Care and water change routine for Discus

[PLee]

The only thing that stops me from keeping them is the frequent water changes

[illumnae]

haha yep PLee, that is why i switched from discus barebottom to apistos and we're learning apisto newbies together...the frequent water changes made me convert =)

if you're really interested in discus, adult discus in a planted tank is alot lower maintenance, maybe once a week 30-50% water change?

[Shadow]

I think it required frequent water change due to their appetite but if you feed them blood worm instead of beef heart, feed moderately and in planted tank, I think once a week water change is enough. Though it probably won’t grow round
My 2 cents

[PLee]

when I was young I kept discus... I did water changes till I almost have nightmare.

I would probably start keeping discus in my next house. That is if I plan a new tank with pipping all the way to the toilet. When doing water change simply flush and turn on the tap!!

[wasabi8888]

From what I know, cos wks showed me his.. he does water change once a week about 100% WC.... bare bottom tank... 2 filters (1 ohf and 1 sponge filter) and 1 air stone...

[wks]

wow, I saw a lot of pics for Discus. The only thing that stops me from keeping them is the frequent water changes

Hi PLee, although I agree that discus need good quality water. You don't need to change water frequently to achieve that. Controlled feeding coupled with investment of an effective filter can cut down the water changing frequency. I only change water once a week for my adult discus and I feed them once a day on Tetra Bits Complete. I use a sponge filter and an overhead filter to maintain good water quality. Another point to note is to keep the number discus low with respect to the tank volume so that the water will not turn bad easily.

[illumnae]

Usually huge water change for discus is due to feeding them beefheart, which fouls the water immensely. i fed my discus beefheart 4 times daily, and they were healthy with 70-90% water change every 1-3 days depending on my schedule...i'm sure if only FBW and tetrabits were fed, with a good filtration system, 50% weekly would be enough for them.

in a planted tank feeding them only FBW and tetrabits should be able to get by with 30% weekly imo...

but the other thing is alot of people keep discus so that they grow big and beautiful. a common experience that is spread by discus experts is that frequent water changes makes discus grow faster. i don't know how true it is, but experts all swear by it. thus if you want a big, beautiful discus, you have to do daily or twice a day 100% water changes to induce growth. that is why it is said in a planted tank, discus will not grow as fast nor as large as discus in a bare bottom tank with frequent water changes