Starting a New Discus Tank, but there is a wall in-between, Please Advice

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Smiladon

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 20, 2009
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New Westminster, BC
I have been reading up on Discus recently and I have finally taken up the courage to try them out.

I do have a Dilemma/Issue though.

Lets start with the tank details first and then I will get to the issue I am worried about.
Tank Size: 75Gallon (standard Dimensions)
Filtration: Emperor BioWheel 350 x 2 (thinking of adding a sponge filter soon)
Temperature: 78degree F (I will increase as recommended in this thread)
Substrate: Gravel
Recent Water Param:
NH3: 0
NO2: 0
NO3: 5-10
PH: 6.8
Tank is lightly planted with some low light plants including java moss
I also have 2 pieces of driftwood in the tank

Tank Mates include:
8-10 neon tetras (might add a few more)
7 BNP babies (1.5-2")
2 pairs of German Blue Rams
1 Rainbow Shark (might move to another tank)
1 Veiltail Angelfish (small)

I am getting a pair of Discus from a local breeder (same person whom I got the Rams from). Here is a picture of what I will be getting.
IMG_0099.jpg


Now, here is the issue:
I ordered in 6 Angelfish from a source and added them to my 75G tank (I didn't Quarantine). After 3 days I noticed Fin Rot (some claim to be velvet) on my Angelfish and 5 of them died really fast. I added some salt in the tank and changed the heater (my heater was bust and the temp in tank was 68degree F), but soon after I added salt, I lost all my female bettas (dont know if this is because of the disease spreading or if it was the salt). The salt is Kosher Salt (added 15 tea spoons). 2 days later I noticed one of my BNPs having a golden layer near the head. I caught him and noticed that his mouth area was all red. I moved him to my hospital tank right away.

I also used to have a lot of other community fish in this tank, and I gave away most of them (close to 45 fish) and just kept the Neons.

I want to make sure that the tank is clean of any possible disease when I add the Discus. What should I do?


Right now, I am just thinking about doing lots of water changes frequently and keep the salt levels around the same for about 2 weeks. Am I in the right track?
 
UPDATE:
These are the actual pictures of the Discus the breeder wants to sell.
Price is $50 for both of them.
Size: 3.5"
IMG_0001-2.jpg


Size 4-4.5"
IMG_0002-1.jpg


Are they worth the price BTW?
 
do not buy! they are peppered which is not a trait you want to start off with. also, better do more research b-4 starting with discus (see the stickys on this forum & other people's posts of their issues). I myself have had issues (my biggest mistake is not QT new fish).

I would not advise mixing them in with your current fish - your tank is way too sick. also you don't know what the new discus will bring, either way must QT (see stickys or other posts).

If you still decide to go ahead, buy another tank (off CL the best to get used) & cycle. also I'd suggest buying from members or go to simplydiscus.com for reputable sellers/breeders.

good luck!
 
Did you throw in the Angels when the water was 68 degrees? Could be just temp shock that lead to the outbreak of disease due to a compromised immune system, the source could have had the starts of an outbreak.

do not buy! they are peppered which is not a trait you want to start off with.
Click to expand...
That's a matter of personal preference. I've had peppered discus with no problems. So have several others though I can think of a few Discus enthusiasts who will flame me for this.

Discus are not a very forgiving fish as far as water quality. Something that might annoy most fresh water fish can severely compromise or kill discus. So you will have to be committed and consistent with water changes. They can be very finicky eaters with new food some will transition to prepared foods some won't. All of mine eat black worms and on occasion if they are bored will poke floating flakes. If you are doing live black worms you will need an added 1-5 gallon (depending on how many discus and how often you want worms shipped in) tank with an air stone in your fridge, which will require water changes. If you can get ones that already eat flakes/pellets grab those and give live food as an occasional treat. I've never found any but they keep telling me they are out there.

I'm not sure what BNP stand for as I've seen it used for mutiple fish. The only tank mate I see as an issue is the rainbow shark as they can become teretorial. I have mine currently with 6" bala sharks and have had 6"-8" discus with 12" balas in the past with no problem. I've heard mixed reviews about discus and Angels from many sources.

Your best bet is to figure out what happened as far as diseases, once you know treat the tank. Wait a few weeks and try introducing some new fish after you quarantine them. If the new guys don't get sick you can try the discus.

Personally if those were available near me at 3.5" for 2 at $50 I'd be texting you from that store right now. The only way a mail order place can beat that is if you buy 10 or more which is too many for a 75 gallon tank.
 
Thanks a lot for your reply guys. In this one week I went through a lot of changes.
BNP = Bristle Nose Plecos

I decided to Sterilize my tank, filter, heater etc and do a PP treatment for all my fish to disinfect them.

Ofcourse even though I spent a lot of time reading about PP, I still ended up losing my school of neons and my rainbow fish (a day after the treatment). I also lost most of my BNP in the next few days...

I decided not to buy those discus as I can get some very beautiful discus.
This one is $60 for example:
attachment.php


I have more info about the sterilization part in the thread below. Feel free to read it and flame me :D
http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28563
 
sushiray;3578942; said:
I see you're in BC. wonder if it's worth it to buy from kenny's discus, ohio central, discus hans in the states for you vs. the LFS.
Click to expand...

The LFS I know does get Discus from Kenny's Discus too. The one in the picture above is not from Kenny's though. Its from Forrest.

This is the website/stock list of the LFS with the Discus prices. Check it out :D
http://www.aprilsaquarium.com/stock.php
 
If you're in Canada, April would be a good source for fish. She's been in the hobby a long time, and is very knowledgeable.
 
Tank spec sounds good, I have never been able to successfully keep discus so I wish you luck. From a text book stance the tanks looks good for four to six adults.
 
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