I see there has not been any activity on the freshwater forum recently. I am starting a discus tank and was wondering if anyone here has a discus tank?
Thought about it, decided no. Sure it seemed like a good idea to me at first. Already had the ro unit. Biggest reason I didn’t is weekly (or more) 50% water changes. Time. And not to mention my ro nearly running constantly. If you do, Jack Wattley theGod father of discus has a fantastic monthly column in Tropical Fish Hobbyist. Worth the read. I do however have a few freshwater tanks. They seem to pop up all over the house for some reason.
the constant water changes is a concern of mine too. The only other tank I have is a 90 gal saltwater. The discus will be in a 55 gal. Before I started the saltwater I had freshwater for about 15 years or so. I started the salt in the 55 then upgraded it to the 90. I wanted to do a fresh with the 55. I put community fish in it such as tetras danios etc. but after having the saltwater tank the community fish didnt do a thing for me. In the past I have also done african cichlids. So I want to do something different that is why I thought about doing discus. They are good size and pretty.
If you haven’t already, talk to Charlie at DPA, he’s a great source of discuss info… His “personal” tank is a beautiful discuss display
Big Tom , who works there on friday evenings, is also a sucessfull discus tank keeper. you might ask him for advise, too.
I used to have a planted 55g discus tank. It was a lot more work than my established reef tank that was running on cruise control. Lots of water changes being the biggest issue. I had 3 discus in there that I got from Discus Madness. I actually drove up there to check out his facility and was very impressed, good prices too. Discus are a schooling fish and require other discus to feel secure. 3 was definitely not enough and after a long battle with stress, one of them died. The other 2 had more bold personalities and survived until I tore down the tank. I would recommend 5 discus for a 55g, anything less and you might have the same problems I did.
IMO discus are beautiful, but boring. They just sit there and don’t swim around. I found myself working more and more on my discus tank and enjoying it less than my SW tank. Just my 2 cents. Here are some pics!
[quote=“saltcreep, post:4, topic:6579”]
If you haven’t already, talk to Charlie at DPA, he’s a great source of discuss info… His “personal” tank is a beautiful discuss display[/quote]
Thanks!
[quote=“kaptken, post:5, topic:6579”]
Big Tom , who works there on friday evenings, is also a sucessfull discus tank keeper. you might ask him for advise, too.[/quote]
Thanks.
I was also thinking about 5 or 6 discus would be ideal for that size tank. Do I need the real plants or would fake plants work just as well? How often did you do the water changes? They look good! What other tank mates if any are good for them?
You may want to try out Severum / False Discus, some of the red ones are very nice looking and they are a lot easier to feed and care for.
[quote=“Hudzon, post:8, topic:6579”]
You may want to try out Severum / False Discus, some of the red ones are very nice looking and they are a lot easier to feed and care for.[/quote]
I may go that route. If I am correct they are a lot cheaper to buy as well. I have done african cichlids before but never thought about the other cichlids out there. What other tank mates would you recommend to go with the severums?
They are a carnivore and will eat what it can swallow, tank mates I would add a pleco and rainbow fish for company.
what about parrot fish or a jack dempsey? or something along those lines.
now thinking about it the jack dempsey might be to aggressive??
Ya a JD though could work but would be moderate risk, Severums are kind of like Oscars, they eat and poop alot so for a 55 I would look at a pair of them and just a couple of low profile fish such as the rainbows, plecos or cory’s.
Severums are not a good choice because of their adult size and space requirements. Serverums are herbivores though and can’t be kept in a planted tank. The red ones are gorgeous and cost as much as discus. Parrot fish and jack dempseys are out too because they are too aggressive. You have to keep in mind that discus are complete wimps and will get bullied by just about anything.
I kept mine with 2 angles, a jurupi (white spotted eartheater), a rainbow fish, and a couple plecos. My larger angle was the boss of the tank and wasn’t a good choice as a tank mate. The jurupi was fine bc its not very aggressive and stays on the bottom. Rainbow fish are safe, but you need to watch out for plecos. Discus are some of the easiest fish to breed because they secrete a special mucus to feed their young. However, plecos find this rather tasty and attach themselves. This causes some damage, but mostly stress and can lead to infection or death. The best tank mates IMO are ones that don’t swim fast, are small and non-aggressive, and spend most of their time out of the water column.
the severums jack dempsey and parrot fish were instead of discus. I didnt plan on mixing those with the discus. I have done a lot of research on the discus. I am trying to find something interesting pretty and have good size to them. The community fish tank wasnt doing anything for me.
I am not sure I am understanding. You put an angel, a jurupi, rainbow fish and plecos with your discus or your severums?
Severums are listed as carnivores by some sources and omnivors by other, they will destroy plants but my severums did just fine on a meaty diet.
For the most part yes severums are a low cost fish if bought young before they get their adult color and patterns even the reds and yellows are often around $20.00 and golds and greens around $10.00
DPA sometimes have them.
[quote=“nerak, post:15, topic:6579”]
the severums jack dempsey and parrot fish were instead of discus. I didnt plan on mixing those with the discus. I have done a lot of research on the discus. I am trying to find something interesting pretty and have good size to them. The community fish tank wasnt doing anything for me.[/quote]
Sorry my bad.
[quote=“nerak, post:15, topic:6579”]
I am not sure I am understanding. You put an angel, a jurupi, rainbow fish and plecos with your discus or your severums?[/quote]
Those were with the discus. The only one that was iffy was the bigger angel, but there was enough plants/shelter for 2 of 3 discus to feel comfortable.
[quote=“Hudzon, post:16, topic:6579”]
Severums are listed as carnivores by some sources and omnivors by other, they will destroy plants but my severums did just fine on a meaty diet.
For the most part yes severums are a low cost fish if bought young before they get their adult color and patterns even the reds and yellows are often around $20.00 and golds and greens around $10.00
DPA sometimes have them.[/quote]
Wikipedia has them listed as omnivores, so I guess I was wrong. My green and gold severums did fine on cichlid gold, but would eat any green matter with gusto. The cheapest I’ve seen the red severums go for was $20 for 1.5-2" at Aquarium Center in Blackwood, NJ. I saw a really nice 4" red at Aquarium Concepts off kirkwood hwy for $60.
Interesting fact, the gold coloration is a recessive gene of the green severum. The male greens have blue/green markings on their face and the golds have red markings. Breeders have line bred the golds to exploit that red pattern to create the red severums. Severums are very easy to breed as well, my friend did it in college. When they pair off, they will “kiss” each other (more like bite) and is very fun to watch.