how easy is to really keep discus fish,had 2 but one died,are they better in a schole?and why so expensive to buy?do they need lots of hiding places,mine is kept in a community tank the pet shop said this is ok.
2007-01-22 04:17:53 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
Discus are definitely not for the newbie or casual hobbiest.
They require perfect water conditions and a large tank. They are expensive because of these requirements - petstores/breeders can't just shove them 40 of them into a 10 gallon tank.
A community tank is not ideal for discus. You can get away with it, sometimes, but typically it's best to just keep discus in their own tank. If you want to add a few fish, you could get a school of placid tetras like cardinals, but that would be all.
They need a lot of plants. In the wild, they come from areas where there is lots of plant cover, and they feel safest this way.
Their requirements are very particular. They need a low pH of about 6.5 - any higher, and they will dish. They also need very soft water. Hard water will kill them. They also require very high temperatures - like in the high 80s. Lower than about 84-85F is just too cold.
If you want to get into discus, by all means do. They are a very rewarding fish to keep. However, you'll need to do your research, thoroughly, before investing in discus. Buy a book on discus and read up on them online. While you research you can save your money - as you know, discus are expensive, a setup with a school of discus will be very expensive.
In the future, don't listen to petstore. Petstore employees are just normal people working for minimum wage; they don't often have experience keeping fish. Always do your own research before buying anything.
2007-01-22 04:35:55 · answer #1 · answered by Zoe 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Discus can be difficult to keep if their aquarium is not set up properly from the start.
They need to have soft, slightly acidic water that does not fluctuate- meaning your tank must be cycled through and the nitrates must be kept under control.
They do prefer the company of other discus, and whatever else you put in there with them must not be aggressive, as they are not aggressive fish. You can put them with other tetras like neons, cardinals, rummynose, etc., etc.
If you have discus, you have a discus tank- not a community tank with some discus in it. They would have to be your primary focus and you would design the aquarium/environment around them.
2007-01-22 04:31:56 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Discus are quite touchy and not on the "easy to keep" list of fish. They need rather special water conditions to thrive, lots and lots of space, few if any tank mates and for best health a rather careful diet. They are also not easy to breed and the fry are not very easy to raise, hence so expensive.
If you are interested in Discus, I would suggest you spend a lot of time with Discus books and websites as well as trying to find a local Discus keeper / breeder to talk to about the fish before you try to keep them. Your efforts and patience will be well rewarded.
Best of luck with those wonderful and beautiful fish.
2007-01-22 04:28:16 · answer #3 · answered by magicman116 7 · 7⤊ 1⤋
the can be pricey, especially the good quality ones. they need PERFECT water, and i mean PERFECT. and a good size tank, 40-50 gallon is awesome for them. if you want to keep discus, you need to research how to keep perfect water (0 ammonia at all times, 0 nitrite at all times, under 50ppm nitrate at all times, the pH must never fluctuate). If you're still learning to master that, you may not quite be ready for Discus.
2007-01-22 04:28:49 · answer #4 · answered by catx 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
They are so expensive because they are a very delicate fish. They are very difficult to keep, grow quite large, and need to be kept in shoals. They need quite large tanks because they will eventually grow to the size of a dinner plate.
2007-01-22 04:58:21 · answer #5 · answered by fish guy 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
they can be a shy fish and do like things to hide in such as plants. ive got 5 in a tank with angel fish, silver doller, plecs and sucker fish. i used to have them in with 2 puffer fish aswell and they were fine. they are very expensive to buy but ive found somewhere that isn't. its a man who breeds them in his shed, he sells me discus for £25 that are about £90 in shops. try looking in a free ads paper (ad-mag), you may be able to find someone that breeds them from home insted of a overpriced pet shop!
2007-01-22 04:32:44 · answer #6 · answered by tizmem 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It sounds like you need information on this species in general. It's really best to use forums like this to get responses to specific questions or concerns, but in your case you'd be further ahead to take some time and properly research these fish.
I'll point you in the right direction, and there is more where these come from:
http://kingdiscus.blogspot.com/2005/12/cichlid-research-home-page-tips-and.html
http://www.cichlid-forum.com
2007-01-22 04:29:25 · answer #7 · answered by Ghapy 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋