Daily water change ?

[bikinguy]

Whats up with some saying you need daily water change of 50percent and bare bottom tanks.

I keep clean tanks with good water conditions ..testing etc. Add nova aqua and amquel plus weekly along with a 30-40 percent water change.

What say you ?

[FrontosaurusRex]

Definitely not necessary. Maybe for young Discus but not grown fish. It won't hurt anything if you water change every day. You'll have Crystal clear water and huge fish.

[bikinguy]

discus

Hi Rex,

I would like to do just one weekly water change when I do my other tanks but if it will cause problems then I just may not keep them.

Considering several ways to go on my 75 and still a few weeks out anyway.

Congrats to you and your lovely wife on your new discus tank,

[wesleydnunder]

bikinguy, if you want to do just weekly water changes, I'd suggest buying domestic strain adult discus. Juvies need frequent water changes for optimum growth and shape. Wild discus typically need more that once a week water changes. All this depends on tank size, stocking, filtration and overall bioload. Like Rhett said, the more you do the cleaner the tank will be and the happier and healthier your fish will be.

Can you give me some more info? tank size? filtration? number of discus and other tank inhabitants you plan on? planted? bare bottom or substrate and what type if substrate? The more I know about the tank you're planning the better.

Mark

[FrontosaurusRex]

Mark is the Discus Man. Give him your tank specs and he'll hook you up with some great advice.

[Darbex]

I agree with Mark and BB discus tank isnt necessary unless you have fry or juvies. Adult discus can handle a lot more. I currently do a WC every week on my tank.

[bikinguy]

Discus

Hi Mark,

I am planning on using a 75 gallon with a 20 grade pool filter sand. Two aquaclear 300 or 70 i think they are called now. I may be getting a eheim to go with that and in that case one 70 aquaclear. For heat a marineland heater.

I may add a couple live plants in their own pots at a later date.

At this point I am open as to how many I should keep..size and tankmate suggestions.

[nacra99]

Dissolved waste in the water can stunt young discus. That's why serious breeders feed heavily and do massive waterchanges everyday to keep the waste to a minimum.
So if you don't want to do so many water changes, go with the largest adults that you can but i would still do partial changes every week at least.
Personally i won't go more than 6 or 7 adult discus in a 75 gal.
Corys make nice tankmates.

[bikinguy]

Discus

Thanks guys for all the feedback...really appreciate it.

If I do go Discus I will go the adult route but would still like to get them as young as possible adults. Although I really prefer to get my fish young and grow them out.

I do a weekly water change on my tanks (2) of approx 40 percent and would have no problem doing a 2 or 3 changes a week on the discus if need be.

I have considered setting this tank up so far for Peacocks, Moorii, and now Discus.
I really enjoy the research phase of tank setup.

[wesleydnunder]

The only way I know of to tell the age of an adult discus is to buy one from someone who has raised them from juvie size. When you buy adults at the lfs it's always a crap shoot trying to age them. Discus have a comparatively long life span so even if your adult is already 5 yrs old you still have possibly 10 or 15 yrs to enjoy them.

The set up sounds good. I think you could house 5 or 6 discus and some cories in a 75; possibly a small school (12) of cardinals or rasbora hets too. Two AC 70's will probably be sufficient filtration, but it won't hurt to add an Eheim 2217 with a sponge pre-filter just for bio-filtration. I'd do a minimum of 50% partial water change a week, twice a week is better. Make sure to get a couple of good heaters. 82-84F will be fine for adult discus. Vac the substrate with each water change. More vaccing may be required at first until you gauge how much to feed each time. Leftover food can quickly become a problem.

Sounds like you have a good plan. A journal of your tank as you put it together and stock it would be awesome.

Mark

[bikinguy]

Discus

Thanks Mark

Will try and follow your suggestions if I go the Discus route.

As I have said before I like your Heinlein quote.

[Darbex]

I agree with Mark you could possibly go with Discus that are in the 4"+ area which is sub-adult area. Make sure you use the eye gauge which for domestic discus should be around 6 or 7 eyes from the top of the head to the bottom of the head along the line that runs through there eyes. If its less than that then it may be a stunted discus and could be older discus in the size of a sub-adult. These will not grow much bigger and may have health issues down the line. If you go discus I suggest using HAW as they have great quality and great prices and are local to Houston. There are some other breeders throughout the country and you can find preferred ones on Simplydiscus.com.

[wesleydnunder]

Thanks Mark

Will try and follow your suggestions if I go the Discus route.

As I have said before I like your Heinlein quote.

You're welcome, dude. We have several successful discus keepers here on HFB and all are willing to help. Simplydiscus.com is a great resource. Many members there revolve their lives around discus and love to answer questions.

RAH was my all-time favorite author. I actually cried when he passed. Recently I read "Variable Star", a book started by Heinlein and finished by Spider Robinson. Great read!

Mark

[bikinguy]

Hi Mark,

I have been to simply discus a few times and always get a bit turned off when they start talking about daily water changes.. storing water...RO and on and on.. really makes me appreciate my Africans !

Don't get me started on authors...my fav is Ayn Rand .

[wesleydnunder]

Mostly those are the discus breeders talking RO and daily water changes. Growing out baby discus to their full potential takes a lot of work. Folks who are just keeping them to enjoy and keep the fish healthy and happy don't have to work quite so hard.

Never heard of Ayn Rand. Sci fi? Fantasy? I've recently been reading a lot of David Weber, military sci fi.

Mark