Best shelter or hiding spot for discus during quarantine?

[lobsternoob]

So, pretty simple, what's your reccomendation for some cover to put in a tank for QT'ing discus? I think they'd feel pretty exposed in a bare bottom tank with filter and heater and nothing else. I was thinking either a clay pot turned so the open side is to the back or something just so they can get out of view where they feel more comfortable. They're going to be pretty small probably, I imagine same size as the last ones I got (which are doing well with the exception of the one being clearly stunted from the beginning) 2-4 inches or so. But even at that size they will be quarantined in a ten gallon tank, so they definitely need some cover. I hate to restrict them to that small of a tank, but I gotta QT em...it's my new rule. Nothings going into the discus tank without being QT'ed anymore after my last ich scare.

Any other reccomendations for things I can do to make them feel comfy during QT are welcome too, as well as any special QT measures you take. I plan on feeding a garlic/veggie/beefheart? mix that a friend feeds his discus for QT (he makes it so I'm not sure on the exact ingredients or amounts he may feed beefheart in addition, or add beefheart to the food. I'll have to ask again which it was.) and not really do any other treatments unless I see necessary. 1x or 2x a day large WC's depending on their size, and that's about it.

[fishtails0408]

Hi
Yes a big pot on its side will do fine. One they can fit inside. The more hiding places the better.

Surprised you got ich on Discus as keeping them at 28 degrees celsius usually prevents ich.

Cheers!!!

[CassieLEO]

I was going to say a Terra cotta pot myself!

[Spardas]

Well, I'm going to assume you'll be getting domestic discus and not wild ones.

Based on personal experience, these guys have been raised in bare bottom tank and they won't be shy. If you give them hiding places, then they will hide. Rather than doing that, I just make sure that the bottom is either covered inside, painted outside or have a piece of foam underneath. I also make sure the back and possibly the side is painted as well. Wild discus on the other hand, can be a little different.

I'm also curious about the temperature that you're keeping your discus in. I have never had Ich in any discus tank since I started keeping them. Although I have experienced a whole lot of diseases but Ich never came across.

As for beefheart mix diet; see if you can get your friend to make a seafood diet instead. Even turkey heart diet is better.

[lobsternoob]

Hey, sorry it took so long for the reply, haven't been on the AC for a while. Just so you know, I wasn't particularly worried about ich in the discus tank, I was more kind of saying QT'ing is a really good idea, and I need to follow my own advice more and do it without exception. The scare I was talking about was actually with bows in a different tank, had nothing to do with the discus, just reminded me of the potential for things to happen when you get lazy and don't QT. I keep tanks for discus between 83 and 86, and I usually try to stay around the higher side. As far as food goes my main staple is a seafood mix most often based on shrimp now, I throw in some different fish depending on what's fresh at the store. Since I eat a decent amount of fish (well when I do eat) it's pretty easy to supplement with lots of different stuff. There are a few things I've avoided like escolar, and other oily fish, seems to be working... I've found that the fish prefer it to the mix I was using before, and it seems to be better for their colors/general appearance. As many times as I've heard people say that beefheart is good for growth, this mix also seems to be better for their growth. I also feed some packaged frozen foods, and a mix of pellets and flake to the other residents of the tank that the discus get their share of too.

Rather than putting a bunch of junk in the QT tank that the discus can bump into if they get frightened I've found that just covering the tank when there is a lot of activity in the room works fine. Unfortunately I don't have a dedicated fish room, I live in one room, so I don't have the best of situations to work with. The fish are no longer in quarantine, they're in the main tank now and doing well. Had no real issues throughout the quarantine, so I suppose that's that.