discus-how hard is it really?

hi guys and girls and all inbetween

I want discus to put it simply but for all the research i just dont know anything. There are so meny contradictions!

Could anyone help me out with some personal expereinces?
I have a 330ltr tank, pleco's only 48x22x22prox

thanks everyone
cc

Hi,

Not an expert by any means, but have kept and bred Discus, both domestic and wild, many times over the years. They are not difficult to kept, just as hardy as any other cichlid once settled. I found the key is stability. Yes they do like very good water quality but don't react well to fluctuations in the parameters. Modifying water is an exact art, and no matter how hard I tried, I never managed to get replacement water completely matching the tank water. My advice would be to go with the water you have without altering it ( providing it is not extreme ) and do daily water changes. Keep them nice and warm with plenty oxygen and offer a varied high protein diet. You won't go far wrong and will most likely have lots of baby Discus to look after in no time. Discus were my first love and although I have moved away from them now, I always have one tank with them ...... Yellow Crystals atm lol !

Good luck, and don't be put off with all the myths about them being difficult to keep. Keep the water good and the fish will look after themselves.

I think the issues with keeping them with plecos are as follows.

- Plecos like high flow generally, not sure that suits Discus
- Discus like high protein diets, therefore Hypans are one of the few compatible genus
- Discus like high temps, 29+ as far as I know, not many plecos are comfortable up there, again Hypans maybe.

That is not to say it can't be done, you just have to go in with an understanding of what the different requirements of all the fish in the tank are and how best to compromise.

I have kept discus hand in hand with plecos for years and never had an issue , I found that hypans did particularly well and grew very fast with the three water changes I did every week to accommodate the discus

that is great information guys and all valid points- just out of interest what water ranges, temp etc did you guys keep them in?
I also only use biological filtration - two sponges made active via two air pumps. I had used all different internal external pumps in the past and found this to keep the water most stable and the floor clean. Would i need to change this if i have discus?

Thanks for asking these questions ccole , i have been curious about discus for sometime aswell

as elaine said stability is the key along with clean water and a decent filter. If you have hard water then it might worth considering stendker discus. I used to use untreated tap water for the grow out and adults and ro for breeding. In the summer I had to change a minimum of 120 gallon a day to keep the temp down and is straight from the tap.

it's worth getting an extra heater that can take the temp to 33 or 34 degrees for heat treatment e.t.c

CUPRAZIN can be your best friend. no need keep it in the cupboard, just keep an eye out who stock them locally.

PP can be useful if you need to reduce the bioload.

Here is a pic of albino yellow crystal breeding pair that I had few years ago. They were abit orange because I fed them prima..........:wb: