# discus and angels



## mermaid (Jul 22, 2005)

can discus and angel fish go together? just curious cuz i keep getting different answers

thanks


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## Guest (Jul 26, 2005)

angels can carry a disease that is fatal to discus.


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## mermaid (Jul 22, 2005)

hmmmm.... so its a disease that doesnt bother angel fish but kills discus?


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## Guest (Jul 26, 2005)

i dont know very much about it. someone else here may be able to explain it to you a little better. im just pretty sure that you're taking a risk by putting them together.


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

Never heard that one before. I think maybe because angels are hardier, if they have a disease that doesn't effect them they can pass it on to the discus and it could be fatal. Makes sense huh guys?


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## Guest (Jul 26, 2005)

oh okay! i thought someone told me that there is one specific disease that angels can give to discus.


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## baby~doll (Jun 17, 2005)

well then... should any fish be put in with discus?


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

Good question Doll face!!! I think it's best to quarintine fish before introducing them to the discus to aviod external parasites from leaping from fish to fish if ya know what I mean.


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## mermaid (Jul 22, 2005)

Cichlid Man said:


> Good question Doll face!!! I think it's best to quarintine fish before introducing them to the discus to aviod external parasites from leaping from fish to fish if ya know what I mean.


how long should fish be quaranteened for???


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

For how ever long it takes before you know that they're not carrying any diseases. Sometimes ten days sometimes ten weeks. You get the picture.


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## blixem (Jun 13, 2005)

Scuba Kid said:


> oh okay! i thought someone told me that there is one specific disease that angels can give to discus.


That's right... sort of. 

What there is, is a type of parasite (might be a disease, I just can't remember.) that does not affect Angelfish at all, but Discus are suseptable to it. So it really doesn't matter how long you quarentine the Angels, they will never show a problem and could still pass something on to the discus.


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## mermaid (Jul 22, 2005)

thanks guys!!! i guess i will jusy have an all discus aquarium and not worry about getting angel fish at the moment, maybe in the future i can set up an aquarium for them, i just LOVE the veiltails


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## AshleytheGreat (Jul 24, 2005)

I'm not sure what all the excitement is with Discus fish. Everytime I see them in the LFS they are either A) Hiding or B) In a dark tank with the lights off. Someone enlighten me as why there so amazing...Maybe everywhere I've been doesnt know how to keep them correctly?


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

Once you get them home they are actually pretty cool fish, mine rarely hide and are very active. When I get near the tank they swim back and forth wherever I move


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

Also I did some reading about angels:
Angelfish are affected by viruses, bacteria and parasites, that sometimes have little or no effect on fish other than a few South American cichlids.

Angelfish Virus
A Potentially deadly disease. It is highly infectious. All exposed angelfish that are not immune will come down with symptoms within 2-3 days of exposure, usually quicker. If you suspect that a quarantined fish has this, you should destroy the fish. The risk is too great to keep such a fish around. There is no medication for this virus. The fish's immune system must be relied upon for the cure. Symptoms: Clamped fins, excess slime, listless with nose pointed up slightly, usually towards the back of the aquarium. It has an approximately 3 week infectious period. This disease is so undesirable, because if an angelfish survives the virus, it will likely become a carrier for up to six months. This can put an angelfish breeding operation out of business very quickly. These symptoms can also be caused by other infectious diseases which may be secondary or tertiary infections, that are unrelated to the virus. The object is to keep the angelfish comfortable while giving the immune system time to kick in. Remove any bright lights from the aquarium and treat with an antibiotic to prevent secondary infections.

Hopefully that helps a little. But I have seen angels mixed succesfully w/ Discus I just wouldn't risk it in case due to discus expense.


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## blixem (Jun 13, 2005)

AshleytheGreat said:


> I'm not sure what all the excitement is with Discus fish. Everytime I see them in the LFS they are either A) Hiding or B) In a dark tank with the lights off. Someone enlighten me as why there so amazing...Maybe everywhere I've been doesnt know how to keep them correctly?


The last sentence in that statement is dead on. If you have happy, healthy discus when you walk to the front of the tank they are going to come up and look at you waiting for you to feed them. IMHO they have a lot of the same temperment as angelfish. (temperment, not intelligence.)

Discus should have their fins raised high most of the time, and be interested in things around the tank. When bored they typically stroll around looking for things to do. They should be bright, and colorful. (even if that color is brown for some like Santarems.) If they are dark colored, or have their fins clamped to their body they are not happy. Discus WILL change colors in front of your eyes depending on their mood. I've seen a bland, lonely, male, discus go an astonishing color of blue when a female was just put in a bag in the tank to aclimate.

Remember, discus do like subued lighting in their tank, so a lot of the time if the lfs has bright lights on the tank they try to hide because the light bothers them. Also when a 'good' lfs gets new discus in, they will put them in a tank with the lights off to help the stress of transistion.

Discus attract people for many reasons, some like the shape, which is rather unique in FW aquaria. Some like the personalities, and you really won't understand that until you have had discus that are healthy and happy. They DO have personalities. They come in many colors, which is another attractant. And for some, it's the thrill of making them really happy, which requires some work. 

In all honesty, anyone with half a brain, that does normal maintanence to their tank can keep discus. Hell, Rams and Neon tetras are easier fish to kill imho, but it takes someone willing to treat them like their kids to make them really happy.


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## blixem (Jun 13, 2005)

Great post Beerleader, thanks for the follow-up!


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

And I agree if they are properly cared for and happy they are quite interesting fish and each has a very unique personality. Everyone laughs because one of mine seems to have a mental disorder, or acts like a person w/ one LOL, he's hilarious. But they are also colorful and thats why others enjoy them as well. And I totally agree, everyone acts like they are the hardest things to keep. I don't get it! If you just maintain good water parameters like your supposed to w/ any fish really, they are perfectly fine. I started out w/ Discus as a beginner, having no clue, and I've never lost one. And I also agree I can't keep neons or cardinals to save my life.


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## Imbrium (Feb 7, 2005)

I've got to agree with what blixem said. At my lfs the discus are always brightly colored and swimming around. No hiding or anything. They've even got a pair that lays eggs once in a while, though I've never seen them hatch. They are really gorgeous fish.


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## AshleytheGreat (Jul 24, 2005)

Well, after all this excitement I decided to do some research and im definitely considering getting some.  The babies are so cute, I did not know they were bad swimmers and its so cute how they attatch themselfs to their parents. Then when one is tired they go to the other parent and shake em off..."Your turn"


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

I raised a lot of dicus and if you take good care of them they are wonderful fish, but if you don't they will get sick and die very fast. I had 6 breeding pairs at one point and it is great to watch the parents and fry interact together. 
One of the quickest ways I found to kill discus is to mix angels with them.


RC


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