LYNDYLOO Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 I'm seriously looking at getting some Discus Think these fish are totally gorgeous Have a few questions I would like answers to please I was thinking of setting up one of my new tanks as a Discus and Neon Tank only :bounce: :bounce: Can anybody tell me how many litres or what size Tank I would need to have at least 2 Discus?? Are they hard fish to keep?? Any tips on Discus keeping would be great Lyndyloo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Hi Lyndyloo. I am also looking at getting a few more discus for a display tank. I have a spare copy of an old book called "All about Discus" that I can lend you next time I am in Levin. I am down there ever few weeks or so. Neons and Discus look good together but Discus really require warmer tempratures than neons like. Usually kept at 28+ for best results. Cardinals are nicer fish and will go better. Discus arent really that hard to keep as long as the water is of good quality. They do seem to be a little more prone to diseases than some other fish so you will have to be careful about water changes and keeping a close eye out for any minor problem that could turn bad. The good thing is that it is easy to see if a discus is unhappy and something can usually be done. Many people have many ideas about how best to keep them but for me they did really well and even bred a few times in clean soft water and a varied high protein diet. A general rule of thumb is one discus per 50ltrs minimum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted February 20, 2009 Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 This post might get replied to a bit more in the cichlid section Discus are awesome I kept some for a while but got sick of the daily water changes.. A few things I have picked up from here Get them bigish (40mm+) as they're more likely to survive and do well through shipping being introduced to a tank etc. Get 4-5+ so any aggression is spread ie if you get 2 and they're not a pair the big one will just smash the smaller one around and it wont eat etc. When they are younger they get stunted easily so most people raise them in BB tanks with water changes every day or every other day and lots of feeding. They will survive in a "normal" tank with less water changes but will get stunted and wont get as big etc. You can avoid all this work by getting big discus to begin with but then it goes back to cost.. Get your discus from a descent breeder and keep in touch with them they will give you descent advice on how to keep them (and help with any worming drugs or anything in the future) and you can guarantee you will get good fish to begin with. I know if I was ever after discus I would PM discusguru I have been to his place and seen his fish and also photos etc on here and he knows his stuff. Good luck and post some pics if you do go down that road. Neon aren't that suitable for tank mates as Bilbo has said they don't like the temperature also they tend to keel over quite quickly for no reason so you might have to keep adding more as you go and hunt for dead ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted February 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 Hi Bilbo and Ryan Thanks for your replies to my thread, as a first time Discus Keeper I thought I would ask all the questions I could think ofe before I got my Discus. I thought it was better to get smaller fish but obviously I'm wrong, thought they would be alot easier to ship if they were smaller. Would be great if I could borrow your book Bilbo, think I have alot more learning to do before I get some Discus. I totally agree about the Neons, with them dying for what seems to be no apparent reason, just thought they are half the price of Cardinals which meant I could have alot more of them than the Cardinals, $9 for a Cardinal compared to $3 for a neon is quite a difference,maybe I could start out with some Neons then slowly replace them with Cardinals as they die off. By the time I buy a couple of new tanks with heaters, plants, fish etc it's going to be getting up there in the $$$$ department so cant have at all at once I guess. Going Fishy Tank shopping tomorrow yyiippee I cant wait. Look forward to any other tips you can give me :bounce: :bounce: Have wanted Discus ever since I got my first tank, but thought I would start off with something abit more simple before I moved onto the more complex fish. Lyndyloo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave+Amy Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 You can usually get a school of Cardinals (10+) for cheap - most petshops would discount when you buy a group. You're better off buying a tank bigger than the 40/50L per adult rule just for when you get slack with the water changes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kd123 Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Bigger discus are certainly easier to keep. Small ones are hard work. I have had both and wouldnt want to go to smaller again.... I have mine in with cardinals, emperor tetras, glowlights and Bolivian rams... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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