Discus Fish

Gumby · 04-26-2008, 08:02 PM

My older brother is thinking about having a discus tank.

Any helpful suggestions for him?

T_kuemmet · 04-26-2008, 08:34 PM

MUCH more difficult IMHO than reef tanks. I used to have lots of discus. I got some really cool ones from germany. Clean water is a must! dont worry about having RO water unless your breeding. High ph and high calcium is fine, most breeders add ro waste water to their grow out tanks. 86degrees is fine for little one and prevents hexamita from taking a foothold when they need the most food.

When i was growing them out, i would do a daily waterchange down as far as they could go and still swim.

and make sure it is barebottom and painted on all but the front of the tank.

Check out discusasahobby.com I had a lot of friends over there

PEMfish · 04-26-2008, 10:43 PM

Yeah, they are demanding fish for sure.

RyanG · 04-26-2008, 10:59 PM

They need a LARGE tank too 125 or bigger and pristeen(SP) water

Frankie · 04-26-2008, 11:13 PM

Though personally i think a reef is more work,(testing testing testing) constant water changes is key to success with discus. I have helped a friend with his breeding tanks for years. Travis gave you some great advice.
Here's a picture of me first in Marks basement and then Mark. I learned a lot from him. Great guy. If you want some quality stuff get in touch with him at Nassau Discus Tell him i said whats up.

Frankie · 04-26-2008, 11:20 PM

OOOH! This must be new. I never saw them before. Saweet!
http://discus.fsharpe.com/images/discus-4.jpg

WOliver · 04-27-2008, 11:18 PM

Check-out Cary Strong and Great Lakes Discus. We're in Michigan, so shipping to you in Ohio overnight starts at about $19.99.....and we provide you with a 14-Day Warranty!!

PEMfish · 04-27-2008, 11:20 PM

W. Oliver, do remember what I said about drooling?

T_kuemmet · 04-27-2008, 11:32 PM

I met cary strong, he came to green bay for a discus get together! He provided me with some great fish!

Ryan, discus definitely do not need a 125 or larger. Those daily 90 % water changes let you pack in WAY More than that in to a smaller area, and they feel more secure

In the right setting very hardy fish, but you gotta start out with the best stock to begin with!

RyanG · 04-28-2008, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T_kuemmet

I met cary strong, he came to green bay for a discus get together! He provided me with some great fish!

Ryan, discus definitely do not need a 125 or larger. Those daily 90 % water changes let you pack in WAY More than that in to a smaller area, and they feel more secure

In the right setting very hardy fish, but you gotta start out with the best stock to begin with!

Say wha-huh?

SubRosa · 04-28-2008, 02:57 PM

An adult discus needs at least 10 gal of water per fish,and they should be kept in groups of at least 6 unless set up in pairs for breeding.If you are serious about discus I have two words for you to think about."Flow through" In freshwater at least water changes are for people who can't or won't set up a flow through.

John

t_j · 04-29-2008, 03:42 PM

Can I ask what a "flow through" is??? Is it like a wet/dry system??? Really high ph isn't good for discus like a salt water tank. You want to keep it around 7.3-7.8 and we usually don't test for calcium. Ph, nitrates, nitrites, hardness and ammonia are the main things we test for. Water changes are a must or you will get sickness or really ugly looking discus. Every day water changes of at lest 50% is great but every other day water changes of 80% are good to. They are a lot harder then salt water IMO because they get sick so easy. Another good thing for discus is a good filter or filters. I have a 125gal and I run a 125 wet/dry system, a magnum 305 with bio-wheels, XP3, fluval 404 and some times I think thats not enough. You don't need a 125gal but I wouldn't get any thing less then a 40gal and even that you might have to upgrade when they get bigger. If you get small discus you would want to feed at least 6x a day they eat a lot and they do better and look better when fed at that amount, but if you can't then no less then 3x a day. Here are a couple of other forum besides DAAH that are really great and have some awesome people there. Hope this helped.

SimplyDiscus

The British and International Discus Keepers Association

SubRosa · 05-01-2008, 10:25 AM

Flow through is where you treat your tap water to remove chlorine,raise the temp to the proper level and run it into the tank.The water which overflows instead of being filtered just goes down the drain.This can be either a continuous flow or regulated by a sprinkler timer.With this set up no filtration is necessary if you flow enough water,although most who do it use some sort of biofilter like a sponge as a back up.The only downside to this system is the initial setup expense and time,but the time saved on maintenance more than makes up for this over the long haul.

John

GrendelPrime · 05-11-2008, 01:00 PM

heres 1 of my stinkers

Frankie · 05-11-2008, 01:02 PM

Nice Vic! I like the avatar too.

04-26-2008, 08:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
Gumby Sea Pen Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Miamisburg OH Posts: 327 View Gallery Karma Komment	Discus Fish My older brother is thinking about having a discus tank. Any helpful suggestions for him? __________________ i am the lorax, i speak for the trees 75g: 140+ lbs LR, 90+ lbs LS, 20+/- g sump (w/mixture of bioballs,LS,LR & Macro) coral beauty, bicolor blenny ,java scott damsel,2 clowns, 6 line wrasse and assorted hermits and snails watermelon shrooms and a frogspawn that is ready to split. 2 - #4 Hydor Koralia's Prizm Skimmer - ***TERM II HERE!!!* Lighting - Current Extreme 260 watts - 2 T5 white and 2 actinic with moon light on a timer for 8 to 9 hrs total.

04-26-2008, 08:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
T_kuemmet Fire Coral Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Stevens Point WI Posts: 72 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Discus Fish MUCH more difficult IMHO than reef tanks. I used to have lots of discus. I got some really cool ones from germany. Clean water is a must! dont worry about having RO water unless your breeding. High ph and high calcium is fine, most breeders add ro waste water to their grow out tanks. 86degrees is fine for little one and prevents hexamita from taking a foothold when they need the most food. When i was growing them out, i would do a daily waterchange down as far as they could go and still swim. and make sure it is barebottom and painted on all but the front of the tank. Check out discusasahobby.com I had a lot of friends over there __________________ Travis Reefaholic My tanks Biocube 29 with stock lighting and 2x powerbrite LEDS in 10000k Second BC 29 with some lps, and getting more!

04-26-2008, 10:43 PM	#3 (permalink)
PEMfish Reef Lobster Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Kane Co. Il. Posts: 1,634 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Discus Fish Yeah, they are demanding fish for sure. __________________ Paul `EM My cichlid tank plans, or Piranhas...; See how it all came to be; http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...g-catchup.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...ets-ready.html Make it idiot-proof and someone will make a better idiot. I'll make the whole damn world jealous if given the money to do so. Don't make mistakes and learn from them, read and learn how to avoid mistakes.

04-26-2008, 10:59 PM	#4 (permalink)
RyanG Limpet Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 144 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Discus Fish They need a LARGE tank too 125 or bigger and pristeen(SP) water

04-26-2008, 11:13 PM	#5 (permalink)
Frankie Angel Girl's Daddy Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: The End Of The World Posts: 6,035 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Discus Fish Though personally i think a reef is more work,(testing testing testing) constant water changes is key to success with discus. I have helped a friend with his breeding tanks for years. Travis gave you some great advice. Here's a picture of me first in Marks basement and then Mark. I learned a lot from him. Great guy. If you want some quality stuff get in touch with him at Nassau Discus Tell him i said whats up. __________________ Visit my aquarium -->Frankie's 120 gal Experiment Bruce: Today's meeting is Step 5: Bring a fish friend. Everyone brought a fish friend? DIY=DO IT YOURSELF! If we ignore the environment maybe it will go away....

04-26-2008, 11:20 PM	#6 (permalink)
Frankie Angel Girl's Daddy Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: The End Of The World Posts: 6,035 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Discus Fish OOOH! This must be new. I never saw them before. Saweet! http://discus.fsharpe.com/images/discus-4.jpg __________________ Visit my aquarium -->Frankie's 120 gal Experiment Bruce: Today's meeting is Step 5: Bring a fish friend. Everyone brought a fish friend? DIY=DO IT YOURSELF! If we ignore the environment maybe it will go away....

04-27-2008, 11:18 PM	#7 (permalink)
WOliver Tubeworm Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Farmington Hills, Michigan Posts: 39 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Discus Fish Check-out Cary Strong and Great Lakes Discus. We're in Michigan, so shipping to you in Ohio overnight starts at about $19.99.....and we provide you with a 14-Day Warranty!! __________________ http://www.choiceaquariums.com

04-27-2008, 11:20 PM	#8 (permalink)
PEMfish Reef Lobster Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Kane Co. Il. Posts: 1,634 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Discus Fish W. Oliver, do remember what I said about drooling? __________________ Paul `EM My cichlid tank plans, or Piranhas...; See how it all came to be; http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...g-catchup.html http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...ets-ready.html Make it idiot-proof and someone will make a better idiot. I'll make the whole damn world jealous if given the money to do so. Don't make mistakes and learn from them, read and learn how to avoid mistakes.

04-27-2008, 11:32 PM	#9 (permalink)
T_kuemmet Fire Coral Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Stevens Point WI Posts: 72 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Discus Fish I met cary strong, he came to green bay for a discus get together! He provided me with some great fish! Ryan, discus definitely do not need a 125 or larger. Those daily 90 % water changes let you pack in WAY More than that in to a smaller area, and they feel more secure In the right setting very hardy fish, but you gotta start out with the best stock to begin with! __________________ Travis Reefaholic My tanks Biocube 29 with stock lighting and 2x powerbrite LEDS in 10000k Second BC 29 with some lps, and getting more!

04-28-2008, 02:57 PM	#11 (permalink)
SubRosa Serpent Star Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 226 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Discus Fish An adult discus needs at least 10 gal of water per fish,and they should be kept in groups of at least 6 unless set up in pairs for breeding.If you are serious about discus I have two words for you to think about."Flow through" In freshwater at least water changes are for people who can't or won't set up a flow through. John __________________ An aquarium is like a seesaw.On one side is your time and patience.On the other is your money.

04-29-2008, 03:42 PM	#12 (permalink)
t_j Midas Blenny Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Chicagoland area Posts: 110 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Discus Fish Can I ask what a "flow through" is??? Is it like a wet/dry system??? Really high ph isn't good for discus like a salt water tank. You want to keep it around 7.3-7.8 and we usually don't test for calcium. Ph, nitrates, nitrites, hardness and ammonia are the main things we test for. Water changes are a must or you will get sickness or really ugly looking discus. Every day water changes of at lest 50% is great but every other day water changes of 80% are good to. They are a lot harder then salt water IMO because they get sick so easy. Another good thing for discus is a good filter or filters. I have a 125gal and I run a 125 wet/dry system, a magnum 305 with bio-wheels, XP3, fluval 404 and some times I think thats not enough. You don't need a 125gal but I wouldn't get any thing less then a 40gal and even that you might have to upgrade when they get bigger. If you get small discus you would want to feed at least 6x a day they eat a lot and they do better and look better when fed at that amount, but if you can't then no less then 3x a day. Here are a couple of other forum besides DAAH that are really great and have some awesome people there. Hope this helped. SimplyDiscus The British and International Discus Keepers Association __________________ Tiffany

05-01-2008, 10:25 AM	#13 (permalink)
SubRosa Serpent Star Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 226 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Discus Fish Flow through is where you treat your tap water to remove chlorine,raise the temp to the proper level and run it into the tank.The water which overflows instead of being filtered just goes down the drain.This can be either a continuous flow or regulated by a sprinkler timer.With this set up no filtration is necessary if you flow enough water,although most who do it use some sort of biofilter like a sponge as a back up.The only downside to this system is the initial setup expense and time,but the time saved on maintenance more than makes up for this over the long haul. John __________________ An aquarium is like a seesaw.On one side is your time and patience.On the other is your money.

05-11-2008, 01:00 PM	#14 (permalink)
GrendelPrime Midas Blenny Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: orange county ny Posts: 89 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Discus Fish heres 1 of my stinkers

05-11-2008, 01:02 PM	#15 (permalink)
Frankie Angel Girl's Daddy Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: The End Of The World Posts: 6,035 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Discus Fish Nice Vic! I like the avatar too. __________________ Visit my aquarium -->Frankie's 120 gal Experiment Bruce: Today's meeting is Step 5: Bring a fish friend. Everyone brought a fish friend? DIY=DO IT YOURSELF! If we ignore the environment maybe it will go away....

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