Lots of Questions (help needed)

[conaquavict]

Apologies in advance for all the newbi questions. :)

Hi guys I just converted a 100g (UK) tank and added 10 Discus.
I would appreciate it if you guys could give me an id on them
and answer some other questions for me. :)

the Discus are all between 3-4" and i will be adding a school of cardinals
and some corydoras on Friday.

Ques 1 what is the best food to temp the Discus to eat?

ques 2 how long before they come out of cover, and swim
freely in the tank?

ques 3 what is the ideal temperature and why is it so important?

ques 4 how often do i need to do water changes and what percent?

ques 5 Are artificial silk plants ok, or do they prefer real plants?

Ques 6 how long before they colour up?

Sorry for all the question guys, any additional information that you
think would be beneficial would be appreciated too. :wink:


Here are some pics of the Discus.



http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a158/fishinfocus/11adisSmall.jpg





http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a158/fishinfocus/11adisbSmall.jpg





http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a158/fishinfocus/11adiscSmall.jpg





http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a158/fishinfocus/11adisaSmall.jpg

[taksan]

Ques 1 what is the best food to temp the Discus to eat?

Beefheart Mix, Frozen Bloodworms, live blackworms

ques 2 how long before they come out of cover, and swim
freely in the tank?

Depends of if they like their enviroment

ques 3 what is the ideal temperature and why is it so important?

28.5-29c ..... its important because Discus like warmer water

ques 4 how often do i need to do water changes and what percent?

at least 50% twice per week with that stocking density of preheated pretreated water

ques 5 Are artificial silk plants ok, or do they prefer real plants?

Real plants are better

Ques 6 how long before they colour up?

Depends on how well you keep them

Sorry for all the question guys, any additional information that you
think would be beneficial would be appreciated too. :wink:


How about some info from you then?

How long has the tank been set up and what were its previous tennents?

Whats the PH, GH,KH, Ammonia,Nitrite,Nitrate readings?

Whats the current temprature?

What type of filtration?

Without all this information it is too difficult to offer you any further advice.

[Merrilyn]

Welcome to the forum. You've got some lovely fish there.:P

Ten adult discus in a 100 gal tank is just about at the limit of stocking levels. By all means add your tetras and corys. They will add a very small bio load to the tank, but I wouldn't be adding any more discus.

As Taksan requested, if you can answer some of those questions, we can guide you a bit more.

[rvdbarnes]

I too am much a beginner to discus so cant offer much advice!

But they are beautiful fish you have there!!

What type are they?

Lee

[conaquavict]

Hi guys thanks for the help, mush appreciated, :)

How about some info from you then?

How long has the tank been set up and what were its previous tennents?
The tank has been running for 2 years and was home to a community
of SA cichlids

Whats the PH, GH,KH, Ammonia,Nitrite,Nitrate readings?
PH= 6.9
GH=100
KH = 90


Whats the current temprature?
Temp is 29c, do i need to raise it?

What type of filtration?
The tank is a juwel 450 and the filter is the same one
that came with the tank.

Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate are all within normal limits.

Most of the Discus are swimming about the tank now a couple
are still shying away, they have eaten a little Tetra min,
i'm gonna get some livefood today and try and tempt them.

Would adding a school of cardinal tetras and some cories help
them settle? or is it to early? i have them 2 days.

[taksan]

What type of filtration?
The tank is a juwel 450 and the filter is the same one
that came with the tank.

Not enough filtration get a Ehiem Cannister as well as the Jewel Internal

Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate are all within normal limits.

There are NO normal limits for these
Ammonia and Nitrite should read absolutely Zero and Nitrate less then 10 ppm ... if they don't you have a problem
What % of Water Changes do you do and how frequently?