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[Sabre]

Hi, I just signed up :D ,and i'm thinking of making my new 55 gallon a discus tank what are some cheap discus I should get and how many for a 55 also how should the tank be setup?....sorry if these qustions sound dumb but i've never had discus and think they look really cool too me so I thought I would dive them a try

[Merrilyn]

welcome Sabre. If you have been reading this forum you will realise discus have fairly stringent water requirements with regard to filtration, heat and water changes. Most will change approx 25% of the tank water once or twice a week. Others (like myself) will change the water daily to promote growth in young fish and encourage spawning in adults. I would suggest that you start with turquoise discus which are locally bred and easy to find. They would also be the easiest to spawn. Start with 6 juveniles for your 55 tank. Keep the temp at 29 degrees, feed them well with a mixture of beefheart, frozen brine shrimp, good quality flake and Tetra Bits. When they get a little older white worms or frozen blood worms can be added to the diet. Feed at least 4 times daily (more if possible). Four small feeds per day will be better than two large feeds with the possibility of uneaten food polluting the water. I would start with a bare bottom tank. It is so much easier to remove uneaten food and fish poos. Plants in pots are good, as is some driftwood (buy only from fish store). As the fish get a little older you can add a sand substrate if you wish and plant into the sand.
Discus like very clean water but not strong current in the tank, so fit your filter outlet with a diffuser or a spray bar to slow down the current. Keep watching this forum. There's lots of experience and good advice. And btw there are no dumb questions. We all started where you are now. Good luck. If you tell us your location I'm sure someone will be able to tell you where to go for reasonably priced local fish. I think discus are cool too. Welcome to the gang!

[flukes]

Hey Sabre,
Dont be in a rush too buy your discus, patience is a virtue. Ask some people here and iam sure someone would be able to help you find quality fish, make sure you get some good fish for your first time because poor fish can turn you off the hobby and there is alor of fish out there that arnt worth their price tag.

Cheers and welcome.!
Scott

[Sabre]

Thanks guys :D I live in the US Georgia

[kalebjarrod]

first thing is first,

read heaps, read heaps and then read some more

next ask questions, ask some questions then ask some more

you'll save yourself $$$$$ in not buying things you don't need and you'll save $$$ by buying things you do.

Plus your dealing with a living creature, need to think of thier wellfare as well.

nothing more disheartening than loseing your first Discus because of somthing simple.

welcome to the habit. (it becomes addictive LOL)

[Sabre]

i've had aquariums before and still do but i've never had discus,the tank is alredy set up and cycling for about 2 weeks now, it has a sand substrate and a total of 20 plants a giant castle for the centerpiece and a slate cave i'm not done adding slate. i'm I the only American on here?

[kalebjarrod]

ahhh,

your from america, but you want discus so you can't be all bad LOL

discus are the sort of fish that you just prepare for, get the tank setup, age your water, test your water, understand your fish, buy your fish from a good dealer, and ask questions, if your "friends" are not looking right ask questions, once thier in and settled its easy

other than that change your water and bingo... your a discus owner

sounds like alot but you have already done half of it!

[Sabre]

LOL,sounds like I can do it :D

[kalebjarrod]

of course you can.......... to easy :wink:

[happydiscus]

hopefully if my dad lets me, i might be able to get into the great art of discus keeping :) but first of all i got to ask how do u judge the qualiy of a discus thx

[flukes]

First of is shape, a nice round body is always a good start the rounder the better. Then we look at the eye's, this is most important when buying young fish as it gives you a good indication wether or not the fish is stunted or not. You want a smaller eye, a young fish with large eyes is normally not going to grow much more, or you will have difficulties growing it up. Apitite is also good, ask who ever you are buying it of to feed them infront of you, discus should sparm too the food.
Then if you can look at the feces (poo) it should be dark in color and a solid shape, whitish color and stringiness is normally a sign of desease.
A few other things, when your looking at a tank of fish look out for meds in the water, most wont sell fish if they are treating for something but it can happen, if there are meds in the water and you really want the fish, come back in about 5 days and see if they are still healthy. NEVER buy a fish from a tank with dead fish, normally fairly disheartning anyway but i thought id put that in.
Other than that discus will normally go dark when sick, and it is obvious too the untrained eye if a fish doesnt look 100%.
Never impulse buy.........

Thats it..

[happydiscus]

how often do u have to clean the bottom of the tank to remove the feces in a barebottom

[kalebjarrod]

some do it daily, others not.

depends on stock levels

your nitrates will determine the answer, and the asthetics of a tank full of poo

[flukes]

I do it daily just because its part of a water change and i do a water change every day because of the growth it shows in fish. Although i only have adults now i still want too grow them as big as i can.

[happydiscus]

how did u guys get in to the hobby??

[ahsan]

Well disucs is a never ending hobby . Really , i dont know what's so special about these creatures but they make a splendid hobby.
As far as i think the pet discus day to day changes in its food likings , color , mood , activities
which really keep a man really interested out there in what's going to be the next move of the fish.
I seem to get attracted more to thier colour pigments , think they are really beautiful pet to keep ,, slow moving but they wont ever bore you as a pet. and let me tell you one more thing ONCE A DISUCS LOVER MEANS , ALWAYS A DISCUS LOVER , and i can bet upon it.
cheers
ahsan

[kalebjarrod]

i saw a BIG tank of discus when i was 14 and was uterly amazed.

always had tropicals

got into discus about a year ago

first tank was a disaster, second rocked

[flukes]

Yeah my first discus tank was a disaster aswell, 3ft planted tank with a UG and ehiem 2133 for filtration.
Ph would drop to >5.5 overnight and i could never figure out why, then dirt would get traped under the UG and the nitrates were 25+ and even if i did clean under the plates which was a 2hour job, the nitrate problem would come back within a few days.
Ahh well live and learn.
I actually got into discus first when i was giving a turq for free, not really knowing how too care for it, and only having basic information from the person giving it too me, i sold it too a LFS.
Then the same guy that gave me the turq setup a 6ftx2ftx2ft planted tank, he spent something like $800 just on plants. When i saw that it gave me the urge to learn how too keep them.
Been progressing ever since. When i buy a house the first thing on the list that it must have is a basement, just so i can have a fishroom. If its a new house ill get the builders to do the carpentry, plumbing and electrical work for me!!
Any way enough procrastinating.