Getting back into discus

[aussieant32]

Hi Everyone

So my 250L aquarium is starting to get quite empty now, only 1 BN and 5 black widow tetras in there, I am thinking of going back to Discus, I used to keep them about 4 years ago but had to move house and couldn't take them with me.

I was thinking about 5 discus in the tank, just got to decide what breed.

My only concern was the BN, how likely is it that he will try to latch on to the side of the discus?

Now, as far as I can remember I don't need anything else for the tank, I have a heater (that is about 7 years old now so I am going to grab a new one) and a canister that pumps about 950L/H. Will upgrade the lighting too but is that pretty much it equipment wise?

Thank you

[Discus Planetarium]

sounds good mate if you need a hand with anything just let me know,if your looking for some very nice discus i can help you there also....we can ship aus wide...

[swampy1972]

Welcome back to Discus.. I'd only go with 4 fish to give them ample volume to grow out. I'd also start with sub-adult/adult while you're getting yourself back into it as they're more tolerant to water quality fluctuation than juvies.
Keep a good eye on your water quality too. The canister may be sufficient, but you may also think about upgrading it depending on how well it's holding your paramaters.
I'd also get rid of the BN. They can tend to latch on to Discus, but more importantly, they're a really dirty fish putting out a disproportionate amount of waste.

[aussieant32]

thanks both. I dug out my old discus keeping books and decided on 4 as well. How would I go about telling the age? Is it kind of size orientated? I was advised to go about 5-6cm? Sound about right?

I was worried you would say that about the BN, I adore him and will hate losing him. Should the black widows be ok? They seem very passive?

Forgot also there are also 4 corys but they get on in with everyone :)

[swifto]

Hi,go with discus at least 12cm.or bigger, buy the biggest u can afford.

[Nev]

Never had a drama with bn, but they do make a lot of mess. probably due to all the waste they eat.

[aussieant32]

just got off the phone with a discus specialty store near me. He said the BN will be fine, standard plecs can be a problem but BN won't bother them?

Also he said to buy a max of 7cm?

Does this sound right to you guys?

[Nev]

I'd of said min 7cm, prefer 10cm for starters. And buy them seperately or in pairs. what's your location btw? My local shops don't open till 10.

[swampy1972]

Hi,go with discus at least 12cm.or bigger, buy the biggest u can afford.

+1. The bigger the better while you're still finding you feet. Ultimately though the choice is yours.

The issue with buying smalller fish is that they're still prone to stunting if you get their care wrong in the early days, meaning they'll never acheive their true growth potential.

[aussieant32]

I'd of said min 7cm, prefer 10cm for starters. And buy them seperately or in pairs. what's your location btw? My local shops don't open till 10.

I know the owner, rang his mobile.

I will have a look at the 7-10cm mark then, going to go there on Saturday morning.

thanks swampy, I was hoping to get smaller ones as I am not 'new' to keeping discus but it seems that the general thought is to get bigger ones.

Cheers

[ILLUSN]

bigger is better but is fun o watch them grow, if it was me I'd get 5 smaller fish bout 5cm body length (ie without tail), i find it more rewarding, but bigger fish will be easier to keep.

the Bn wont be a problem, but your tetras will likely get eaten :)

[Greggy]

I've never lost a tetra to a Discus myself, but I'm not saying it doesn't ever happen at all.

Make sure your filtration is spot on - overkill in this department would be just about right.

Good luck!

Greggy

[aussieant32]

thanks

I don't have room for another canister but thinking of putting an internal power filter in?

[swampy1972]

Black Widow tetras are quite large compared to your average neons or cardinals. I'd be surprised if they got bothered by your Discus.
For what my opinion's worth, I don't rate the internal filters. I think you'd be better served by a good quality hang-on filter if you don't want to upgrade your existing canister. They do a far better job than an internal and take up very little room.

[aussieant32]

I may take a look at a HOB.

It isnt that I dont want to upgrade my canister, I just really dont have room for another one to sit while it seeds

[Mr Wild]

Where are you from aussieant?

[swampy1972]

It isnt that I dont want to upgrade my canister, I just really dont have room for another one to sit while it seeds

If you use as much of the media as possible out of the old filter by putting it in the new one your cycle period will be cut down dramatically - particularly if you don't add any more bioload.

The bacteria from the old media will quickly spread to colonise the new media.

I recently did this using a small hob filter. I used nothing but some matrix from a mature canister in behind the foam of the hob = no fluctuations in the water, and all the livestock are happy as Larry :wink:

[aussieant32]

picked up a HOB in the end, added matrix from my canister to help it along. It turns over 300L/H so I am now hitting 1250L?H which I am happy with.

Will still add some stability etc to help for a few days but should be good to get them on the weekend