discus

Discussion in 'General Discus discussions' started by mc 1, Nov 8, 2009.

  1. mc 1

    mc 1 mad about fish

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    i bought a discus about a year back but it just hid away and didnt eat
    and i really want to start keeping them again
    and so i dont stuff up again i am just wondering if you could help me with the keeping of discus from bying them to feeding to the actual keeping
    thanks
    mc 1
     
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  3. shakester

    shakester

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    yes ,me too
     
  4. ACE007

    ACE007 VA-TI-KA-KI

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    What I've read allot of times at different places and got the same advise from prof. To start off with you'll need to buy MINIMUM 6 - 8 discus to start off with.
     
  5. OP
    mc 1

    mc 1 mad about fish

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    wow this thread is from ages ago i am pleaed that some one replied
    Ps Thanks ace for the advice
     
  6. shakester

    shakester

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    ok thats expensive ,but you gotta do wat you gotta do
     
  7. George

    George

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    I`m sure the prof will say that i`m wrong, but if its the first time you are buying discus rather go for bigger fish, 6 - 8cm atleast, growing out discus to their full potential requires alot of feedings with high protein foods and super water quality.
     
  8. Fishwhisperer

    Fishwhisperer

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    I have 3 discus and i dont give them any spesial treatment and they doin good even though they in a tank where they are very stressed.

    But im to scared to get small ones and try and raise them, cause they are expensive and die very easily. MC1 talk to mattie he raised discus from small and even bredd them. There are others who can help you. But i actualy met him before.

    Good luck
     
  9. OP
    mc 1

    mc 1 mad about fish

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    could i buy one to start of with ,that would be 6-8cm.Just to see if i could keep them healthy and then get more if he/she is healthy???
     
  10. shakester

    shakester

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    ya me too
     
  11. Dirk

    Dirk Dwarf Catfish

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    If you have the cash, the advice that George has given is correct, the bigger the fish the less the problems you have that you will have with small discus.

    Shakester and mc1, forget about keeping one discus. Discus are schooling fishes and need to be in a group to be happy. If you keep one, the fish will not be happy and not eat properly. They need to be in a group to be competitive and this stimulates them to eat. Keep one and he moaps around and does not eat properly. You also need to keep discus at a minimum of 29C and this means that many other tropicals will not survive as a result of which your tank may be rather bare.

    Kind regards,

    Dirk
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2010
  12. pictus

    pictus

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    Hi guys. Mc, this is gonna sound contradictory to what everybody has always said- there is no easier fish to keep than Discus. Why? Because they are the only fish which tells you quickly when they are unhappy. Advise to u- get 6, 3inch to 4inch, get the cheaper strains, not Pigeon blood though because they cannot darken therefore cannot communicate to u if unhappy. Get ur tank filtration tip top, make it a habit to change 10% water with aged water 3 x per week, keep temp to 28-30C, easy as that.
     
  13. OP
    mc 1

    mc 1 mad about fish

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    HI dirk thank you soo much for the reply
    I intend to get about 5 or 6 (when i have the cash to spend) .
    Will a 270litre be big enough or will that be too small
    In terms of plants will they all survive at that temp???
    Thanks again
    Mc1
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2010
  14. Dirk

    Dirk Dwarf Catfish

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    Pictus,

    Keeping discus is not as easy as that, forget it. I hear from all the folks that start that way and then hit problems. You must just simply not try to oversimplify a fish that demands a lot of attention and needs you to do things just right. If things are not perfectly correct you pick up problems and if you pick up problems and recognize them too late, then you loose fishes, it is as simple as that. You cannot doctor discus back into shape, you invariably loose them. You are also not correct about pidgeon blood discus, they are of the tougher strains and although they cannot go dark as you quite correcly indicate they are not a bad beginner fish. I hate the colour and you will not see any of them in my tanks though.

    Mc1, you need a large tank when your fishes are large. You then need 50-60 litres per adult fish. However, it is much better to start off with a group in a smaller aquarium. Your water changes are far more effective, by that I mean if you change 60 litres on a 120 litre tank you changed 50% of the water but if you change 60 litres on a 270 tank you have not even changed 25%. Also in a smaller tank it forces the fishes closer to one another and they compete better for food. Put them in a large tank and small discus do the classic thing, they sit around in dark corners, don't come to eat and within a week they are gone because they are not feeding properly. So, start small and then scale up.

    Kind regards,

    Dirk
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2010
  15. pictus

    pictus

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    270lit is fine for about 5. Add some dither fish to help get the discus less shy, Cardinals are great 4 that. Plants . . ? Some last. Amazon sword, valisenaria, and i recently added a plant, dont know the name, broad leaved, green top red bottom. They do great!
     
  16. Dirk

    Dirk Dwarf Catfish

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    Pictus,

    The optimal temp for cardinals is 26 C, for discus you need a minimum of 29C. If you keep cardinals at this temp they burn out far faster than they should, so they are not a good companion fish.

    How long have you been keeping discus?

    Kind regards,

    Dirk
     
  17. pictus

    pictus

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    Let me explain what I was trying to say. For 20 years i have heard in the hobby that Discus are complicated, and yeh, they are. What I mean however is that they are not as difficult as what some make them out to b. Its almost as if an 'exclusive' group pushes them as being difficult to keep the breed 'exclusive'. Today, domestic strains are raised in much more 'diverse' water conditions than before, which has made them hardier. Lots of smaller fish, ie. Neons, Cardinals etc are much harder to keep alive than Discus. One thing I agree with you on, there is no room for slacking. You cannot just skip water changes for instance. As far as fixing them, i disagree. Discus are much hardier than people make them out to be. Again, i also differ with the fact that a small tank is better. Big tanks are much more stable since fluctuations take longer to take effect. 10% water change in 50lit is same as 10% in 500lit, only volume that differs. As far as PB? Agree with you 100% I find them all ugly!
     
  18. pictus

    pictus

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    cardinals originate from the Rio Negro river where temp in winter falls to about 23C, and in Summer rise in excess of 27C Burn out faster? Contrary. I started keeping discus in 1990. I was 17 then. Three years later I bred Brown to Brown, brown to royal blue, and i had a Wattley Turquoise pair that spawned every 9 days for two years unend. Back then I didnt have the sense to try have the browns raise the fry or any other tricks. I eventually sold them out of frustration.
     
  19. Dirk

    Dirk Dwarf Catfish

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    Ok Pictus,

    I accept what you say, particularly about the "exclusive" group. However, I regularly get requests from persons wanting to keep discus that have kept a small tank of fishes and now think that they can make the jump.You need to understand very well what biological filtration means and what the capacity of a biological filter is and you have to commit to regular water changes. Folks buy discus from the LFS when they have been mistreated most likely in any case, chuck them into a tank, don't have the temp right have inadequate filtration and do not feed properly and the first losses will appear within a minimum of one week.

    So, the point that I want to make is that everyone should not just rush into discus thinking that this is going to be easy. You are saying it is easy, yet you do admit that you have to do a number of things correctly. The average aquarist does not understand it this way if you send out the message that you have and then this leads to disappointment and folks get disillusioned about keeping discus which I would not like to happen. Get to the point where you understand properly what you need to do, commit to the extra effort and you are OK, but don't oversimplify. I hope you get the point that I am trying to make.

    Kind regards,

    Dirk
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2010
  20. pictus

    pictus

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    Yeh completely! And to that i agree with you. I also think, and lately in my small way i have tried addressing this, that 'importers' or suppliers at least in PTA region, opt for lower quality fish from irreputable buyers. Fish in LFS arrive there parasite infected, and some inexperieced hobbyist buy them thinking they are fine. They die a week later. I recently watched the arrival of imported discus at a LFS which they imported themselves. They were all 4 inch size and looked as if they had dropsy. I pointed it out to the owner who guessed they must have left food in the bags 4 them when shipping. I offered help, he declined and 3 days later i went to check on them. Of the 12 arrivals 7 had died. Unfortunately good quality fish cost more, and i guess importers, LFS or whoever opt 4 cheaper options. Its sad really.
     
  21. shakester

    shakester

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    ok count me out on this for a while i got ick
     

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