# are discus fish hard?



## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Hard is not the right way to put it. Keeping discus happy and healthy requires patients and some work, but I wouldn't say it is difficult. I do 15% daily water changes with RO water and a weekly 50% water change. I would say that is more work than some reef tanks I've had. 

Keeping the water pristine is critical. Lots of people might come in here and say that they have kept them for years in what I deem sub par conditions, but it is much, much easier to do it right the first time. I have a list of some decent lings(only a primer) over at ATJ that I made up. Here it is: http://dempsey.6.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=42


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## sostoudt (Aug 22, 2008)

thanks for the info.


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## Saraja87 (Jul 18, 2007)

Discus are made a lot easier by an automatic water change system or a semi-automatic system. Just a thought if you had the resources. If not, you can still keep them as long as you're willing to put in the time to take good care of them.


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## Crystalview (Aug 10, 2007)

I have had 3 rescue discus for almost a year. There is a pair that lays eggs all the time. They are getting better at keeping them safe in my community tank. I have gotten wigglers but not much else. This ok with me because I would not want these sub standard fish to produce.
I guess I break most of the rules except one. Keep the water pure. I over filter in a planted tank. I do weekly 50% water changes and they eat sinking wafers and california black worms. My male is stunted from being in a tiny tank for the first three months of his life. The others have deformities. I love to watch them play through out the tank. The other female has tried to tease the only male. She lays eggs and this last time even watched them for a time. See my sig for what is in my tank. I do vac with a micron filter to also help keep the water in great condition and the waste down. I feed worms twice a day the last feeding has sinking wafers for all my other fish and the discus. I also keep a 18w uv on 24/7.


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## gogreen (Sep 18, 2008)

no they are not hard to keep, check this site out simplydiscus.com/forum


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## DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR (Apr 25, 2008)

they are easy to deal with as long as you follow the recipe.
keep temp around 82
feed them at least twice a day, frozen bloodworms and krill are great for them.
change the water 50% twice a week. water from the tap is okay, it's all i use, my water has about 7.6ph and 160 ppm hardness from the tap.
a python is a necessity and makes water changes as easy as hooking up to the faucet and tossing the hose into the tank.

there are a few different outlooks on keeping discus in planted tanks.

the first guy keeps his discus in big bare bottom tanks at 88 degrees, uses air driven sponge filters, feeds a homemade beefheart mix 6 times a day and does 50% water changes twice a day with RO water, and he wouldnt have it any other way.


others have tried keeping their fish in tanks that get water changes once a week, fed flakes twice a day and are kept at 78 degrees. 

both attempts will work, it's just that you can grow much better and bigger fish when you put in the time and effort. 

falling somewhere between these two examples wont lead you far wrong, in my opinion the best thing to do is to grow them out in a bare or sand bottom tank and give 50% wc's every day and feed them the good stuff, 3+ times a day if you can. then when they reach a good size, 6 inches or so after about a year you can dump them into a planted tank. but not everyone has this sort of patience, most would rather start them off in a planted tank, which is fine but makes it hard to maximize their potential.


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## susantroy1 (Jul 25, 2007)

sostoudt said:


> i was thinking about trying to do a discus tank. everybody says they are really hard to keep. i have a reef tank would they be harder then that?


No harder, just different. All the prior posts should bring you to one conclusion... Discus are not hard to keep as there are many different ways to keep them. The better tank husbandry you keep the more you will enjoy the true kings of the aquarium instead of chasing discus ailments.

All the best

Troy


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## die2win (Aug 10, 2008)

Don't forget that Discus like a calm environment, :redface: not much outside the tank movement, easy water current. Forget having them with a bunch of water torpedo's like Danio's or Bala sharks :eek5:


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## stev0205 (Nov 5, 2007)

i think discus are just a soft as any other fish... you know, squishy :hihi:


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## MikeP_123 (Aug 31, 2008)

Stev, they taste good too =P


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