Questions about my First Discus Tank

[h0ckeyfreek20]

Hey everyone, trying my first attempt at Discus!
Please critique / adjust my current set up to make it IDEAL for growing juvi Discus!!

I plan to get my Discus from Hans. How many discus can I put in a 120g tank? I'll get some of his frozen food while I try to pellet train them. Also ask him about what water parameters he keeps in his tanks.


Equipment:
120g tank 4'x2'x2'
Eheim 2262 filled with seachem biomatrix.
Quiet One pump and 36watt UV sterilizer
Current Satellite Freshwater LED+
Heater

Additives:
Seachem Neutral regulator
Seachem Safe
Seachem Discus buffer
Seachem Trace elements
Seachem Flourish (for the plants)
NO salt (is this correct, no salt for discus?)

In tank so far:
Driftwood
Anubias
Java ferns
Christmas moss
Neon tetras
Mango Pleco

Tank is bare bottom with Tons of plants glued to the driftwood creates the effect of a planted tank. (kind of)

My driftwood is a lighter colored wood. It is starting to develop a white film / slime / mucus on the branches. I have heard tons of theories. Any thoughts on this? I want to have everything perfect before I add Discus.
Thoughts, advise, ideas??

 

[UnstoppableJayD]

Neutral reg and discus buffer will compete with each other... just use the discus buffer... tank looks nice- the white stuff on the wood has a name which i can not remember just remove it it is relatively harmless but ugly. If you are going with hans.. you have to stick to german discus going forward as mixing discus from germany and asia can be a problem. And if you are going with juvies under 4 inches you will need to do a ton of water changes to not stunt (like daily or every other at minimum.)- I would get the 3.5 inch or bigger. I would not waste the money on hans food.

BTW there are a bunch of Hans discus registered in the NJAS auction happening sunday.

Good luck!

 

[Justin David]

I wouldnt use the discus buffer.
Only product I use is seachem safe during water changes, and salt if a fish has a wound to help recovery. I have bred discus with good results. As far as the chemicals go regaurding plants, I am uncertain as I have never had a planted discus tank, Simplydiscus.com has a section dedicated to plants and fish.

I would definitely skip the buffer.

 

[h0ckeyfreek20]

Neutral reg and discus buffer will compete with each other... just use the discus buffer... tank looks nice- the white stuff on the wood has a name which i can not remember just remove it it is relatively harmless but ugly. If you are going with hans.. you have to stick to german discus going forward as mixing discus from germany and asia can be a problem. And if you are going with juvies under 4 inches you will need to do a ton of water changes to not stunt (like daily or every other at minimum.)- I would get the 3.5 inch or bigger. I would not waste the money on hans food.

BTW there are a bunch of Hans discus registered in the NJAS auction happening sunday.

Good luck!

Wow good point about neutral reg and discus buffer competing. I use neutral reg as my staple water conditioner and didn't even think of that! haha.

Clearly I need to research more, as I didn't even know there were Asian and German discus haha. Which would you prefer? and can you perhaps recommend your favorite vendor?

I wouldnt use the discus buffer.
Only product I use is seachem safe during water changes, and salt if a fish has a wound to help recovery. I have bred discus with good results. As far as the chemicals go regaurding plants, I am uncertain as I have never had a planted discus tank, Simplydiscus.com has a section dedicated to plants and fish.

I would definitely skip the buffer.

Ill stick to just the seachem safe then. I have heard that captive bred discus are much more tolerant to different pH water. The plant minerals should not bother the fish any. What do you think about the Trace elements to use for the discus after a water change? not necessary?

 

[UnstoppableJayD]

Wow good point about neutral reg and discus buffer competing. I use neutral reg as my staple water conditioner and didn't even think of that! haha.

Clearly I need to research more, as I didn't even know there were Asian and German discus haha. Which would you prefer? and can you perhaps recommend your favorite vendor?



Ill stick to just the seachem safe then. I have heard that captive bred discus are much more tolerant to different pH water. The plant minerals should not bother the fish any. What do you think about the Trace elements to use for the discus after a water change? not necessary?

Captive are much stronger and the traces and stuff aren't always nescessary depending on how your tap is. German is Hans or piwoski for the most part- Asian discus have more varieties but sometimes stuff from Asia can come in with funky diseases- my favorite vendors for Asian discus are discus r us- uncle Sams discus or actually monster aquarium in NYC brings in a lot and you can hand pick

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

I would skip all of the additives, except water conditioner with water changes. The plants might be hard to keep with the discus if they are young. If you are going to grow out fish that are anywhere between 2-4.5" then I would remove everything from the tank and run a straight bare bottom. At that size they are very sensitive to their water parameters. You will also need to do quite a few water changes. You will probably need to start with 30-50% every other day and increase as they grow.

If you want to get discus that are already in the 5"+ range, then you should be fine to leave the plants and driftwood in but will need to be careful to make sure leftover food and detritus doesn't get caught up in them. With fish this size you can also get away with fewer water changes, but you will want them to be larger water changes, like 75-90%.

Another thing to point out is to test your ph swing with your tap water. Just test it straight from the tap and then set some water out in a glass for about 24hrs and test it again. If you get more than a .4 difference then you should really consider aging your water because discus are extremely sensitive to ph swings.

As far as how many you can put in the tank, the general rule is 10 gallons per adult discus. So, I don't see any problem with a dozen as long as you're willing to keep up with the water changes. If you are starting with juvies then I would recommend getting 16 and then reducing down to 12 as they grow. This will aid in helping you get 12 full large colorful discus and not have any runts or poor colors in the final group of 12. If you want a smaller group then 6 is the minimum since these are a schooling fish that won't feel comfortable in groups smaller than 6.

Well, hope this helps. I haven't actually had discus before but have done a lot of research on keeping them for when I do get a chance to have them.

Last thing, I would strongly recommend you join SimplyDiscus. They have tons of good knowledge and advice for discus keepers.

Good luck and definitely post some pictures when you get them!

 

[flukekiller]

I would skip all of the additives, except water conditioner with water changes. The plants might be hard to keep with the discus if they are young. If you are going to grow out fish that are anywhere between 2-4.5" then I would remove everything from the tank and run a straight bare bottom. At that size they are very sensitive to their water parameters. You will also need to do quite a few water changes. You will probably need to start with 30-50% every other day and increase as they grow.

Last thing, I would strongly recommend you join SimplyDiscus. They have tons of good knowledge and advice for discus keepers.

Good luck and definitely post some pictures when you get them!

i agree with the above except for the water changes, i dont believe you need to do more as
they grow, actually its the opposite. smaller fish = 30 - 50% daily or every other day, once they hit the 3.5-4 inch range larger water changes every third day, and 5+ inches 50% once a week.
also im surprised no one has asked this yet but why all the buffers?
what are your water parameters? no need for all those buffers if your
water is neutral or less.
personally i dont use any buffers and im on hard well water with high PH.
all those buffers are asking for a crash.. this is just from my personal experiences
having kept discus off and on for the past 20 yrs.( and yes i have tried buffers,
water softeners ect.) Discus that are captive bred are much hardier than the
discus of 20 years ago. heres my best discus raised in hard, high ph, well water
no softeners, buffers or anything. Hes by far not a show discus (excuse the crapy
cell pic) but easily 6+ inches and they are for my enjoyment not for "show" quality
lol,, didnt realize the stress bars came out, he must be mad cause i havent fed them yet.

 

[h0ckeyfreek20]

Captive are much stronger and the traces and stuff aren't always nescessary depending on how your tap is. German is Hans or piwoski for the most part- Asian discus have more varieties but sometimes stuff from Asia can come in with funky diseases- my favorite vendors for Asian discus are discus r us- uncle Sams discus or actually monster aquarium in NYC brings in a lot and you can hand pick

Awesome man! Being in North Jersey myself, I will have to take another trip to Monster to check out their discus. Im guessing they bring in asian discus? Any idea wild or captive?

I would skip all of the additives, except water conditioner with water changes. The plants might be hard to keep with the discus if they are young. If you are going to grow out fish that are anywhere between 2-4.5" then I would remove everything from the tank and run a straight bare bottom. At that size they are very sensitive to their water parameters. You will also need to do quite a few water changes. You will probably need to start with 30-50% every other day and increase as they grow.

If you want to get discus that are already in the 5"+ range, then you should be fine to leave the plants and driftwood in but will need to be careful to make sure leftover food and detritus doesn't get caught up in them. With fish this size you can also get away with fewer water changes, but you will want them to be larger water changes, like 75-90%.

Another thing to point out is to test your ph swing with your tap water. Just test it straight from the tap and then set some water out in a glass for about 24hrs and test it again. If you get more than a .4 difference then you should really consider aging your water because discus are extremely sensitive to ph swings.

As far as how many you can put in the tank, the general rule is 10 gallons per adult discus. So, I don't see any problem with a dozen as long as you're willing to keep up with the water changes. If you are starting with juvies then I would recommend getting 16 and then reducing down to 12 as they grow. This will aid in helping you get 12 full large colorful discus and not have any runts or poor colors in the final group of 12. If you want a smaller group then 6 is the minimum since these are a schooling fish that won't feel comfortable in groups smaller than 6.

Well, hope this helps. I haven't actually had discus before but have done a lot of research on keeping them for when I do get a chance to have them.

Last thing, I would strongly recommend you join SimplyDiscus. They have tons of good knowledge and advice for discus keepers.

Good luck and definitely post some pictures when you get them!

Yeah that is a good point. So many buffers is asking for a crash. I just wanted every element covered from what I read online so I purchased everything recommended. Captive bred discus seem the way to go for me! haha

Are they really that sensitive to need so many water changes? I would think that such extreme water changes would fluctuate water parameters and stress them out. But every discus owner agrees with you so I'm certainly not questioning you! haha. My eheim 2262 holds 5 gallons of media and flows 900gph with media. 7.5x flow rate. But the water changes will be done! haha

I really don't want to remove the driftwood and plants unless I REALLY have to. Plants are just starting to become established. I think the discus would look awesome swimming amongst the plants, but I will do what is best for the fish.

i agree with the above except for the water changes, i dont believe you need to do more as
they grow, actually its the opposite. smaller fish = 30 - 50% daily or every other day, once they hit the 3.5-4 inch range larger water changes every third day, and 5+ inches 50% once a week.
also im surprised no one has asked this yet but why all the buffers?
what are your water parameters? no need for all those buffers if your
water is neutral or less.
personally i dont use any buffers and im on hard well water with high PH.
all those buffers are asking for a crash.. this is just from my personal experiences
having kept discus off and on for the past 20 yrs.( and yes i have tried buffers,
water softeners ect.) Discus that are captive bred are much hardier than the
discus of 20 years ago. heres my best discus raised in hard, high ph, well water
no softeners, buffers or anything. Hes by far not a show discus (excuse the crapy
cell pic) but easily 6+ inches and they are for my enjoyment not for "show" quality
lol,, didnt realize the stress bars came out, he must be mad cause i havent fed them yet.

View attachment 1247872

Dang very nice discus!! I will probably just test the water the discus came from, and try to match the parameters in my tank

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

i agree with the above except for the water changes, i dont believe you need to do more as
they grow, actually its the opposite. smaller fish = 30 - 50% daily or every other day, once they hit the 3.5-4 inch range larger water changes every third day, and 5+ inches 50% once a week.
also im surprised no one has asked this yet but why all the buffers?
what are your water parameters? no need for all those buffers if your
water is neutral or less.
personally i dont use any buffers and im on hard well water with high PH.
all those buffers are asking for a crash.. this is just from my personal experiences
having kept discus off and on for the past 20 yrs.( and yes i have tried buffers,
water softeners ect.) Discus that are captive bred are much hardier than the
discus of 20 years ago. heres my best discus raised in hard, high ph, well water
no softeners, buffers or anything. Hes by far not a show discus (excuse the crapy
cell pic) but easily 6+ inches and they are for my enjoyment not for "show" quality
lol,, didnt realize the stress bars came out, he must be mad cause i havent fed them yet.

View attachment 1247872

I would agree with this. I guess I should have been a little more clear, I think water changes should be increased as they grow, while they are still in the juvie stage (imo, under 5"). After that, less frequent but larger water changes should suffice. To put it in nitrate terms, juvie discus really should be kept in water with 5ppm or less nitrates. If you absolutely cannot achieve this then 10ppm should be the absolute maximum your tank gets up to. Once they are above the 5" mark, then I think you are safe with anything under 20ppm, as long as it doesn't go above that.

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

Awesome man! Being in North Jersey myself, I will have to take another trip to Monster to check out their discus. Im guessing they bring in asian discus? Any idea wild or captive?



Yeah that is a good point. So many buffers is asking for a crash. I just wanted every element covered from what I read online so I purchased everything recommended. Captive bred discus seem the way to go for me! haha

Are they really that sensitive to need so many water changes? I would think that such extreme water changes would fluctuate water parameters and stress them out. But every discus owner agrees with you so I'm certainly not questioning you! haha. My eheim 2262 holds 5 gallons of media and flows 900gph with media. 7.5x flow rate. But the water changes will be done! haha

I really don't want to remove the driftwood and plants unless I REALLY have to. Plants are just starting to become established. I think the discus would look awesome swimming amongst the plants, but I will do what is best for the fish.



Dang very nice discus!! I will probably just test the water the discus came from, and try to match the parameters in my tank

Hans discus are well known for being very hardy and handling high ph water quite well. He actually just used aged tap water to keep his discus in.

As far as the water parameters, I recommend you don't mess with what comes out of your tap. Just use dechlorinator (I recommend Prime) and temperature acclimate. When it comes to water changes, same thing. It might take the fish a short while to initially get acclimated but once they do they will be fine in whatever type of water you have. I've seen many people on SimplyDiscus talk about raising and keeping discus in water with ph's as high as 8.2-8.6.

As far as the large frequent water changes go, you are actually keeping the water more stable by doing them. You are not letting the water go through ph shifts that it does with the regular nitrification cycle and you are keeping the nitrates and TDS very low. This is key to growing out healthy, large, colorful discus.

For your filtration, that canister might not be the best option. They are known for not being regularly cleaned and the more gunk and detritus that builds up in them the worse they make the water for the discus. If you are growing out juvies then I recommend getting four large sponge filters to use instead. Once the discus are over the 5" mark then the canister should be fine, as long as you clean it out every few weeks.

If growing out juvies, I do still recommend removing the plants and driftwood because it will only make it harder to keep the water clean. Once the fish are above the 4.5-5" mark, then I think it's safe to put the decor and plants back in.