New to discus, Help would be much appreciated!!

[nick069]

ok i have decided to finally try my luck at keeping discus, now i just need the helpul advise of discus keepers to help me set up my discus tank

I have currently a 40 inch wide tank, by 18 wide by 24 high, its an unsual size i know, but its the biggest i can fit into my bedroom, its an aqau one curved glass tank. This is a display tank, it will be planted but not too heavily, so ........

will i need a Co2 system?

Anyway, what kind of filteration would i need?

im a big fan of the eheim filters, but i have since looked at the hydor range and they look impressive.
Would i be better off with 2 smaller canisters or just one large one?

What kind of UV stereliser would i need, internal or external, what brands could be recomended and how much?

Should i use an internal heater or external hydor heater?

Money is not really an issue, i just want quality equipment thats low maintainece.

And finally, this is my first time at keeping discus, i have kept every other fresh water fish you can pretty much think of except discus.

How many discus should i start of with?
i was thinking 2 fish to beging with and then adding another 2 later on, but i have read in this forum, the fish do better in groups. Any help would be much appreciated

thanks in advance

nick!

:(

[Merrilyn]

Hello Nick, and a very warm welcome to the forum.

Sounds like you have a lovely tank there. From my calculations, it holds around 280 litres, so using the formula of one fish requiring 40 litres, you will be safe with 6 or 7 adult discus in there.

Discus are a schooling fish, and do much better in a group. Two on their own will fight, and three will usually turn into one pair, and the other one constantly bullied.

Heaters - I'm quite happy with internal heaters. The ones with the dial on the outside of the tank are much easier to adjust. In your tank, I'd be using two 250 W heaters. Filtration - well I like canisters, and have them on all my tanks. Haven't tried the Hydor, but in my opinion, you can't go past the eheim for reliability.

UVs - lots of good brands out there. Make sure you can get spare globes easily. Some of the brands don't supply spare globes. I prefer the external ones that are fitted to the outlet hose of the canister filter. That way, only filtered water goes past the uv globe, and you have a greater chance of killing the floating bacteria and pathogens.

Does your Aqua One have a filter system in the hood. They are very good for bio filtration, so use it if you have one. I still add an eheim canister to my tanks, as well as the hood filter.

So long as you don't have too much water flow going on in the tank, (discus prefer calm water) you can't over filter a discus tank.

Most people new to discus are surprised at how often the water needs changing. Daily is not too much, but at least 2 to 3 times a week is good. That's where these fish differ from almost anything else. It's the one golden rule that you simply can't break.

[nick069]

no it doesnt come with a filter, would it better to have to small canisters or one large one?

What model eheim filter would you recommend for my set up being around 280-300 liter tank?

what the minmum amount of discus i should start with 4? or more?

ncik!

[Merrilyn]

Hi Nick. The Eheim 2026 or 2028 from the Pro 2 Series would both be suitable for your tank. Do some shopping online for the best prices. We have several sponsors on this forum who will give you a good deal.

I think one large filter is better on a tank. More powerful, easier to maintain, and cheaper to run. You'll still need an airstone and air pump. Warm water holds a lot less oxygen than cooler water, and discus seem to appreciate the extra water movement and oxygen.

Start with at least four fish and then you can add another group of fish later on. Better to add in a group, rather than a single fish.

Most of my tanks are bare bottom, for ease of maintenance, but I do have some planted tanks. I don't use CO2 but I do use fertilizer tablets around the base of each plant. That seems to work well.

Exciting times ahead for you now :P

[nick069]

thanks for the advice much appreciated

nick!