Let Talk About Wild Thing

[wilddiscus]

Hi all AQ members;

for all the year i have keeps wild discus it seems like no luck on me, ever once i keeps as much as 12 pieces of wild heckel discus... but eventually all goes to fish heaven ...sad to say and really burn a huge hole in my pocket !
if you ever keeps this wild thing sucessfully please share your knowledge like what type of setup to keeps this fish strive .. bare tank ? planted tank ? any particular additive ...peat or blackwater used ?

thanks in advance.[]

[Simon]

Hi wildiscus,

glad to see someone else into wild fishes... I too love wild discus, but I too dun have luck with heckel, compared to the Tefe green, the latter is much hardy.. Heckels r extremely sensitive and easily shocked.. prone to internal parasite, is kinda headache...

apart from discus, I oso keep apisto and wild altums

[ikan]

I too had wild Heckels many years ago and got very skinny and went to heaven. Even today people still have problem with Heckel and it makes me wonder if we are keeping them if correct environment. It's like people used to keep n. leleupi (when it was first discovered) from tanganyikan in soft water and keep on dying.
Must be something that we are missing eg maybe the PH need to be lower.
What we read from magazine or web is the same thing but also ends up the same way, they swim in heaven. I think we might be copying each other mistakes and maybe it's time to think outside the box.
It's only my opinion.

[budak]

One idea with these blackwater fishes is that in their natural waters, the pH is so low (4-5) that nearly all bacteria is inhibited. So their natural resistance to bacteria is very low compared to fish species who live in less acidic waters.

[wilddiscus]

Yes agree with you all,
I do have a few pieces of Tefe Red spotted green and is more robust then Heckel... until now they seems ok in my planted tank no sign of Hexamita or hunger strike .
Although all my Heckel fish died but able to observe a few point when my heckel had their glory days ,
1. bare tank can achived Ph as low as PH 4-5
but they do very well when ph 5-5.5
2. Keeps more then 4 pieces or as group
3. change water change 1 once a week , ever try onces every 2 day , they really stress out
4. thank bigger 3 feets

come to thing about it , my bare tank never decorated with drift wood or anything else, maybe can try next time when i'm ready.

Happy Discus keeping to all and
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW 2003!~