Wanted to try discus

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oceanlax23

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 20, 2012
14
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NJ
HI,
I am new here and I have an empty 75 gallon tank that I really, really wanted to try discus in. I've never had discus before but I have been told by my LFS that they are next to impossible to care for without spending hundreds in plants and a co2 setup. I decided to try and get all of the information that I could have including how many discus to get, what can go with them, how many plants should I get, and what type of plants, do I need a powerhead, special lighting, what kid of food?
Basically I just want to hear from someone who successfully keeps discus, how they keep their setup and any details that you think could help me.
I am really excited but I dont want to just jump in and kill off a bunch of fish, also how often do you do water changes?
I am sorry about all of the questions but I feel so addicted to fishkeeping and I really want to do this right ya know?
Anyway thanks in advance!
 
For a first time discus owner I would recommend purchasing sub-adult 4" or larger fish, but be expecting to pay $60-$90 for some decent fish. The bigger size fish do not require as much care as a smaller juvenile fish which can lead to a stunted fish. Also you do not need plants or CO2 for a discus tank, period. Some people do keep discus in planted tanks, but it's to help keep the nitrates down. I would say 90% of discus owners do not have planted tanks. No powerheads or special lighting needed. You can use a HOB, canister (just try not to create a strong current for the fish, they prefer peaceful water), or many people use sponge filters. Juvies need a high protein various diet (mostly beefheart), multiple feedings per day and almost daily water changes depending on diet to properly grow them out. Once they reach sub-adult to adult you can lay off the beefheart and feed them flakes, granules and blackworms. Water changes become lees frequent depending on diet as they become older. Juvies require clean water to grow properly, sub-adults require less. When I grew my fish out from 2.5" I was feeding them beefheart, brineshrimp, flake food and feeding them up to six times a day with 100% daily water changes. Once they reached 4-5" I only feed them flakes and freeze dried blackworms and change 100% of the water weekely. My discus tank is a bare bottom meaning I have no decor inside the tank to make water changes that much easier. Water temp should be 84 throughout their lifespan.....................
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?48-Discus-Basics-for-Beginners
 
BODYDUB said:
For a first time discus owner I would recommend purchasing sub-adult 4" or larger fish, but be expecting to pay $60-$90 for some decent fish. The bigger size fish do not require as mush care as a smaller juvenile fish which can lead to a stunted fish. Also you do not need plants or CO2 for a discus tank, period. Some people do keep discus in planted tanks, but it's to help keep the nitrates down and when they are adults. I would say 90% of discus owners do not have planted tanks. No powerheads or special lighting needed. You can use a HOB, canister (just try not to create a strong current for the fish, they prefer peaceful water), or many people use sponge filters. Juvies need a high protein various diet (mostly beefheart), multiple feedings per day and almost daily water changes depending on diet to properly grow them out. Once they reach sub-adult to adult you can lay off the beefheart and feed them flakes, granules and blackworms. Water changes become lees frequent depending on diet as they become older. Juvies require clean water to grow properly, sub-adults require less. When I grew my fish out from 2.5" I was feeding them beefheart, brineshrimp, flake food and feeding them up to six times a day with 100% daily water changes. Once they reached 4-5" I only feed them flakes and freeze dried blackworms and change 100% of the water weekely. My discus tank is a bare bottom meaning I have no decor inside the tank to make water changes that much easier. Water temp should be 84 throughout their lifespan.....................
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?48-Discus-Basics-for-Beginners
Click to expand...

+1 i keep.and have bred and raised many discusu without plants and never owned a co unit. clean warm water decent size group (4 to 6) lots of feedings hi protein and be careful with tank mates they can get stressed even if you dont see agression. the most important thing is to start with good fish ahouldnt be shy and eat agressively at the store.
 
Modern tank bred and raised strains are not that hard. High protein foods, multiple daily feedings, high temps, and regular water changes and you will be fine. Look for locally bred fish if you can, they will be used to your local water. Discus need low pH soft water to breed generally but grow fine, sometimes even faster, in neutral or even basic hard water. Consistency is the main thing with water quality. Good quality frozen food mixes specifically for discus are great, there are lots of recipes online if you want to make your own too. PE mysid ahrimp seem to be great but keep the diet varied. The one thing about discus is they are always pricey. Price doesnt ever seem to come down either so dont try to buy cheap fish. Look for good healthy specimens that are active and eating well. Any good lfs will feed them for you. They should be up at the front begging for food.



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I would stay away form LFS discus, they tend to get breeders unwanted fish and are usually poor quality fish. I've seen a couple of for sale adds in NJ in the forum link in my previous post................
 
Thank you guys for all of the great information. I knew that they were pricey but I felt that something was wrong with the need for a co2 system. Honestly I have looked online and I couldn't find this much helpful information from people with personal experience. I am going to the Lfs as soon as they open.
 
People give you advices from their experiences. It's up to you and it's your choice/money. If you don't want to read or hear those advices, i suggest you need to look up bad/unheathy vs nice/heathy discus pics. or maybe see you at descease/sick section.
 
I also have a 75 that I want to do as a planted discus community, I have found many local breeders just by searching online. Prices arent as bad as I had thought, generally between 40-70 per fish.
 
I was afraid to try discus because of all the hype. For me it was an experiment so I went to a lfs and bought a 1" for $25. That was after I knew the discus had been there for over a month. I spent alot of time observing the tank and asked them to feed as well. I thought if I didn't do everything perfectly my discus would spontaneously combust lol.

Half of the fun of fishkeeping is trying new things. IMO keeping discus is easy, but it is more labor intensive. Just higher temp 84, lots of water changes, good filtration, multiple feedings although I never did beefheart or more than 3 feedings a day. Do your research online, then decide how you want to approach it and what your possible sources are for stock. You may want to try getting your feet wet before you shell out the big bucks for high quality stock. I turned around and traded my discus into an lfs when I wanted to try something else a few months later. They sold my humble discus for $180 and asked me all sorts of questions about where I got it and what I did to raise it. I was surprised because compared to some of the discus fanatics out there I wasn't doing anything special.
 
I raised a half dozen of a them in high school and left them with my mom when I went to college for the first year. Needless to say not a lot of water changes going on there. The only water changes they got were during my monthly visits home. When i left they were about 4 inches a piece. When I got back for the summer they were all the size of salad plates. Definitely the king of the freshwater aquarium world. High temps and good quality food was all they got, well and the 100 or so neon tetras they took out over time. Yeah, they are predators and if they can get it into that little mouth of theirs they will. When I traded them in I got enough to convert my tank to a reef.

Check with local breeders. Every area seems to have a few and once you find one they will point you to the others. Pretty tight community generally.

Thanks by the way, now I want some.

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