# How hard are Discus?



## marie74 (Feb 10, 2013)

How hard is it to keep Discus?
They are SO beautiful... 
I have a 125 that I would like to set up as a South American planted tank. I was thinking angels.. but the more I look at discus the more I am enchanted by their beauty...


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## Cichlidman14 (Jul 17, 2013)

First question, have you ever kept fish before? Being totally serious.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

Be prepared to do large water changes daily for optimum results and the most stunning fish. Their appearance degrades rapidly with improper care. 
I think really high quality Angels actually look better than discus anyways.










Ask your LFS to order "Peruvian Altums". They aren't actual altums, they're scalare, but they're stunning.


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

I'd love to try discus, but while not 'hard' work, depending on their age you will be changing a lot of water. The younger they are the more water you change. A guy at work has them, and he changes 40% per day (not per week...) Once they are mature I hear you can take that to 1x a week...


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## marie74 (Feb 10, 2013)

Yes. I have kept fish before.. but no.. daily water changes are not my idea of fun, especially on a big tank... so I will stick with angels. 
Thanks.


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## TK220 (Mar 24, 2008)

Owner of our LFS just set up a 300 gallon discus aquarium as a show tank (he is running it with two fluval fx6s). He says monthly water changes twice a month are sufficient, and that the "Discus need daily water changes" way of thinking is just a myth.

Anyone agree? He has probably 20 Discus in the tank now and it looks amazing.


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## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

20 fish in a 300 gallon tank gives them quite a bit of room to stretch out...

I'd have to say I've never seen an angel tank that could touch a nice discus tank. I'd also have to say that I've never let a discus tank become more than a passing daydream because of the extra babying, if you will, that they require. :lol:


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## Similis (Feb 14, 2007)

125l is too small for Discus or Angels. Both are best kept in groups of at least 5 or 6 fish but should be kept in larger groups.
A minimum tank size of 300l+ and at least 2 foot high. The height is important when keeping Discus.
Clean water is essential but daily water changes can stress the fish out. Keep the tank lightly stocked and you will get
away with twice weekly changes.
Frequently test the water parameters. They don`t like high nitrates but are more likely to get stressed if the pH is
fluctuating. I know a guy who went away on holiday for three weeks and left his mother minding the tank.
He came home and his discus had spawned and had free swimming fry.
I wouldn`t recommend not changing the water though. :lol: :lol:


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I think the tank size is 125 gallons, which is a good sized tank.


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## MoKoy (Sep 12, 2013)

when my brother and i set up our discus tank we were both begginers. i had just finished cycling my mbuna tank at the time and he wanted to put discus instead but i was fixed on my africans. so we bought another tank and started cycling it. we read a lot of forums and a few texts online and it had varying opinions. our discus tank right now has pH 8 (i know way too high but theyre still loving it) we do about water changes every month. weve had it set up for ove 6 months now and never had problems besides the first week of outting them in they had ich. i guess we're one of the few that believes in consitency than gunning for "text book" parameters.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

If you are interested in discus, have a read here. This man is a breeder of top quality discus and has a wealth of experience. Some of the things you read there might surprise you. http://www.archersdiscus.com/


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

MoKoy said:


> when my brother and i set up our discus tank we were both begginers. i had just finished cycling my mbuna tank at the time and he wanted to put discus instead but i was fixed on my africans. so we bought another tank and started cycling it. we read a lot of forums and a few texts online and it had varying opinions. our discus tank right now has pH 8 (i know way too high but theyre still loving it) we do about water changes every month. weve had it set up for ove 6 months now and never had problems besides the first week of outting them in they had ich. i guess we're one of the few that believes in consitency than gunning for "text book" parameters.


You change water 1x per month on a discus tank?
Can you post a pic of these discus? I'm just curious...


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## starrider (Jan 28, 2014)

it really depends on several factors.

I keep Discus and Angels including P.Altum the work required to keep some species can be very time consuming.
Generally, when keeping discus most folks start with juveniles.. most due to cost as adult discus can demand some pretty serious prices. (think $$$hundreds of dollars for a single fish)

the Juveniles say 1-2 " are considerably less money. I get nice juveniles for about $20 per fish.

this is where it gets time consuming.. they are generally kept in smaller growout tanks 20-30 G these tanks are bare bottom as the babies will need several feedings per day.. as a result you will need to remove any uneaten food as this will pollute the water fairly quickly. hence daily 40-50% water changes,.. usually perfomed with 'aged' water aka water that is allowed to get to a stable temperature and parameters.

if you are lucky your source water won't need much attention.. in my case the water has low tds with a kh of 3-4 gh 7-8 it is also slightly acidic and will meet the general needs of most amazonia species.

the discus with proper care (water changes and feeding) will grow relatively quickly and can then be transferred to a larger tank when they reach adult sizes they will require less feeding.. tho mine are pigs and will generally beg for food whenever I walk up to the tank 

I would still recommend 1-2 X weekly water changes in the display tank for optimal health but you can drop it to a single larger 50%+ water change per week.

btw discus are shoaling fish and work best in a large group. a 125 will easily house 10-12 adults and will make an impressive tank.


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## MoKoy (Sep 12, 2013)

pablo111 said:


> MoKoy said:
> 
> 
> > when my brother and i set up our discus tank we were both begginers. i had just finished cycling my mbuna tank at the time and he wanted to put discus instead but i was fixed on my africans. so we bought another tank and started cycling it. we read a lot of forums and a few texts online and it had varying opinions. our discus tank right now has pH 8 (i know way too high but theyre still loving it) we do about water changes every month. weve had it set up for ove 6 months now and never had problems besides the first week of outting them in they had ich. i guess we're one of the few that believes in consitency than gunning for "text book" parameters.
> ...


yup 2 weeks or up to a month as far as i know. not sure if my brother does wc without me.
we do take excess food if there is any. we try to drop a little bit at a time so it is consumed 100%
i will try to put one up later when im off work


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## MoKoy (Sep 12, 2013)

i guess i only help him once a month he does do them ever 2wks


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## marie74 (Feb 10, 2013)

Yes, it is a 125gal.. 6 feet by 18" by 22" I think? 
I have 4 kids ranging from age 2 to 11, so not a ton of time to devote to the tank. WC on a 125 is a lot of work.. so I'm more like a 10% change a week kinda person.. I'll keep it understocked and overfiltered (55 gal sump is my filter) My tank is in the basement, and there is no sink nearby, and water hauling is heavy...
Probably going to stick to planted angel tank for now. Hubby might install a sink, but it's not high up on his project list.


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

I think how hard it is lead to be can be a bit exaggerated. I've seen some amazing tanks in real life with discus that they barely do anything out of a regular maintenance regime with any other cichlid, and tanks that take it way serious. I havn't really seen much of a difference with the health of the fish, maybe it's more genetic related. This last monday i went to a boston aquarium society meeting, and the presentation was project piaba with Scott Dowd of the New England Aquarium as the speaker. While the topic was more cardinal tetras, discus come from the same rivers he mentioned, and these rivers can get a PH as low as he's seen it of 3.8, and 4.5, and while the rio ***** river is nice, not exactly aquarium grade water.

Point is try it out slowly, and don't be too scared. Bit of a mystique is kept about with discus.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

Similis said:


> 125l is too small for Discus or Angels. Both are best kept in groups of at least 5 or 6 fish but should be kept in larger groups.
> A minimum tank size of 300l+ and at least 2 foot high. The height is important when keeping Discus.
> Clean water is essential but daily water changes can stress the fish out. Keep the tank lightly stocked and you will get
> away with twice weekly changes.
> ...


120L is 29 gallons roughly. You can keep an angel in a 29 gal. A pair is less advisable, but still possible. If you want a large group of angels, yes, 300L would be nice.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

marie74 said:


> Yes, it is a 125gal.. 6 feet by 18" by 22" I think?
> I have 4 kids ranging from age 2 to 11, so not a ton of time to devote to the tank. WC on a 125 is a lot of work.. so I'm more like a 10% change a week kinda person..


That's no good. Get it up to 40-50% per week and use a python water changer. Buckets on a 125 are madness. Get an auto water changer. You hook it up to your faucet, it sucks water out to the drain then refills directly from the faucet. You pour the dechlor directly into the tank. All you have to do is babysit while the tank fills up to make sure it doesn't overflow.


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## marie74 (Feb 10, 2013)

Python doesn't help with no sink in the basement. The plan is to go with a planted tank... as I said it is 125gal. It has a 55 gal sump. Lots of water volume and very light stocking. I plan to put maybe 10 tetras in it after it has been set up for a couple days, (waiting for substrate to arrive in the mail). That will start a fish in cycle... slowly add a couple corries and angels... I'm not invested enough for discus. We plan to inst all a laundry sink.. but no $$ at the moment.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

I'd urge you to cycle your tank with ammonia and not fish. If you cycle with little tetras, chances are your tank will experience an ammonia spike or start a whole new cycle when you add the rest of your stock.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/fishless_cycle.php


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## marie74 (Feb 10, 2013)

OK.. apparently no one here thinks I have a clue.

I have an established 56 gal.. I am going to take the filter sponge from my aqauclear and put it in a filter on the 125. 
I also have sand in the 56.. take a scoop, add to 125. 125gallons, plus 55 gallon sump = LOTS of volume. large volumes of water generally hold water parameters pretty stable. I will LIGHTLY stock. 10 tetras in a 125 is barely a blip. It will be a planted tank. I already have the plants.. They are hanging out in another tank while I wait for my substrate to arrive. Plants need fish, and help keep the tank clean. I will add stock slowly.. adding 1-2 fish at a time to a 125g w 55g sump will not cause an ammonia spike. If that was the case every time you got new fish for ANY tank it would cause a spike. I have already decide against discus, as I am not up for massive water changes.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

If the tank is in the basement, there should be a floor drain near by to drain to, whatever is kept in the tank. You don't need a sink to do water changes, just a set of taps.


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## marie74 (Feb 10, 2013)

BillD said:


> If the tank is in the basement, there should be a floor drain near by to drain to, whatever is kept in the tank. You don't need a sink to do water changes, just a set of taps.


I wish there was a floor drain. I flooded the basement once when I left my RODI on by accident... A drain would have prevented a lot of work.
There are only laundry hookups, and the drain for the washer, which is a couple feet up. I am going to try to rig a pump from the sump to the washing machine drain for water changes for now until I can get a sink installed. 
But apparently installing an upflush sink isn't cheap.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

> OK.. apparently no one here thinks I have a clue.


I don't think anyone insinuated this. What comment are you referring to?

Regarding the cycling- you stated you're adding tetras that will 'start a fish in cycle' with no mention of adding any established media.


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## marie74 (Feb 10, 2013)

Well there was 125 is too small for angels.. when it is 125G not liters. Use a python when I already stated I don't have a sink nearby.. I would use it if I could, but it won't work uphill. 
Assuming that I would dump in the rest of my stock once the 10 tetras in 150+ gallon system do their mini-cycle. 
Who has the money to fully stock a 125 right off the bat?

Someone on aquarium advice suggested that if you are doing a dirted tank the dirt itself can provide enough organics to do a cycle.. set up substrate (organic soil mix capped with eco-complete) plant the pants, fill, and the plants use the ammonia and nitrates so cycle is often shortened to approx. 2 weeks..

FWIW- I tried to hook the water pump in the sump to the washer drain just now and it totally worked. Yay! So water changes will actually be easy- I am just going to get a second pump (so I don't have to mess with plumbing) turn off the pump that connects the sump to the display tank, use a pump that I will connect to the washer drain pump out the sump into the drain, refill sump (I have a Y splitter on the washer hookups) heat to right temp, and turn pump back on to display tank. No more water hauling!


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

Glad you found a solution. I can't imagine a basement without a floor drain or at least a sump/sump pump. I gather that the water from the washer is pumped up. If that is the case, can the sink not be hooked to the washer drain line to utilize the existing pump?


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## marie74 (Feb 10, 2013)

No, you have to get a special pump for the sink. 
From what I have researched it would be $700-1000 to install.

However it would e around $60 for a second water pump for the sump that I can feed into to same drain.


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## ShortBus (Aug 17, 2005)

I have a 180g. Would once a week water changes be ok with 8 -five inch fish rounded out with some dither fish and bottom cleaners


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

I have a 180g 2 55's a 40B a 20 and a 15g in the basement and I have no sink in the basement. I have a marineland 1200 powerhead/pump I use to pump the water out of all but the 2 small tanks to outside. (40ft of 1/2" vinyl tubing). Walkout basement, not bothered locating the drain.

I then use a 100ft python from the sink upstairs to fill the tanks up. Only drag is I don't have enough hot water to do all the tanks in one go. I need to take a couple hour break between doing the 180 and everything else.

I change 50% weekly on all but the small tanks (15 and 20) which I do 3 times a week and just do a 5g pail each time.


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