# Considering Discus



## Cosmic Charlie (Jun 14, 2005)

OK guys/gals, the more I read and study, the more my mind changes about how I want to set up my tank. Previously, I was perfectly content with plastic plants in my aquarium. Now I'm very interested in getting live plants and creating a beautiful planted aquarium. Also, I'm getting very interested in Discus. Tell me some of the common pitfalls, and tell me what kind of set up I need to keep these fish.


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## Guest (Jul 2, 2005)

discus do prefer planted tanks: whether it be fake plants or real. they may be shy at first, but they can become very tame. my discus come right to the front of the tank when i walk into my room...wanting food obviously. lol. they even hand feed. they also cannot be kept alone. ive found that a pair is okay, but a group would be better. 

a big problem with keeping discus is keeping the water as clean as possible. i keep 2 juvenile discus in a 30 and i do a water change about once every 2 weeks, although people have told me to do it once every week. i have never run into a problem and ive had the since easter (they were given to me as a present. I have one pigeon blood (very beautiful, in my opinion) and one blue turquoise (also very pretty). 

as for food, getting them to eat hasn't been too big of a challenge for me. i started with feeding them live blackworms which they slurped up like spaghetti. after a while i introduced them to frozen bloodworms, but unfortunetly only my blue turquoise will take them. no matter how long the pigeon blood goes without live blackworms, he's just too stubburn. ive read the best way to get a discus off of live foods is to cut back a few days and put in some frozen, although my pigeon is too stubburn. oh well. 

Temp should be pretty high. i keep mine at about 82 but discus can take up to 90!


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

I have 10 of them and they honestly aren't as difficult as the stuff I read on the net about them. I was terrified to get them due to their expense but we have never had one problem and its been over a year. As long as you do frequent water changes and have good filtration its not a prob. I would use RO water if possible its a big help. I used to clean it/partial change once a week, now I can go 2 and sometimes 2 1/2 weeks since I switched from tap water to RO water. Mine like live brine, frozen brine, beefheart, bloodworms etc. They aren't picky! hehe They do like plants to hide behind, I also have large driftwood and some rocks they hide behind as well. They are shy at first but all mine have grown out of that quickly. They are great fish, good luck!


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

so are discus a hard fish to keep? i am contemplating about getting them and i hear they are very very hard to keep but what would everyone else say ?


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

bsmith said:


> so are discus a hard fish to keep? i am contemplating about getting them and i hear they are very very hard to keep but what would everyone else say ?


I have never had a bit of trouble and to be honest I started out with these fish as a beginner, and never had one problem but maybe a small algae burst once. As long as you do frequent water changes, have excellent filtration, and do not overfeed you can do it just fine. I check my water parameters often to make sure there are no probs, I also switched from tap water to R.O. Water and it helped cut down on the constant water changes. But from what I read I was terrified to keep these fish, and I had more probs w/ my African Cichlid tank than I ever have had from my discus. I think its all in what you are willing to put into them. I overdid when I first got them by changing and cleaning the water too much, now I do it every 2 weeks or 2 1/2 weeks and they are perfect. I just added extra filtration to keep things on the up and up. Good luck if you try them, I think you will really enjoy them and find they aren't as difficult as many believe.


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

what is RO water ?


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

Reverse Osmosis water  You can usually find it at a LFS or buy one for your own home.


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