Altums or Discus

[patliew]

Hi,

Just like to find out from you guys out there if it is more difficult to keeps Altums or Discus in a planted tank?
Any precautions before I decide on one of them?

Thanks.

[loupgarou]

discus is harder because you tend to overfeed, leading to either frequent water changes or algae (whichever you prefer)

[zac08]

Angelfishes require to stay in a group to prevent deaths... they dun like being alone. And they tend to have disease problems (quite a few are carriers)...

Discus on the other hand prefer a darker environment, but plants require more light... So it's more difficult to achieve a balance in this sense.... Some do however create an environment that suits both the plants and discus by creating cover for the fishes in the form of floating plants or plants with leaves that can cover the surface....

[Allen_1971]

pat,

another consideration is what other fish you want to put in the tank. With Altums a lot of smaller fish become a no no as they get killed by the altums. For Discus on the other hand you need to be wary of anything overly aggressive, which might freak your discus out.

[loupgarou]

yeah. and keeping certain discus : eg: pigeon blood , malboro red, red white(non golden strain) (basically non san merah/rosered reds) etc, will cause them go break out in black zits.

[Simon]

u can only keep one species, either altums or discus.. every experience I had with 2 of them in the same tank, usually results in the discus perishing first.. altums are wild caught therefore as stated in some articles, they are carriers of some parasite which are immune to themselves but deadly to discus...

Altums, majestic, beautiful and not forgetting greedy [] .. really a must in a planted tank, especially those with amazon swords aka echinodorus, best kept in groups of 5 or more, have a peaking order or hierachical order in the pack.. hardy? I never lost any altums from illness except for one from a suicide jump (main reason, water level too high and they love to chase one another), a softwater fish so anything below pH 7, they eat anything u throw at them, including spiders, flies.. etc.. the one most imprt requirement will be that the tank must have at least 2ft in height, without it, they will stay small... (personal experiment). Predators in the wild and a predator to be in yr tank, so having tetra and other colourful fishes is something you have to consider, though they will not always go for them for food but rather 'fun' and curiousity....

Discus, so-called king of all aquarium fishes... a slow and graceful fish, comparing to the altums, they r much more sensitive to water parameters though some species are hardy, plants selection is very much to the liking of the owner except discus do not really like bright lights and normally stay under shade except for feeding time... hybrid are easier? compared to wild specimens who are more prone to shocks especially during the inital introduction period, though altums too are prone but react differently, thats one of the reason why some articles recommend the used of taller plants to act as cushion for discus are great dashers and sometimes may injured themselves from it. The one thing about having discus in a planted tank is their slow feeding, so you have to consider their tankmate very carefully.

conclusion, both is equally nice (wild specimens) both have the same characteristics of cichlids.. one thing I observe from having both in the same tank is that, during tank maintenance, placing of one's arm into the tank and not scaring/shocking them is one thing you have to play attention to. Always place yr hands in slowly and always infront of them, never behind, shadow usually cause them to panick easily.

I have some pictures of them in my website, feel free to browse

[patliew]

Thanks Simon.

How do you actually quarantine the altums or discus?
Do you put in any medication to get rid of the parasites or just keep it in a holding tank for some time and see if anything happens?

Any effect with lower temperature of a plant tank on them?

[Simon]

sorry, I never quarantine my fishes *blush*, though risky, but never had the habit..

temperature, altums are fine with cooler waters, but discus prefer ard 29-30...