# Discus in planted tank ?



## alzak (20 Jan 2013)

Do anyone keep some Discus in planted tank without any major problems ? 
I came accross an idea to buy discus from local breeder ... 
I know this is not the easiest fish to keep and require some special care this is why I would like to buy HMA filter, person who I would like to buy fish from use filter like that without RO and he do not have any problems ...


----------



## krazypara3165 (20 Jan 2013)

can be done. i have 8 juvinile discus in a 285l planted aquarium. some key points would be to start off with good quality fish from a good breeder. (plenty of breeders on bidka forum) another point would be to keep up with good husbandry plenty of water changes ect. i do 100l every other day. also i would reccomend sand as a substrate as its easier to clean and theres no gaps for detrius to get caught up in. finally i would reccomend that if you dont use ro (i dont) theat your fish are not raised in ro water.


----------



## alzak (20 Jan 2013)

Hi 

The guy who I want to buy fish from use just HMA filter so I do plan to buy 3 stage filter as well ... I do 50% water change once a week do You think this will be enough ?
I am thinking about 5-6 young ones in my 4ft 240l tank ...?


----------



## krazypara3165 (21 Jan 2013)

A hma filter should be fine and you can have upto around 7 fish so thats fine too. I would reccomend fully grown fish as they are easier to keep. If you want juviniles to keep them growing and to prevent stunting you will a lot more water changes than that. Mkst keepers reccomend 50% a day, although personally I just do a large one 2-3 times a week. With younger ones  you will also have to feed more.


----------



## alzak (21 Jan 2013)

I am not yet 100% sure on fish selection my GF like discus and I want some angels buy I am struggling to fibd a local angel breeder where I have two breeders of Discus around me ...
I will be going for as young fish as possible just want to see them grow in my tank...


----------



## discusdan (21 Jan 2013)

Hoping to do a similar set up in my 200l planted tank, ideally having discus and angels together though I've read mixed reviews on this.
Still trying to source good quality discus relatively closely but no luck yet.


----------



## krazypara3165 (21 Jan 2013)

Discusdan, where are you located? I know a couple of good breeders...


----------



## discusdan (21 Jan 2013)

west sussex.


----------



## alzak (21 Jan 2013)

Do You know any good breeder in Birmingham ??


----------



## krazypara3165 (22 Jan 2013)

alzak said:


> Do You know any good breeder in Birmingham ??


 JIMS DISCUS I personally have not used him, but he gets raving reviews and is arguably one of the top.5 breeders in the u.k he gets rave reviews on the bidka forum and his fish look stunning.


----------



## krazypara3165 (22 Jan 2013)

I dont know how far away east sussex is but there is  Visit Us @ Devotedly Discus Ltd yet again another high quality breeder with great reviews.


----------



## roadmaster (22 Jan 2013)

I would coose adult fish were it me.
Already grown,mean's no frequent feeding's necessary to achieve proper development./growth ,and consequently less need for frequent water changes.
Adult fish can get by on one or two feeding's a day, and once weekly water change.
I raised a group of these fish from juveniles around two inches,to adult size and frequent feeding's to prevent stunting the fish, meant frequent water changes to prevent from fouling the water with waste.


----------



## alzak (22 Jan 2013)

Talking about frequent feedeng how frequent do You mean ? I am away for 10 hours a day so no chance to feed fish in this time ...


----------



## krazypara3165 (22 Jan 2013)

i agree 100% with the master of the road. if you are away 10 hours per day adult fish is your best bet. however i work 8 hours a day and still manage to feed them a couple of times before work and a couple after so it can be done, its just a lot of work...


----------



## alzak (22 Jan 2013)

For now I have cousin stopping with me for another few weeks so if I get them "soon" there should be no problem but adult fish are out of question for me ...


----------



## roadmaster (22 Jan 2013)

I fed the young fish four times a day with autofeeder (eheim) while I was away at work ,and Purigen in filter until I could get home to perform near 70% water change.


----------



## Danny (22 Jan 2013)

To be honest IMO hardwater Discus are no where near as nice as the original soft water strain. All you need is an RO unit which can be bough for as little as £40 and you are good to go, Just use pure RO with them.

Have a look at these guys RO units, great value and I have heard some very good things about them and the quality of them.

Colinswaterproducts RO Units


----------



## discusdan (22 Jan 2013)

krazypara3165 said:


> I dont know how far away east sussex is but there is  Visit Us @ Devotedly Discus Ltd yet again another high quality breeder with great reviews.


 
Cheers for that, its only an hour or so away i'll have to pay them a visit.


----------



## alzak (22 Jan 2013)

I do not want to use RO due to water waste from this filter... And discus are much weaker when they are rised and breed in RO water ...
I may invest in automatic feeder ...


----------



## krazypara3165 (22 Jan 2013)

you dont need R.O if bought from a reputable breeder. however dependant on your gh/kh/tds you may need a HMA filter.


----------



## alzak (22 Jan 2013)

3 stage HMA filter is already on order no matter which fish I get discus or angels I will use filtered water for both...


----------

