FranAndMark

while we're on the subject of brine shrimp... is it possible to grow them up to a larger size to feed to larger fish such as discus? if so what do you feed them? fran

hi all, we have some small brown reddish insects that look like mites(they have 6 legs) clustering and breeding on the glass at water line level. does anyone know what they might be. they also have strong jelly like clumps of stuff- maybe eggs attached to the glass also. they are very tiny and are not snails. are these dangerous to the fish? sorry no pictures at the moment , but i'll try and get some next week thanks fran

hi all, i am searching for advise on the use of carbon dioxide for plant growth. is it really necessary to use co 2 if you want strong plant growth?. which method is best DIY yeast bottle, tablets or a co2 unit. which is the most cost effective? if anyone could point me towards a good website with lots of co2 info that would be great. how do you set up a DIY yeast bottle?. any info would be most appreciated thanks fran

hi again, what is the ox heart mix made of?. is it just minced or diced ox heart. is there anything else you add to it? fran

hi, thanks for your info.will try what discusguru suggested. thanks heaps fran

hi there, two of my discus are still not right. they are both dark in colour and just sulking in the corner. and yes they are the two smallest ones. we got three as a group together from one person and they were all the same size. now one is absolutely huge and the other two are smaller. they have only grown a little. the other two we got from another source are quite large as well.is there anything i can do to stop the bullying apart from putting them into another tank. would extra plants or ornaments for them to hide in or behind help? i do have other tanks available to set up .do you think it would be a good idea to put them into another tank until they get larger and then return them into the main tank? should i continue putting melafix in. is it ok to use this with a black ghost knifefish also in the same tank? thanks heaps for your info. i'll try to do more water changes and see if it helps.the bottom does get quite dirty even after just 4 days. thanks fran

hi, does anyone know what signs discus show when they are breeding?and how do you tell male and female discus apart? fran

good point, i hadn't thought of that. they have been chasing each other around the last few weeks and attacking each other. i've also noticed that they sometimes lock mouths together like kissing gouramis do but only for a few seconds. is this discus breeding behaviour? there is only one now still sulking and is still a dark colour the other one has come right. i have lots of baby guppies in the tank,i don't think they are discus.i haven't noticed any egg laying. does anyone know how to tell male and female discus apart? fran

hi there, can you keep black ghost knife fish with discus in a community style tank with clown loaches,corys, bristlenoses, guppies,cardinals?the tank is well and densely planted. fran

hi there, i am new to keeping discus and have encountered a problem. i have 5 discus, 2 of which have a small amount of mucus trailing off their fins.they are also withdrawn, not feeding well and turn a dark colour at times. i have turned up the temp to 30 degrees and have been treating with melafix for the last 4 days.they usually are kept at 28 degrees with no problems. i have been doing water changes of 20 % every 4 days. they don't seem to be getting any worse and the mucus has cleared but they are still dark in colour and look unwell.pH is neutral and nitrite levels are fine what is this and how is it caused?. what should i be doing to get them healthy again? can anyone help fran

hi all, its amazing that so many people live here in wainui. do you guys have a small wainui fish club going? maybe we should all get together once a month and do tank crawls etc around each others houses. anyway since we are new to this site we'd thought we would tell you all a bit about ourselves. i'm 26 and my husband mark is 27.We have a 3 yr old named alex and currently have another baby on the way due on may 23rd.(not long to go!) i work as a part time checkout operator at the warehouse, wainui as well as being a full time mum and professional artist. i specialize in pet portraits, chickens and landscapes. mark is a senior policy analyst at housing new zealand.we've been living here in wainui for 2 years. i've been keeping and breeding tropical fish off and on since i was 13, whereas mark is just coming down with 'fish fever' now. i was secretary and breeding co ordinator with the wanganui aquarium society for a couple of years, back when i was a teenager. we currently have no fish but are soon going to set up a four foot tank with either discus or a community tank with angels etc. we are still deciding. are discus much more difficult to maintain eg with water changes etc than other fish? great to hear from you all. fran

Hi all Apologies for repeating my question, but we're setting up a new tank and would like your feedback/advice on which of the following fish can coexist with Discus: -Neon tetras -Red tailed sharks -Clown Loaches -Coolie Loaches -Angel fish -Swordtails -Siamese fighters -Rams -Dwarf Gouramis. Cheers Fran and Mark.

hi all, we've just joined up and are wanting some info on keeping discus. i've been into keeping and breeding tropical fish for at least 10 years. now we want to try something new. does anyone know if discus be kept successfully in hard water with ph around 7 ? or is it best they are kept in soft water ph around 6? also what other fish can be kept with discus? thanks fran