The Discus Aquarium

[1eyedtuna]

I very well may go that route Farmer D!!

so how does one go about getting RO water? i am new to all this!
Thanks for all the help everyone!

[FarmerD]

That is funny!! .... I had over 10k angelfish in a fishroom and was giving them away ..... and all I wanted was my Discus to raise their fry!!! .... Never did happen. Did artificialy raise some fry back in the day from some Greens and Wilds ... but nothing like the Angels .... those things just over ran my house!! ..HA

[Eddie]

I very well may go that route Farmer D!!

so how does one go about getting RO water? i am new to all this!
Thanks for all the help everyone!

You may not need it. This is why I keep saying that it depends on your tap water.

[FarmerD]

Get yourself a few fish that are around 3" and raise them in your Tap Water!!! Dont use anything to adjust your water ..... I have the WORST water in California and my fish have adjusted ... unless your breeding your fish, they will learn to adapt to your water quality. In 6 months of reading on here and listening you will know exactly what you need to do when the time comes. Just give your fish clean water treated with Prime and enjoy your fish.

[1eyedtuna]

ok gotcha i currently am not at home where i will keep the discus so i am unable to find out the specifics of the water quality at this time....I live in Colorado if that helps any idk if anybody else knows of the quality here or not

[FarmerD]

I am still amazed Eddie that these fish have learned to live in this water ..... goes against just about everything you read, but 70% water changes daily and they are still going strong. Hard part is going to be lowering the Hardness and PH without throwing them for a loop ...... working on a few options now to see how slowly I can get there.

[danny2013]

Excess slime that the fish produce during breeding and fry rearing. Not just when discus are spawning, but in general, they produce more slime than most fish. This is why they are prone to illness and the fact that they are flat with a huge surface area for things to attach.


HTH

Eddie

I normally wipe my breeding tank down once a week. I will do it more often now. THanks

[danny2013]

ok gotcha i currently am not at home where i will keep the discus so i am unable to find out the specifics of the water quality at this time....I live in Colorado if that helps any idk if anybody else knows of the quality here or not

What is the pH of your tap water?

[DerekFF]

This thread is a mess fest. Being 100% honest here it seems like you arent to sure whats going on or what your gonna do. Id recommend like everyone else here to research A LOT more first. Breeding discus is something that most people here strive to have happen as an extended goal achievement not a day 1 victory. And with the questions your asking about water and the such i dont think your ready to hop into breeding as of yet. Most of us here have done some silly and ill advise things with our fish at some point in time when we were new and id hate to have these common new discus keeper error get your breeders killed, esp since 20g isnt much room for water parameter fudging. Just my 2 cents this sounds like bad Ju-Ju

[1eyedtuna]

lets clarify
im not necessarily trying to breed them...id just like to try and keep them.
and im just trying to learn and i am doing my research, and trying to get answers a little quicker by asking them in a thread idk how this is a mess, were just asking quesions and getting some answers ......... i probably wont get any discus for a few months still anyway

[FarmerD]

I understand where Derek is coming from first off ...... This is the place to get answers, with NO DOUBT!! ... If I were you, I would spend a few days reading back thru prior posts about all the questions you have and even about those that you have yet to think of. I can tell you, I raised Discus 20 years ago (Prior to all the amazing strains of domestic Discus that are available today) and had great luck just giving them fresh water. I suggest reading the Beginners area and the SICK DISCUS threads .... will give you an idea of what you are up against. Nothing wrong with being new to hobby .... many have walked into their LFS and purchased a fish, thinking it would be like any other .... ITS NOT!

Just take some time and read past posts, then feel free to ask questions .... I would have spent thousands to get the information that is available on here 20 years ago!!!

Look forward to reading about your adventure when you jump in .....

Word of advise ..... buy from a sponser on here!!! Starting with healthy fish is your first hurdle!!!

Goodluck!

[Eddie]

Look forward to reading about your adventure when you jump in .....

Word of advise ..... buy from a sponser on here!!! Starting with healthy fish is your first hurdle!!!

Goodluck!

Also agree 100%!

Good advice!

Eddie

[DerekFF]

Sorry if i came off harsh, FarmerD said what i was aiming for a little better....probly why i dont work in HR!... But yeah when i said this thread is a mess i meant that this thread could go on for 100 pages because its such a broad topic. Read back through like FarmerD suggested about the beginners area and Sick Discus/Disease forums especially. The disease forum wont make 100% sense till you actually see the disease 1st hand, but at least youll have an idea of what to look for in diseases/illnesses. I am glad to have you here on SD and look forward to your input to our community. Also as suggested buy from one of our sponsors. They provide some of the best fish you could find anywhere. Best of luck, read lots learn lots!

[Lillee]

Hello 1eyedtuna,

Welcome to Simply Discus. You've started in the right place that is for sure!

It seems you have been inspired by some discus you saw recently and want to keep some of your own. We all started pretty much in this way and the learning curve is steep.

Starting out with a breeding pair may seem logical and simple but in my opinion it is the opposite! I feel that perhaps you may want to start on that learning curve with something simpler: Start off by learning how to raise discus and maintain a tank with a suitable stable environment for them. After a few months, if you are successful the discus will spawn all by themselves without your help. If you make a few mistakes, it's not as costly as well perhaps

But without that knowledge and first hand experience in raising small fish yourself and learning the particulars that go with Discus, even if the breeding pair does spawn, you may be in well over your head!

As a few have stated here, starting off with a tank of a few juveniles in as large a tank as you can fit (around 55gal is ideal) is probably the best way to start. You will soon realise how much water changes are needed and also realise that (in smaller tanks in particular), the juveniles will eat so much and poop so much that the water quality can go south very quickly if you let maintenance lapse.

I would concentrate on researching how to set up a tank, how to set up storage water for water changes and have a think about your own situation and how you can manage 30-50% water changes daily without it becoming too much of a chore. Clean, stable water all the time is what you need to aim for.

Search function on the forum is your best friend!

All the best with whatever you decide to do!

[PamC]

Hello 1eyedtuna, you have found a great forum full of information and great people with a passion for discus. I would also suggest picking up a good book that is well written and easy to read such as "Discus Health: Selection, Care, Diet, Diseases & Treatments for Discus, Angelfish and Other Cichlids" "Authored by Dieter Untergasser". It is full of great info and is pretty easy to follow.

Another suggestion that I have done over the past year, is to keep cichlids ($) that require similar conditions as discus ($$$). I have done this to experience the daily/weekly maintenance schedule and to see if I can keep it up and if it fits my life.

Have fun researching!