Anyone kept Discus?

[Anonymous]

How hard are they to keep? I want to get one but I'm kind of scared, I've been told they are really hard to keep...

Give me some feed back peeps..

 

[Anonymous]

they are super easy...

BUT, there are things they will not compromise on:

WARM, SUPER CLEAN water is a MUST

i've never had issues with them, and have found them to be boisterous and gregarious, often downright assertive and aggressive

88 degrees is the coolest i'd keep them at-below 86 they will often 'clam up', mope about, and become a tank's 'wallflower'.

under the right conditions, they are nearly indestructible-they have no tolerance for any buildup of nitrogenous waste

a testament to how resilient and tough they can be:

while working at an lfs in s.jersey, i had a batch of vietnam discus that came in with a 'bug' we couldn't identify-they started dropping off (these were pidgeon blood and marlboro red adults). i formalin'd the living crap out of their system for 3 days straight, and had a pair spawn on the fourth day or so-here's the thread (thre's some side entertainment there as well, heh ) :

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=37572

they are highly intelligent, will tame up to where you can hold and pet them, turn them upside down in your hand, etc etc-like a dog with fins, imo - the original brown, heckel, and the red turqoise are my favorite 'breeds'

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Vitz! I knew you would know. That sounds awesome.

So don't let the black layer form in my system. Right?

 

[Anonymous]

ammonia must always stay at zero, nitrites at zero, and nitrates/ phosphates should be undetectable-temp at 88°F, and pH isn't a big deal

bear in mind that discus get BIG (dinner plate size, or close, heh) and as they mature, become less group social, and more pair bonding/territorial, as a general rule-they should really be kept in no smaller than a 75 gallon tank, if you want to truly enjoy their character

feed them a high quailty pellet (dainichi roxz!) supplemented with both bloodworms, blackworms, and mozzy larvae-they eat slowly, over a very long time period-if their forehead area becomes lightly concave on either side, you're starving them

when you go look for some-watch 'em poop-their turds should not be long, stringy, or any color other than a solid brown, and the stool should appear relatively solid and thick, breaking off around 1/3 inch length at the most-if other, that indicates either a wonky diet, or internal parasites

i'd treat them regardless for worms, as most have them-praziquantel is spot on for that (marketed under the name 'prazipro' by hikari).

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks again Vitz! I'll keep all above in mind when purchasing my discus.

 

[Anonymous]

Most of the varieties available are much hardier and less finicky in captivity than the original wild discus...I'm a purist though and like the wild ones.