FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Ok, So my parents went out today and bought my boyfriend an turqouise Discus for his birthday. Beautiful fish. I am however concerned for his wellbeing.
Heres my tank conditions first:
90g Community tank
81F
ph 6.8, gh 160ppm approx (have no idea what this is in terms of KH or the like)
Tank is heavily planted, ammonia is zero and nitrites 0 of course, water change is due like today, so nitrates are sitting at about 20ppm.
I did have the plan to do a water change today, but can I still do this on the same day I added the Discus?
I acclimated him very slowly over a couple hours, and he has eaten some frozen bloodworms.
I am concerned though because he has some very distinct vertical barring, which I assume means hes stressed out.
The tank is pretty heavily stocked, but some fish will soon be moving out, I am relocating my breeding pair of angels once I move (the 13th), and my rainbowfish except the boesmani, and I am debating right now whether or not to sell my Balas...I feel the heavy planting of the tank doesnt allow enough swimming room for them, and they are getting huge! (6 and 7 inches respectively, the littlest one being 4 inches now), and some corys will be moving to the Angel breeding tank.
The Discus seems very intimidated by my Pearl Gouramis, despite their calmness and no desire whatsoever so far to even pay attention to the discus.
What do I need to know about this fish? Is 81F warm enough for them? Do I need to add some more Peat to my filters? (I already have close to a pound of peat granular in my filters).
Is he compatible with other fish? Is his vertical stripes due to his newness to the tank- will this go away after he gets used to it? Do I need to add extra Prime or Stresszyme to the water for this guy? Will he eat flake food or cichlid pellets?
Will he eat small fish?
Should I do a water change tonight or wait a couple days?
Thanks for taking the time to read this, this fish cost quite a bit and I dont want to risk losing him.
-Koran.


Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

I personally feel you've got nothing to worry about. Just let him (or her) hang out for a few days with the lights off, and all should be fine; discus aren't as difficult to raise as rumored to be. Nitrates could be lower, but 20 parts is nothing to shake a stick at.

I've never kept discus, but I've heard quite a bit, and I'm pretty sure your temperature is fine. Keep on top of nitrates, and it should be alright, and have a hospital tank handy for these guys, as I've heard they're susceptible to disease. I've also heard they're just very shy, which is why most people have discus-only tanks, so he'll probably be flighty for a while. The vertical bars are probably there because it's either just a part of his coloring, or because he's new to his surroundings-- many fish take a while to get normal.

Don't worry, and enjoy your new fish Discus intimidate me, too, I'm not sure if I could ever keep one without going into cardiac arrest with worry, but they're very pretty. And, considering most people feed them beefheart, I'm pretty sure they'll eat a small fish or two. They are cichlids afterall.

Def get rid of the Balas and the rainbows and any other overly active fish. Discus do not do well with busy/rowdy fish..

The bars are from stress. They should fade in a few days. If not start looking at who in the tank is stressing the fish out.

I wouldn't add more peat. I think what you have is fine.

You should look for getting him a mate to hang around with. Discus will do better in pairs.

As far as what to feed. I would keep beef heart on hand just in case he won't eat. You need to get in touch with the store you found him at and ask what they had been feeding it.

Well, I fed some Bloodworms, those were gobbled down with relish, and he also ate some sinking crumbles, but he didnt touch the flake- maybe too shy to go to the top yet.
The rainbowfish are gone now.
I am not going to remove "any overly active fish" as I have mostly active fish in my tank.
Its odd, so far the only fish that seemed to bother him is the male pearl gourami. The female doesnt bother him at all. Maybe he just doesnt like getting "felt up" by the gourami
I am glad to hear the general consensus is that he will be ok. I will look at getting him a mate...perhaps in a week or two when he has become established in his tank.
Perhaps if I found a mate for him and they paired off, they just may get their own tank. Hehe like I need a reason eh?
Anyway thanks for the help guys! I am going to pick up some beefheart at the butcher shop tomorrow just to add some variety for him.



Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

Active fish aren't a problem, IME. I kept mine with congos, sixfasts (I know, I know, but they got along just fine, okay?), and balas, among others. The only real problem was that the balas ended up eating all the spawns (the parents helped, as well).

Also I recall Shannen stating that you'll wan't a friend for him. I totally agree. Get as many as you can, in fact; discus are shoaling fish, believe it or not.

Not to mention, several discus look even more beautiful than one! Keep us posted on the progress Have any particular strain in mind for the mate?

sounds good to me, there are only three problems i see.

1: some people suggest not to keep angels and discus together because the angels can carry a parasite that does not affect them but will the discus. (this is a very disputed arguement in the discus hobby)

2: discus do not just pair up just because you have a male and a female in the tank, that is why most discus breeders buy large groups at young ages and raise them up unti a pair forms.

3: discus need to be kept in groups of atlest 3, more is better, they don't like being alone and two or three will stress each other out since the aggression will only be put on 1 or 2 by the agressor. the only exception is when you do have a pair, in which case they must be left alone or they will harrass the other discus in the tank.

my suggestion, if you have room, add a few more in there. if you don't have room, make it, plus they would make a nice addition to the tank.


chris

Indeed it is disputed. However, this apparently only occurs on wild caught angels (yet it's puzzling, as they're often found in the wild side by side). I can vouch for this personally, as I've yet to lose a discus (well established ones--I lost a few juvies, but they were in poor condition to begin with) in my 6 or so years of keeping them (angels included).

By harrass, I assume you mean chase away from about a 12x12 area. Even during spwans, I have found discus to be mild mannered. A pair should do be fine.

The Discus is very shy it seems. He is reluctant to approach, but will if I keep trying to coax him out with a wiggle of my finger. He still has his vertical barring. I know he is no longer afraid of the pearl gourami, now is intimidated by the bala sharks. I would like to get him a friend, I had great luck with my Angels, just bought a 2nd one and they paired up and laid eggs 3 days later!
Perhaps I could luck out with the Discus as well.
I can make room for 1 more Discus, I would like to get another Royal Blue one like him. (I think hes royal blue, or she for that matter), but they are awfully expensive, he was 89.99 before the 14.5% tax, but perhaps if I can get a good trade value for my 3 Bala Sharks I could swing it. I would like to wait a couple of weeks though, as I am moving this Saturday and would want the tank to settle down before adding any new fish.
My only concern is of his remaining vertical barring, will this go away eventually?
When he sees me or my boyfriend he comes out and gets darker blue and the stripes fade, but when we are out and come home, he is kinda yellowish and the black bars are dark as tar. I guess today is day 4 or something. He is eating flake, crumbles, and bloodworms on a regular basis.

Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

"he was 89.99 before the 14.5% tax"
Holy crap.

It takes a long time for discus to get settled in. I wouldn't be too worried.

90 bucks!

You need to email [link=this]http://www.somethingsphishy.com/" style="COLOR: #000080[/link] guy. Ask him if he can ship to Canada.

Or if he knows of any breeders up there. He is in Florida so shipping might be too much $ but it won't hurt to check, before dropping another 90 bucks.

Shannen, the same color discus I have in 4" is the same price, but then I would have to pay shipping and pay in american funds, which would end being at least 20 bucks more than to buy one here.
I do appreciate the idea though! I have just resigned myself to that fact that another discus friend for my guy will be at least 60 bucks if not more. I will shop around though and see what the prices on this color is...perhaps I can get a better price somewhere, or perhaps I can get the guy in the LFS give me a discount. I am good at bartering with fish sellers
All my friends and family are always asking me "how do you do it? Why do you do it?" Well, best answer, cuz fish are marked up so heavily, and I know that the price on everything is able to change a little if you say the right things!

Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames