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Discus
May 20, 2020 13:58:43 GMT -5
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Post by justin on May 20, 2020 13:58:43 GMT -5
Hi I’m a been away from the hobby for a few years but am ready to restart aquarist. Always loved discus but I have never kept them in the past. I just got a bow front 30 gallon tank and am wondering if it would be possible to house discus in it. Any help appreciated. Thanks in advance, Justin
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Discus
May 20, 2020 19:07:10 GMT -5
Post by Crazygar on May 20, 2020 19:07:10 GMT -5
Minimum of a 55GAL tank. Discus are pretty sensitive, I would suggest starting off with Angels and working your way up.
Gary
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Discus
May 20, 2020 20:59:53 GMT -5
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Post by justin on May 20, 2020 20:59:53 GMT -5
Ok. I’ll have to rethink my plans 👍
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Discus
May 21, 2020 5:40:18 GMT -5
Post by Crazygar on May 21, 2020 5:40:18 GMT -5
Get some experience under your belt again and then go for it. Start with Angels, but also, minimum a 55GAL tank.
Discus and small tanks, not going to work at all. The larger the better, most of the successful keepers (including myself at one point) keep them in 75 GAL or larger.
Gary
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Post by justin on May 21, 2020 17:47:32 GMT -5
Thanks for the reply. I knew I was pushing it but thought I’d put it out there in case some had success in the smaller tanks with them. I’m going to switch gears completely and go to saltwater. I’ve never done the marine aquarium before and always wanted to. Going to keep It simple and straight forward. In about 6 months I’ll get myself a 75-150 g and come back to the discus. Always been my favourite and just never went down that road. I bred a lot of African cichlids and had a lot of fun doing it. 😁
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Discus
May 23, 2020 14:40:45 GMT -5
Post by Crazygar on May 23, 2020 14:40:45 GMT -5
Yeah, Discus require larger tanks but are well worth the effort. I kept a small group (5) in my 70GAL and I felt they were cramped. The larger the better.
Marine is nice, but be prepared to spend a heck of a lot more $$ than you would for a standard FW setup.
Gary
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Discus
May 26, 2020 12:30:33 GMT -5
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Post by justin on May 26, 2020 12:30:33 GMT -5
Ummm. Yeah Gary you are correct lol. I went back to freshwater. Just got it set up and began the cycling process. Added a Betta although he’s not looking very healthy at all. Maybe you have some good suggestions for cycling fish other than Betta ? I’m starting to get excited about it again. Still unsure how hat I’ll get after the cycle is done but I know it will be enjoyable !
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Discus
May 26, 2020 14:08:29 GMT -5
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Post by jred on May 26, 2020 14:08:29 GMT -5
A fish less cycle can be achieved easily, just add some food or ammonia of some nature and eventually the beneficial bacteria will start growing and turn it to nitrite and nitrate. Just keep testing until you see the nitrates forming and no ammonia or nitrites. If you prefer fish in cycle, danios, small goldfish, small minnows/feeders work well however I find most end up rehoming the goldfish or minnows. Good luck and hope the tank works out
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Discus
May 26, 2020 18:22:18 GMT -5
Post by Crazygar on May 26, 2020 18:22:18 GMT -5
I do not and will not promote cycling a tank with a fish.
The easiest way to fishless cycle is what I do, "feed the invisible fish". I put in flake food every other day as the bacteria still need to eat as well.
I have done the uncooked, cleaned, raw shrimp but it can get a bit stinky. Another method is seeding a sponge in another aquarium that is disease/algae free and then placing in your tank.
Loads of methods, pick the one that is best for you. Due to social distancing looks like you are faced with the old school method of feeding the invisible fish. Find a home for that Betta, if it does manage to survive, it will not be for long.
Gary
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Discus
May 26, 2020 22:48:08 GMT -5
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Post by justin on May 26, 2020 22:48:08 GMT -5
Thank you for the advice. I was directed by the fish store that this was the best method. Didn’t even consider fishless as an option. My son has a few tanks so I think I’ll get the Betta over to him and try out your advise. Much appreciated. Beautiful Betta that id like to see live. 👍
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Discus
May 27, 2020 5:20:48 GMT -5
Post by Crazygar on May 27, 2020 5:20:48 GMT -5
The Betta will appreciate it as well. Try squeezing some filter media from your Son's Aquarium into your tank. This goes a long way as well. Plenty of options without using fish as the proverbial Canary in the Mine.
Gary
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Discus
May 27, 2020 9:52:30 GMT -5
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Post by justin on May 27, 2020 9:52:30 GMT -5
That’s exactly what I did. I got one of his used sponges and through it in my filter. It’s big enough to split into two. Any recommendations on testing kits ?
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Discus
May 27, 2020 9:54:53 GMT -5
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Post by justin on May 27, 2020 9:54:53 GMT -5
And thanks again for all the advice. It’s helped tremendously. I do appreciate the local fish store but haven’t gotten the help I was after. And that’s partially due to me not asking the right questions and being a little impatient with the process.
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Discus
May 27, 2020 10:52:43 GMT -5
Post by jred on May 27, 2020 10:52:43 GMT -5
And thanks again for all the advice. It’s helped tremendously. I do appreciate the local fish store but haven’t gotten the help I was after. And that’s partially due to me not asking the right questions and being a little impatient with the process. Unfortunately its in the stores best interest to get your going as quickly as possible and usually a fish in cycle is faster (and they get to sell you the first for it) - however as Gary mentioned its not the preferred method of both. If you received some "seeded" filters from another aquarium make sure you are feeding the bacteria with ammonia - you could keep the betta and he would produce waste to feed the bacteria or rehome him and use bottle ammonia or add fish food which will decompose into ammonia. Also keep in mind your bioload is very small right now, so when you begin purchasing fish to do so in increments to prevent the bacteria falling behind and getting an ammonia spike. Sorry for hitting you with so much information, just hate to see fishkeepers lose fish and then get frustrated and exit the hobby. Also the most common test kit is API brand but there are others which work well. Cheers
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Post by justin on May 27, 2020 11:56:37 GMT -5
No info is to much info ! Cheers. This seems to be a great forum and I’m glad I decided to join. A wealth of knowledge. I think as you said I’ll leave the Betta in for the cycling now that I have the proper seed to do so safely. I might wait the 30 days just to be sure and start testing in the next couple days once it’s adjusted a bit. Since I’ve switched back to the freshwater I think I’m going with cichlids. My plan was to get 3 and possibly a pleco or another cleaner to keep the algae down once that starts producing. As far as introducing them slowly goes, would 3 at once be to much or bring them in 1 at a time.
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