Caring for Turquoise Discus

25 posts • Page 1 of 3

Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


Alfio7663
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:00 am

Caring for Turquoise Discus

by Alfio7663

Hey everyone.

I'm new to this site and to this hobby so I'm still searching around, discovering everything this site has to offer. I current have a 90 litre tropical freshwater tank. The fish I currently own are 3 silver dollars, 1 comet goldfish, 1 fantain goldfish, 1 sucking catfish and 1 silver shark.

I used to have 2 angelfish. However 1 died mysteriously and the other got stuck to the filter. The filter i have is a HL - BT internal filter by Halea. Apparently fish should'nt get stuck unless they're too weak. The angelfish I had we're approximately 4cms wide. They are beautiful fish but I'm scared to buy more in case they die again. The local aquarium is selling larger ones for $22 each. I bought the smaller ones from a pet store (Pets Paradise) at Westfields.

In regards to the subject of this post, I wish to acquire knowledge of the difficulty of caring for turquoise discus. Today at the aquarium the storeman told me that they not many people owned these fish because they were difficult to care for. So I was wondering what needs to be done in order to care for the fishes properly (water quality, what they eat, plants, etc).

The fish i currenly have seem to be very happy and healthy, hopefully everything goes well.

Kind Regards,
Alfio


Alfio7663
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:00 am

by Alfio7663

Angelfish at Westfields were $11 and the Turqoise at the local aquarium are $35


a1k8t31524
 
Posts: 939
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 5:10 am

by a1k8t31524

Alfio
your 90l tank is about 23 us gallons i believe... mabey 29
but i see a few major issues with it. Silver dollars get big wnad from what i remember they need atleast 50 gallons not saying that you can not hoise them sucesulully in you tank but they would probally have to be the only fish in there and they would be much happier in a larget tank. When you say you have a silver shark i assume you mean bala shark. and i know for certin that you tank is too small for that. their adult sixe can me up to 14"
And the goldfish. goldfish are sadly looked at like the fish that can be keept in a small bowl and in all honestly they need minimum 30 gallons per fish, and they are a cold water fish, which means that they do much better in a tank with no heater, and i assume that you have a heater in your tank for your other fish. And also gold fish have a very thick slime coating that it gives off (kinda like a protective layer) that can sometimes start to clog up the gills of more sensitive tropical fish.
As far as discus they need a minimum of 50 gallons and do much better in groups of 3 or 4 or more
they require acidic waters (lower ph) 5.0 - 6.5 is and higher water temperatures... around 85is
and prestine water conditions ammo nitrates and nitrites should constantly be at nil
which means very often water changes
and they should be kept in a heavily planted tanks.
i hope this helps
if you have any more questions feel free to ask


Alfio7663
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:00 am

by Alfio7663

Hey a1k8t3

Thanks for your great reply.
The information that you have provided vastly differs from the information that was provided to me by the aquariums in my area (which makes me ask questions of those aquariums).
From what I was told, goldfish love the warmer waters and they will do just fine in them. I was told that the silver shark (or bala shark) I own will only grow to about 8 inches and that it is a placid fish which will live well in harmony with the others. As for the silver dollars the aquarium storeman told me that they will do great in my tank and that they are a very hardy fish, which are good for beginners.

Its quite confusing and frustrating when the informatiQon about fish differs vastly. As I am new to this hobby I hav'nt really got a good idea of certain complex things. I've done a lot of reading so far, and i've found out quite a lot.

So I guess I should give Turquoise Discus a miss then? What are some beautiful tropical freshwater fish that you recommend? Or that anyone else that is reading this post recommends?

Kind Regards,
Alfio

P.S. Please find attached photos of my tank. Note that the speaker next to the tank has been relocated.
b1e94-DSC03036.JPG
f8535-DSC03040.JPG


a1k8t31524
 
Posts: 939
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 5:10 am

by a1k8t31524

see alot of times, something that pisses me off is that fish store are just out there to just sell there product, when alot of the times they know what they say will not work out.
i dont claim to be an expert of any kind but, i feel that i am fairly versed. Lots of trial and error on my part, but now i have a decent knowledge of this hobby
your tank looks good i love the shape, and it looks like you have a fairly decent lighting system, i would try and give a go at live plants.......but if you keep your silver dollars be weary because they love to eat plants and goldfish love to eat plant roots.
the biggest thing is that you keep up on your tank maintenance like water changes, water testing an all of that
i need to start reading through my posts i am a horrible i apologize for all of the typo's


Alfio7663
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:00 am

by Alfio7663

Dear a1k8t3

Don't worry about the typos lol. I appreciate your replys, they are very helpful.
I am about to do my second water change today. I was wondering is it ok to leave the fish in there whilst I do it? What I did last time was remove the angelfish into a bucket then put them back into the aquarium once it was all done...and well now they are both dead. Last time I removed 25- 30% of the water, put tapwater in to a 9 litre bucket, added the declorinator, then added the water to the tank and then added the other chemicals. Is this ok? Or should I add all the chemicals to the bucket before adding to the tank?

I bought some plants last week and they are all eaten already lol. How do I plant plants that regrow? I'm on university holidays at the moment so I now have a lot more time. However, finding enough money seems to be the problem sometimes lol

Kind Regards,
Alfio


Alfio7663
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:00 am

by Alfio7663

P.S. I only addded enough declorinator for 9 litres of water


a1k8t31524
 
Posts: 939
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 5:10 am

by a1k8t31524

you never want to remove you fish from the tank when you change your water, it just causes them un-needed stress and you can also harm them when you are trying to net them.
What i do is a few hours before i fill up gallon jugs with water and then use the dechlorinator, after it sits for a few hours ant the temp of the water is at room temperature
then i syphon out the water and add the clean new water
and then i put in the rest of the chemicals next to the filter output so that it gets disbursed quickly


Alfio7663
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:00 am

by Alfio7663

Thanks for your help, it is much appreciated. Are there any nice tropical freshwater fish that you recommend?


Tmercier834747
 
Posts: 887
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2008 8:33 pm

by Tmercier834747

Yeah just to give a second opinion (not to crush your hopes and dreams) but when a1 says the -minimum- recommended tank size for a discus is 50gal, most would recommend keeping them in a tank over 75gal. The params are much easier to keep in check.

That tank is a good size for dwarf south american cichlids, (apistogramma/rams/etc).

I have yet to be blessed with a mating pair but I love my German Blue Rams. Bolivians rams are easier to keep for beginners and though a bit larger can be less tempremental. GBR's are very peaceful but can get bent out of shape, especially when breeding..

Here's some links.

(I wouldn't recommend all on this site):: http://www.twofishguyz.com/comersus/sto ... ategory=59

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Germ ... mirezi.php

and here's a crappy video of them in my 30gal. Both are male (the LFS person told me one was ''probably'' female)..not so. I'll be bringing one back soon as the other is antagonizing him to death. :( if possible watch in high quality mode.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rvnqt62yKg

If you do decide on GBR's make absolutely sure 1 is m and 1 is f, or you could even go with 1m to several f. That would increase the chances of them ''pairing''.

Edit: I'd avoid buying from the first website I mentioned at any cost...I don't know if they ship outside of America but even in the continental US their shipping rates have doubled since I last looked at them. lol $30-$60 (minimum) O.o
Last edited by Tmercier834747 on Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:41 am, edited 2 times in total.

Caring for Turquoise Discus

25 posts • Page 1 of 3

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