So a little over a month ago I was in a local tropical fish store and they had these angelfish.

Knowing what they were, and knowing how rare they are in the pet trade I purchased all five he had. If I am lucky I will get a breeding pair or two and be able to sell the young for 50.00 each.

Here is the photo I took today with the Pentax K-1 in APS-C mode with my 14mm lens made for APS-C bodies (the K-1 can shoot both full frame and APS-C modes).

I've had a few. Had a legit breeding pair, but my homemade tank sprung and very big leak so I just gave them to the pet store. My favorite freshwater fish. Never had the stones to step up to discus.

quote:

Originally posted by goose5:
I've had a few. Had a legit breeding pair, but my homemade tank sprung and very big leak so I just gave them to the pet store. My favorite freshwater fish. Never had the stones to step up to discus.

Discus aren't hard to keep. weekly or more often water changes, and good food are the key.

I have had Discus that I raised from dime size and then sold, and I have six wild type Discus arriving Tuesday this week.

Your tank looks good.

Hello Wanda.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Your tank looks good.

Thank you. I added some Batata Red F2 (Wild caught offspring) Discus also.

quote:

Originally posted by Loswsmith:
Hello Wanda.

Does it make me old that I know the reference and laughed?

"Its k k k ken coming to k k k kill me."

Do you use a refugium?

quote:

Originally posted by lizardman_u:

Does it make me old that I know the reference and laughed?

I wish to make a complete and utter retraction . . .

quote:

Originally posted by goose5:
"Its k k k ken coming to k k k kill me."

Do you use a refugium?

Ha ha ha

No I don't use a refugium. These shots are of the Angels in my 75 gallon aquarium.

I have since added a wild type but tank bred discus to the aquarium as well.

This was circa 1987 but here is a scanned shot of my Angels. [/url] by [url=https:///184375216@N03/],

Here's a shot of the afore mentioned homemade tank. It held 113 gallons. Work for a company that used to do a lot of glass. I'd collect the 1/4 inch double insulated units and cut them apart for the glass. Made the box, faceplate, and light hood. Cut glass to fit. The front is 1/4 triple pane. The rest just one pane where it was supported by wood. Left a little gap on the bottom in back. That's where it failed. Still had plenty of time to get the fish out and to a pet store. I didn't have another tank to put them in. Don't worry about the female in the photo. She's trying a new meditation technique.

[/url] by ,

Here's a little better shot of the tank. I made the hood to swing open of the right side. I put in a single strength pane of glass on top, and trimmed it out so you could look down into the tank from above. These shots are so old they're not on any computer. I had to scan them in from prints.

by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/184375216@N03/]

So what you're saying is,
Those are going to cost a pretty penny in a Long John Silvers
Value meal ?

Lizardman_U I would really like to hear you describe setup and your process of keeping a your tank. With all products that you use, and filtration methods. I've always wanted to try discus. A friend did and it didn't work out for him. I've been out of the freshwater game now for about 30 years, and I imagine much has changed.

quote:

Originally posted by goose5:
Lizardman_U I would really like to hear you describe setup and your process of keeping a your tank. With all products that you use, and filtration methods. I've always wanted to try discus. A friend did and it didn't work out for him. I've been out of the freshwater game now for about 30 years, and I imagine much has changed.

75 gallon aquarium (48 inches long, etc..)

Two Fluval E300 heaters.

Fluval 406 cannister filter with foam sponge prefilters

Fluval FX6 cannister filter with foam sponge prefilters

Aqua Clear 110 Hang on Back filter with foam sponge prefilter.

Coralife 18 Watt UV filter on return line of Fluval 406 Cannister filter.

Sponge, bio rings, bio balls, and Seachem De-Nitrate (basically porous rocks to host aerobic bacteria that help break down waste).

Weekly 40 gallon water changes with adding back filtered water (solid carbon block under sink filter that is about 30 years old, but the carbon blocks are still available).

I use Seachem Stability when performing water changes.

I Add Discus Trace (adding back minerals that are in the Amazon), Blackwater Extract (tannins that contain minerals).

And if I have a tank crash (I try not to over clean... I only clean one filter at a time usually a month apart) I add a Seachem product that is basically seeding the beneficial bacteria.

I have a manzanita stump and some spider wood for the Discus to hide around, Water Hyacinth (a floating plant usually in ponds, Red Root Floater (floating aquarium plant), and Anubis Barteri (aquatic plant) growing on the stump.

The key is water changes and good food.

I feed freeze dried blackworm, and a flake food from Ken's fish (blend of his worm flakes, tropical flakes, and Cichlid/angel/Discus flake.

If I see certain problems like whirling disease I feed a Ken's fish flake with metro (medicine is in the flake).

My light is a Fluval LED plant light

I also have an air driven sponge filter in the tank as I am using it to collect the beneficial bacteria to kickstart the nitrification cycle of a 20 gallon tank being set up in my son's room (right now it is soaking in a vinegar water mix to remove limescale.

With Discus high volume water turnover with low current is important...

Had I to do it over again I would go with a bigger tank.

My stand is 60x24x30 inches on eight castors each with a 250 pound capacity so once I take around half the water out of the tank I can clean the back of the aquarium if need be, or move things away from the wall so I can run power cables or plumbing.

Thanks for the info. Wow, you do a 50 percent weekly water change. Back in the day a 20 percent change was recommended.

Discus, especially when growing out need a very large water change. I know guys who do 20% - 80% daily.

I bought juvenile discus. The upside is lower cost, the downside is more labor while they grow.

Also since I have gravel substrate and a bristlenose pleco that is digging I am trying to remove total disolved solids.

I will continue to do 50% water changes as it is good for the water chemistry and promotes healthy fish.

I also don't use dechlorintators but instead use vitamin - C (four 500mg tablets crushed up) as the Asorbic Acid bonds to Chlorine creating a neutral (USDA Cistern management guide).

Do you have a separate tank to prepare the water before it goes into you tank? I've seen youtube vids where water is taken out. Chemicals are dumped into the tank with the fish to take out chlorine and tap water pumped back in. This can't be a good method. I'm thinking the temperature shock alone can't be good.

quote:

Originally posted by goose5:
Do you have a separate tank to prepare the water before it goes into you tank? I've seen youtube vids where water is taken out. Chemicals are dumped into the tank with the fish to take out chlorine and tap water pumped back in. This can't be a good method. I'm thinking the temperature shock alone can't be good.

No, I fill from filtered tap water filtered through a solid carbon block filter.

Remember during a rain storm the temp of the water in the wild can drop 20 degrees.

The filter removes chlorine, and if I am concerned I use vitamin C to remove chlorine.

Tasty.

I love tropical fish, but I hate the work. I would dearly love to have the funds to rent tanks.