Who Gives A Fish Forums

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I'll dial down the flow and look into a spray bar. Doing 30% water changes twice a week, temp is steady at 84°F. Substrate is sand, so that's good.

I've got a 75 gallon tank with 6 Discus, all around 4 inches. The water flow seems too strong, they're struggling to swim near the filter output. Using a Fluval 407, but I'm not sure if I should adjust the flow rate or add something to diffuse it. Anyone dealt with this before?

Beef heart mix is the way to go for growth. I've been using a homemade blend with shrimp, vitamins, and a bit of spinach. My Discus went from 2 inches to 5 in six months. Key is high protein, small portions, and frequent feedings. Also, try adding some live blackworms if you can find them.

I've kept Discus in a 55g before, but it's sketchy long-term. Upgraded to a 75g last year, and the difference is night and day. They're more active, eat better, and no fin nipping. Running a sponge filter plus a HOB, temp at 85F, and feeding a mix of flakes, frozen bloodworms, and homemade beef ...

Re: How many discus at once is too much?

Originally posted by kayla

Any pictures?

To be honest, I tried taking some but the aquarium light freaks them out - they dart around like mad and even had one knock themselves out for a couple of seconds. Now they just hide in the corner whenever I'm near ...

Re: How many discus at once is too much?

Update -

All the discus are now in and settling in quite well, been about 48 hours so far. Had a slight ammonia spike as expected, but I'm keeping on top of it with regular water changes and a bit of Prime. They're eating like champs, so that's a good sign.

Re: How many discus at once is too much?

Thanks for all the advice, really appreciate it. I'm picking up the discus in a couple of weeks, so I'm focusing on getting the tank settled as much as possible before they arrive. I went with Seachem Stability as it was the most readily available option ...

Re: How many discus at once is too much?

Originally posted by bowsar

*snip*

That's a pretty intense experience - I can imagine how stressful it must've been. Thankfully, my tank is significantly larger, which I'm hoping will give me some wiggle room to avoid any drastic spikes. I'm planning on ...

Re: How many discus at once is too much?

Originally posted by FishNe
What size are the Discus you're getting. In any case, do keep an eye on the fish and the water parameters. I've used Stability with great success but usually still have to do large water changes until the filter catches up with ...

Just got word my new 700L tank is arriving next week. Planning to kick-start it with Seachem Stability. Also, I'm thinking of grabbing 15 Stendker discus before they're no longer available.

Would adding 15 at once put too much strain on the tank's bio load?