New Discus and Salt

[MatthewLP]

Hello people,

I read in another topic to add some kosher salt to help with the Destress of my new discus. Someone suggested to add 1 tsp for every gallon. So I added 9 for a 90 gallon. it did bring them out of hiding and there appitite did improve some. although I'm trying to get them to eat more however they are being quite picky.

Anyways I did a 50% WC a few moments ago. Do I keep adding salt to keep it up at 1 tsp for each 10 gallons for a 90 gallon or is that just a temporary tonic? They seem to handle it well. although my cardinals and harliquin's seemed a little uncomfortable.

please advise, thanks.

[scottthomas]

I have never used salt when acclimatizing new discus. I certainly would discontinue if yours seem fine now? (although 9tsp is not much in a 90 gallon tank) Did you mean Tablespoons? Where they overly distressed or had damaged fins when you first put them in your tank? IMO just do frequent water changes and healthy food all will be fine without the salt.

[MatthewLP]

No, they where excelent looking discus. Just stress from transport and hiding in the corner and eating is slow and just picking at food and not a healthy appitite. So I read on here that somone suggested adding salt 1 tsp for every 10 gallons.

Was I mistaken is it really 1 tbsp for every 10 gallons?

that kosher salt treatment did bring them out of there shell some. However there eating habbits are not good at all.

So thats what I was asking about kosher salt? is it really a good aid to keep discus in all the time? if so how much? Do I need to add it back after I do a water change? Or is aqurium salt better?

after I did the water change I did'nt add any salt untill I got a clairfication from somone in how to use salt correctly if any.

[markandhisdiscus]

hi

dont know if this will help with your fish , but i had big problems with skittish discus when i 1st got them . so this morning i covered the right hand end of the tank with paper the same colour as the background ,and now suddenly its like they are different fish. instead of hiding, pannicing and bolting all the time , they are now out and about ,begging for food following my hand and all sorts .

[scottthomas]

Not good to keep them in salt all of the time. Discus prefer clean soft water with nuetral to slightly acidic pH. Salt has its purposes for short term problems only.

[Aquaben19]

Here are a few rules I use whenever I get a new fish home.

-Drop and plop. Hans taught me this, as thier tank water is almost 100% better than the water they were shipped in.

-Turn off your lights in the tank and let them adjust to thier new home in peace. I usually let them be for a few hours.

-Be patient... this is the hardest part I know but it helps out a ton.

Salt is okay and especially at the amount you put in. I do have a few questions for you. Are your discus adult or juvenile? How long have they not been eating? How long ago did you introduce them to thier new home? Was the tank fully cycled when you added them?

Answers to the above questions may help a little in figuring out if you have a problem at all.

[Darrell Ward]

You don't need to use salt with discus.

[MatthewLP]

Here are a few rules I use whenever I get a new fish home.

-Drop and plop. Hans taught me this, as thier tank water is almost 100% better than the water they were shipped in.

-Turn off your lights in the tank and let them adjust to thier new home in peace. I usually let them be for a few hours.

-Be patient... this is the hardest part I know but it helps out a ton.

Salt is okay and especially at the amount you put in. I do have a few questions for you. Are your discus adult or juvenile? How long have they not been eating? How long ago did you introduce them to thier new home? Was the tank fully cycled when you added them?

Answers to the above questions may help a little in figuring out if you have a problem at all.

I got the dicus from Jack AKA KC_Discus on saterday June 5th.

I don't know if you call 4 inches discus juvies or young adults. but the Golden, Terk and Cobalt is 4 inches they are pretty good size.

As far as there eating habbits, its slow going. becuase they are skittish they wait for the blood worms to hit the bottom and they pick at them and blow them around and eat a few but not as strong as I would like.

They are being quite picky. Jack AKA KC_discus said he gave them Tetra Color tropical granules but now they won't touch them. They put it in there mouth role it around for a second and spit it back out over and over again then let the rest of it hit sit on the bottom of the tank.

I tried chiclid attack pellets, Flake food, shrimp pellets and they just don't seem interested at all. Of course the will eat the blood worms but I don't want them stuck on bad habbits by me

The tank is over a month old and fully cycled. I have 24 cardinals and a few harlequin rasbora as my schooling fish. 6 BN pleco babies.

Jack said he breeds his discus around 6.8 to 7.0 based on our same water conditions I live in Kansas city also. but he ages he's water and I don't have the ability to do that. so it comming from the tap at 7.6 and drops down to 7.2 He said I should be fine as long as I keep it consistant and don't add any buffering agents. Thats why he was kind enough to give me larger 4 inch discus instead of 2 or 3 inch ones.

My temp is set at 84 degrees. and my ammonia is .25 but I think thats becuase of my frequent water changes and using prime becuase it always shows zero the next day. (I'm using a API test kit) Nitrites are 0, and my nitrates are at 20ppm

I went and got a Lees Feeding cup. So I could put the brine shrimp and blood worms in there so they will get use to comming up to the top of the tank and hopefully get use to me feeding them.

Any suggestions you have is extreamly helpfull. This is my first time with discus so any input is wonderfull

I wish I could get them to eat other stuff then blood worms I know I can't do that as there sole source of food.

[scottthomas]

Blood worms are ok to start with if thats what they are eating. If they are healthy and happy you can get them to eventually accept other foods. Try to keep the lights off for a while as that sometimes helps. Is this a planted tank or bare bottom? Is there any traffic in the room, reflections or vibrations that could be spooking them? Probably just be patient and keep offering them a variety of foods. When I have had some that seem to just want blood worms I slowly decrease the amount of worms and add more flakes each feeding and they always end up taking flake food pretty fast, especially if red colored.

[Aquaben19]

From what I read I would say to try raising the temp to around 88, wait until tomorrow night to offer them food, then see what happens. The "starving" and higher temp may stimulate a serious appetite.

I honestly don't think pH has anything to do with it. Generally, a fish going from 6.8 to 7.2 is not a big deal. Low to High in dealing with pH and temp is always less stressful than high to low.

I would also suggest raising the temp to an overall of 86. Juveniles, which 4in fish usually are, do really well in higher temps, although I dont know how well your tetras would like it.

Once again, try and have patience, Eddie once told me that a fish may take up to 2 weeks to settle in and start eating. Although it can sometimes be stressful to offer and have them refuse so many different foods, patience always seems to work for me.

[Jhhnn]

That's more salt than I'd use for new discus. Opinions differ on the subject- Dan Espinosa adds a lot of salt at first with the fish he imports from Hongkong. Other people eschew the use of salt entirely.

I think it helps at first wrt minor fin fraying and abrasions from shipping, but I don't use more than 1 tablespoon per 10 gallons, back off to none at all over the course of a week. I sometimes add small amounts of salt to my aging barrels when the fish seem jumpy, but that's only 1 tablespoon per 50 gallons or so... that brings the TDS readings up to ~200 with my water, where the fish seem most comfortable...

Feed 'em whatever they'll eat at first, work at varying their diet once they're back in the habit of hearty appetites...

[Elite Aquaria]

I add about a tennis ball size amount of Solar Rock Salt per 50 gallons of water. After 24hrs. I do a 50 percent water change and do not add any additional salt. Water changes are repeated daily. This definitely helps in acclimating the fish to my water.

[MatthewLP]

Understood,

I may have miss understood the other topic for the kosher salt. I did add 1 teaspoon of salt for every 10 gallons not a tablespoon so I'm glad I under dosed them and didn't add to much. I have to admit it did bring them out of there shell some.

I did a 50% water change ealier this morning and did not add any futher salt so that leaves about 50% left.

So I'll won't add anymore salt. I've been doing my daily water changes to keep my nitrates down around to 20ppm. I think the force feeding is causing my higher nitrate levels and I'm having to do daily water changes around 30 to 50% each day to keep it under 20ppm.

I've been pushing my Cardinals and harlequin rasbora up to 84 degrees. how high do you think I can push them temp wise?

Do the discus need that high of the temp long term or just untill there appitite gets better and low long do I keep it at 86?

thanks again for all your help

[scottthomas]

I would slowly lower temp over time. I know people who keep their fish at higher temps 86+ but my adults do fine at 82. I do keep the temp up for juvies at about 84-85. I think they eat better.

[Foxfire]

Understood,

I may have miss understood the other topic for the kosher salt. I did add 1 teaspoon of salt for every 10 gallons not a tablespoon so I'm glad I under dosed them and didn't add to much. I have to admit it did bring them out of there shell some.

I did a 50% water change ealier this morning and did not add any futher salt so that leaves about 50% left.

So I'll won't add anymore salt. I've been doing my daily water changes to keep my nitrates down around to 20ppm. I think the force feeding is causing my higher nitrate levels and I'm having to do daily water changes around 30 to 50% each day to keep it under 20ppm.

I've been pushing my Cardinals and harlequin rasbora up to 84 degrees. how high do you think I can push them temp wise?

Do the discus need that high of the temp long term or just untill there appitite gets better and low long do I keep it at 86?

thanks again for all your help

I'm a greatbeliever in salt (to calm discus down, not on a daily bases) and high temp (again, for a reason) but I only have discus in my tank. Be very careful with other types of fish and expecially with higher temperature.