# How hard can keeping discus be?



## Enki (Mar 26, 2008)

Hey

this is what i have been wondering for the longest time. I have a friend who's dad loves keeping discus, but has the hardest time keeping them alive. I have also heard from many people/sources that they are expremely hard to keep.

So i was just wondering why are they so much harder to keep? like most well put together tanks have all the parameters met...so i dont understand why discuses are soo hard to keep.

I know this is a stupid question, but its something i have been wondering for the longest time now.

thanks


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## gunnerx (Mar 20, 2008)

Discuss Discus in the Discus forum.  Check this thread, it's very useful. http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1567


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

Discus are very easy to keep... especially after a certain age - they're like rats, you can't kill them.


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## fishlover93 (Feb 25, 2008)

then y r they so expesnsive. And brian u would no u breed them


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## kweenshaker (Mar 11, 2006)

from what i understand, young discus require pristine water conditions. Some say they must be in soft acidic water, but many breeders I know of keep their discus in tap water just fine. I've heard adults are easier to take care of than young discus...not sure why (or if it is even true).

I wanted discus soooo badly, but people over on simply discus told me that they had to be in a bare bottom tank, be fed only live food and beefheart (yuck on both counts), as well as endure a 50% water change daily. As I do not have the time nor the patience for all of that work, I decided to go with slightly more boring angels instead. sigh (I love my angels though  )


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Laura, how can you possibly say angels are boring?! I think angels are great, interesting, curious, funny and full of personality!


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## kweenshaker (Mar 11, 2006)

Tabatha said:


> Laura, how can you possibly say angels are boring?! I think angels are great, interesting, curious, funny and full of personality!


Oh, I agree. They're just not as colourful/exotic looking!!


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## Enki (Mar 26, 2008)

ya I currently have 5 angels, but i do agree Laura, angels are not as graceful and exotic looking compared to discus...

and ya I heard that young discus are hard to keep alive too.....sigh....a pair of discus would be amazing though....


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

I've read on The Planted Tank that some keep their discus in heavily planted tanks without any problems. Not breeders of course.


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

I only did 25% water changes for my adults once a week, the young you have to do water changes every day.

You can get a nice pair of adults for about 150$ if you are patient and search for deals.


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## Enki (Mar 26, 2008)

Hey Brian, two questions:

when would you consider ur cichlid as adult

and when they are young, is it true you have to 50% water changes everyday....and I dont understand how if you have a well estabolished tank...why the daily water changes


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

They're adults when they are around 4"-5"+ for the body not including fins.

Discus breeders keep them in bare bottom so the tank being well established doesn't matter...its not hard to do a water change even on a well established tank.

Stick your python in, drain half the water and fill it back up. You should be technically doing water changes on your tank like 2-3 times a week anyways even if it is established.


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## dekstr (Oct 23, 2007)

This guy on plantedtank keeps his discus in a tank w/ zero water changes and they have been fine for years.

But that is kind of risky!

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/photo-album/50456-zero-water-change-20-75-update.html


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## kweenshaker (Mar 11, 2006)

does peppering ever go away on discus? Or is it there forever once it appears?


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

Peppering goes away depending on the colour of the background but most of the time it never truely fades if there is a lot of it present.

It also depends on how stressed the fish is.

@Dex... I can keep my aro in his 90gal tank without any water changes too but it doesn't mean he'd be happy. And the blue turq/snakeskin on the far right looks like it doesn't have a good body shape... probably because the guy never did any water changes when he had it since it was a juvie.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Brian said:


> Peppering goes away depending on the colour of the background but most of the time it never truely fades if there is a lot of it present.
> 
> It also depends on how stressed the fish is.
> 
> @Dex... I can keep my aro in his 90gal tank without any water changes too but it doesn't mean he'd be happy. And the blue turq/snakeskin on the far right looks like it doesn't have a good body shape... probably because the guy never did any water changes when he had it since it was a juvie.


Exactly. It's bad enough he's in a 90gal to begin with  (you know, its a running gag)


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## Brian (Mar 14, 2006)

Lol, I know.


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