oldmanriver - 2018-02-10 Having wet feet on subject of discus I paid dearly in learning; firstly a bare bottom is real good for water quality; make sure you have a night light to comfort these delicate animals, put in live plants in mesh baskets add a weight. it is totally for show off to have a total bare tank for show off these timid discus. they will be much ore happy with some kind of hiding spots like plants and some driftwood.
Patricia Delancey - 2016-11-07 We had some big wild caught heckels at our aquarium. When I went to feed them, I would say 'Dance, dance, discus!' and hold up their worm dish. The fish would then twirl about until I dropped the black worms into their tank. They were so clever. They danced for me every morning.
warren hummel - 2015-02-23 Very good article , lots of imformation, My discus story is I have thought about keeping discus for many years ,but never did anything about it . a lot of imformation that is just wrong. thought they were terribly difficult fish to keep. In june of 2014 I purchased 6, 2 inch discus as of dec 2014 , I have two left. 2 died for no apparent reason , and 2 got a bacteria infection ,I think as they both turned black and died . The two surviving discus are absolutely stunning . They are in a 65 gallon tank, uv light ,fluval c4 and a marineland cannistyer filter, plan on replacing the heaters and the lights . These discus are not as difficult to keep as everyone thinks . Do I plan on purchasing more yes . don't want to order fish in the cold weathe r , I purchased from the fish den and I think that problems within the tank caused the 4 discus to die , not sure if I want to order 4 or six more fish . This tank is a discus tank , will have 6 to 8 discus ,20 noens which are doing very well at the 86 degrre temp, 12 cory catfish, 4 bolivan rams , 2 bleeding hearts 2 guppies , and 2 zebra daniios. thinking of adding more bleeding hearts and maybe some other kind of schooling tetra, the pairs will not be replaced when they die . Am I happy with this tank yes , it is a work in progress.
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David Brough - 2015-02-23 It sounds like a stunning aquarium! You might think about getting a bigger aquarium for full grown discus. Awesome.
Clarice Brough - 2015-02-24 Sounds like some awesome Discus and a wonderful aquarium. I love your 'work in progress' thinking. We had a school of 6, and one thing I found out with our Discus was that they didn't like a lot of activity around the outside of the tank, that would cause them to stress. So we did re-locate our tank to a more subdued area.
kathleen - 2011-05-20 Hi. Nice write ups about discus fish. It really helps me a lot. Can you post more discus fish? By the way I just encountered a nice article too about discus fish. Maybe you want to see it.. here is the website: www.discusfishpro.com
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Charlie Roche - 2011-05-20 Thank you. Your site looks good and informative. Nicely done and lots of information to. It should post on here. Lots of luck to you.
joe h - 2011-09-05 I have 4 discus fish in a 75 gallon tank with two angel fish. I have two eheim 2217 filters and an aqua clear 110 filter all with bio media. I only use ro and di water. It makes the perfect ph and the water is very soft. I keep the temp at 85 degrees. I do 40 percent water changes ever other day. I feed frozen blood worms, beef heart, live brine shrimp, my pet store gets them in once a week. I also feed ocean nutriton discus flakes. Very important to do large water changes discus do not like nitrates. My nitrates are zero due to the high water changes. Good luck with your fish, joe h
Diane - 2012-12-13 Was wondering if anyone can help. We have an 80 gal. hex discus tank w/9 large discus (about 4-6') with a protein skimmer and uv light (artificial plants). Lost power during hurricane sandy for 9 days. Used 2 battery operated aerators. Fed them first couple of days bits & flake and some frozen blood worms/beef heart (at different times). Didn't want to feed much as days went by so chemicals wouldn't get bad. Changed the water after the second or third day of power outage and covered the tank with blankets to keep water warm. Temp went to about 76 at times and then we would warm the water (we have a gas stove so was able to warm the water) to bring the tank temp up to about 80-82. Temp was always at 86-88 prior outage. They all did fine. When power restored did another water change and fish acted as usual, always ate with no problem. We have since lost one fish and the others (mostly the blue turquoise/red turquoise) look like they are losing the color or scales along the lateral line. The color stays in the center of the fish. Try to keep ph at 6.5 sometimes goes to 6.0 but always add buffer. Tested phosphate & nitrate and saw was high, did water change again. Have some Seagel in sump for phosphate. Don't know why the change in their coloration, scales etc. Called local pet shop and said sometimes stress comes out about a month or so after (which is what is happening). Have been adding stress coat also. Do not want to lose anymore. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?
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Jeremy Roche - 2012-12-13 Did you test amonia levels too? Stress will cause coloring change. Amonia levels spiking will also do this. This can happen during power outages as the bacteria levels in tanks adjust.
Roger - 2005-12-04 I have kept and bred discus many years. Keep your temp 82-86f and p.h from 6.6 to 7.0 and kh between 60 and 120. Feed wide variety, keep no fewer than 5 in a group, and you are well on your way!!!
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Michael g - 2010-06-09 How do you tell their sex I have two blue turquoise and it's too hard to tell..
Fishy girl - 2007-05-04 Discus can be quite good fish. I have however fallen behind and lost 2 of my fish. These guys were prior to getting sick twice, fairly hardy. They have been great and did well with a cory, BN catfish, and tetras. Currently they live in a 29 gallon tank as they are only 2-3 inches, and only 2 are left. In the process of treating their fugal infection, I lost all of my tetras and my BN cat fish. The Discus are however doing ok. I really hope to get a breeding pair out of these 2, I doubt it but that would be cool. I keep water at 84-90*F.
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paungofreakgirl3 - 2010-03-11 i am going to get some of these amazing fish. i am learning a lot a bout them on the way. i have a 45 gallon tank with teras and bettas and fan tail guppies. half of which i am holding for my sis.but i have a lot more work to do.
Dee - 2010-12-31 Do you do a 10% water change 2 or 3 times a week? Might try that. Possibly you introduced fungus/bacteria by adding the additional fish. If I were you I would only keep discus with discus. They are expensive, why risk their health?
Josh - 2007-09-10 We have 6 discus (2 Tangerine, 3 Red Turquoise, 1 Blue Snakeskin) in a 90gal. People say they are "hard to care for" but I have absolutely no problem with them! They are healthy, happy and active. These are, in my opinion, the most beautiful freshwater fish available to the hobby. If you have the space for a large tank and are able to keep the tank clean (I vacuum once a week), then I suggest you pick some up. They are expensive but their personalities make up for it. They are very enjoyable to watch and they definitely respond to human presence. As soon as I walk in the room (in the area, rather, even 20+ feet away - just in view), they swim toward me and watch me as I walk by. They greet us at the closest corner when we walk in the front door. They are like little people in there and are definitely a pleasure to keep! We have had them for about 8 months now so they are still young but are growing (largest is about 5" now). We hope they will pair off when the time comes!
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omar - 2010-06-23 Good day josh. What type of filtration do you use on your tank and what do you feed your discus. Thanks in advance. omar
Dee - 2010-12-31 I have 2 discus in a 20 gallon tank and I agree with you. I have 2 filters, 2 thermometers and do a 10% water change 3 times a week. It's a lot of work but my discus are thriving.
The elegant and regal Discus have been entitled the "King of the Aquarium Fishes"!
Having wet feet on subject of discus I paid dearly in learning; firstly a bare bottom is real good for water quality; make sure you have a night light to comfort these delicate animals, put in live plants in mesh baskets add a weight. it is totally for show off to have a total bare tank for show off these timid discus. they will be much ore happy with some kind of hiding spots like plants and some driftwood.
We had some big wild caught heckels at our aquarium. When I went to feed them, I would say 'Dance, dance, discus!' and hold up their worm dish. The fish would then twirl about until I dropped the black worms into their tank. They were so clever. They danced for me every morning.
Looking to buy 6-10 small Blue Cobalt Discus.
Very good article , lots of imformation, My discus story is I have thought about keeping discus for many years ,but never did anything about it . a lot of imformation that is just wrong. thought they were terribly difficult fish to keep. In june of 2014 I purchased 6, 2 inch discus as of dec 2014 , I have two left. 2 died for no apparent reason , and 2 got a bacteria infection ,I think as they both turned black and died . The two surviving discus are absolutely stunning . They are in a 65 gallon tank, uv light ,fluval c4 and a marineland cannistyer filter, plan on replacing the heaters and the lights . These discus are not as difficult to keep as everyone thinks . Do I plan on purchasing more yes . don't want to order fish in the cold weathe r , I purchased from the fish den and I think that problems within the tank caused the 4 discus to die , not sure if I want to order 4 or six more fish . This tank is a discus tank , will have 6 to 8 discus ,20 noens which are doing very well at the 86 degrre temp, 12 cory catfish, 4 bolivan rams , 2 bleeding hearts 2 guppies , and 2 zebra daniios. thinking of adding more bleeding hearts and maybe some other kind of schooling tetra, the pairs will not be replaced when they die . Am I happy with this tank yes , it is a work in progress.
It sounds like a stunning aquarium! You might think about getting a bigger aquarium for full grown discus. Awesome.
Sounds like some awesome Discus and a wonderful aquarium. I love your 'work in progress' thinking. We had a school of 6, and one thing I found out with our Discus was that they didn't like a lot of activity around the outside of the tank, that would cause them to stress. So we did re-locate our tank to a more subdued area.
Hi. Nice write ups about discus fish. It really helps me a lot. Can you post more discus fish? By the way I just encountered a nice article too about discus fish. Maybe you want to see it.. here is the website: www.discusfishpro.com
Thank you. Your site looks good and informative. Nicely done and lots of information to. It should post on here. Lots of luck to you.
I have 4 discus fish in a 75 gallon tank with two angel fish. I have two eheim 2217 filters and an aqua clear 110 filter all with bio media. I only use ro and di water. It makes the perfect ph and the water is very soft. I keep the temp at 85 degrees. I do 40 percent water changes ever other day. I feed frozen blood worms, beef heart, live brine shrimp, my pet store gets them in once a week. I also feed ocean nutriton discus flakes. Very important to do large water changes discus do not like nitrates. My nitrates are zero due to the high water changes. Good luck with your fish, joe h
Was wondering if anyone can help. We have an 80 gal. hex discus tank w/9 large discus (about 4-6') with a protein skimmer and uv light (artificial plants). Lost power during hurricane sandy for 9 days. Used 2 battery operated aerators. Fed them first couple of days bits & flake and some frozen blood worms/beef heart (at different times). Didn't want to feed much as days went by so chemicals wouldn't get bad. Changed the water after the second or third day of power outage and covered the tank with blankets to keep water warm. Temp went to about 76 at times and then we would warm the water (we have a gas stove so was able to warm the water) to bring the tank temp up to about 80-82. Temp was always at 86-88 prior outage. They all did fine. When power restored did another water change and fish acted as usual, always ate with no problem. We have since lost one fish and the others (mostly the blue turquoise/red turquoise) look like they are losing the color or scales along the lateral line. The color stays in the center of the fish. Try to keep ph at 6.5 sometimes goes to 6.0 but always add buffer. Tested phosphate & nitrate and saw was high, did water change again. Have some Seagel in sump for phosphate. Don't know why the change in their coloration, scales etc. Called local pet shop and said sometimes stress comes out about a month or so after (which is what is happening). Have been adding stress coat also. Do not want to lose anymore. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?
Did you test amonia levels too? Stress will cause coloring change. Amonia levels spiking will also do this. This can happen during power outages as the bacteria levels in tanks adjust.
I have kept and bred discus many years. Keep your temp 82-86f and p.h from 6.6 to 7.0 and kh between 60 and 120. Feed wide variety, keep no fewer than 5 in a group, and you are well on your way!!!
How do you tell their sex I have two blue turquoise and it's too hard to tell..
Discus can be quite good fish. I have however fallen behind and lost 2 of my fish. These guys were prior to getting sick twice, fairly hardy. They have been great and did well with a cory, BN catfish, and tetras. Currently they live in a 29 gallon tank as they are only 2-3 inches, and only 2 are left. In the process of treating their fugal infection, I lost all of my tetras and my BN cat fish. The Discus are however doing ok. I really hope to get a breeding pair out of these 2, I doubt it but that would be cool. I keep water at 84-90*F.
i am going to get some of these amazing fish. i am learning a lot a bout them on the way. i have a 45 gallon tank with teras and bettas and fan tail guppies. half of which i am holding for my sis.but i have a lot more work to do.
Do you do a 10% water change 2 or 3 times a week? Might try that. Possibly you introduced fungus/bacteria by adding the additional fish. If I were you I would only keep discus with discus. They are expensive, why risk their health?
Dee
Great website,very helpful in establishing my new tank. Wish you had lists of compatibile fish to go with each variety. Ray
Thank you for the suggestion, that could be a feature we may soon have!
Thanks for the great info dog I owe you bigitgy.
We have 6 discus (2 Tangerine, 3 Red Turquoise, 1 Blue Snakeskin) in a 90gal. People say they are "hard to care for" but I have absolutely no problem with them! They are healthy, happy and active. These are, in my opinion, the most beautiful freshwater fish available to the hobby. If you have the space for a large tank and are able to keep the tank clean (I vacuum once a week), then I suggest you pick some up. They are expensive but their personalities make up for it. They are very enjoyable to watch and they definitely respond to human presence. As soon as I walk in the room (in the area, rather, even 20+ feet away - just in view), they swim toward me and watch me as I walk by. They greet us at the closest corner when we walk in the front door. They are like little people in there and are definitely a pleasure to keep! We have had them for about 8 months now so they are still young but are growing (largest is about 5" now). We hope they will pair off when the time comes!
Good day josh. What type of filtration do you use on your tank and what do you feed your discus.
Thanks in advance.
omar
I have 2 discus in a 20 gallon tank and I agree with you. I have 2 filters, 2 thermometers and do a 10% water change 3 times a week. It's a lot of work but my discus are thriving.
Dee