Starting New Setup

[zsgenon]

Hey all, I am a newbie to discus and need some tips from the people who know on starting up a new tank, as discus are quite different from the fish I had in the tank before. I took down my North American tank after deciding that the cost of hundreds of goldfish a week wasn't nearly worth the return. The tank is 72"x18"x20" or so, 125 gallons. I have plenty of filtration and water flow, and currently have a substrate of gravel and flourite as the old setup was a planted one. I have been doing a little reading up on discus, and it seems like the ph levels they prefer are low, I've read from 5.0-6.5 as a broad range for their happiness. I'm not sure how to get the ph that low without buffers, which I have heard are a terrible idea. I was hoping that someone with some experience could guide me in the right direction for whatever I need to do to setup the tank so that the fish will not be stressed. Any info would be helpful, doesn't have to have anything to do with the ph. Thanks a bunch.
Zach

[luvmydiscus]

I can advise you from "my own experience" do not play with your ph. I killed many fish by doing just this. Acclimitize them slowly to your water and they will be just fine. Others will have their own opinions on this matter.

I do not adjust my ph and it ranges from 7.8-8.0 My discus is just fine. I also bred angel fish for many years at the ph too.

Make sure your tank is cycled and don't use discus to do this with please. They like to be with their own kind so a nice group of them would be nice. I have been reading that the recommendation is 10 gal per discus.

Driftwood, live plants and some schooling fish like rummy nose tetras, neon tetras some cory cats and that is a nice setup for discus. They should not be kept with aggressive fish as they can be quite shy, your schooling fish will bring them out of this.

I keep my water temp at 82. Alot keep their higher, as high as 90 I just found it to be to hot and the fish seemed to be breathing harder.

Clean, clean, clean warm water and you will have happy healthy discus.

Season's Greetings... :D