Posted by neptoone_13 on April 28, 2002 at 12:39:58:
In Reply to: well, am I ready? posted by Casey on April 24, 2002 at 20:15:04:
: I read through all the stuff about newbies and discus, and now I'm skeptical. I have a 55, been running for over a year now with all sorts of fish. I finally am ready to commit to these guys, they are my favorite of course. But, now I'm wondering if I am ready. I can udersatand the constant woater changes, but someone said 3- 20% per week! I think that may be a little crazy, especially for my tank, but I may just be an ignorat SOB. Now, I want realistic numbers for realistic people with realistic lives! I'm a college student working at a pet store 30 hours a week. I don't have time to set out water every day and do a waterchange, I don't think I have enough buckets!I would love these fish, and my water, I feel is good for them, ( my driftwood softened my water and droped the PH for me and my cichlids! happy day..... live and learn) I also am very proud of my display with the plants and wood, and I would hate to raise these fish in a bare tank! Is there any way I can keep them in a decent setup and still have them do well???
Hi Casey, a 55 gal. tank is great for discus, I would reccomend 8-10 small ones or 4-6 med/large ones. Water changes are VERY important for small/med. discus. 30% per day for small discus is the min. if you want them to grow to their potential. Large discus (5" and up) don't need that much, perhaps 25% twice a week. Gravel, plants etc. should be ditched unless discus are full size and you can devote a lot of time to them. The driftwood is fine.
The reason for the w/c's is to rid the tank of nitrates and organics that are a result of the nitrifacation process. Small discus can not tolerate even minimal nitrates. They may live, but their growth will be stunted. With a bare bottom 55 gal. tank you should expect to do 1/2 hr. of maintenance per day, min. They are an extremely demanding fish if you want them at their potential. This is just my experience, I've been at it for 7 or 8 years and have had success breeding them. Good luck.
