Sure to piss someone off...

[chebert22]

Is it against the "fish laws" to buy some itty-bitty-tee-tiny, newly weaned discus, and learn by trial an error?

And what do itty-bitty-tee-tiny, newly weaned discus cost?

I am sooooooo tired of reading the do's and dont's online, and the vast array of owners experiences offered by various discus keeping forums... my eyes are starting to cross....

[xtc]

You're doing well to ask first. But let me give you a conceptual idea first.

You are a fishkeeper with an interest in your pets. So your goal is to do the best you can, give them the best environment you can and not cause harm. Taken to another level, that which you will hear forum folks talk- try to keep them in an environment most similar to what they're comfortable in. So if you are prepared to do X2 weekly 50% water changes with RO water, etc- sure- go to it!!

However, if you're looking for cheap specimens so you can screw up and not be out much $$- I'd suggest you stick with goldfish.

I have not, personally, graduated to discuss yet- I'm not wise enough or maticulous enough to successfully keep them. So I'd feel a bit slighted if you thought you were smarter than me and went straight to it. That's like skipping grades in school- your classmates won't respect it if you fail.

You can do whatever you want in the privacy of your own home- but please- be kind to all living creatures- fish included.

[To the questioning eyes- yes, those are the same words I used in my message earlier this week]

[xtc]

BTW- there are so many other pretty specimens out there to keep. Check out he common Kribensis- a truly remarkable colored fish that is far more hearty, colorful and FAR easier to keep.

[chebert22]

Wow.... does the Krib always show those kinds of colors?

[xtc]

In a planted or well artificially planted tank- absolutely!!

Here are mine- in a fake planted 10g tank. They're very parental, which is sooo cool to watch. I've even got fry I'd give away- my female is sitting on eggs now- so I need to get rid of the 5 I have now.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l282/Fishgallery/FishTanks078.jpg

[chebert22]

would they eat the platy and mollie and tetra in my big tank, or the pleco?

[xtc]

nope!

They're considered community cichlids. Beleive it or not, they're one of the more aggressive but cheapest dwarf apistogramma's. There are many, many more that you need to investigate. Most are $20 a pair. These are cheaper and very colorful. When they have fry- they can be fairly aggressive and move everyone else to the other side of the tank to protect their young. But they are great entry level dwarf South American (not really) cichlids. Hearty, small and colorful- much better than most of the other choices.

[lellison]

get albinio Kribs, they are so much more beautiful in my eyes. Or atleast the females are anyways. I think it is the contrast of their red bellies, but even normal colored males like the albino females. Good taste I say. No but really Chris is correct, they are beautiful fish, as are many of the other dwarf cichlids, apitos and such are good if you are wanting color.

[xtc]

They're called: Pelvicachromis pulcher- And they're really from Africa, but they're not your standard African cichlid- they're more like S. American's. The primary group of S.American cichlids are actually Apistogramma's- I like them a lot- but I find them to be less hearty and die for strange reasons. That with their higher cost make them less enjoyable for a newbie. I started with Kribs and still have the original pair. Albino's or regular- you can't go wrong with Kribs. They have them at nearly every pet store- you just gotta look. Like I said, I'd be more than happy to give you a few- but you can go local and pick up some that have already colored up for about $9 each.

[lellison]

Yep, every time I have kept them, I have loved them.

[Jim2982]

I had some Kribs before I changed my tank over to Africans. I had them with some small red minor serpae tetras and they were fine. They will get aggressive if they spawn, like xtc said. I think they're actually African Cichlids from Lake Victoria. I wish I would've kept mine now, and just put them in a smaller tank, instead of trading them in for the Africans. Dammit, now I want another aquarium... lol

[Peanut_Power]

Discus are not as fragile as they have been made out to be. I've seen them kept in soft, acidic water, as well as in Hard, alkaline water. The main thing is consistancy...no pH swings, clean water, routine feedings. Practically anyone can keep discus if they have the motivation to do so. ;)

[Kathy]

IMO, the two main keys to raising discus successfully is give them lots of food and clean water. The younger they are, the more food they need. Frequent feedings will foul the water quickly so that usually involves frequent water changes too.

I raise discus and I wouldn't sell them before they are 2" in size, mainly because there is usually some culling that needs to be done and a lot of flaws and/or stunting won't show up until that size or later.

As Hairy mentioned, it can be done if you have the motivation but be prepared to feed them at least 4 to 5 times a day or you will most likely end up with small stunted fish. That means daily (maybe every other day) water changes.

Kathy

[arnold]

Discus are not as fragile as they have been made out to be. I've seen them kept in soft, acidic water, as well as in Hard, alkaline water. The main thing is consistancy...no pH swings, clean water, routine feedings. Practically anyone can keep discus if they have the motivation to do so. ;)

Yeah! What he said. I say go for it, get a big nuff tank to avoid pollution issues (or at least have more room to "experiment") keep them at 82 to 84, (86 inst too hot) buy GOOD young fish from a breeder and feed a wide variety of food so they don't get spoiled on one kind. Find one person who has done it and listen and do likewise, too many cooks spoil the stew, there are many ways to keep discus, some work for one and not another because they don't do it exactly the same. Expect to pay around $15 to $20 a fish for nickel to quarter size if you find the right person, can pay lots more or a little less. What is your ph? If is below 8 you don't need to modify water parms just to keep them alive healthy and happy. You don't need RO, although a lot of folks use it with good results, IMO RO is a pain in the ass.
Find someone who has done it and set a tank up from scratch if needed and do as you are advised until you have some experience under your belt.
Provide good bio and mech filtration. Run BB to start with.
Again what is your ph? If you need to bring it down from the 8+ range you can do that with peat, no chems are needed, no RO is needed. If you use RO you either have to cut it with tap or add chems back in that you took out, IMO RO is a disaster waiting to happen if you arent well versed in it.
Oh yeah, get 6 to 12, don't try 2-3 or 4, I think 6 should be a minimum, 12 all the better, you can cull as you go but they do better in groups to keep bullying from being directed at one fish.
It is NOT rocket science:cs:

[chebert22]

Thanks arnould! Thats what i though... but after I did so much reading and researching online i just got more and more confused. There is a broad spectrum of opinions out there, and I am not wanting to be a specialized breeder. I would just like something pretty to look at when I am lounging on the couch. I dont need anything high dollar. I found someone though who might be able to hook me up with one or two, and if I can keep them alive and i am successful at keeping them, then i'll look into buying something a little more expensive.

[bgbdwlf2500]

nope its not very hard... discus were my first fish got 8 to start with in a 55 gallon tank. added them after the cycle was done (month and half).... water changes once sometimes twice a month, fed one time daily.... they started 2" or less and here they are today.... paid 30 each for them...

im sure there are going to be naysayers to this post but i speak the truth. they are no more difficult to keep as long as there are no sudden swings in tank parameters....

heres the pics, remember started at 2" or slightly less and now 5 are 5" and 3 are a little less....

[FishGurl721]

WOW bgbd your discus are BEAUTIFUL!! what pH do u keep them at?

[bgbdwlf2500]

WOW bgbd your discus are BEAUTIFUL!! what pH do u keep them at?

thanks fishgurl

anywhere it ends up usually:) most times just under 7 though..discus are funny with slight change they can be 5.8 to about 8.2

[ElijahTurtle]

Wolf thoase are some nice discus. I like the firs pic the best.

[bra8ndy8]

GORGEOUS!!!! LOVE THEM!!!

[Kathy]

nope its not very hard... discus were my first fish got 8 to start with in a 55 gallon tank. added them after the cycle was done (month and half).... water changes once sometimes twice a month, fed one time daily.... they started 2" or less and here they are today.... paid 30 each for them...

im sure there are going to be naysayers to this post but i speak the truth. they are no more difficult to keep as long as there are no sudden swings in tank parameters....

heres the pics, remember started at 2" or slightly less and now 5 are 5" and 3 are a little less....

Sorry, but I find this all very hard to believe. Especially that twice a month wc's and feeding 2" discus once a day...BFS!

[bra8ndy8]

Sorry..BFS!

:bsflag:


:point:

[bgbdwlf2500]

Wolf thoase are some nice discus. I like the firs pic the best.

thanks, the first pic is the best one ive taken...lol

GORGEOUS!!!! LOVE THEM!!!

thanks

Sorry, but I find this all very hard to believe. Especially that twice a month wc's and feeding 2" discus once a day...BFS!

i said there would be some naysayers....but if you think about it for one second, feeding once a day there is no need for more water changes than that... just like most people i work 8 hours a day so feeding more than once just doesnt happen....

[Travis_Conklin]

I have two-set's of pair's if anyone is interested and I will let them go cheap...need tank room.

[Travis_Conklin]

I am speaking about the Pelvicachromis pulcher.

[biggin]

Did I miss something? I thought this was a thread about something else? Perhaps this would have been better in the For Sale Room?

I have two-set's of pair's if anyone is interested and I will let them go cheap...need tank room.

[Travis_Conklin]

Okay it is real early but, I will try and explain this, since they were talking about Pelvicachromis pulcher I thought I would throw a plug in there...

[arnold]

while im not the maint freak i once was with discus, i would think w 1 feeding daily and few wc the fish may do ok and thrive under those settings, you will never come close to reaching full potential and size that way. so i say doable but not the best method by any measure i would use. those fish look great, but perhaps a tad stunted and a wee bit thin. they look happy nuff and otherwise healthy however.:rolleyes:

[fatfutures]

Well, I made the leap and picked up 3 Discus this week. Day one was kinda rough, they seemed pretty stressed. Day two had more movement and by the end of the day they ate. Today is the morning of day three and they all came to see me when I turned on the light. YEAH!

I'm not getting too excited yet. But, I'm hopeful...

[bgbdwlf2500]

thats too small of a group, they would be happier if you got 3 more....sounds like they are doing ok though..good luck

[fatfutures]

Thanks.

I will be adding a few more next week. I wanted to see how these guys would do. I've had some mysterious deaths recently. And, I didn't want to dump a bunch o $ into fish just to watch them die immediately.

[Peanut_Power]

Indeed your pictures of discus are tempting me to put some in my 300gal.....hmmm....

[bgbdwlf2500]

Thanks.

I will be adding a few more next week. I wanted to see how these guys would do. I've had some mysterious deaths recently. And, I didn't want to dump a bunch o $ into fish just to watch them die immediately.

makes sense, how are they?

[fatfutures]

As of this morning, all are alive and well! YEAH! By the end of the week I plan on moving the 4 boesmani back into the 30 gallon and add 3 or 4 more discus. I had put the boesmani in to ensure the tank was cycled but, they seem to be WAY too active to make the discus happy.

[bra8ndy8]

WTG on the discus!! I have been wanting to "try" them....but I heard they were hard...and having 2 young girls stops me from doing 3-4 water changes a week!

[bgbdwlf2500]

As of this morning, all are alive and well! YEAH! By the end of the week I plan on moving the 4 boesmani back into the 30 gallon and add 3 or 4 more discus. I had put the boesmani in to ensure the tank was cycled but, they seem to be WAY too active to make the discus happy.

they arent terribly hard to keep, main things are dont keep them with very active fish when they are new to the tank and the other is try to keep groups of at least 6 especially when small..another biggie is putting them in a place with lots of traffic, the more traffic the less and less shy they will become...if you keep them in a low traffic area the will always be skittish even when youre coming to feed them...

[AndrewH]

Oooo... I want an update!!! with pics, pretty please, with sugar on top?

[fatfutures]

LOL... I'm doing a water change right now Andrew. I'll try to get some pics tonight. I will say that the tank is in a bit of a mess. With adding the new guys I've not done much to it. Trying not to stress em too much the first couple weeks.

I'll try to post new pics tomorrow morning at the latest.

[AndrewH]

http://llamasery.com/forums/images/smilies/tapfoot.gif

[fatfutures]

:fw:

http://www.dfwfishbox.com/showthread.php?t=877

Been there, done that... and so have YOU!

[AndrewH]

;) I thought you were gonna post additional pictures after you added some more plants?

[fatfutures]

:bsflag:

I haven't added anything since the last batch of pics. Right now I'm scouting for more fish.

No worries Andrew...if I make ANY changes, you'll be the first to know!

[AndrewH]

:rofl:

Sweet!