. Even then, by the time you get all the plants in there, not a lot of swimming room or water volume for a good group of discus. I would suggest a 125gal. for a planted discus tank. If I were going to put discus in a 55, I would get a group of six, and run it bare bottom. That way, you could easily keep it clean to maintain good water quality.
You're doing the right thing by asking questions. Knowledge is power so I suggest you check out the various Discus sites and for your own conclusion.
The debate over how discus should be kept will forever exist. Take a second and look up the Hiatt Method and RightNow bacteria. I have seen it do wonders for tanks with a heavy biological load.
Good luck and post pics when you have the tank running
The debate over how discus should be kept will forever exist. Take a second and look up the Hiatt Method and RightNow bacteria. I have seen it do wonders for tanks with a heavy biological load.
Good luck and post pics when you have the tank running
I kept 4 adult discus in a 55 planted with large gravel, an UG filter and 2 times a month water changes in the early 90s, the fish didn't grow large but they did pair off and I had multiple good batches of fry that I sold to fish stores. Of couse I had 3 20 gallon tanks in my kitchen and was doing 75% water changes daily................so I quit (too much work)
Now I have a 125 with sand, and eheim 2217, ac110, and do 40% water changes every other day.................so, there are different ways of keeping discus for sure....................I'm with everyone, read, read, and then read again.............I will say, there isn't a single breeder, nor a single picture of a tank full of full size, nonstunted discus that i've seen where it wasn't on a very very vigorous water change schedule.
Now I have a 125 with sand, and eheim 2217, ac110, and do 40% water changes every other day.................so, there are different ways of keeping discus for sure....................I'm with everyone, read, read, and then read again.............I will say, there isn't a single breeder, nor a single picture of a tank full of full size, nonstunted discus that i've seen where it wasn't on a very very vigorous water change schedule.
my water conditions are perfect, but i'm gonna wait a week to make sure everything is stable. i can only get the heat to 82, is that high enough or do i need another heater? my lfs has a leopard and blue diamond (i think) both 3-4" selling for $60 a piece, what do discus usually sell for?(i know it depends on the type, but i'm not planning on getting a $200 discus)
I currently breed discus and keep the water stable at 82. I don't like it higher because it can be stressful to the fish as it makes them breathe harder. The $60 a piece for a 4" discus isn't bad for the leopard but maybe a little steep for the blue diamond. I was selling blue diamonds that size for $40 but you are talking a lfs and they have expenses such as shipping to cover and overhead so you have to take that into account. You can find cheaper fish from breeders(like myself) but then you have to take into account the shipping. If they are good quality fish most people don't care about the shipping. I also agree with the water changes. It has to be done very frequently if you breed. I do a 40-50% change daily and fill the tank back up with water around 78 degrees to stimulate the fish a little. Well something I read said it stimulates the fish to breed. As a show tank you could do smaller water changes but you want to do it at least twice a week(in my opinion).
