Hey there...im Nic

[Nic]

Hi all,

Im new to this fishkeeping business and absolutely love it!!!
I currently have a very dissappointing 10gal community tank but in the next couple of weeks im going to take the plunge and set up a 3 or 4 foot discus/community tank.
Im keen to get right into it but have recently noticed how empty it makes the wallet in the back pocket!!!!!
Ill progress as time and the budget allows me and someday ill have a tank that is worthy of showing to all you discus "gurus."

Cheers guys.

[rwel4809]

Hi Nic,

Welcome to the forum.

My recommendation is that you aim to go as large as you can with the tank - at least 250 litres. It is best off to start off simple with Discus. A planted tank is expensive to get started, and having started off down that route myself I can now say that I think it is definately best to start of with either a bare bottom tank, or if you don't like the bb look then just decorate simply with sand substrate and may be one or two large sword plants.

The trick is to keep the Discus well fed and the water really clean. This means that there is a lot more to consider with discus than other fish.

For example, you will need to think about water changes. Most of us change at least 25% of water each time - personally I change 25% every two days, others change 50% twice a week.

It is best to treat, heat and age the water before adding it to the aquarium. Discus like to be kept in hot water (28-30 degrees c) That means that you will need a container to prepare the water, with a heater, an airstone, powerhead or internal filter to keep the water moving and a pump to get the water from the container into the aquarium.


You will also need to consider that discus need a special diet to help prevent them getting ill. Many of us make our own beef heart mix (you can find a really good recipe in the nutrition section of this website). Discus love nothing more than to chew up and spit this food all around the tank, and then pick at it for as long as you let them.

This can be especially difficult to manage with a planted tank, as the particles of food can get trapped and lead to either a nitrate or bacterial build up - both of which can be fatal to your fish.

So to sum up. I would recommend the following:

1) get a good sized tank.
2) get a good quality canister filter - eheim classics are really good
3) get a good quality heater such as a jager.
4) consider the equipment that you will need for water changes.
5) make sure you read up on nutrition to keep the fish healthy.
6) KEEP IT SIMPLE!! good water conditions = happy fishes. I'm sure that you agree that it is more important to keep the fish healthy than to aim for the perfect planted tank.

All that said, many people keep very beautiful planted tanks successfully. I recommend that you look at TW's tank (one of our members) You will see that she has invested alot of time, energy (and money) in setting up an excellent planted tank for discus.

Don't let me put you off - Discus are great fun to keep! You just need to be really well planned- I look forward to seeing your project take shape

HTH

R.

[Nic]

Thankyou so much....

Thats the kind of info i dont get from the lfs.
They just want to go home i think!!!

That will be a great help to me when i get started.

Cheers.