DiscusKeeper403

I see... So how many do you have?? How big is the tank?? Looks like you got quite a few!

Hey, These are pictures taken right after I finished setting up my new 90 gallon, about 2 weeks ago. I will take some new ones in a few days once I get new fish! Full tank shot: The fish: Three next pictures are of my favorite fish. Raised him since he was very small!

Locally from a pet store or breeder? Either way the fish look amazing!! :thumbs:

I wonder how many other people let their discus grow out to 5" before they add substrate. I don't know of many. And when you say 5" are you measuring from top fin to bottom fin, because I do not. I measure their body size not including the fins. And i'd rather take my chances at not having any nitrates. Normally I say 5" fin to fin. Sorry if I am sounding harsh I am not intending to be only stating what I know and my practices of raising Discus. And yes, most serious Discus keepers will grow their fish out to 5 inches before adding substrate. 5 inches fin to fin is fine, even if you grow your Discus to 6 inches fin to fin you should be happy as this takes a lot of work. If you are interested in seeing the study they did on growing Discus PM me and I will give you the link.

Sometimes the rays are shipped with a stinger shield. It looks like that blue thing might be them. If they are, they should definitely be removed. Good luck with the rays though!! :thumbs: They become monsters so hopefully you have a 250 or 300g ready for then.

Well I have to say, IMO 3 inches is still too small. Fish should be grown out until they are adults (5+ in.) Studies have shown (on another forum) that keeping Discus with gravel and letting them grow out in them stunts the fish and it is not just because they cannot find the food, it is because it is much harder to clean a bare bottom. Even if you siphon your tank twice a day I doubt you will get anywhere close to the cleanliness you can get while managing a bare bottom tank. As for nitrates, if you do your recommended amount for Discus, (at least twice a week) then you should have no problem with them. I clean my tank once a day and my nitrates are 0.

Why would bare bottom tanks need to be cleaned more frequently? All surfaces hold bacteria, glass too. Your bacteria will adapt to your fishes bio load, if you have gravel in it or not. For one, because you can see all the debris and poop alot better. Yes glass can hold bacteria, but it is not very porous so does not help a whole lot with the bioload. In a bare bottom tank the filter usually holds most of the good bacteria. I have had bare bottom tanks for months before, my fish seemed much happier when I added substrate. Because there is debris doesn't really have anything to do with it? Sorry if I am not understanding. I guess it might not be pleasing to the eye seeing debris, but it is much easier to clean it up when you can see it. My Discus are in a bare bottom and they are very happy. For some fish it is important that you keep them in a bare bottom tank, especially when growing out Discus. I agree when growing out Discus it is essential that they are in a bare bottom tank... As adults the game changes.... The Biotope is the thing... Otherwise it is a bore...................IMO but for each their own.... I see where people come from when they say that bare bottom tanks are boring, but to be honest, If you can keep a bare bottom squeaky clean and glass streak free, then it looks amazing. Because there are no distractions with plants, gravel and ornaments, it really puts an emphasis on the Discus and their colors without distracting the eye. The tank starts to look dirty, or its too dark, or there is algae/streaks on the glass then this is a different story :shock: But dont get my wrong, the Biotope/Planted look can be amazing also.

Why would bare bottom tanks need to be cleaned more frequently? All surfaces hold bacteria, glass too. Your bacteria will adapt to your fishes bio load, if you have gravel in it or not. For one, because you can see all the debris and poop alot better. Yes glass can hold bacteria, but it is not very porous so does not help a whole lot with the bioload. In a bare bottom tank the filter usually holds most of the good bacteria. I have had bare bottom tanks for months before, my fish seemed much happier when I added substrate. Because there is debris doesn't really have anything to do with it? Sorry if I am not understanding. I guess it might not be pleasing to the eye seeing debris, but it is much easier to clean it up when you can see it. My Discus are in a bare bottom and they are very happy. For some fish it is important that you keep them in a bare bottom tank, especially when growing out Discus.

Why would bare bottom tanks need to be cleaned more frequently? All surfaces hold bacteria, glass too. Your bacteria will adapt to your fishes bio load, if you have gravel in it or not.

s Tammy, you are very correct. The only reason you would want R/O is if you are trying to make some money on the off spring. Softer water= better penetration of the fishes sperm. This means you are going to end up with more fry.

Beef heart isn't really good to feed them on a regular basis. The reason for this, is because of all the fat in the heart. This fish cannot process this fat so it will build up in their body and lower their life span. This is only in big doses though. I believe turkey heart is a little leaner though. This is probably the most argued dietary opinion in all of Discus community. Some people feed it, others don't.

I have two Discus setups. My main Discus setup is a 50 gallon. I have a Aquaclear 70 on it. Had a Ehiem Liberty too, but shut that off as it was leaking. I only use foam insterts. No carbon. Temp: 30C (two Elite heaters) Fish: 2 Lyretail Swords, 1 Honey Gourami, 5 Discus, 2 Ram and a small Angel. Diet: Brine shrimp, Blood worms, Mysis shrimp and occasional Turkey heart, Spectrum Discus pellets (fed 2-3 times daily) W/C routine: lately been doing once every other day on this tank. All Discus are full grown. Every 2-4 weeks I clean the insterts out with tank water. Tank is planted and has gravel Next is my 29 gallon. I have 4 Discus. All of them are still babies. Depending on if I get a bigger tank three will be replacing a pair in the main tank once it forms. The other (runt) will be given away to a good home. Temp: 30C (one Ehiem heater) Fish: 4 Discus Diet: Hikari Discus pellets, Spectrum Discus pellets, Blood worms, Brine shrimp, Mysis shrimp (fed 3-4 times daily) W/C routine: 30% daily. This tank is bare bottom. Only has a simple spondge filter in it. I'll see if I can add some pictures Monday. School has started up again so I have been busy. I am glad your fish are doing better!!

"I have one fish Kuchi my 3.5 inch (as of may 8th) Koi in his HUGE 30 gallon tank" Huge for you, but not for him. Do you know how big Koi get? If you aren't considering putting him into a pond try HUGE as in 10X that size. As for the fish, they look decent. Wait till' they are big.

The price goes up quite a bit if they are a breeding pair. More like triple what you paid for them or even more! I saw a nice breeding pair at Riverfront for $700 or $800 (can't remember exact price.) Asking a little much IMO, but you get the idea... I would love to see pictures too!

No they do not. They can carry a parasite called Capillaria, that hits Discus harder than Angels. I have never seen a case of those nor has it happened to me in my life time of mixing Discus and Angels. If you are scared, simply de-worm the fish...

I have heard some horror stories of big Rays going after and attacking Discus. Big or small, they don't seem like a very good mix...

Didn't turn out so well... I guess I chose the wrong size for the message board I will upload them a little later...

Hey guys, Some bad news Unfourunatley, most of places I talk to can only send 5 or 6+ fish per order. I only need two for my tank, and getting 5 would mean my tank would be way overstocked. Would anyone from Calgary and area like to do a bulk order with me from this website http://www.uppercanadadiscus.com/shipments.html? We can split shipping cost evenly, so it would end being a little bit cheaper for each person. The list of Shipments are what he has in. He says he has some very nice fish at the moment... regards, DL

Thanks for all the links guys, really appreciate it!! We will see what I can come up with! :smokey:

Thanks for the links guys. Been trying to e-mail some sites, and most of the good ones I find say they only ship to USA. Know I have a little bit of selection :thumbs: !

Hi, Does anyone know a high quality breeder that will ship to Canada? I am looking for Stendker, Wattley, or any other high quality Discus. Thanks, DL

You are correct. Lighting isn't great. I have some amazonian plants, but some aren't. I should probably invest in a better lighting unit (which I thought from the start.) I have seen plants kept in warm temperature Discus tanks with not too many problems...

Tank is 55 gallons, it has standard double fluorescent w/reflectors and no gravel. It's like 1 WPG, I'm not sure what it would come to with the reflectors... Normally you want more, so, I may invest in some better lighting... Thats all I could think of for the problem, but I have seen tanks not even close to as bright as mine is, and they have had all different types of plants growing well... Is there any other fertilizers I should consider getting (other then Iron) ??

Thanks for the input. It may be my lighting, although the tank is very bright. I have no gravel, so the bottom reflects the light, and the reflectors help too. It may be the ferts. I think I need some Iron possibly... Someone told me I should dose NPK?? I don't know what that is, but it sounds important... Could anyone shine some light on this??

Nope, no softening unit... I too, am also stumped. I have never had any problems with this before! I live in the S.W. anyone else in the area have any problems??