hello, new here and to discus

[leck85]

Hi.. i have kept fish for years.. i currently have bettas, convicts, and kribensis.. all breeding.. anyways, i will be going to Seattle for a few days this week and wont have to pay duty on anything, and i have found that tanks can be cheaper in the states than ive seen here..

im most likely going to be bringing back a 'big' tank.. compared to my biggest of 6 tanks now, a 20g..

anyways, ive liked discus for a long time, and have been reading up things about them.. and now that i should be bringing home a tank big enough for them, i will eventally probably be getting some..

just wondering about tankmates.. a friend has some in a 70g tank with about 20 cardinals schooling, and 2 kribensis..

ive also seen them in stores with rainbows, and other small schooling fish..

just wondering what types of fish i could keep with them?

and is there anything i should know before getting any that i might not already know?

thanks in advance ! 8)

[flukes]

Depends what you want out of discus, if you want a great planted display tank, then there are alot of tank mates for discus. Being that this is your first time at discus i would be starting with a barebottom and seeing how you go. Although i cant really comment because i had hundreds of people telling me too start with barebottom and i still went planted. But now i have converted all but one to barebottom.
Back to tank mates, most tetra's that can handle hotter temps do well, aswell as most smaller catfish. Otto's are great, aswell as most corys. And of course Rams, one of my favourite. In the end the discus will be the dominant and biggest fish in the tank, so anything that wont fight, scare or worry the discus is fine.

[leck85]

ok thanks.. i was thinking tetras.. but rams didnt even cross my mind..

im going to do a planted tank..

its going in the living room so it has to look nice says the mother lol

[nicholas76]

HI Leck

I find that generally when you add diffrent types of fish that diseases generally become an issue.

also take into consideration that certain fish like angels will out compete discus in feeding times. So will large schools of cardinals and other small type fish.

lets see some pics :D :D

[danDman]

Keep things minimal and simple. Discus should be the main fish in your tank.

Dan

[nicholas76]

Lovely tank dan

may i ask what size tank that is?

[danDman]

Hi Nick,
It's a 120gal.

Check out my site for more pics.
www.gulfcoastdiscus.com

Dan

[nicholas76]

lovely stuff!

nice web site too!!

those red passions, have you got any more pics of the fry??

[flukes]

Great tank,
just noticed the little guy under the driftwood!!
What kind of filtration are you using on that monster.?

[danDman]

Thank you

The current tank has 5 discus. 2 pairs and a dieter fish.
As for filter I'm using a DIY filter out of a 40 gal tank located underneath. I made it to where it also houses the heater.

Dan

[danDman]

I also mounted lights with dimmer switch for moonlight affect at night. This is my only show tank and the only tank my wife would allow me to bring in the house :D

Dan

[leck85]

just got back from seattle.. couldnt find a single pet store there lol..

petsmart had a 45g tank deal on for $169, but that was at the end of the holiday, and after already spending $150 US i didnt want to spend all my money..

and i kept in mind that im getting a 10g,20, and 5g tank, along with a 10g tank filter for $30 canadian.. from someone on another forum..

so that added to my choice not to buy a tank..

i decided im going to save up my money and eventually move out before i get a big tank.. seattle is really nice, wouldnt mind moving there.. but being canadian, i hear it takes awhile to get accepted to move there :?

[nicholas76]

terence and phillip issue???

hehehe

[flukes]

hehehehe, they should make a series just on them..

[Lu]

What a pretty tank

[Billy]

Nice Fish

i want a fish room like yours !!!

[danDman]

Thank you Lu and Billy.
It's been a long process upgrading a little at a time. Equipments are not cheap. Fortunately my hobby is paying the upgrades.
Here's a current pic of my only planted tank.

Dan

[Lu]

I have about 30 neons tetras still with me, is it possible I can keep them with discus together?

[danDman]

Hi Lu,
From my understanding Neons requires a colder temp than Cardinals. I keep these 200 Cardinals in temp 84F.

Dan

[kalebjarrod]

are u the gent that posted the tank build on SD?

the tank looks familar,

great sense of space yet it still looks full

FANTASTIC

[danDman]

That would be me. :wink:
Not from Auatralia, so I don't post much on this forum but regularly browse through it. :)

Dan

[flukes]

Dont have to be Australian too be here mate, just one thing you must have to meet the criteria and that is a love for the plates..
:lol:

[kalebjarrod]

Yours is one of my favourite tanks.

i really enjoyed the shots of you putting it together, and the finnal result is stunning.

top work all round. :wink:

[danDman]

Thank you Fluke and Ryan.

I just completed a DIY project today. I coverted a 55 gal drum into a peat bomb. My tap water comes out at 8.2 ph and at 360ppm. Very hard water. After the peat bomb the parameters comes out at 7.4 ph and 230 ppm. Now all my tanks are tea color. I don't mind and the fish seems to like it.

Dan

[danDman]

Here's a couple of pics of the fish in their tea colored water.

Dan

[danDman]

These are all from one spawn. There must be 200+ frys. I had to remove them from the parents early cuz they were eating the parents.

Dan

[kalebjarrod]

i'm the biggest fan of DIY

the tea coloured water won't bother them a bit

the fry look great, i wish i had the setup to accomidate such fish

glad to have ya here Dan!

[luvfishies]

OOOoooooo love the tannin water~ No wonder the fishies are happy!~

[flukes]

I actually prefer it too, and since they come from similar coloured water they should be very happy.