Changing to wild discus

[swifto]

Toying with the idea of changing from Malaysian discus to wild discus,so it would mean total make over of current set.Would like to achieve a bio-tape set up.?????
Sub-straight to pool filter sand sifted and washed.
Blood &bone on bottom,then proper gating sand on that,then pool sand to cap it all.
Some swords and giant Val planted over the blood & bone.
Huge d/w centre peice
No c02 at all,as d/w lowers ph to 5.5 currently.
Any thoughts or advice.
Thinking wild red spotted greens x7 in a 700 ltr set up

[boydie]

dont want to sound like a smart arse,and i dont know, but are wilds readily available.
and at what cost??
and what are there availability.
just out of interest...

cheers marty

[Mattg]

Hi swifto,

I can't help with the set up but if you go for it pics of the process would be great!! Good luck

[Hooked]

Hey Swifto,

Are you sure you really want to sell those beautiful fish of yours to get into wilds? Maybe just send them on holidays....... to my house : )

[discusriver]

i think the wild discus setup sounds like a great idea, to me wild discus are the pinnacle of discus keeping.but with my wilds i don't keep any plants just driftwood they seem happiest when there are not bright lights above.just my opinion good luck with the project.

[swifto]

Thanks 4 the comments but r wilds harder to keep.
Yes Nigel I'm would need to sell my current collection of Malaysian discus to fund the new set,Mattg I'll post pics & up date when ready.
Im proberly 6 months away from heading down this track,have to do research & decide on a final wild strain.

[swampy1972]

My only advice would be to give your new setup a long time to mature to ensure it's completely stable, then add your livestock slowly to let your filtration keep up with the increase in bio-load.
The last thing you want to risk is an ammonia spike after you source (and pay for!!) a big colony of wilds.
Would be interested to see pictures your current collection if you're thinking of selling it off. I'm always on the lookout for something new :wink:

[discusriver]

no i believe wilds are no harder to keep than domestics but they do need a lower stable ph of 5.5 to 6.5 to be truly happy and show there best colours.in my experiences with wilds mine see to do best at low to medium lighting with plenty of bog wood and a filter sand substrate to replicate their natural habitat.i also think that wilds are more disease resistant than domestics when keep in the right conditions ei low nitrates ,clean tank and quality foods if you miss water changes and generally neglect them they will not flourish .so keep up the water changes and they will do great.

[Nev]

Don't think you need to go to that much trouble with the substrate if your only planting val and swords. They'll grow in anything and with low lighting. Just add a small amount of aqua soil or similar to the sand for some food for the plants. Is blood and bone ok for a tank? I've never heard of it being used personally but that doesn't mean too much I'd check if l was you.

Everything else sounds great.