By Stokes; 19/05/2008: this article has been revised, the new version is
here; see copyright information
here
Introduction and general information
The Discus is a large cichlid from the Amazon River, its tributaries and flood planes, in South America. Discus and its variants were first described in 1840 by Dr. Heckel as Symphysodon
discus, this name is now in use for the Heckel
discus variant. The three "original" colour variants received their own name, the Green
Discus Symphysodon aequifasciata aequifasciata, the brown
discus Symphysodon aequifasciata axelrodi, and the blue variant Symphysodon aequifasciata haraldi.
Discus fish pictures - part 1
More and more people are choosing to keep
Discus Aquarium Fish over other
fish and care for it. By becoming more popular more money is going into the industry which assists the funding for research and the development of products and different strains of
Discus Aquarium Fish.
The discus is a social
fish and lives in large groups in their native waters, and has a very advanced social behaviour; they are one of the few real schooling cichlids. Remember to keep this in mind when starting care for
discus; always purchase a group of animals. They need the social interaction to develop their character to its best potential.
Currently, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the original colour variants in pet shops, only the Heckel is sometimes imported. Most of the discus fish you encounter today are captive bred colour variants. At this time the list of described colour variants is nearly endless. Some of the
discus colour variants have lost their stripes and therefore their natural ability to communicate in the school. But as always these new variants are finding their way to the
aquarium hobbyist quickly for exceptionally high prices and this will stimulate the breeders to try to find a new one. One of the advantages of the captive bred
discus is that they are now much easier, not easy, to maintain as the imported ones. They are much more tolerant concerning water conditions.
It is getting increasingly easier to keep
Discus Aquarium Fish with new technology to improve water quality and
Discus Fish health which could be the cause of the rise in demand. New dealers and breeders are growing rapidly and even small aquatic shops are stocking a range of
Discus.
They are beautiful but yet still remain a challenge to keep and breed with the later been very rewarding and will even pay for the hobby. Most people that keep
Discus will at some stage want to breed them as it is a great experience.
This guide should give you the knowledge to be able to keep your
Discus Aquarium Fish at a good standard and help you breed them without any big problems. Even if you’re a beginner this guide should be the only one you need.
Discus fish pictures - part 2
The Tank
The very first question you should ask yourself is, “What size
aquarium do I need?” This depends on your budget and the room you have in your home.
Size
If you are having a display tank I would recommend you host them in a tank no smaller than 120cm X 40cm X 50cm.
Discus Aquarium Fish do better in deep tanks and the more water the tank holds the more stable the water conditions tend to be. For a breeding tank a 48cm X 30cm X 30cm tank may be used which is adequate for its purpose.
Position
Discus Fish are very shy
fish and tend to hide when they are not confident so keep the tank away from noisy and busy areas especially near door ways and halls. Keep away from direct sunlight and radiators as sunlight will cause algae and excess heat. The only other factor to take into consideration is the height of the tank, the higher up the better as
Discus are phased by movement above and this may cause them undue stress.
Substrate
This depends on whether you are breeding your
Discus Fish or displaying them. If you have a display tank I recommend you use finer gravel. If you are breeding recommend you have a bare bottom tank as it is easier to clean.
Plants
If you are going to have plants you can either use plastic plants or live plants. I personally don’t like or use plastic plants but it is down to your personal preference. Lately, silk plants have become all the rage and they look much more realistic than plastic, which would add to the aesthetics of the
aquarium.
In a display tank you can now get a good
Discus Fish plant selection by mail order, these plants tend to be cheaper and better than those you find in aquatic shops. In a breeding tank you may either leave them out or just have one or two potted plants in the tank.
Décor
You may wish to decorate the tank with rocks and driftwood. Driftwood is suitable for discus as their native waters often have roots and driftwood where they find shelter. Rocks should be checked for any metal ore and contaminants. Also try and keep rocks of a similar colour and texture, preferably from the same source, though a different piece adds nice contrast.
Sunken ships, no-fishing signs and plastic mermaids do not belong in a discus tank. Care meas something else than senseless decorating. Try and keep décor to a minimum, it will serve the tank both functionally and aesthetically.
Filtration
It is a well known fact that
Discus Fish require excellent water quality, and a good filter is at the heart of this. Now there is not one type of filter that suits a
Discus Aquarium best as different filters do different jobs and it just depends on what you need it for.
Types of filtration
There are basically three types of filtration these are:
1) Mechanical
2) Biological
3) Chemical.
Mechanical
This is the first stage of any filtration; the water is drawn or pumped through layers of material that removes any free floating debris from the water. This is important, as sediment will block the next stage of filtration rendering it useless. If the flow rate of your filter drops off then clean or replace the mechanical media immediately.
Biological
The heart of the filter, basically bacteria will live in this area of the filter, they convert the fishes waste, (ammonia) to nitrite and finally nitrate, thus creating a safe environment for your
Discus. Porous materials such as ceramics feature in the form of noodles and chips. These have millions of pores in which beneficial bacteria crucial to the removal of ammonia and nitrite, reside and establish colonies. It is important to never clean the media in tap water. You should rinse the media in tank water from water changes, when it is required.
Chemical
The final stage of filtration is very much controlled by you, for various reasons you may wish to add carbon or peat to the filter, these filter media either absorb impurities, or alter the chemical balance of the water. This is usually topped off with a fine wool pad to polish the water as it returns to the
aquarium.
Filtration Media
Filter media is the stuff that goes inside your filter mainly an external filter. It cleans the water and removes the harmful toxins from the water.
Mechanical Media
Any media will have mechanical capabilities, but the idea of dedicated mechanical media is that it protects the biological media from becoming clogged with debris. It usually tend to be sponges of some sort or the other. What ever you use it is best to use many layers to filter out the dirt. If maintained regularly then the mechanical media can washed out and re used several times, if left too long you will have to throw it away and replace with new media.
Biological Media
This is the heart of the filter and so long as you use sufficient pre filtration it is unnecessary to ever clean it. Biological filter bacteria live here, they colonize any nook, cranny or rough surface, so it goes without saying that the more surface area your media has the more bacteria will gather on it, thus improving the filtration process. Bacteria will cling to any surface from smooth gravel to the modern ceramic rings products which I use that offer massive surface areas. Ceramic rings products are available in any aquatic outlet and are highly recommended for any flow through filter. If at any stage the biological media does become clogged with muck, it is vitally important that it is washed in old tank water. Do not use tap water, you will kill all the friendly bacteria, which in turn leads to total filter failure, ammonia or nitrite poisoning and ultimately dead
fish.
Chemical Media
It may at various times be necessary to add some activated carbon to your filter to remove medications or dyes from the water. Also you can use peat to soften the water, or perhaps Nitrate and Ammonia removing resins. Any chemical media should be last in line of the filtration process, and it is important to adhere to the instructions supplied as to the life span of these media, because some of them will let the toxins back into the water once exhausted.
Discus fish pictures - part 3
Types of filters to use
Display tanks
If you have a
Discus Fish display
aquarium, then I recommend you use an external canister filter as these will keep the water very clean and it will have one of the largest surface areas for biological filtration which will make sure the water quality is excellent. It will sit outside the tank and you should be able to get one to fit any tank.
Alternatively you could use a trickle filter but they tend to be quite expensive. You could also use an internal filter but make sure it doesn’t cause too much current as
Discus do not like strong currents.
Breeding tanks
In a breeding tank it is important to keep things simple. For this reason I like to have bare bottom tanks with just a sponge filter. Many breeders recommend this method as it has been tested and worked for years. A corner filter may also be used. This will give you a bit more control over the water as you can add some peat etc. I would not recommend using an internal power filter as the fry once free swimming will get sucked in and die. A sponge filter can be picked up cheap and is run by an air pump. Once every week, squeeze the sponge in the tank water you’ve removed from doing a water change as this won’t kill the bacteria in it.
The Water
The quality of water in a
Discus Aquarium is very important. Some even say it is the most important factor in keeping your
Discus Aquarium Fish healthy and happy.
Discus Aquarium Fish will thrive in the right water so it is essential to get it right.
pH
I do not recommend changing the pH as this is best left for someone with a background in chemistry.
Discus that are tank bred usually do well in hard alkaline water too. Unless you acquire wild
discus or the breeder or supplier’s water parameters are different from your local tap water, you may need to alter the pH. Even then small pH changes at a time, remember the pH scale is logarithmic, so a drop from 7 to 6 is actually reducing the pH by a factor of 10 and from 7 to 5 by 100.
Here is what the recommended pH is:
Display – 6.5 – 7.5
Breeding – 5.5 – 6.5
Growing On – 6.8 – 7.5
If you need to lower your pH you could use peat which is a great natural alternative which gradually decreases the pH.
Hardness
There are two types of hardness, general (GH) and carbonate (KH).
Discus fish pictures - part 4
These days more
aquarium bred
Discus are available and based on your locality and that of the breeder, you would have to change the hardness of your local water. I find it is best that the
fish are acclimatized to local water over time, as this reduces their chance of suffering osmotic shock. One should try to avoid keeping them in very soft water, as purists would have you believe, as a lack of the minerals in the water contribute to HLLE (Head and Lateral Line Erosion) and poor growth in young
discus growing on. To change your hardness you can again buy water treatments or to lower it you can use a reverse osmosis unit which will be covered soon. If your water is not too hard to begin with, you may consider filtering through peat filled in a nylon stocking placed in your filter.
Temperature
Discus Aquarium Fish generally require higher temperatures than other tropical
fish and you should think about this when selecting plants and tank mates for them. To change temperature simply, adjust the heater’s dial in your
aquarium. Having two heaters in some tanks just encase one does not function may be a good thing, though do not use a cheap heater as a malfunction could cost you dearly. Keep an eye on the temperature at least twice daily as part of your routine. A conventional thermometer is not recommended as I’ve found they may vary slightly, and are not precise. A digital thermometer is recommended for precision and accuracy. One should always ensure that the incoming water during a water change is approximately equal to the water in the tank, a slight variance within 1.5 degrees, as the
discus can suffer temperature shock and this would bring on undue stress which could eventually lead to an outbreak of disease.
Below are the recommended temperatures for
Discus Aquarium Fish tanks:
Display – 27.5 to 29°C
Breeding – 30 to 33°C
Growing On – 29 to 31°C
Water Preparation
If after testing your water you are happy that it fits the water chemistry required to keep
Discus Fish you can do a couple of things. You can simply add a treatment like Tetra Aqua Safe which will take out chlorine, chloride and some metals. You can also use a heavy metal filter which will take out all heavy metals and make the water perfect. Or you can mix the two like I do to save on time and money If your water doesn’t match and you have poor water to start with, you will need to filter it through a Reverse Osmosis unit. These can cost a packet, but are worth it if you need them. This filtration process will remove a very high percentage of heavy metals, chlorine, pesticides, silica, nitrates and most of the Total Dissolved Solids, it will also lower the pH of freshwater. The product water, as with distilled water, on its own is unsuitable for
Discus. The reason for this is that there are no salts in this water which would buffer any drops or peaks in pH. What you do is add to it a supplement containing electrolytes and salts, or some de-chlorinated tap water. Better still mix RO water with a percentage of water prepared with a HMA filter. The exact percentages to mix really are determined by your geographical location, but as a rule 75% RO to 25% tap is usually about right.
If you wish to breed
Discus Aquarium Fish and to care for the fry you need a supply of very soft water, in order to keep the water very soft, i.e. less than 50 ppm; you use less tap water in the mix. But a word of warning, soft water is very unstable and must be changed daily to avoid pH crash.
Water changes
It is very important to change the water in your
Discus Aquarium Fish tank on a regular basis, in a display tank I recommend around once or twice a week and with the later for breeding tanks and anything up to once a day for growing on tanks. I like to change in between 20-40% of the water in the tank but in the
fish farms in the Far East they change 100% of the water once a day in the growing on tanks with great results. The reason for this is that
discus like other
fish, secrete a hormone into the water that inhibits their growth. This allows the
fish to stay appropriately sized for the volume of water it is contained in. It is for this reason that wild specimens and those subjected to abundant water changes grow to such large sizes. When changing the water clean the bottom of the tank and suck up all of the debris on the tank floor but try and disturb the
Discus Fish as least as possible. Once they feel more secure, you can clean aggressively, but do not cause them stress by being noisy about it, just remember that sounds are amplified in water as it is a much better conductor of sound and shock.
Discus fish pictures - part 5
Selecting Discus Aquarium Fish
Buying
Discus Aquarium Fish shouldn’t really be any different to buying any other
fish but it seems to cause most people worry and sleepless nights. I suppose it’s the money involved as not many other
fish have the price tags
Discus Fish carry.
Before buying
Discus, you should have done your homework and know about the
fish, water chemistry and how to care for it. This may seem like common sense but some people don’t even know what water the
Discus Fish prefer. Most
Discus Aquarium Fish keepers have this knowledge and the experience with other
fish as they tend to keep other types of tropical
fish before progressing on to the
Discus Aquarium Fish. It is possible to keep
Discus Fish without any experience but it isn’t really recommended. I know of many hobbyists who started out with
discus simply because they were mystified by them. Needless to say, some have had bad experiences, their entire stocks wiped out within a week.
When it comes to choosing stock there are three sources of stock, these are firstly importers and dealers that only deal with
Discus Fish, they tend to know a lot about the
fish and have a good selection of different strains. Then there are pet shops which will normally only have a little selection of
Discus Aquarium Fish and some times aren’t very good quality.
Lastly there are home breeders which are hobbyist who breed
Discus Aquarium Fish, you can normally pick them up very cheap from home breeders but they tend to be small
fish. I would recommend you get your
Discus Aquarium Fish from an importer but look around and make your own decision.
What to look out for?
Some people will tell you to look for perfectly round bodies with small bright eyes and even though this is true there is simple more to it than that.
First you have to decide what colours you want, don’t worry too much about the names of these as they vary from source to source. Wherever you buy your
fish from spends time watching them, and never buy on impulse. Only select
Discus Aquarium Fish that are alert, bold and come to the front of the tank. Avoid
fish that hang at the back and hide. Also avoid those that breathe heavily or out of one gill. Check for twisted mouths short gill covers, poorly shaped tails, odd or big eyes and any other genetic defects that might be down to poor breeding.
Talk to the dealer and ask him questions, ask if you can see the
fish feed, most will let you. Healthy
Discus will respond quickly to food. If the dealer declines, walk away. If he wants to sell the
fish he will do this for you. Ask the dealer how long he’s had the
fish, if less than 2 weeks be careful as they haven’t been quarantined long enough. Did he breed the
fish or did he import them, if the later where from? Does he know if they have been subjected to any medications or de-wormed? These are all common questions which he should know the answer to and it will provide you with a good background as to the
fish’s history and the dealer’s competence.
Take a look at the bottom of the tank, healthy
Discus Fish pass feces regularly and their waste should be black. If you see signs of white or clear feces it is reasonable to consider that some of the
fish have an internal problem such as intestinal worms, and so should best be left alone. Always ask what sort of water conditions the
fish are in and if possible write it down. If they aren’t the same as yours go home and get them right. If you want the
fish put a deposit down so the dealer will keep the
fish for you and this also give you the opportunity to keep an eye on them for another week just to make sure they are healthy.
Try to get
fish that are medium sized, adolescent so to speak. These are easier to adapt to new water conditions than larger
fish, and don’t require frequent feeds as with young
discus growing on.
Strains of Discus Aquarium Fish
There are plenty of strains of
Discus Aquarium Fish available on the market now but all originate from the same species Symphysodon aequifasciatus. In the 80’s the Germans were the first to develop the blue varieties and other colours and varieties, but now east Asia develops some fascinating strains like Snow Whites, White Dragons, Pandas, which I am a particular fan of, as well as the Snakeskin, Thunder Flashes, Checkerboards etc.
New strains are been developed all the time and there is now getting a vast variety. However I would recommend the beginner stick’s to the classic strains like Red Turquoise and Blue turquoise, as these
fish tend to be hardier and a little bit less fussy.
If you are buying young
fish ask to see the parents or adult
fish of that strain to make sure you know what you are getting. Most breeders or importers will be able to let you do this as they tend to stock the same strains of young and adults.
If you want a solid blue colour I recommend you go with the Blue Diamond or Cobalt Blue, and if you want a solid red then go with a Red Melon or Marlboro Red. If you want striped or patterned
fish then go with snakeskin or pigeon bloods. There are also Tefe Greens which are recommended for advanced hobbyists, as well as Heckels and wild specimens, which should really be attempted by those individuals who have their hobby down to a science. Though keeping
discus should not a scientific pursuit. Don’t forget to enjoy your hobby!
Discus fish pictures - part 6
Tank Mates
So what should you keep with your
Discus Fish? Different keepers have totally different opinions on this subject but here is my opinion.
In a breeding tank you should only keep
Discus Fish and I strongly recommend you keep nothing else in there with them. Some people like to keep plecs and other sucker-mouth catfish, but I’ve had problems with them latching on and sucking to the
Discus Aquarium Fish’s mucus covering. Algae eaters are also notorious for this.
However if you have a display tank then you want to make it look nice and have more than just
Discus Aquarium Fish, I recommend you have a large shoal of small tetras like neon’s, cardinals and rummy noses. You can keep any peaceful, slow moving
fish with
discus, so long as they don’t dominate or out compete
discus for food and space.
I believe that the
Discus Aquarium should be geared toward keeping
discus and other species generally do not require the dedication and water that
discus need.
Some people have kept
Discus Aquarium Fish together with angel
fish, but other keepers would disagree with doing this for good reason. Angels can pass on disease to
Discus Aquarium Fish and angels can grow large and bully
Discus so take this into consideration when you’re planning your tank.
Rams are also a favorite to keep with
Discus Aquarium Fish. I’ve had success with dwarf gouramis as well as pearls, though the blue and golden gouramis are bullies and should be avoided. When you get young
Discus Aquarium Fish make sure you get a shoal as like other
fish they need the security of a shoal around them.
I personally keep
discus in a community tank, and I have had success with many different species, these have adapted to the warmer water and do not offer any direct competition to the
discus.
The Diet
Discus Aquarium Fish should be fed a varied, vitamin and protein rich diet. This is why it is important to feed them different foods and not just stick to one.
Flake
Any top brand
fish flake will provide your
fish with a complete diet.
Discus Fish prefer their food mid water to bottom so soak and squeeze the flake food first.
Brine shrimp
Discus Aquarium Fish love frozen brine shrimp, defrost and rinse it before feeding it. The carotene will enhance the
Discus Fish’s colors, and also serves to keep them in good overall condition.
Bloodworm
Definitely the staple of
fish foods, very much a favourite but use only frozen irradiated worms as there is less chance of it having parasite’s in it. I feed mine bloodworm once daily.
Granular and Freeze Dried
Loads to choose from, all good for
Discus. Stick to brand names for quality control. Tetra Bits are quite the favourite. Low quality food can cause bloating as the food absorbs water and expands, which could lead to constipation.
Live food - The health risks with live food far out weigh the benefits and with the menu above why take the risk. Stick to live brine shrimp and bloodworms from a good source.
As a rule, rather feed less, if you’re not sure.
Discus Fish are grazers and pick at their food slowly, so allow them five to ten minutes to eat well.
Information about Discus Diseases and Medications
One thing I have learnt by keeping
Discus is that they dont usually just die for "no reason". In most cases there is some sign that something is wrong. When I ignored these signs, I lost precious
fish. Some of the diseases and parasites I have encountered are described below.
Hole in the Head Syndrome
This is a disease often associated with
Discus, but it also affects Geophagus species, Uaru amphiacanthoides and Astronotus ocellatus. If treated correctly it need not be a problem. I left untreated, it can cause permanent scarring and even death. The most important treatment is heat treatment. Over a couple of days raise the temperature from 30C to 36C. Additional aeration will be required to ensure adequate oxygen supply. This temperature must be maintained for 8 to 10 days for full recovery, however, the temperature must be dropped if the
fish goes into stress. In addition to heat, the
fish can be given Flagyl (Metronidazole) orally once every three days for the duration of the heat treatment. See next paragraph for the method.
Internal parasites
Internal parasites in the gut can be assumed, if the
fish becomes emaciated or produces white, jelly-like faeces. I have no idea of what species of parasites are infecting our
fish, but in most cases heat treatment (as for Hole-In-The-Head Syndrome) and Flagyl given orally cures the
fish. To treat the
fish, assuming the
fish is still eating, soak some live blood worms or black mosquito larvae in a solution of 10 ml of liquid Flagyl to 200 ml of water for about one hour. Then feed the worms or wrigglers to the
fish. This treatment can be repeated every 2 to 3 days for 10 days. If the
fish is not eating, then the job is a little more difficult. I have had success by removing the
fish from the water and placing it on a wet towel and injecting (using a syringe without needle) the medication down its throat. I use a 2 ml syringe and a mixture of 1 part liquid Flagyl, 2 parts of Liquifry (to try and get the
fishs strength up) and 3 parts water. Before returning the
fish to the tank wait for the
fish to swallow. It is normal for excess medication to be expelled from the fishes gills and mouth. This treatment can be done twice a day, until the
fish shows signs of recovery. The treatment of non-eating
fish is not always successful.
External parasites
External parasites come in many types and I am unsure of exact species. However, I have found by symptoms, that there are differences and different medications are required. Basically I have two main medications for use for external parasites.
* Jungle Labs Parasite clear which I use for
fish that are scratching themselves on objects in the tank. I believe this to be skin fluke and use this drug for anything I feel requires mild treatment. Dosage is one tablet for every 40 litres of tank water, repeating two weeks thereafter.
Gill fluke
Gill fluke is a common disease in
Discus and is worth mentioning separately to other external parasites. In adult
Discus, it is usually associated with heavy breathing, however, in fry it causes much greater problems. When young
Discus get to around 10 cent piece size, gill fluke may become a problem. The parents carry gill flukes in small amounts all the time and if the parents are left with the babies too long, after free-swimming, then the parents can pass them on to the babies. The classic symptoms are heavy breathing, and erratic swimming as though the
fish has been bitten on the gill by something inside. This can be accompanied by a spasm and sudden paralysis resulting in the
fish sinking motionless to the bottom. This condition seems to be brought on by overcrowding and high feeding rates associated with raising the fry, and can be avoided sometimes by spreading the fry out as they grow.
Bacterial infections
Bacterial infections can strike
Discus the same as any other
fish and I have found that two medications are good.
* The best is Chloromycetin and comes in powder form. The dosage is one teaspoon to 100 litres of water. It is always fast acting and some improvement should be noticed in 8 hours if it is going to work for that condition. A second dose after two days may be needed, but there is no need to remove the previous dose as it dissipates out after 12 hours. It is important to store Chloromycetin absolutely dry and away from light.
* The other medication is Oxolinic Acid. A stock solution of half a gram of the powder in 500 ml of de-ionised water can be made up and stored. The dosage is 1 ml of the stock solution to 10 litres of tank water. This treatment is only effective on some types of infections.
White Spot and Velvet Disease
These two diseases are rare in
Discus due to the high water temperature (30°C) they are kept at. But if you do happen to get these parasites then heat treatment will cure it without drugs. White spot is treated with 34°C for 10 days, whereas Velvet Disease is treated for 2 days. Heat treatment can cure many problems, because most parasites cant withstand high temperatures. Another parasite, which is also treated with heat, is Costia: 33°C - 34°C for 4 days.
Where to obtain these medications
* Flagyl in suspension (liquid Flagyl) is a prescription drug from the chemist. A prescription can be obtained from a veterinarian, if required.
* Para-Ex is made by Wardleys and is available from
aquarium shops.
* Chloromycetin, can be obtained in capsule form from some chemists of veterinarians and some
aquarium shops.
* Oxolinic acid can be obtained through a chemist from chemical supply houses.
Precautions
When heat treatment is used, use a separate low wattage externally adjustable heater and keep a careful eye on the temperature as often as possible. Make adjustments only if someone is home for a few hours after the adjustment, to minimise the risk of "cooking" your
fish. When administering medications, calculate the tank capacity accurately to avoid overdosing. A good method is to take the internal dimensions in centimeters and multiply the length by width by height to the water line divided by 1000.
Copyright
This article uses some content from
aquarticles. However, this article is based upon personal experiences of Rahim Irfaan. All pictures available on this page can be used on aqua-fish.net only since they are in our own ownership. You are not allowed to copy, redistribute or use any written part of this article without permission of aquarticles and aqua-fish.net in case that youll use content which is not available in the original document at aquarticles. You are not allowed to use pictures from this page without asking us. If you have any questions point them
here.
Original author: Peter Gallagher.
First published in the Cichlid Circular, New South Wales Cichlid Society, Australia. November 1990
Other interesting reading about Discus fish
This page has been rewritten several times in order to give readers the perfect insight on raising Discus fish, however youre also welcome to read the comments below; Experiences and real examples, problems of fishkeepers are often better than any article! Apart from information that can be found within Aqua-Fish.Net, feel free to visit the following websites, theyre worth it;
Green Discus @ Animal-World.Com,
Heckel Discus @ Animal-World.Com,
Cichlids - Discus, Waroo @ Fish.Mongabay.Com,
Discus Fish Picture Photo Gallery @ RockyMountainDiscus.Com,
Discus Fish - Symphysodon aequifasciatus @ FishLore.Com,
Discus Fish @ AquaticCommunity.Com. If any of the links doesnt work,
let us know, please.
123 comment(s)
Great article! Thank you for the info. May I use peat after the ceramic filtration? I heard that peat will turn the water yellow, can carbon remove the tint?
I just changed my discus tank over from plastic plants to real plants and my discus fish have seemed to calmed down a little, I change the water 25% every week but my fish always seem to be stressed , my water temp is 83 deg but I cant seem to get any eggs to hatch, I have mating pairs but I just get eggs and after a few days the eggs are gone. Is their anything I can do for both the stress and mating tips? Thanks, John
John, Not sure what KH has to do with the eggs hatching. My experience has been one of three things. It could be an immature or sterile male. It could be you have two females (they sometimes pair off, my birds also did this) or you could have an immature pair. In the case of an immature pair the eggs are usually eaten immediately. If the eggs arent fertilized and dont develop they get eaten. If the pair is not a true bonded pair that was allowed to develop naturally they may also eat the eggs. Possibly adding another couple of discus to the mix and seeing who pairs off with who may solve your problem.
Could you please let me know how to treat discuss paluge? Thanks, Moiibul Haque
Hi , I do have a 2.5ft fish tank and having only 4 discus fish in it. Can I keep more discus in it? In that tank I have fitted a top filter and one bubble filter in it, is there anything else I should put to keep my fish good and healthy? Thank you.
Quick Question, I have had a 30 gallon tank for about 3 years now. I love my tank and feel that I am ready to try some Discus. I love the look and the way they interact in the tank. The only problem is that I already have other fish in the aquarium that I have grown to love and dont want to mess up the good thing that I have going. I have 3 clown loaches and a Kissing Gourami. I was wondering if it would be alright to add some Discus? and if yes, what kind would you recommend?
I want to breed fishes in aquarium and want to make money, please suggest how I can make money with this profession.
Excellently briefed. Still I have a query..... I have an aquarium of 3.5ft X 2ft X 2ft height in which I have tiger cat, silver shark, sea angel, silver dollar, kissing gourami, tinfoil barb, yellow shivram, golden barb, rainbow shark, albino shark... Now can I add discuss pair in this aquarium? Second.. I have 6ft X 2ft X 2ft height in which I have silver arowana, 4 oscars. Can I add discuss pair in that? Please help me...
Discus Fish Secrets is a complete scam and should not be allowed to advertise on this page. The "so called book" is a few pages of of poorly written material in a black and white only MS Word document. After paying for the rubbish I have not been able to get the web site to respond to me - although I am having some success in locating where they are.
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Hi. I was looking at buying a couple of discus. Ive already got two pearl gouramis, 1 blue and 1 yelow gourami, 3 butterfly rams and one platy. So will it be alright to add the discus?
Hi, I recently got 2 discus (blue spotted) and 2 black Ghost Knife fish. The dealer said they would get along as they were in the same tank. I need to know how much to feed them. Discus is 1.5" and black ghosts are 3". Need more tips so that they can live happily. Thanks!
I have a pair of Discus and a pair of Black ghosts. However, when I feed them, the black ghosts come up and eat, but the Discus are shy and are always down. How do I feed them?
Hi. I have 2 discus; one completely yellow and I used to have a red and black with stripes, but the problem was the yellow discus kept chasing round the other one, I changed it with a friend for a red and blue with stripes and the same thing happened, do you know whats causing the problem?
Hello, I have a 140 gal. aquarium that is thin but very long and tall. How many discus would you suggest for me to invest in? And should I buy them young and raise them together? Thanks!
I have a 22 gallon tank. Im planning to put discuss in it. Its dimensions are 153cm X 14cm X 38cm. Have a large piece of Barb Malaysian wood inside. Theres an internal filter with activated carbon and peat. The water has turned yellow. How can I solve this problem? Is this tank okay for keeping discus?
I bought 2 pairs of discus. 1.5" each. I got them 2 days back and they are just staying in the corner of the tank without eating, they were fine at the pet store. The temperature is fixed at 28C. What should I do to relieve the stress?
Hi, I have a tank size 2 ft X 1ft X 1ft. I want to put discus in it. Is it OK to put discus in it? And if yes, how many will be comfortable?
Please comment on the best lighting for discus. Also I have seen duck weed on the surface of discus tanks to produce a diffused illumination. Is this a good thing to do as it seems that there would be a potential for filter clogging.
My friend breeds discus and I am interested in trying to breed them too. Would a 92cm x 31cm x 56cm be OK? In the tank there is also three hatchetfish and three tetras, but they can be easily moved to one of my other tanks. If yes, then how many fish would I be able to keep in that tank?
Hi, I have discus fish. Why are they not swimming around much in my tank, they always seem to stay in the one place near the pump. I have an 180 liters tank for them.
The topic above said in the east they do water change of 100% every day, I wonder that way will not have any cycle bacteria in the new water, how can the fish survive?
How old or big before they start pairing?
My discus has little brown spots on him, is this from stress? He seems happy enough, but I am a bit worried as I dont want to lose him. He is in a 6 foot tank with 8 other fish. None of them picks on him or chase him around. The pH is around 7,3 and I am finding it difficult to drop it. Can you help or tell me what the little brown spots may be? (I have had him for about 3 months now)
I came up on a 16x18x60, 75 gal recently and wanted to go for a planted discus setup. What type/strength of light should I be looking for and which plants would be sweet and low maintenance?
Hi, I have a 55 gallon tank, approx. 48 cm x 12 cm x 18 cm. Is it OK to keep 5-6 discus in there? Or is it even OK to keep discus?
I own a few discus fish. Even though they are beautiful, they fight all the time till one fish dies. Then the just alike, the next fish and start the fighting all over. I have now lost two fish and still have five left. My tank may be too small, it holds 75 liter of water. The fish are still small.
My son is hooked on discus fish and we have a selection, 2 have just paired and we have a newly hatched family. I would like to purchase a book for him and he is asking for one by Andrew Soh called the naked truth, but I can only find it on a website and not sold via Amazon etc. Can you advise me on whether it is good or if you have any other recommendations? Thanks.
I have a standard 3 foot tank with 3 banded rainbowfish, 3 dwarf neon rainbowfish, a dozen or so cardinal and neon tetras, 2 pearl gouramis. I also plan a pair of blue rams for this tank. A bloke at my local fish shop told me that I could easily house a pair of discus in there with regular water change, but I am a bit doubtful. Any advice?
I would like to keep discus , I have 9 German rams, 2 angles. They all get on grand in my 200 l tank, but my pH is 7.4. Can discus be compatible with rams and my pH level?
I am setting up a discus tank and while it is my second one (it has been about 10 years) I have gotten the driftwood and a couple show type rocks for the 46 gal bowfront. Question is ~ Is it safe to put any type of Quartz slices in the tank for the fish or does quartz have something in it that would harm the fish? Thanks!!!
Interested in keeping a couple of discus in a community tank 125 liters 53 x 61 x 34 cm, is the tank big enough? I have a ghost knife already and some tetras, I assume the ghosty will be OK with discus?
Hi, I was wondering if you could help me. I own 7 discus and one of them wasnt doing so well. He lays on his side in the bottom of the tank curled up and his tail was closed in instead of fanned out, he wasnt eating for 2 days and this morning I woke up and he is swimming around and eating. My question is, do they shed? Because there was this white stuff on his tail and it looked like he was shedding. His tail is now fanning out as well. (all the others are healthy and swim up to eat out of my hand) They are 6-7 cm.
Hey, Im starting a new tank. Im pretty experienced at raising fish such as my favorites, angelfish. I also got them to breed successfully. I want to try discus now. I had them before but due to the hurricane that hit Houston I did not have electricity and thus killed my discus. I did not have them for long. Maybe three weeks. Anyways, I have a new tank. Im pretty sure the parameters are enough. Theyre 3ft long, 1 1/2 inches wide and 2 ft tall, I believe its a 70 gallon. Is this enough? How many discus could be put comfortably? And what about tank mates? I have a brand new cascade 1000 canister filter that Im going to hook up to a maxi-jet 1200. This should increase the gph of the canister filter making it much more efficient at cleaning the aquarium. I just need so more advice. Thank you.
One of my discus is harassing the other endlessly. They are both new fish. Will this stop in time?
Awesome advice, Im new to discus raising and picked up 6 Blue Turquoise at the size of a pea 1-2 months ago. Followed this advice and they are already 2 in diameter, coloring up very nicely and very lively. pH is 7.1-7.4, good advice!
Hi, great info. I have just bought 2 discus medium size. They are with some rummy nose, rainbows, pearl gourami, clown loaches. In a 400l tank. I am really worried, one of them is breathing really fast and wont eat. The other one seems to be fine and is eating flake, bloodworms, discus pellets. Please, help me, they are my babies.
I have a pair of discus who have bred in a community tank. The eggs have hatched but as soon as they are free swimming their tank mates gobbled them up. I have moved the discus to another tank, but now they wont lay eggs. Any suggestions on what to do?
What about wood? Do I have to put one to color the water and to let my discus fish feel better as I read on other sites?
Hi, I am going on holiday for 1 week and I have 2 discuss fish. Can you please tell me what to buy to feed them on while I am away? Thanks!
I have dalmatians golden pristella tetra, danios, neon tetra, rose line shark, rummynose tetra, siamese fighting, white fin rosy tetra. Can I keep discus in the same tank? Its 1800 x 600 x 660.
Nice site--thank you for sharing your knowledge. Ive got a 75 gallon tank that Im about to clear out. Im debating between Rainbows, Angels and Discus. You gave me a lot to consider as I plan!
I bought a juvenile Discus and at the store he was a very beautiful green. The brightest one in the tank. I pointed him out and watched at the employee at the fish store scooped him up and bagged him up for me. Once I got home I adjusted him and he hid for a while in my tank. Now that he hes come out hes blue! Really blue! And the front of his head it purple! What happened to my green Discus? How could he be green when I bought him and then blue when I got him home?
Hi, I have always wanted to keep discus. I have a 400+ liter aquarium, I have 2 large silver sharks, 1 dwarf gourami a small anglefish and about 8 neon tetras. I was wondering if discus would live happily with these fish.
Hey, I want to get 1 discus because my tank isnt very big, so can I get one or do I have to get two?
Hi, can you tell me if I can mix the Discus with other fish? If possible, what kind of fish can I mix with them, I have a small gold fish, can I mix it with the Discus? Thanks!
Do discus fish need to be housed in a group? I have one at the moment and he seems to be happy. He (we think that its a he) is quite young and about 8 cm long.
This has to be about the best guide Ive found on the internet yet! Thanks for a great article!
Hey, I want to get 3 discus, because I only have a tank that is 90 cm long and 59 cm high, is 3 discus good or do I have to get 5? I will get cardinal tetras as well, and clown loaches.
What is the best way to successfully transport live discuss between aquariums?
I have 3 beautiful discus; 2 red melons and 1 pigeon blood, the temperature is good, the pH is perfect, the water is changed partially every 3 weeks, but I have a discolouration problem happening with the pigeon blood. When first purchased he was beautiful, not a mark on him. Now he has a fine peppering of black all over his body. What causes this? What can I do to reverse this effect?
Hey, do I have have to do a water change twice a week with 3 discus? I will have two filters so the water will be really clean. Thanks!
Hi, I have six discus about 3" along with 8 Angles having same size in 110 G tank. All fish are OK but discus always gets some thing on his tail that ultimately breaks the tail for a few days and then it seems OK. All discus are eating fine, enjoy planted tank. Water pH is 7.2 and hardness is 300 PPM. Please suggest what is wrong in the tanks that makes discus fish tail ugly. I change 30% of tank water every after 2 days.
Hey, should I feed my discus twice a day? If so, what is the best food?
Few months back when I had started my aquarium the plants were growing very fast and now they are not growing and getting yellow. I pull out one plant from aquarium gravel and found black roots then same I did for other plant and found same black roots. Finally I decided to clean the gravel which was very hard for me as I have 110 G tank and 3” thick gravel. When I start cleaning of gravel I found black algae. I don’t know it is algae or what but eating my plants root. I will be very grateful for your any advise that can help me to protect gravel from this black algae. I have several types of plants in my aquarium and some are very expensive. Please help.
I am an inexperienced fish owner, should I be spending over $600 buying discus? Please, help me.
Im not sure if you will know, but how do you get rid of the water going yellow when I put wood in the aquarium? I tried boiling, but that didnt work. Thanks!
I have a 240L tank (54g). I currently have a good setup with a good amount of bogwood, live plants living in a sand/fine gravel mix, Rummy noises (group of 8), mollies (small group of 6) and a pair of kribs which have breed 5 times over the past months with a few juvenile from the last batch still around but will be off to the LFS in the next few days. My question is, I am looking to purchase at less 6 juveniles Blue Turquoise discus which are about 2.5" or 6.5cm, will the kribs get on them?
I have a 120 gallon aquarium with eight adult discus fish. Can I put few denisons barbs and red rainbow fish with them? Would they cause problems to my fish?
Question No. 1. Out of my six 3 inches Discus, two Discus just eat dried bloodworms, nothing else. Therefore they are a bit weaker then other. How can I motivate them for other food? Question No.2. All of my discus keep fighting each other. Is there any problem in my tank? Question No. 3. How can I treat fungus or any other disease of my Discus in planted tank as if I will treat them in same tank, my plant will die and if I will take discus out of tank for treatment, they will get stressed. Please suggest.
I have red torque, the colour has hasnt come yet to red, still like gray. How long will it take to become red? And now getting dark black, not as active as before, I asked to friend, perhaps its sick and nearly die, can you tell me what should I do, and is it water problem? Any medical that I can use? Thanks.
I have a heckel discus that just stopped eating. It was only after Ive changed my tank from tap water with conditioner to RO water. Could this have anything to do with it?
My tank contains 120 G of water in which I have 10 Discus about 3" size and four 1-2" size. My question is: my fish keep fighting each other is there any way to stop them?
One of my Discus fish of size 3" has suddenly stopped eating although there is nothing wrong in the tank. My tank contains 120G water and I have 10 Discus fish having same size in it. She looks healthy, but stays in the corner of the tank. Please suggest.
I had two turquoise Discus in a 30 gal tank many years ago and they did just fine in fact they got big and BEAUTIFUL! I am purchasing a 30 gal tank from a friend of mine and I want Discus - but you say a 30 gal tank is not big enough - I dont want to breed them I just want to enjoy looking at them - I had good luck before in a 30 gallon now I am concerned.
I just bought a 75 gallon tank. I will admit that I have only kept goldfish and plecos in a smaller tank in the past. However, I have read your guide twice and also all the other posts. I am still a little unsure of the terminology in some cases. I want to really research the Discus fish before I buy them. I have the heater, etc. I have a large aquaclear filter that came with the tank. In my other tank, I just use the sponge on bottom, then the carbon sack, then the sack of "pellets" on the top of the filter. I also have an ammonia test kit and a pH kit. Is there anything you suggest extra that I might need to ensure water stability? Is this kind of filtration okay? Like I mentioned before, I have read your guide, but as a beginner, I am still a little insecure with the terms. Please "dumb it down" for me. Thanks!
I have two red discus fish. They are in their own tank with a filter and everything should be correct with the water. Im in Cambodia, which makes this somewhat harder. But anyways, I wanted to know how long it takes for the discus to breed after you put the pair in their new tank?
I have one pearl scale fish, I just want to know if its OK to keep my pearl scale fish with my discus, the size of my aquarium is 50 gallons.
Hi, I am an old discus lover, but I am very worried because my beautiful discus fish is suffering an eye disease. Please, send me the remedies.
Hi, I have a 4 by 2 by 3 foot tank. In it I have a turtle, baby barramundi, a little sucker fish, just got a new 100 liter filter, hooked it all up, filled it up, put the chemicals in, warmed the tank up and now 2 out of my ten discus are laying on there side. Whats up with them? Thanks!
After a long transportation of over three hours in the car, and placing them in the new tank, one of the bigger discus fish (5.5 inch) has not been eating for three days, but his physical appearance looks normal, while the rest (seven of them in small size 3.5 to 4 inch) are eating good after three hours of settling down in the new tank environment. My tank is 125 gallons with several driftwood decoration at 7 pH and 90F temperature. Please advise. Thanks!
I have 3 discus fish in my 250 litre tank along with other fish, such as clown loaches, blue rams, and tetras, they all get along fine, however my orange marlboro discus, has had some peppering around his nose and spread along his upper body. Was not like this when purchased form the LFS few days ago. My water is crystal clear and my parameters are very good, pH around 7.3 and nitrates close to zero. I perform 25% water change every week and filteration system is top notch.... The discus in question however is very active, plays around and eats even more than the other discus in the tank. Could this peppering be stress related or just bad bloodlines from its parents, or maybe his ready for mating? Help, please.
Id like to say very nice page, great information about Discus. I own a 90 gallon tank with a massive canister filter. I only have a Green Terror Cichlid that I bought two years ago in it. Would he be a okay tank mate if I purchased two discus? Thank you.
Quick one example; one red and one blue Discus - will they pair up or do both need to be the same species? Im new at this, please advise. E.g. red melon and a blue turquoise, can they breed with each other?
Thank for all these answers on this page. Really interesting. Got a quick question. Just set my 320 gallon (1200L) tank. I like German blue rams and discus and they can be good tank mates. Should I go with rams with discus or discus with rams, or maybe even. Does it matter?
Can you please determine the gender of my discus?
I have a discuss pair for last 1 1/2 year. Initially after 2 months it started laying eggs for around 8 months, but they ate them all. Later it stopped laying eggs. So what should I do? Let me know, please.
Want to get some discus fish, have a 16" by 18" wide and 26" deep tank, its 47 gallons. I have no fish in there now, want to set it up for discuss fish. Want to know what type of things I should put in there and how many discus I can put in the tank. Also can I put aquarium sand in there instead of gravel?
I have a 48 inches long, 18 inches high and 14 inches wide tank. I have got 2 black widows, 4 silvertips, 2 dwarf indian gouramis, 2 kribensis, 2 angel, 2 catfish, 2 torpeido barbs, 2 rosy teteras, 2 bristolnoise and 2 dwarf panda, could I have 2 discus and if so what type? Thanks!
72 gallon bow front tank. Eheim 2075 + Lifegard aquatics AF94 with mag 9.5 - filters (Regular media + Purigen + PhosPure in Eheim; Active carbon in AF 94). I am planning to buy 5 2.5 inch discus + 20-25 cardinals. Comments?
Thanks David. As you can see I am a strong believer of overfiltering. Eheim 2075 does good bio filtration job, AF 94 is a great mechanical filter. Ive used this filtering set up in my 36g heavily overstocked tank with great results (5 large buterfly koi, 10 rosy barbs, 10 cory). Last week I purchased 72g bow and I am in the process on creating natural slate rock background. Any suggestions on how to reduce the flow without sacrificing water quality in this set up (some sort of flow reflectors)? Once again appreciate your help.
Im just establishing a discus tank and have purchased a 4 stage HMA and RO filter. When preparing the filtered water for the tank do I just need to add a product like Discus Pro Tropic Marine, or will other additives be required? Also, how many adult discus would suit a 560 litre tank? Thank you
Thank you. I should have mentioned - my only concern is that I live in London which has a lot of additives in the water (chlorine etc) which I thought would damage the bacterial filters?
Firstly, excellent article on discus fishes. Im new to keeping these though I have experience in keeping other more aggressive variety (to be read as Red Dragon Flower horn and Thai silk :) ) I have purchased 4 pigeons (1.5"), 8 lepords (2") discus recently and have kept them with 2 silver sharks (3"each) and 2 bottom feeders, in my smaller tank (26"x 15"ht.x 12") I have a power filter for the tank and am feeding them on tetra bits and beef heart along with 20% water change twice a week. I know they would grow out of this tank soon so Im planning a bigger tank(60"x 24" ht.x 18") for these beauties. I also have another tank which is a 36" x 24ht. x 12" which has my Pearl Arowana 6" and 4 tinfoils 3" each. Plan on using the small tank as a quarantine/ breeding tank later. Certain Queries which I wanted to clarify from you: - I have read at most of the online sites that discus require tanks with a good height, Should I switch the discus and arowana tanks now since it will be at least a month for my new tank to get done. Wanted to know if the arowana would be fine in the smaller tank for the time being. - Once I put my new tank in place, can I shift the discus directly into it after say 2-3 days of letting the water settle? Also what kind of filteration would you suggest (external or power filter would do) since the discus dont like high flow water. - At a later stage, once my discus grow to about 4-5" can I keep them with the Arowana in the new tank (have heard from some LFS that arowana do not attack flat fish like discus and angel). - What is the max. no. of discus I can place in the new tank if Im keeping only discus fishes of different varity. - I plan on keeping driftwood and live plants too, but dont have any exp with the plants. Dont want to get into a lot of maintenance for the plants and want to concentrate on my discus and give them a natural environment to be in. Please suggest some plants that are low maintenance, dont affect the water and would look appropriate for my setup. Your suggestions are highly appreciated.
How long does it take for Discus fish to mature?
Hi all, I have a 151x60x64 cm aquarium (450l) with external filter suitable for 700l. The water parameters are: - pH: 6.8 - KH: (+-)80 - Temp: 29 C It is fully planted and mature. At this moment it hosts several neon tetra, some corydoras, and 5 angel (scalar) fishes. Plus some shrimp, snails, etc. I would like to add some Discus, as I find them incredibly nice, but I would like to be sure they would fit in the current aquarium, even having the scalars. And if so, how many would be recommended for them to be comfortable. Thanks a lot!
Ive been trying to cycle a 160 gal. tank for 5 weeks. I have a sump with bio balls. Ive put Dr. Tims bottle of bacteria twice. Ive put my bacteria sponges from my other two tanks in this tank. I have a 12 inch. cichlid that Ive been feeding for 4 weeks. I shut off my UV after running it for 2 weeks. Didnt know it should be on. I have two inch. of gravel. Ive done water changes with RO water. I have 2 air stones running. My water tests the same for 5 weeks. High Ammonia, 2.0, Nitrates, Nitrites, are in range and never spike. pH is 6.5 . Water is crystal clear. What can I do? How long have you heard to cycle a tank? I have a 60 gal. with Discus to transfer in this tank so the cycling must be perfect because of the Discus. My wife wants it done or out ! Please help
Hi , I have a 122x46x52 cm aquarium. I have 2 dollar, 6 parrot, 6 rosy barb, 1 red tail shark, 2 bala shark, 5 tetras in this tank, 2 clown loaches . All fish are OK. I was wondering if it would be alright to add some Discus? And if yes, what kind would you recommend?
My dad loves to keep rare fish so do I, I cant figure out how to see if my discus fish is pregnant. Any clue how to see it?
I have a small tank, 10 gallons, and LOVE discus. Obviously however my tank is much too small. Are there any fish that look like discus but much smaller? If so can they fit in a ten to twenty gallon tank? (I am considering getting another aquarium)
I was wondering what if any shrimps would make good tank mates for Discus?
I want to keep discus fish in a 3 feet 1.5 1.5 tank. How many fishes can I keep in this tank? How much would it cost for a pair, tell me about the food and its cost. And with these discuss fish, can I leave other fishes? If yes, which fish can I leave?
Hi, Ive got two aquariums already that are doing great! Im working on setting up a Discus tank now. Im five days into it and it seems to be moving along fine. Ive got ten tetras in my tank to help it through its cycle, a few decorative rock and a little gravel from the other tank toped with my desired new sand. Also a sponge filter with bacteria starts from the other tank as well, to speed the cycle up. My only problem Im seeing is that my pH is higher in this tank. Its sitting at 7.6 when the others are at 7 and always have been. Ive got a new piece of drift wood in it that I got from the reptile section in the pet store to help lower the pH. It looks to be a root of some sort and is connected with screws sealed with hot glue. The wood is very similar to the ones in the aquatic section of the store and I know hot glue isnt a problem because I have some in my other tanks, but could it be the reptile wood or the screws thats creating the higher pH? Ive researched quite a bit on pH and really dont want my tank to be a headache. Ive been told discus like the pH lower but isnt mandatory unless spawning. My main concern (correct me if Im wrong) is the fact that my pH is off from normal, I know discus are a little more demanding and I dont want anything to go wrong. Thank you, Lycia
I have four Discus who have developed a white film over 1 eye and seems to be forming on the other. It is getting worse. There also seems to be some fin damage. What do you think it is and how do I treat them with please?
I have ordered a 2300 gallon tank and plan to keep discus fish and angel fish. The majority will be discus. How many fish can I keep in this size tank? I do not want to overstock the tank and need to keep in mind the size of tank I have and the maximum amount of fish I can have in the tank. I ordered a starfire glass tank size of the tank is as follows 84x30x36 l x w x h.
Hi - has anyone had luck keeping a discus with roseline sharks - I have a heavily planted tank at pH 6.8 - 75 gallon tank - taller than wider - about 20 cardinal tetras, 3 corys and 3 roselines. Would adding a discus be too much?
I have 3.5ft X 1.5ft X 2.0ft tank, I used to used chlorine water. (chlorine) two gas lines, with heater (30), but my poor discuses are dying why is that ? :(
I have a 72 gallon fluval profile aquarium. I plan to keep discus along with a shoal of cardinal tetras. How many discus would you recommend?
Hi, we have a 4x2x2 foot peaceful community tank with 5 discus. As I am typing, our male from our recently formed mating pair is fertilising his girls eggs. We have 3 rainbow fish and two quite large bristlenose cats that we are concerned will think the eggs are dinner. What is our best move to save the eggs from being eaten. My thoughts are to leave them and see what happens as it is their first batch and they are still adolescents (they are old enough for us to be able to sex them). We dont have the space to move mum, dad and babies, but could move the larger fish into another of our tanks. I think it would cause too much stress to the tank trying to catch them though. We had hoped they would mate but didnt expect them to do so so soon. Thanks for your help!
Hi! I was wondering about buying an aquarium, how big should it be and how many discus can I keep?
Hi! Its me again! Thanks for the answer but I was wondering about a 50g tank that can hold at least 3 discus. Will that work? Also, I was also wondering if I have to clean my tank even though I had a filter, do I have to clean the decor or gravel? Thanks!
My father was the first to breed discus in captivity. In 1970 we went on vacation with the money he made from selling the fry to a local store.
I have a large goldfish tank and today I asked a person at a fish shop about the temperature of my tank. My tank ranges in the areas of 24-29 degrees Celsius. Is it possible for me to keep discus in the water temperature of that or not? Also the person told me that putting goldfish with discus can work but its a hit and miss... I was wondering, can discus survive in my tank? Its 40cm by 40cm by 40cm tall. If they cannot survive in my tank am I going to have the discus separate or can they get on with goldfish? Im sorry if Im bothering anyone but i am curious. Seeing as I saw a discus and I wanted to know is all. Thank you for helping!
Hello. Ive had my 4 discus for a few months, theyre roughly 3-4" long and in a 50 gallon tank. Ive been longing to add neon or cardinal tetras into the tank but Im worried about the discus bullying or eating the smaller fish. Ive done a bit of research and read stories of discus eating them. Should i be concerned? Or what can I do to prevent this? Thank you so much! And Im sure the tetras will be thankful as well.
Hi all, Great read on getting ready for Discus fish. We saw them at the store and instantly fell in love. Although our two fancy tailed goldfish, might be making a trip to the store for an exchange of Discus. Enough about that... We just purchased a 65 gallon tank with an external canister filter and all the other goodies that go along. The dimensions meet what was stated above for tank size. Since this would a new tank, when is a good time to add the fish? 2 weeks for the cycle to occur? Or should I wait until the parameters, meet what was specified above or what the store has their tanks at? Are there any good "starter" fish that could help with the cycling? What about those EcoBio rocks? Thanks in advance! -Andrew
Hi all, Can someone please explain the Water Preparation again, in lay-man-terms... :-) Is it suggested to purchase a RO filter? Does this filter remove all the impurities - metals, chlorines, etc that is mentioned above... Then for all H20 changes I would use the RO filtered water? What is an HM Filter? Ugh, so many questions... Thanks in advance... Andrew
About a month ago I bought a red Marlboro discus and a turquoise discus. Theyre both about 2 inches around. I put them in a 40 gallon tank with drift wood and plants. Ive been noticing that the turquoise discus seems to be picking on the Marlboro, but only when it comes out from hiding. The red Marlboro has started to get dark strips on it as well, Im not sure if it is sick, stressed, or normal. Ive been reading on here and I dont think I can but I would also like to know if I can introduce 1 more discus into the tank? If the red Marlboro sounds like it is sick what can I buy or what can I do to get it better? They both eat everyday and dont act shy. They come to the top of the tank to eat.
I have a 55 gallon tank with a 10 gallon refugium and is working very well, my plant are taking off and I was wondering if I would need to get another filter in order to house discus.
need help with a reverse osmosis unit, I live in hard water area, tds reading is 409 from tap, and 0. 25 from a reverse osmosis unit, this is good and ro unit is working properly so I have been told, only problem is, the pH in the butt where I store the ro water has a pH reading of 7.2 -7.5, this is too high for the fish I wish to keep ( discus ), so how do I get the ro water to 6/6.5 without using chemicals, also why is the ro water so high, I have read others ro readings and they are all at 6, please help.
Hi Mick, Thanks for your reply, I found that if I left the R.O water for 24 hours in the water butt I went down to 6, 6.3 so I was well pleased, anyway my next question is, is it necessary to keep carbon in my filters? I have 2, and took it out of both, or is it just a matter of preference to use it? Thanks, Lynn
Hi, I have a 3ft x 18inch x 12inch tank. Would I be able to keep any discus in the tank ( have no other fish )? Thanks
Hi, I bought 2 discus 3 days ago and they are still not eating my food that I give them, I gave them flake food and brine shrimp, what should I do?
Hey, is rain water OK for water changes?
Hi, I have recently bought a new tank 330 litres 150 x 39w x 55h, 3 large beautiful pieces of driftwood and I want the tank to be for mainly for discus. I have just put in 2 pearl gouramis, 2 green phantom l200 plecs and 10 rummy nose tetras. How long should I leave it before adding discus to the new tank? How many can I add? Does it matter if there all different types of discus? And finally whats the best way to reduce the pH from 8.3 to a reasonable level as I am cautious about using pH down chemicals to do this!
Hi, I have 2 large external filters each has a water flow rate of 2000 liters per hour, my tank holds 435 liters water, so I know that they are big enough for the tank, my question is, does the size of the filters make a difference as to how many discus I can have in it, I know that I could safely have 9-10, but wondered because of the bigger filters I can have more. The tank has also got lots of live plants in it. Thanks Lynn
Thanks for the reply, just one more question. I have 7 discus at present in the tank, and the very first one I bought was in the tank on his own for a few weeks, he was doing fine, I thought that he would make the tank his, and be the boss, then I got 2 more, the same size as him, then I got the other 3, the problem is, he comes to feed along with the others but gets pushed away and tends to stay on his own most of the time, so I try to give him food while the others are in a different place just to make sure he gets food. Do you think there is anything to worry about with him being on his own most of the time? He seems OK apart from this.
My discus laid over 100 eggs 4 to 5 days ago. Looked this morning and no eggs on the bottom of plants leafs. And there are white dots stuck to the glass beside heater with the breeding pair beside it not moving, is this normal?
I have an 100cm by 40cm by 40cm aquarium, is this an okay size for a small group of discus? I only have 2 angles and a plec in there at the moment. I am looking to get a new lifespace 680 which is a 280 liter tank, but keeping my old one for breeding or illness. Thanks!
I had a 40 gallon tank with two discus in it and they grew so big I just purchased a 75 gallon tank for them. Is 75 gal. too small to add two more discus? Also, the original two act like a pair but I have not had any eggs. The only other fish in the tank are 6 small tetras, a pleco and two clown loaches. Are the clown loaches a bad combo if the discus finally do lay eggs and if so what can I get to aid in bottom cleaning?
I have a sick discus. It is listless. Since we received it about 6 weeks ago it has been excreting white faeces. I have treated with live blackworms soaked in metronidozole and garlic guard. Sick discus seemed to get better but now has suddenly become sluggish. Any suggestions? It looks like it wont last long.
Are the following tanks big enough: a Breeding tank with the dimensions of 60cm (Length) x 30cm (Width) x 50cm (Height), a "Growing on" tank: 90cm (Length) x 30cm (Width) x 40cm (Height) and a "Display tank": 1m (Length) x 45cm (Width) x 50cm (Height). Will this do?
I recently set up a 174 Liter (45.9 Gallon) Fluval corner tank with a bow front, dimensions 66cm(w) x 66cm(w) x 58cm(h). I am currently cycling the tank with 10 Danios. In my local pet shop I found 2 beautiful blue/turquoise Discus about 5-6 inches long. I purchased them from the pet store and the owner has agreed to keep them for me for 2 months. After I purchased them, I asked for a water sample so I could match my water parameters. I had to use R/O water because I am on well water. I tested the shops water and it is crazy hard. He said that he just uses city water. The GH was 380mg/L, KH is 210mg/L, pH is 8.0! Mine is GH 100mg/L, KH 80mg/L, and pH is currently 7.5. I have purchased a CO2 injector with a pH controller (it hasnt arrived yet) in order to keep my plants healthy and keep my pH about 6.8. My question is how do I bring these fish home in 2 months without putting them into osmotic shock (or worse)? I know you cant change GH or KH (or pH) more than about 1 degree per day? Do I change my water parameters to match theirs with CaCO2 and bicarb and then slowly change it back down? The only way I know how to do that is to do small daily water changes, and I think it will take weeks to bring it down to my parameters? Not only that but I think this hard water will kill all my Amazon Sword plants. Would peat in my cannister filter change the hardness by 1 degree/day or would it take much longer and does peat just change the KH or both KH and GH? Do you have any better ideas? I also would like to know if I can put 3 Discus in a tank of my dimensions (just for display) to share the dominance around a bit. I have read that you need a minimum of 40 gallons per pair, and others have said that you can stock it 1 fish per 10 gallons? I was only planning a small shoal of Cardinals and Corydoras to go with the Discus. If I get my money back for these 2 Discus (because now that is what I am considering), and purchase 2 (or 3) from Edmonton which is 2 1/2 hours away, how do I ship them and keep them warm and not stressed for that long?
Ive been keeping discus fish for some time now and have had my fair share of diseases and headaches... Ive managed to overcome most of these with minimal losses... But I have a fish issue that is confusing me... One of my fish that I have had since he was a wee little thing has developed identical indentations on both sides of his body and I cant figure out why. These dents are above and back from the stomach/abdomen area and I dont suspect it to be associated with parasites or weight loss as he has not become thin in any other part of his body. He does occasionally experience abnormal swimming patterns, usually a subtle slight up/down or forward/backward jerking motion. Other than that he seems to be feeding normal and has been one of my fastest growing discuses in the tank. Any ideas? Thanks a bunch, shane
I wrote on April 3 and asked about water hardness issues at the pet shop where I bought my discus. Thank you David for your great advice about asking the shop owner to change his water with my RO water, instead of changing my water to match his. I have another question. In the tank at the shop with my 2 blue turquoise discus, there are 2 other discus. I was thinking of purchasing them also to encourage the shop owner to change his water to match mine. I dont know what type these other 2 discus are and neither does the shop owner. They appear brown from a distance, but on close inspection, the larger of the 2 (approx 5") is starting to colour with a red background and turquoise spots (like a snakeskin). The smaller one (4") also has the same colour pattern starting but to a lesser degree. Are these fish possibly just juveniles and have not coloured yet to their full potential? Or are they just not a colourful variety, in which case I would rather look for some red turquoise? What confuses me is the blue turquoise which I already bought are the same size and are already in full colour. I know it is difficult to tell without seeing them yourself, but I hope you can answer the question as best you can. To make it easier, in other words, are they born in full colour or does the colour develop as they get older (or larger), and are some varieties quicker to colour than others?
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Great article! Thank you for the info. May I use peat after the ceramic filtration? I heard that peat will turn the water yellow, can carbon remove the tint?