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i have recently attained a 36*18*14 in tank

which is i thin 40 US gal

how many discus can i keep in here safly, my intention is to breed them however i would like this to be a planted tank.

well i'm told a 150 litre tank can hold (corect me if i'm wrong) maybe 3 discus but i think to breed them a much larger tank is required.

Well your tank is a 40g tall wich is good for discus. I would say you could have 4 adults max with really good water quality ie lots of water changes. 3 is alot better way to go if you buy adults wich I don't recomend. I would get 4 babies and grow them out to see if you get any pairs. A 20g high is acceptable for a breeding pair. Hope this helps. Feel free to correct me anyone.

ok cool so about 4?

is it likely that 4 will pair?

what is a good strain to begin with?

i like the turqoise, is this a good beginers choice?

also how much should i pay for good quility discus juvuiniles? (note i live in australia.) say 3in?

mabie even what is a good size to start with?

is there anyone who wold recomend a melbourne lfs with good discus?

Red Turks are usally very hardy 3in is a good size. Most likely you will get one pair out of 4 fish.Sorry can't help you on prices I live in california, usa

ok red turks, anywhere that has some good info on them?

What do you need to know about them?

To be honest i dont think 4 discus will pair up in your tank i think that it is way to small for them i would say nothing under a 50gal for keeping them and about a 15-20 gal tank for breeding them

Hi there,

Where are you in Australia, the reason I ask is I may be able to hook you up with a breeder here and this will ensure that you get good stock.

What else are you planning to put in the tank with these guys?

Trace

i live in melbourne,

dont realy plan on keeping them with anything else. mabie cardinals

as for info on turks, just general sorts of stuff, any special care etc...

i was also told that there are only 3 kinds of natural discus blue, brown and green is this true? of so how did they get the other kinds? is it kind of like how they cross breed different knids of cichlids?

You may get a pair out of four discus. Odds that you have four males or four females is slight (12.5%).

There are four or five native species/subspecies of discus. There is confusion over the classifications of discus (This list is from Jack Wattley's "Handbook of Discus", 1985).

A. Symphysodon Heckel, 1840.
B. Symphysodon aequifasciata, Pellegrin, 1903 (this species is made up of 3 subspecies)
1. Symphysodon aequifasciata axelrodi, Schultz, 1960 (brown discus)
2. Symphysodon aequifasciata aequifasciata, Pellegrin, 1903 (green discus)
3. Symphysodon aequifasciata haraldi, Schultz, 1960 (blue discus)

Any breeder raised discus type or color is a good choice to begin with as long as you enjoy the fish. Wild fish haev a tendency to have parasite problems and are accustomed to highly acidic (5 pH) and pure waters.
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This is from SimplyDiscus.com on discus care for beginners:

Keeping Discus for Beginners
Ardan Huck March 14, 2002.


There are many things to keep in mind with discus that are different from other cichlids.

They like warmer water, mid-80s Fahrenheit.

They like lots of clean fresh, water and lots of water changes. I do 50% a day, some do 30% three times a week.

They like to be in groups of about 6 or 8 (a 50 gallon is a good size tank).

They don't do well with other fish in the tank (there are a few exceptions).

It is easier to keep the tank clean if it has no gravel.

Don't use carbon in the filter (this can lead to disease in discus).

Never put new discus in with old discus without keeping them separated (quarantined) for a while to make sure they are not sick and affect the other fish.

One of the most important things is to get from a reliable source. A good breeder will have healthy fish and good customer service (answer all questions, help with problems, even after the purchase).

A variety of food is good. I use flakes, live blackworms (from a good source, i.e. clean worms), some safe frozen foods like Hikari (sterilized) blood worms, some pellets (soak before using to prevent swelling up in the stomach), and frozen beef heart.

Keeping things stable is important. Don't add chemicals except to remove chlorine/chloramine. Messing with pH is usually not necessary.

Age water, that is, put the water that you want to use for the aquarium in a barrel a day before you want to use it for water changes. Use good aeration and set a heater at the tank temperature in the barrel. This is done if the pH of the tap water is not stable (if you check pH out of the tap, then let the water sit overnight and check the pH again and its different).

One other note. If you see a picture of a discus that you would like to have, show that picture or send an email with that picture to the breeder so they can do their best to give you what you want. You have to remember little fish may grow up to look different, especially if it comes from cross-breeding two or more kinds of discus. It could look like the male, or the female, or a combination, or even like one of the fish farther back in the breeding sequence (like the grandparents may be a different type). Ask the breeder what the possibilities are, or buy grown fish.







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"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright