Realevil1 Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 So I have done tons of reading on Discus, and South American cichlids. But I just wanted some opinions from the members here that keep Discus. I wanted to ask whether they find it safer to keep discus in pairs or groups? Reason being. I have a 65 gal that I plan on having a couple small plants and some drift wood in, but i feel like if i had a group of 4 or 5 Discus in there, that by the time they are 6 inches they would be pretty cramped. Any input would be awesome thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darryl180 Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 I keep mine in a group. They seem happy that way. They do pair up and lay eggs quite often. Not as difficult to keep as I once believed as long as you keep them nice and warm with lots of water changes. I keep cardinal and rummy nose tetras with mine. I think a general rule is 10 gallons per discus. 5 in a 65 gallon would be about right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pelle31 Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 5 is not a good number. Discus are a schooling fish,the bigger the group the better. Water changes are key and so is food. I have both schools of discus and pair's. Temp anywhere from 82 to 86. A pair of Discus can be kept in a 30 gallon. Did I mention WATER CHANGES? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dillpickle Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 The standard and sort of general rule is about one discus per 10 gallons as already said by darryl. Breeding pairs of discus can do very well alone, but a single pair of discus is not recommend. Not being in a group of 5 or more (think that is the right amount) can lead to stress which can lead to health issues like disease. I would check out the website www.forum.simplydiscus.com if you haven't already as people there can likely answer you question(s) in much greater detail. (Hope I don't get in trouble for posting that link, just trying to help him out) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Realevil1 Posted January 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 I am going to have a couple small bottom dwelling Geophagus as well, so 4 or 5 will prolly be my max. and yes I get why you stress water changes, some people are doing 30% 3 days a week. True story bro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cullymoto Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 30% 3 days a week ... That's it? They must lose a lot of fish. Bring your expectations to let's say... 75 to 100% every day and now you've got what it takes to keep discus. Anything less and they WILL get ill, guaranteed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Realevil1 Posted January 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 So you empy your tank every day, treat your water and fill it up again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cullymoto Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Yes, but before new water goes into the tank it should first be aged to settle the ph so as to not shock your fish. This requires a 2nd vessel to hold just clean water. This way you can have it to the right temperature, air acted, and treated with anything you deem necessary BEFORE it goes into the tank with your fish. If your doing a water change for discus, and those discus are not lying on their sides, you haven't taken out enough water yet to call it a water change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Realevil1 Posted January 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Good to know. I knew they needed tons of clean water but wasnt really aware they needed changes daily.. wow. On a side note. Went into a LFS last night to get new t5's and polishing pads for the c-220 and was looking at the discus. Noticed one was completely black. Now I'm no expert but either its was a super rare black discus that got mixed up in the bunch, or it has Discus Plague Disease. probably the later of the two. And I'm not sure if they didn't notice or they don't care. For such a big and awesome retailer I'm surprised their discus look so poopy too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dillpickle Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Adult discus don't necessarily need major water changes everyday. It is more for the juvies to help them grow as big and healthy as possible. I find the general consensus for adults is to keep nitrates under 10 for them to be as healthy as possible. As for the black discus you saw...Discus turn very dark when stressed, and a completely black one is common in the more blue coloured discus. Disucs have to be in pretty bad shape for them to be black... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cullymoto Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 If you do get discus, don't ever buy them from a pet store. Those are already sick and will die very soon. In alberta you can get from www.canadianaquafarm.com and www.albertadiscus.com You will get better fish, save money (even after paying to put them on a plane) and even support from the site. You won't get crap from big als.... Oops There are no such things as "rare black discus" there are "dead in 20 minutes black discus" there is no hope for them when they are that far gone. Rest assured that any other discus in the tank with a black one will soon follow it down the toilet... As far as the maintenece for them, it's simply put like this; The cleaner you keep their home, the bigger they'll grow, the brighter they'll be, the more babies they'll give you, the less illness you'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Realevil1 Posted January 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 K thanks for the feedback guysand I was looking into getting some from dillpickle, wouldnt even consider buying retail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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