# i just got my first pair of discus!!!!!



## dam0 (Sep 7, 2008)

hey all, today i went for a big drive and got a pair of discus, i am letting them get used to my water by floating the bag in the tank and adding 30mls of water every 15minutes, i hope i am doing the right thing....cheers dam0

btw my ph is 7.0 and water is 29C.


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

discus like soft and warm water, id boost the temp to about 84 degrees Fahrenheit and lower the ph to 6-6.5, but dont change to much to fast otherwise the change is enough to kill the discus.


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## dam0 (Sep 7, 2008)

i just got my pair of discus, after slowly releasing them they did not swim around mutch and they are in a corner, is this normal?


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## FLGirl1977 (Jul 24, 2007)

Did you do some reading after your last post? This should answer your questions:

http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=14


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Personally I am a bit shocked... you posted this question: 
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=180435

never replied to anyone and still went out and bought TWO Discus? Now you want to know if it's normal for them to be sulking at the back of a tank that you are not telling anyone details about?

Heck, maybe this is your 4 foot 160 litre with Angelfish in it and you just dumped two baby Discus into it. How are we supposed to help you when you are refusing to actually talk to anyone?


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## dam0 (Sep 7, 2008)

i did add discus buffer, black water extract , discus trace elements,my ph is 7 and water temp is 30C,i also empted the tank after having african`s in in and replaced the water and changed the ph and added buffers ect.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

What substrate do you have in the tank?

What type of filtration has the tank got?

What media are you using in the filter/s?

Is there a strong current in the tank?

Do you have rocks in the tank? or have you got plants and driftwood?

Are there other fish in the tank?

Did you clean the filter out? if so, you may have killed the beneficial bacteria and the tank has to cycle all over again.

*Number6* is right. You should have discussed with us some in your initial post, before going out and buying them. Or did you join up to one of the two forums I linked in your initial post. If so can you link us to your discussion there.


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## dam0 (Sep 7, 2008)

i use no substrate, 2 sponge filters that were cleaned out before the discus where put into the tank, there is no strong current in the tank, no rocks just 1 pot. i hope it hasnt started a recycle :fish:

i know i should of came back on the forums but i could not access the net b4 the purchase came up


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Well it's quite possible that your tank needs to cycle again. The [ur=http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cycling.phpl]cycling process[/url] could kill your new Discus.

As for scaping your tank. I don't have any substrate in my tanks either, but I have a couple of potted plants and plenty of driftwood. These provide cover for my fish. They can swim around and do what ever, if they get scared they can dart for cover in the plants or hide behind, or under, some driftwood.


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## FLGirl1977 (Jul 24, 2007)

Your discus are probably sulking because they don't like to see their reflection in the bottom. It confuses and disorients them. I use a thin layer of sand just for this reason. Some people paint the bottom of their tanks if they don't use substrate (to keep from confusing them).

If you had done your reading before getting them you would have known this. You should have read this before going and picking a few of them up. It would have saved you lots of troubles that you are about to head into... I don't understand.... normally people coming online and to a forum for fish want to LEARN and make good decisions (especially if they do it before they get fish) and this just wasn't the case with you.

I highly suggest that you do the reading that everyone here has so nicely pointed out before asking more questions. Most of the answers are right there just waiting for you, but you need to take the initiative to read it. I'm afraid your beautiful discus are going to die due to your ignorance to care for them. If you want them to live, then you need to educate yourself quickly how to properly care for them.

I wish you and your discus the best of luck.


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## Dkarc (Dec 30, 2005)

Give them time. They will come around. If they are adults it will take a few days for them to become active again. This is normal. Since you said the tank is barebottom now, I would assume the bottom of the tank is bare/empty. Take some copy/printer paper and tape it to the underside of the tank on the glass. This will give the fish a defined bottom, which will give them a sense of security. Keep the temp 28-30C and they'll be fine. Dont worry about pH so much, so long as its below 9 or so. Water quality is very important, so frequent water changes are necessary to maintain their overall health and well being. Post some pics, interested to see what kind you got.

-Ryan


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

I hope they are adults... Adults are much more resilient and may perk up. I don't agree about a pH of 9 being a maximum as Dkarc suggests. I am not aware of too many Discus bloodlines that can take that much of an extreme. I do agree with the other suggestions dkarc made though.

When you say you cleaned the sponges... cleaned them of what and how?

Is this tank empty of other fish?


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## Dkarc (Dec 30, 2005)

9 may be on the high end extreme, but i have 2 pairs spawning in a resting tank with a pH of 8.6 (no fry produced of course). Almost all healthy discus now a days can accept almost any pH level (with the exception of wilds). Even when I imported fish from singapore, malaysia or hong kong, they all did well with higher than normal pH levels. Key is not necessarily specific pH, but rather a consistent value...which holds true for all other aquatic life as well.

-Ryan


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## dam0 (Sep 7, 2008)

okay thanks alot everyone, i cleaned them with my hands in a bucket of water from a tank.


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