hey there.. should i be scared?

[Stuquarium]

hey guys. i'm new to the discus world and while my new 55g is cycling for the 1st time i've been thinking about whatfish to keep.

and the fish that stand out the most is discus. i dont mind spending the money on a pair. epecially a breeding pair.

should i be scared of owning them? knowing they need special requriements. ie soft water..

i have a medium peice of driftwood in the tank and some red rock with a gravel substrate. i'll be adding more DW in the future. and i plan on doing weekly water changes.

i have silver dollars (3) in the tank atm and i think i'll keep them in there in with the discus. i'm using a AquaOne cannister filter. and theres a bubble wall to..

only have a year or so's ecperiance with fish am i ready? or am i wasting my money? these fish really apeal to me

[goldenpigeon]

first welcome to the forum!

no i think you will be just fine with discus. most people get spooked away from discus because pet shop fools or information on the internet says discus are for the experienced aquariust only. this infact is completely untrue! anybody can keep discus as long as they just understand a few basic and super easy rules. discus are actually quite tough!

k just a few thing u need to know about discus:

1. discus need regular water changes. 30% every second day is fantastic! if your tank is set up in a good place this will be a breez! in the end it will be worth it!

2. discus need the ph of their water to be between 6.0 and 7.2 max. about 7 is better. if your ph goes to 7.8 for eg the key point is not to panic!!!!! people do this and they end up loosing all their fish! dont panic and it will be ok!.

3. try to keep the water the same all the time. if you live in an area where the ph is quite high i would suggest you age your water (you should do this anyway) to adjust the ph to the right level. the more consistent the water parametres are the less your fish will stress!!

4. discus like all fish need a varied diet!!!!! a good diet will give your fish good and propper growth!

5. have the temp between 28 and 30 degrees celcius.

that is pretty much it (sorry if i left something out). it may sound like alot of work but the purpoe of having fish is for fun.

i have to tell you again DO NOT PANIC!!!!! if your fish gets sick or something has happened come on here and we can help you. the worst thing you can do is make the problem worse by doing something you are dont sure about!

have fun and i would definetly suggest discus!

[Stuquarium]

thanks mate!

this has really put me at ease.

luckily my ph is alwas in the 6-7 areas.

thanks for the advise man. apreaciated.

i guess i was overwhlemed by all the info on the web about the water hardness epscially and how to control it

now i can save my pennies for some discus confidently!

[flukes]

Silver dollars and discus dont really mix, some will tell you they do but in my experience silver dollars out compete discus at feed time..

I normally reccomend people go bare bottom for there first discus tank, but its totally up too you. 100 people told me too go bare bottom but i ended up going planted for the first time.. Just a bit easier too clean with bare bottom..

Once a week is probably not enough water changes, and with breeding pairs they need clean water, especially is there are fry around..

You'd be better off starting with small discus and growing them up, you learn alot more about the care needed too keep healthy discus..

If you get say 4-6 small fish you can grow them up and you should get one or two pairs out of the group. It takes about 12-14 months for the first spawn, which may not be sucessful.. (12-14months for small fish not from fry too adult)...

Dont be scared its not as bad as what some make out too be, so you'll be loving these guys soo much you cant help but give them the best :wink:

And if you get into any trouble we are always here too help..

Cheers
Flukes...

[Stuquarium]

thanks!

my silver dolalrs are pretty fiesty when they feed. but if i feed them at the same time the discuc wont miss out. maybe get a tank divder than i can slide in and out during feeding time.

i was always going to get smaller ones and watch them grow up.

ps - just tested my ph it was 6.2

[flukes]

See how it goes, its not law that they cant be put together i just found it didnt work, but different fish different personallities..

Ahh thought when you said -

and the fish that stand out the most is discus. i dont mind spending the money on a pair. epecially a breeding pair.


That was what you were getting..

The ph is fine, nice and easy.. Might want too leave it in a glass of water for 24hrs. If you can put a airstone in it too aerate it.. This way you find out what it is after aging..

We age water so this change in ph doesnt happen whilst in the tank..

[Stuquarium]

ok i'll try that..

thanks.

[goldenpigeon]

with silver dollars when they get spooked they normally swim in a straight direction regardless if there is fish, wood, barrier ect in the way. they keep swimming untill they hit somethin. if they hit discus (when they get spooked the swim SUPER fast) they can actually damage the discus's internal organs. this can stop them from breeding.

also im no expert on red rock but i think it puts the water hardness up? i think

[Stuquarium]

adding sriftwood drops the hardness though right?
so eventually that will cancell it out


i have notced how my silver dollars get a little spooked when i lift the lid.

they are pretty quick!

[goldenpigeon]

i would love to think some things can cancel eachother out but im afraid that just isnt how it works :( driftwood makes the water softer yes.

have you got another tank to put the silver dollars in?

[Stuquarium]

i have a community 3 fter with a sandy subsrate but i'm told 3ft 35g is to small

[Merrilyn]

Hi Stuquarium, welcome to the forum. Hope you enjoy your time here.

Well the guys have really given you some sound advice there already. There are no hard and fast rules to keeping discus. What works for one may not work for another. I have my doubts about silver dollars mixing with discus, but hey, if they are all small and all grow up together, it could work.

I think the thing is to try it, and see how it goes. If it's not working, then you will have to find another tank for the dollars.
Discus are a calm, slow fish, used to living in the quiet, still backwaters of the Amazon.
Repeat that in the home aquarium, and they will thrive.

If you can just put your country or state in your profile, it helps us to recommend meds or other products specific to your area.

[Stuquarium]

thanks for that.


u think i;ll need to re locate the silver dollars then to my 3 fter so theres no accidents. the silver dollars are getting quiet large.

[Merrilyn]

Another Melbournian. Great. If the silver dollars are larger than the discus, they definately need to be separate. If they are smaller than the discus, it's worth trying to keep them together.

[Stuquarium]

thats i'll keep that in mind when b uying a juve pair of discus

the biggest SD is about 5 cm long from nose to tail at the moment.

[flukes]

Keep us informed as when i introduced my discus with silver dollars they were already twice the size of the discus..


On another note, i remember when i first came too this forum it was hard to come by someone in Melbourne as most were from Sydney. Now i think there are more from Melbourne than any other.. I think will have too start a poll :wink:

[Stuquarium]

in one forum i'm getting told i should be getting my discus in groups of six? instead of adding to the school gradualy as pair.
and my tanks to small. and theu'll get to spooked by the SDs and die.

i don;t know what to think..

hope some one will answer me before i got have a look at them this afternoon.

[goldenpigeon]

you can add them 1 at a time. i make sure they always have a friend in their tank with them after all they are a shoaling fish. to start off with you could get 2 or 3 and see how they go. that is the best way.

[Stuquarium]

ace i'm going to listen to you guys. scew thew other forum and thier naysaying.

i'm off to shop for discus!

[chrissyoscar]

From what I've read you have a 35g 3ft community tank and a 55g tank being cycled.
If the discus are going into the 55g tank then you wont have a problem. The rule of thumb is one adult discus per 10g. If all you have in there is 3 silver dollars then I would think 3-5 small discus shouldn't be a problem.
Were are you getting the discus from? If it's from http://www.oafi.cjb.net/ he'll give you some good advise.
Also you might have noticed this classified http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2822
Might be worth a look.

Oscar

[Stuquarium]

thank you!

looks like the going rate per discus for a babys is 65$ aud
so i'll need to save up a bit more before i'm ready for my 1st pair..

i can;t wait!!

if anyone in lebourne has seen them cheaper let me know!

[Stuquarium]

wow i can't belive how cheap this oakleigh guy is.

i think i'll go to him.. the hours long drive would be worth it!

[kalebjarrod]

just my two cents worth

Silver dollars are jsut too aggresive

they will attack the food and make sudden movements

this will sacre your fish, not eoungh to make them ill, just enough to make them still

remember there is a big difference to survial and growth

have fun and keep us posted :wink:

[Stuquarium]

i'll see how my SDs

get on in the 1st day or 2 with the discus.

if they don't i'll move them.

[goldenpigeon]

good idea