Before You Buy Your DiscusBefore You Buy Your Discus
Getting the tank ready...
Make sure your tank is completely cycled. This means the biological filtration system has already been established. If you are setting up a new tank for Discus, you must put other fish in it first, usually for about 4-6 weeks to "cycle" the tank. We won't get into the complete details here, but there is much involved in the cycling of the new fish tank (not by the owner, but by the water, the "good" bacteria and the filter system). The main reason you cannot rush the procedure is the ammonia level in the water greatly varies during cycling and Discus cannot tolerate this! If you have set up a new tank and the tank nitrobacter becomes established, your water will cloud up after awhile (depending on how many fish you're using to cycle it and many other factors). Usually within a week or two after that, the tank should be suitable for Discus. All pet stores have water test kits. For Discus, you will definitely want a PH test kit and an Ammonia test kit. Some ammonia test kits can be difficult to use. One of the easiest to use and most common is Aquarium Pharmaceuticals' "Dry-Tab" kit.
Buying from your local pet store....
If you wish to purchase Discus from your local pet store, be patient and careful. Observe that they are not dark in color, always hiding in the corner of the tank or very skinny looking. Ask the store to feed them while you watch. Watch to see if they aggressively eat or not. You'll want the ones that do. If you can manage the wait, come back again a few days later to see how they're doing. They may take a deposit to hold them for you, and if you decide you don't want them, will refund it later. If they still seem healthy, then go ahead and buy them. Most pet store owners with any Discus knowledge will understand and hopefully respect your skepticism, especially considering the prices you usually will pay for them. Be sure to find out what the PH is in the pet store's water. If it's much different than yours (.5 or more .... for instance if your home tank is 6.5 and the store Discus are at 7.2, go back home and adjust your water before bringing them home.) Discus can adjust to higher PH levels more easily than lower ones. In other words, if the store PH is low and yours is higher, you can take them home and slowly bring up the bag water to match the tank by adding tank water. But don't take store fish home from 7.5 water and put them into a tank at 6.5!
Mail Ordering Your Discus....
If you are planning to mail order your Discus, there are a few more things you'll need to take into consideration. Be sure to ask what the PH of the water is, so you can have your quarantine tank ready for them. Some breeders don't ship during the winter, but it can be done. I ordered some this past winter from across the country, the breeder shipped them with some of those chemical packets like you can warm your hands with, taped to the fish bags. The water was still only 68 degrees when they got here, less than 24 hours after they were shipped. I was a little concerned, but I'd read that short term low temperatures won't normally hurt healthy fish and all survived. See the section on Acclimation and Quarantine for details on how to get them into your tank with the least amount of stress. If you want more info on airlines, shipping, etc. it is available on many of the breeders' pages. Links to breeders' pages are on the front page of this site.
A few more important considerations before you buy Discus! .... ( How many should I get??...etc. )
One reason many people give up after one bad experience is that they were tentative and got only one or two fish. Thus part of the continuing myth about Discus being hard to care for. Discus don't usually do well in very small numbers. Some may disagree with this and say they've done it with just one or two! I'm just relaying reliable information to benefit most beginners. These types of decisions are hard for most beginners and understandably so. Discus fare much better in a group of at least 4 to 6. Again, understandably this may scare off many new keepers, but if you think you're ready, it's much better to jump in with both feet and go for it. I'm sure if you ask any Discus breeders, they would also agree.
As stated on the front page, you're usually better off beginning with medium size fish, rather than babies or adults. Adults usually acclimate to new environment with much more difficulty than medium size fish. Babies are very susceptible to disease, if you're not familiar with required conditions for them. With this in mind, shop for a group (maybe 4 or 5) of small (2") fish or at least 3-4 medium to larger (3-4") ones to start with.
Are you ready for them??...
Common sense, acquired knowledge and patience helps alot when making judgements concerning Discus. If you have a "Type A" personality, lose or change interests quickly, are impatient, get hyped or discouraged easily and/or tend to make decisions quickly, you may wish to reconsider entering the world of Discus keeping. You must be ready for the responsibilities that include regular water changes, feeding 2 or 3 times daily and dealing with health problems that may arise.
Give new ones time to adjust....
If you get new Discus, don't be disheartened if they don't acclimate to their new home quickly! I've seen them take as long as six weeks, even if they weren't diseased in any way, to start behaving like they don't hate you or the others in the tank! This is somewhat abnormal, as usually they're happy within a few days, but it happens. For example, I once acquired a group of six 3-4" ones, added them to a tank with six others. One of two 4" White Dragons hid in a corner, fins clamped and wouldn't eat well or move around for about 3 weeks. Finally he came out one day and just began acting normally! Another one of the group, a 3" Red-Turquoise, hid constantly in the opposite rear corner behind a plant and I thought he wasn't eating at all. Once in awhile, if he was out in the tank and I came into the room, he'd dart back into his corner. Finally, after six weeks, he just came out into the tank and started acting like all the rest, lining up for feedings, etc! Bottom line is.... if you're fairly sure the fish aren't diseased, just give them some time and they'll usually come around! This is just part of their unusual, but very attractive personalities!
Return to "Main Topics" MenuReturn to "Beginner's" Home Page