Gorgeous Discus. You think like me. I have a variety of Discus also in my tank. They are smaller though. I want to enjoy their growth throughout the years to come.
Your discus are beautiful and healthy looking. I especially like the leopard one. He looks like the boss of the tank! Question: Which type of leopard is this? I was looking at the Discus Hans site and they have Red Leopard and Leopard Snakeskin. If I get discus in the future, I definitely want one of these. Thanks!
So do you run a black background and a black substrate? Did you get them at 2.5” or adults. Curious of your periodic water changes as well. Beautiful fish bro.
Thanks for the comment! The background's black, but the substrate is white (pool filter sand). They were about 3" when I got them and are full grown now (6"+). I've played around with different water change schedules, but have been doing more frequent changes for a while to keep nitrates at a reasonable level. They are fed beef heart which is very messy and pollutes the water pretty bad. As a result, I typically do a 75% water change every 3-4 days. I've tried 7 day and even 10 day schedules, but the nitrates grey pretty high. I've set up a water change system where I store water for the tank and can pump it directly into the tank with 5/8" tubing so the water changes only take about 30-45 minutes now which really helps. I need to start making more videos again and I can show the setup I use. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the comment! I do a water change about 2 times per week right now and quickly vacuum the gravel with the water changes. It seems that most of the fish waste is filtered out of the water by the setup, but plant debris and leftover food makes it to the bottom. After I do a quick siphoning of the gravel I use a cheap submersible pump to pump water from the tank to a sink to speed up the process of water changes. Let me know if that makes sense or if you have any other questions?
@@avinashnbhatt its a great tactic.no siphoning required and you can custom a mesh cover over the pump to stop any plant detritus blocking the impeller. It amazes me how many vids show soneone sucking on a pipe to do their changes
Beautifull Stendkers...just your tank has some algea problem.....as you know, put pressured co2, that will halp. I have tank with stendkers and co2 to..... they do fine,
Thanks for the comment! I think my background and camera make it look worse than it really is. There's definitely some algae, but it looks worse on my videos than in person, possibly because of the reflection created. What size tank do you have? I've never used pressurized CO2 partly because I was concerned about pH stability and adding another variable to watch. Have you had any issues with your pH? Thanks!
well. my tank is 350 l ....i think thats a 90 gallon. If you go t oStendkers page, you will see that you need to change more or less a water one tim 10 % per week.... thats how i do, no problems for fishes, and i feed 3 times per day. Co2 will drop if your kh is low, but for discus that kind of ph drop via Co2 is not dangerous, if ph drops because of organic waste if thats a problem. So, pressurized co2 will halp a lot in your tank, just put some air stone with co2 to....your plants will go booooom, and thay will suck up bad stuff from your tank to, best filter is a healthy plant. good luck..... a lots of information you can find on official stendker web.... sry abaut my english.
Perhaps in a bare bottom tank. 10 adult discus in a heavily planted 60 gallon with driftwood is too many, in my opinion. I have not experienced any issues with aggression in my setup.
Have they breed at all, or you plan to breed them? I just got back in the hobby and got me 6 discus 2” and I’m going to try your recipe for the beef heart, and hopefully I get them to grow at least to 5” . By the way love your fish.! Really bright coloring (watching ur videos from Lincoln)
Thanks for the comment! I went to high school and college in Lincoln. My discus have laid eggs on the glass and driftwood in the past, but I've never seen live fry. I'm not set up for raising fry so I haven't pursued it further than that. If I had a definite breeding pair I might have tried setting up a breeding tank, but I've yet to see a breeding pair.
It's tough to give an exact recommendation. It depends on the size/age of the fish, how many you have, as well as how often you are comfortable making water changes (the more you feed, the more often you'll need to do water changes). Many breeders feed 3 times per day. Mine are now all adult discus (around 6 inches) and I feed them 1-2 times per day with a total of around 2 cubes of beef heart mix that I make. I also feed one cube of blood worms every few days as well. Younger discus should be fed 3 times a day. Here's a link with information regarding feeding that Stendker Discus put out a number of years ago: www.diskuszucht-stendker.de/plugins_en/pdfs/3.2_Fuetterung_und_Futter_von_Diskusfischen_en.pdf
@@discus1018 The best Discus fish i saw you have How do you make the beef heart do you add any vitamins? I am new for discus fish i like to take some advice from you when i saw ur fish
Thanks! I have a video of how to make the beef heart mix I use here: ruclips.net/video/xhIXStDL8n0/видео.html. Here's the ingredient list: 3 Beef Hearts 1/2 lbs Salmon 1/2 pound shrimp 4 Multivitamin tablets 4 Calcium tablets Crushed or Minced Garlic 2 Tbsp Paprika Fish Flake Food 3 packets Knox Gelatin Let me know if you have any other questions and welcome to the discus hobby!
Ya, I have the same tank with the same discus in it. I've changed the plants and added CO2 to it, but the tank is otherwise the same. I'm setting up a large cichlid tank in the next few weeks and will post a video of that. I will try to do an update video of this discus tank at that time.
The picture of brilliant turquoise and the leopard on discus hans site looks so dull, how did you manage to bring up the color so much? Do you have different kind of lighting that enhances the color?
The pictures on the Discus Hans site are relatively poor quality and don't represent the beautiful color of the actual fish. I did have a color enhancer light on the tank when this video was filmed, but the video itself was not enhanced. The only light on the tank right now is a Fluval Plant 3.0 and the fish still look great.
I mix RO and tap water to keep my pH around 7. At the time this video was made I was mixing it right before adding it to the tank so it was not aged. I've never had issues with that although I know some people will say that aging the water is a must. I set up a water changing system about a year ago that allows me to pump the heated mixed water into the tank for water changes. Because the water is now stored and heated, it is aged, but that's more a result of the system I've set up and not intentional aging. I believe Stendkers in the US are raised in a pH around 7, but can certainly tolerate a range of pH values. Having kept them for a number of years now I would agree that they would probably do fine up to 8. I've personally kept them as low as 6 and as high as 7.5. I would say the "safest" pH is 6-7, but Stendkers are relatively hardy and can handle parameters that other breeder's discus can't.
@@discus1018 thanks. My tap water is between 7.5 and 8. In my tank it's always 7.5 somehow. I'll buy some all in one test strips to keep things checked. Before getting any. It's a juwel rio 350.
@@TinoushGTR That sounds good, I would think from a pH standpoint you will be fine at those levels. I'd also pick up a KH testing kit online. They're not very expensive and will allow you to monitor stability a little better. pH can vary throughout the day, but the KH values should be stable in the setup.
Steven Cheng Sorry for the delay in my response, I'm out of the country right now. The discus in this video are between 4.5" and 5.5" in length (11.5 - 14 cm). You have to pay more to order them at 4" (10 cm) in size, but they are typically hardier and have the adult coloring at that point. You could order them at 3" (7.5 cm) instead and pay a little less, but I wouldn't order them smaller than that unless you are set up for juveniles.
He looks like an orange or orange-red to me in person. Probably a little darker than in this video, but I personally would call him orange. To my eye, most discus "red" colors are actually "orange" (including the Fire Red and Marlboro). When I ordered mine they came with the colors I expected for the most part. I would say the Pigeon Blood Blue was a lot more orange than I expected (he looks like a true Pigeon Blood to me), but they generally look like the pics on Hans' website (discusfishstore.com). Hope that helps!
guess your right, lots of the photo's of red Discus looks photo shopped to me. Your Brilliant Turquoise looks way more pretty than on the website from my seller though!
Ya, Stendker Brilliant Turqs are hard to beat. He has great color contrast. I like the Checkerboard a lot, too. In the future I would like to get a few German Wonder Discus from Hans as they always seem to have excellent coloration.
I prefer Paraguard from SeaChem. I've had good luck using it on many different planted setups and have never had issues using it with discus. I would recommend it as a prophylactic for new fish as well as treating infected fish. Just follow the directions and you should have no issues.
A checkerboard is a type of pigeon. In my experience, they seem to be a little brighter and have a cleaner pattern, but they really are just a type of pigeon.
I feed them beef heart twice a day and a cube of blood worms once a day. I add a small amount of brine shrimp for some of the other fish and the discus eat that as well.
Hey man, great video! Gorgeous fish! I watched your other video and heard you were from Omaha, NE. I live in Sioux City, IA, right now and Omaha is the closest LFS. Which fish store did you get your tank drilled at? I'd love to get my 40 breeder drilled out. Anyways I'd love to talk with you more 1 on 1 because I'd love to get some stendker discus in the future, but I need to get an R/O system and some other things before hand. If you'd like to add me to facebook I'd love to talk more. Thanks for the video! - Josh DeGraw.
Thanks! I had it drilled at Fish Freaks. I'll add you on FB, feel free to PM me with any questions you have and I can try to answer them the best I can.
It really depends on what the breeder has raised their fish in, but in general a pH of 6-7 is usually safe. In the end, stability is the most important thing. Someone who has a stable setup with a pH of 7.2 would be preferred to a setup where the pH swings from 5-7.
@@mjhobbies6078 Peppering is a natural phenomenon in pigeon strains, but can be limited to some degree. Some people believe it can increase when they are kept in a tank with dark substrate or dark backgrounds. I like the dark background in this setup so I stuck with it. The white substrate may have helped limit the peppering to some degree. Peppering is permanent, but may very in intensity with the time of day or mood of the fish. Over the years I've learned to look at it as just part of the fish's coloration and personality. It's unique to each one. A few of the discus from this video recently died from old age and some gill hyperplasia, but the others are doing well. I have a few more that were recently added to the tank (a German Wonder and a White Leopard.
did you ever had a problem with them eating in the beginning? did you had to train them eating other foods than just beef heart? sorry for all the questions but so far you are my best source of information about the Stendker Discus! you are lucky to have that Dutch guy Hans to supply you with those fish. I can tell you that the supplier in Canada is not very helpful at all! Hans does not ship to Canada...
No problem. That's too bad about your supplier, Hans is great! When I originally bought my discus from Hans I also purchased several packages of his homemade beef heart. The idea was to limit the stress after shipping by feeding them what they were used to. 5 of the 6 ate right away, but the Cobalt took a few days if I remember correctly. After a week or 2 I started to offer blood worms as well and they were quick to eat these. I used to feed them brine shrimp once in a while, but don't anymore. When I transitioned to my homemade beef heart, there were no problems, but the recipe I use came out looking pretty similar to what Hans's looked like.
I'll tell you a couple other things (sorry for the length). A friend of mine received discus from a different breeder and had a lot of trouble getting them to eat. They were originally fed black worms, which are not readily available in stores in Omaha. He tried feeding store bought beef heart, homemade beef heart, blood worms, and brine shrimp all without success. He contacted the breeder and was sent a package of black worms overnight. Unfortunately, most of his discus still did not eat. This went on for several weeks and if I remember correctly he did lose one or two of the fish. However, in the end the others started to eat and are doing well today.
I guess the takeaway from all of this is that discus can go a long time without eating, so don't panic if they aren't eating on arrival. I wouldn't begin to worry until the 7-10 day point. My cobalt became sick with ick at one point a year or two ago (after adding new fish that I apparently hadn't quarantined long enough) and he didn't eat for several weeks. However, after he recovered he finally started to eat again and still looks great today. Also, if at all possible try and obtain the exact food the fish are being fed by the breeder. That way you can slowly transition to the food you are using. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for taking the time to inform me properly! The Discus i am getting actually come straight from Stendker Germany! The supplier here in Canada orders them specially for me, when they arrive he repacks them the same day and ships them that same day to me so they will be in a box for a long time. I just made my food today at work using some of your instructions, I couldn't get heart so I used eye of round (like Hans does) and actually comparing the nutrition value of the 2 they are pretty similar and eye of round is a lot easier to clean! I added some fresh garlic in my recipe in the hope that they can't resist the smell! I know about the blackworms, no LFS carry's that here either and I have to order online. Thanks again buddy for your time!
No problem! Wow, that's impressive! Let me know how they do and if they like the food. I may try switching to eye of round if the butcher here has it. If you don't mind, message me on FB with pics of the new fish after they've adjusted to the tank! (facebook.com/adamchick29)
Thanks, not sure why your anti-virus flagged it. I'm not real knowledgable about computers, but I'm surprised a video link from youtube would be a virus threat?
Hey buddy, don't have my Discus yet but came across this during my search for info on Stendker Discus. www.diskuszucht-stendker.de/gb/587,0,faq,index,0.html You might want to check it out, very conflicting info on keeping Discus especially regarding the stocking of the tank.
I'm sure there are plenty of differing opinions on keeping discus out there. The Stendker FAQ page has some pretty extreme advice. Some of it would seem to be a bit of salesmanship. However, I'm sure if you were to keep a bare-bottom aquarium with plenty of filtration you could overstock it to numbers that are at least approaching what they speak of. I should have clarified better on my videos that the information I'm providing is more for a planted community tank in which discus are the primary attraction. There's simply no way you could put the numbers they recommend in a planted aquarium of that size. Just looking at my set up while I write this, I could possibly squeeze one, maybe two more discus in the tank, but that would definitely be pushing it. I find it hard to believe you could cram 25 discus in a 75 gallon aquarium and only change the water biweekly. That's something I'd have to see to believe. The setup they speak of sounds like one that would start to become more than a hobby. You would need several discus tanks if you were going to overstock one with juveniles and then move fish to reduce their numbers as they grow. At some point the joy of the hobby is lost, in my opinion.
As for their recommendations on not putting other fish in the aquarium, it boils down to an individual preference. There are risks with putting tetras, corys, and other fish in a discus tank, but if the fish are quarantined properly, the risk is minimal. For me, discus are best kept in a planted, community setting. That's where their colors and beauty are the most apparent. I feel the slight risk is worth it and my fish are as healthy as any out there. Some people enjoy raising them in isolated bare-bottom tanks and that's fine. It's more of a preference. My guess is Stendker is trying to protect themselves from angry customers whose discus become sick from a community fish. That's a risk, but one that is assumed by the owner of the fish. As I said above, if done correctly, the risk posed by community fish in a discus tank is minimal.
One other thought. Discus do tend to chase one another. They are a member of the cichlid family and like all cichlids, can become aggressive at times. (On a side note, the FAQ page states they are a member of the perch family. I'm not sure if this is a translation issue or not, but as far as I know this is not true. They are of the order Cichliformes, family Cichlidae. In other words, they are a type of cichlid). One advantage of a planted aquarium is it provides places for the fish to hide and move to. The plants essentially break the aquarium up. My discus chase one another, but rarely cause any visible markings on the fins. Their aggressiveness is no more than an average fish (such as a gourami) and certainly pales in comparison to other members of the cichlid family. I don't see the need for overstocking to the degree they recommend.
I'm thinking about starting with 10 of them in my 55 gallon but then some smaller ones and see how they grow and eventually turn my 90 gallon planted into a Discus tank later and my Angels can have the 55. (poor Angels) I have 8 angels in there that chase each other all the time but never harm each other either. the more of them the more the aggression is divided and non of the becomes the piss-pole of the tank. Stendker explanation for having that many Discus in a smaller tank is for that reason and they are unable to start breeding and get super aggressive for that reason. at the breeder facility in Germany they swim in water up to 300ppm (!) Nitrate and they are healthy. in Germany water is many many times more costly then in the USA or here in Canada simply cuz Germany is so densely populated and there is not as much to waste like in North America so massive regular water changes are expensive and over time the Discus there got used to higher Nitrates. and yes i think there are a few translation errors on their page like the perch you mentioned should be Cichlid and several times they talk about Nitrite instead of Nitrate. but with Chichlids like the Malawi's or Tanganyika, its either over stocking or lightly stocked. I hope my plan works out, or else the 90 gallon is the back up plan. Just thought the site would interest you as well as their view is a lot different then what I came across so far. your fish will be different from mine though as yours are bred in the States and mine in Germany. the only option for me unfortunately. My fish probably arrive in the beginning of March... pfff what a wait...
Sounds good! I'll be interested to hear how your tank does! I've kept Malawi's for years (I have a 75 gallon currently) and they have always seemed far more aggressive than discus to me. Malawi seem to attack and sometimes kill while discus seem to chase. While overstocking Malawi is the rule, the density the Stendker site is talking about is more than I've ever done even with Malawi. You make a good point about the water cost and resulting high levels of Nitrates. I'd be curious to know how US bred Stendkers would respond to similar conditions? Is your 55 bare-bottom or does it have hardscape and substrate?
They are all incredible, your brilliant and cobalt are my favorite!
Great collection.. and they're so healthy and happy..
Thanks for the comment!
These are fabulous. This is the first time I have seen these fish, what beauties.
Thanks!
Gorgeous Discus. You think like me. I have a variety of Discus also in my tank. They are smaller though. I want to enjoy their growth throughout the years to come.
Thanks!
Stunning discus!
Clearly very happy fish😍😍😍
Thanks!
Just starting out with discus, nice to stendker out there and colour types , I have 10 young fish doing great so far. Really helps , thanks 😊
Thanks for the comment! Glad the video helped!
one of the best video's about Stendker Discus i have seen so far! thanks for explaining all the variations and behavior!
Thanks for the comment!
Beautiful fish, in the next week or so I'll have my first 8, possibly 10 Stendkers, cant wait
Thanks! Good luck with the new Stendkers, the wait is worth it!
Your discus are beautiful and healthy looking. I especially like the leopard one. He looks like the boss of the tank! Question: Which type of leopard is this? I was looking at the Discus Hans site and they have Red Leopard and Leopard Snakeskin. If I get discus in the future, I definitely want one of these. Thanks!
He’s a leopard snakeskin, but I’m sure either would be stunning!
Stunning selection! Their beauty rivals saltwater. I grew up in Lincoln.
Thanks for the comment! I live in Omaha now, been went to high school in Lincoln at Southeast.
I live in Omaha too and also order solely from Stendker! They are awesome!
Thanks for the comment! And I agree, I wouldn't purchase from another buyer. Awesome fish!
Saw your video also on making beef heart. Left a comment, but where do you buy your beef heart?
Sorry, just saw the comment. I buy the beef heart from Rick's Meats in Elkhorn.
thanks for the detailed info
No problem, glad it helped!
Beautiful fish! I'm setting up a discus tank in Omaha this year. Did you use our tap water?
So do you run a black background and a black substrate? Did you get them at 2.5” or adults. Curious of your periodic water changes as well. Beautiful fish bro.
Thanks for the comment! The background's black, but the substrate is white (pool filter sand). They were about 3" when I got them and are full grown now (6"+). I've played around with different water change schedules, but have been doing more frequent changes for a while to keep nitrates at a reasonable level. They are fed beef heart which is very messy and pollutes the water pretty bad. As a result, I typically do a 75% water change every 3-4 days. I've tried 7 day and even 10 day schedules, but the nitrates grey pretty high. I've set up a water change system where I store water for the tank and can pump it directly into the tank with 5/8" tubing so the water changes only take about 30-45 minutes now which really helps. I need to start making more videos again and I can show the setup I use. Hope that helps!
Great video, how do you manage fish waste? I’m vacuuming 3 time a week and wondered if there’s a better solution
Thanks for the comment! I do a water change about 2 times per week right now and quickly vacuum the gravel with the water changes. It seems that most of the fish waste is filtered out of the water by the setup, but plant debris and leftover food makes it to the bottom. After I do a quick siphoning of the gravel I use a cheap submersible pump to pump water from the tank to a sink to speed up the process of water changes. Let me know if that makes sense or if you have any other questions?
@@discus1018 Cleaning with submersible pump can you make a video for us 🙄...
Just asking
@@avinashnbhatt its a great tactic.no siphoning required and you can custom a mesh cover over the pump to stop any plant detritus blocking the impeller.
It amazes me how many vids show soneone sucking on a pipe to do their changes
Beautifull Stendkers...just your tank has some algea problem.....as you know, put pressured co2, that will halp. I have tank with stendkers and co2 to..... they do fine,
Thanks for the comment! I think my background and camera make it look worse than it really is. There's definitely some algae, but it looks worse on my videos than in person, possibly because of the reflection created. What size tank do you have? I've never used pressurized CO2 partly because I was concerned about pH stability and adding another variable to watch. Have you had any issues with your pH? Thanks!
well. my tank is 350 l ....i think thats a 90 gallon. If you go t oStendkers page, you will see that you need to change more or less a water one tim 10 % per week.... thats how i do, no problems for fishes, and i feed 3 times per day. Co2 will drop if your kh is low, but for discus that kind of ph drop via Co2 is not dangerous, if ph drops because of organic waste if thats a problem. So, pressurized co2 will halp a lot in your tank, just put some air stone with co2 to....your plants will go booooom, and thay will suck up bad stuff from your tank to, best filter is a healthy plant. good luck..... a lots of information you can find on official stendker web.... sry abaut my english.
Thanks for the information! I'll take a look at Stendker's page and read more about it.
Hans said you should have 10 discus so that they aren't aggressive.....it spreads out the aggression more.
Perhaps in a bare bottom tank. 10 adult discus in a heavily planted 60 gallon with driftwood is too many, in my opinion. I have not experienced any issues with aggression in my setup.
What website would you recommend for purchasing discus? I was considering Stendker Discus Usa, or maybe even Europa Discus Center.
Have they breed at all, or you plan to breed them? I just got back in the hobby and got me 6 discus 2” and I’m going to try your recipe for the beef heart, and hopefully I get them to grow at least to 5” . By the way love your fish.! Really bright coloring (watching ur videos from Lincoln)
Thanks for the comment! I went to high school and college in Lincoln. My discus have laid eggs on the glass and driftwood in the past, but I've never seen live fry. I'm not set up for raising fry so I haven't pursued it further than that. If I had a definite breeding pair I might have tried setting up a breeding tank, but I've yet to see a breeding pair.
My discus are hungry all the time always .. how many time should they eat ? Tanks
It's tough to give an exact recommendation. It depends on the size/age of the fish, how many you have, as well as how often you are comfortable making water changes (the more you feed, the more often you'll need to do water changes). Many breeders feed 3 times per day. Mine are now all adult discus (around 6 inches) and I feed them 1-2 times per day with a total of around 2 cubes of beef heart mix that I make. I also feed one cube of blood worms every few days as well. Younger discus should be fed 3 times a day. Here's a link with information regarding feeding that Stendker Discus put out a number of years ago: www.diskuszucht-stendker.de/plugins_en/pdfs/3.2_Fuetterung_und_Futter_von_Diskusfischen_en.pdf
Hi your Discus looks awsom
What do you feed them?
Thanks for the comment! I feed them beef heart and blood worms.
@@discus1018
The best Discus fish i saw you have
How do you make the beef heart do you add any vitamins?
I am new for discus fish i like to take some advice from you when i saw ur fish
Thanks! I have a video of how to make the beef heart mix I use here: ruclips.net/video/xhIXStDL8n0/видео.html. Here's the ingredient list:
3 Beef Hearts
1/2 lbs Salmon
1/2 pound shrimp
4 Multivitamin tablets
4 Calcium tablets
Crushed or Minced Garlic
2 Tbsp Paprika
Fish Flake Food
3 packets Knox Gelatin
Let me know if you have any other questions and welcome to the discus hobby!
I saw the food video good
So do you still have Discus bcz i saw ur videos it was in 2016
Ya, I have the same tank with the same discus in it. I've changed the plants and added CO2 to it, but the tank is otherwise the same. I'm setting up a large cichlid tank in the next few weeks and will post a video of that. I will try to do an update video of this discus tank at that time.
The picture of brilliant turquoise and the leopard on discus hans site looks so dull, how did you manage to bring up the color so much? Do you have different kind of lighting that enhances the color?
The pictures on the Discus Hans site are relatively poor quality and don't represent the beautiful color of the actual fish. I did have a color enhancer light on the tank when this video was filmed, but the video itself was not enhanced. The only light on the tank right now is a Fluval Plant 3.0 and the fish still look great.
hi, do you change water from tab or let it age first. i read that stendker can handle up to ph8.
I mix RO and tap water to keep my pH around 7. At the time this video was made I was mixing it right before adding it to the tank so it was not aged. I've never had issues with that although I know some people will say that aging the water is a must. I set up a water changing system about a year ago that allows me to pump the heated mixed water into the tank for water changes. Because the water is now stored and heated, it is aged, but that's more a result of the system I've set up and not intentional aging.
I believe Stendkers in the US are raised in a pH around 7, but can certainly tolerate a range of pH values. Having kept them for a number of years now I would agree that they would probably do fine up to 8. I've personally kept them as low as 6 and as high as 7.5. I would say the "safest" pH is 6-7, but Stendkers are relatively hardy and can handle parameters that other breeder's discus can't.
@@discus1018 thanks. My tap water is between 7.5 and 8. In my tank it's always 7.5 somehow. I'll buy some all in one test strips to keep things checked. Before getting any. It's a juwel rio 350.
@@TinoushGTR That sounds good, I would think from a pH standpoint you will be fine at those levels. I'd also pick up a KH testing kit online. They're not very expensive and will allow you to monitor stability a little better. pH can vary throughout the day, but the KH values should be stable in the setup.
@@discus1018 thanks for the tip
how big is that brilliant turquoise and that cobalt? I want to order some but want them too small either
Steven Cheng Sorry for the delay in my response, I'm out of the country right now. The discus in this video are between 4.5" and 5.5" in length (11.5 - 14 cm). You have to pay more to order them at 4" (10 cm) in size, but they are typically hardier and have the adult coloring at that point. You could order them at 3" (7.5 cm) instead and pay a little less, but I wouldn't order them smaller than that unless you are set up for juveniles.
Thanks. Not a problem
Nice!
If you go 4 minutes and 15 seconds into this video... which one is that?
Thanks! That's the Brilliant Turquoise at 4:15.
why is your Fire Red looking yellow? Will it become more red when he grows? Can't decide between the Fire Red and the Marlboro Red myself.
He looks like an orange or orange-red to me in person. Probably a little darker than in this video, but I personally would call him orange. To my eye, most discus "red" colors are actually "orange" (including the Fire Red and Marlboro). When I ordered mine they came with the colors I expected for the most part. I would say the Pigeon Blood Blue was a lot more orange than I expected (he looks like a true Pigeon Blood to me), but they generally look like the pics on Hans' website (discusfishstore.com). Hope that helps!
guess your right, lots of the photo's of red Discus looks photo shopped to me. Your Brilliant Turquoise looks way more pretty than on the website from my seller though!
Ya, Stendker Brilliant Turqs are hard to beat. He has great color contrast. I like the Checkerboard a lot, too. In the future I would like to get a few German Wonder Discus from Hans as they always seem to have excellent coloration.
Discus101 YES!!!!!!! PLEASE GET GERMAN WONDERS!!!!!
I'm hoping to put together a much larger (200+ gallon) tank at some point and will definitely get a few German Wonders!
Thanks!
What’s a good med for discuss with a white slim on them in a planted tank
I prefer Paraguard from SeaChem. I've had good luck using it on many different planted setups and have never had issues using it with discus. I would recommend it as a prophylactic for new fish as well as treating infected fish. Just follow the directions and you should have no issues.
What is the difference between checkerboard and a pigeon discus?
A checkerboard is a type of pigeon. In my experience, they seem to be a little brighter and have a cleaner pattern, but they really are just a type of pigeon.
What are you feeding your discus and at what frequency?
I feed them beef heart twice a day and a cube of blood worms once a day. I add a small amount of brine shrimp for some of the other fish and the discus eat that as well.
These discus look better that saltwater fish
Thanks for the comment!
Do you breed? I mean do you have any for sale?
Unfortunately, I don't have any breeding pairs at this time. Thanks for asking, though!
Hey man, great video! Gorgeous fish! I watched your other video and heard you were from Omaha, NE. I live in Sioux City, IA, right now and Omaha is the closest LFS. Which fish store did you get your tank drilled at? I'd love to get my 40 breeder drilled out. Anyways I'd love to talk with you more 1 on 1 because I'd love to get some stendker discus in the future, but I need to get an R/O system and some other things before hand. If you'd like to add me to facebook I'd love to talk more. Thanks for the video! - Josh DeGraw.
Thanks! I had it drilled at Fish Freaks. I'll add you on FB, feel free to PM me with any questions you have and I can try to answer them the best I can.
King of acvarium
what kind of light are you using?
Nate M I'm using a 48" Finnex Planted+ 24/7 LED and a 48" Finnex Monster Ray LED.
Sir what should be the pH level of discuss
It really depends on what the breeder has raised their fish in, but in general a pH of 6-7 is usually safe. In the end, stability is the most important thing. Someone who has a stable setup with a pH of 7.2 would be preferred to a setup where the pH swings from 5-7.
U mean 6-7 pH is best right
@@vijaysinthre5364 Ya, sorry, I meant that a pH of 6-7 is a safe bet for discus from any breeder.
What kind of lighting are you using?
Steven Cheng I'm using a 48" Finnex Planted+ 24/7 LED and a 48" Finnex Monster Ray LED.
Is your discus with pigeon strain not peppering?
She did end up peppering some over the years, but not too bad.
@@discus1018 so how are they now?
@@discus1018 what did you did to cure that
@@mjhobbies6078 Peppering is a natural phenomenon in pigeon strains, but can be limited to some degree. Some people believe it can increase when they are kept in a tank with dark substrate or dark backgrounds. I like the dark background in this setup so I stuck with it. The white substrate may have helped limit the peppering to some degree. Peppering is permanent, but may very in intensity with the time of day or mood of the fish. Over the years I've learned to look at it as just part of the fish's coloration and personality. It's unique to each one. A few of the discus from this video recently died from old age and some gill hyperplasia, but the others are doing well. I have a few more that were recently added to the tank (a German Wonder and a White Leopard.
did you ever had a problem with them eating in the beginning? did you had to train them eating other foods than just beef heart? sorry for all the questions but so far you are my best source of information about the Stendker Discus! you are lucky to have that Dutch guy Hans to supply you with those fish. I can tell you that the supplier in Canada is not very helpful at all! Hans does not ship to Canada...
No problem. That's too bad about your supplier, Hans is great! When I originally bought my discus from Hans I also purchased several packages of his homemade beef heart. The idea was to limit the stress after shipping by feeding them what they were used to. 5 of the 6 ate right away, but the Cobalt took a few days if I remember correctly. After a week or 2 I started to offer blood worms as well and they were quick to eat these. I used to feed them brine shrimp once in a while, but don't anymore. When I transitioned to my homemade beef heart, there were no problems, but the recipe I use came out looking pretty similar to what Hans's looked like.
I'll tell you a couple other things (sorry for the length). A friend of mine received discus from a different breeder and had a lot of trouble getting them to eat. They were originally fed black worms, which are not readily available in stores in Omaha. He tried feeding store bought beef heart, homemade beef heart, blood worms, and brine shrimp all without success. He contacted the breeder and was sent a package of black worms overnight. Unfortunately, most of his discus still did not eat. This went on for several weeks and if I remember correctly he did lose one or two of the fish. However, in the end the others started to eat and are doing well today.
I guess the takeaway from all of this is that discus can go a long time without eating, so don't panic if they aren't eating on arrival. I wouldn't begin to worry until the 7-10 day point. My cobalt became sick with ick at one point a year or two ago (after adding new fish that I apparently hadn't quarantined long enough) and he didn't eat for several weeks. However, after he recovered he finally started to eat again and still looks great today. Also, if at all possible try and obtain the exact food the fish are being fed by the breeder. That way you can slowly transition to the food you are using. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for taking the time to inform me properly! The Discus i am getting actually come straight from Stendker Germany! The supplier here in Canada orders them specially for me, when they arrive he repacks them the same day and ships them that same day to me so they will be in a box for a long time. I just made my food today at work using some of your instructions, I couldn't get heart so I used eye of round (like Hans does) and actually comparing the nutrition value of the 2 they are pretty similar and eye of round is a lot easier to clean! I added some fresh garlic in my recipe in the hope that they can't resist the smell! I know about the blackworms, no LFS carry's that here either and I have to order online. Thanks again buddy for your time!
No problem! Wow, that's impressive! Let me know how they do and if they like the food. I may try switching to eye of round if the butcher here has it. If you don't mind, message me on FB with pics of the new fish after they've adjusted to the tank! (facebook.com/adamchick29)
wats the tank size ??
60 gallons
Great vid but your link was shutdown by my anti-virus as a threat was detected :-(
Thanks, not sure why your anti-virus flagged it. I'm not real knowledgable about computers, but I'm surprised a video link from youtube would be a virus threat?
Hey buddy, don't have my Discus yet but came across this during my search for info on Stendker Discus. www.diskuszucht-stendker.de/gb/587,0,faq,index,0.html
You might want to check it out, very conflicting info on keeping Discus especially regarding the stocking of the tank.
I'm sure there are plenty of differing opinions on keeping discus out there. The Stendker FAQ page has some pretty extreme advice. Some of it would seem to be a bit of salesmanship. However, I'm sure if you were to keep a bare-bottom aquarium with plenty of filtration you could overstock it to numbers that are at least approaching what they speak of. I should have clarified better on my videos that the information I'm providing is more for a planted community tank in which discus are the primary attraction. There's simply no way you could put the numbers they recommend in a planted aquarium of that size. Just looking at my set up while I write this, I could possibly squeeze one, maybe two more discus in the tank, but that would definitely be pushing it. I find it hard to believe you could cram 25 discus in a 75 gallon aquarium and only change the water biweekly. That's something I'd have to see to believe.
The setup they speak of sounds like one that would start to become more than a hobby. You would need several discus tanks if you were going to overstock one with juveniles and then move fish to reduce their numbers as they grow. At some point the joy of the hobby is lost, in my opinion.
As for their recommendations on not putting other fish in the aquarium, it boils down to an individual preference. There are risks with putting tetras, corys, and other fish in a discus tank, but if the fish are quarantined properly, the risk is minimal. For me, discus are best kept in a planted, community setting. That's where their colors and beauty are the most apparent. I feel the slight risk is worth it and my fish are as healthy as any out there. Some people enjoy raising them in isolated bare-bottom tanks and that's fine. It's more of a preference. My guess is Stendker is trying to protect themselves from angry customers whose discus become sick from a community fish. That's a risk, but one that is assumed by the owner of the fish. As I said above, if done correctly, the risk posed by community fish in a discus tank is minimal.
One other thought. Discus do tend to chase one another. They are a member of the cichlid family and like all cichlids, can become aggressive at times. (On a side note, the FAQ page states they are a member of the perch family. I'm not sure if this is a translation issue or not, but as far as I know this is not true. They are of the order Cichliformes, family Cichlidae. In other words, they are a type of cichlid). One advantage of a planted aquarium is it provides places for the fish to hide and move to. The plants essentially break the aquarium up. My discus chase one another, but rarely cause any visible markings on the fins. Their aggressiveness is no more than an average fish (such as a gourami) and certainly pales in comparison to other members of the cichlid family. I don't see the need for overstocking to the degree they recommend.
I'm thinking about starting with 10 of them in my 55 gallon but then some smaller ones and see how they grow and eventually turn my 90 gallon planted into a Discus tank later and my Angels can have the 55. (poor Angels) I have 8 angels in there that chase each other all the time but never harm each other either. the more of them the more the aggression is divided and non of the becomes the piss-pole of the tank. Stendker explanation for having that many Discus in a smaller tank is for that reason and they are unable to start breeding and get super aggressive for that reason. at the breeder facility in Germany they swim in water up to 300ppm (!) Nitrate and they are healthy. in Germany water is many many times more costly then in the USA or here in Canada simply cuz Germany is so densely populated and there is not as much to waste like in North America so massive regular water changes are expensive and over time the Discus there got used to higher Nitrates. and yes i think there are a few translation errors on their page like the perch you mentioned should be Cichlid and several times they talk about Nitrite instead of Nitrate. but with Chichlids like the Malawi's or Tanganyika, its either over stocking or lightly stocked. I hope my plan works out, or else the 90 gallon is the back up plan. Just thought the site would interest you as well as their view is a lot different then what I came across so far. your fish will be different from mine though as yours are bred in the States and mine in Germany. the only option for me unfortunately. My fish probably arrive in the beginning of March... pfff what a wait...
Sounds good! I'll be interested to hear how your tank does! I've kept Malawi's for years (I have a 75 gallon currently) and they have always seemed far more aggressive than discus to me. Malawi seem to attack and sometimes kill while discus seem to chase. While overstocking Malawi is the rule, the density the Stendker site is talking about is more than I've ever done even with Malawi. You make a good point about the water cost and resulting high levels of Nitrates. I'd be curious to know how US bred Stendkers would respond to similar conditions? Is your 55 bare-bottom or does it have hardscape and substrate?