moving discus parents!! help.

[LORENZO]

well in just a few days I will be moving two parents out of their big home into a 75 until they breed. Any precautions necessary? Should I dose the tank with PondCare products. Should I put stresscoat in with them. I am just afraid I will see fungus on those fish if not completely destressed. how do I get them out ? With a net..i did when they were younger or do I get a A BUCKET??? This fish is big.... a six incher i would say.. the other one is smaller-the blue diamond. What are the risks here. Should I fun that tank for a full month first. Most of that water in the new tank is going to come from the two established tanks here. It will be running an xp 3. Should any other fish like catfish be bought for the tank or some neons. They say these fish de-stress the discus. But I am using the tank for breeding - would a neon eat the fry? The only thing is this 75 gallon has to be a home for two discus until they breed and then I will put them back in big tank. HOW TO MOVE THEM? half afraid I am to actually do it.

[Fishguy2727]

Take water from the tank they are in, put it in a bucket. Put them in the bucket. Drip acclimate them to the 75. Move some media from the mature filter with them, but not all of it. No other fish, they will eat the eggs and/or fry.

For drip acclimation: set bucket with the fish inside next to the tank they are going in. Use and air tube to get a siphon going from the tank into the bucket. Let it go full flow but watch it, it will fill up and overflow if not. Once the bucket is about full put the discus in to the 75.

I tend to not bother with chemicals, if the water quality is high they should not be very stressed at all and therefore should not have any issues.

[Northernguy]

Great info posted by Fishguy!
The filter on the 75,is it cycled yet?

[Lady Hobbs]

Big question right there! That tank must be cycled. I suggested leaving the fry with the parents while you cycled that tank. You did not like that idea? You can put some slate in the parents tank and when they spawn on it, just move the slate rather than the adults.

[LORENZO]

Lady HObbs! There you are. Now i was hoping you see to put the adults in with the fry. I don't want them to be left parentless and if they the fry get left in the big tank with all the other discus they might get eaten. I have only seen kribs manage to protect themselves in a community tank. Lots of slate i have. I have it in there hoping for another batch of eggs. The water will come from the two big tanks. Now I learning that he bioballs will not be as effective as Matrix ceramic sooo that i can change up soon. The tank is not here ...ha now i have to wait until tues. A trucking delay oh well. Plenty of time to get room ready. So cycling and i will be very patient with that. Can fry live in a community tank and survive? But I know the male could end up harrassing the female if left in the 75 with her. But could you take slate out with eggs on it and feed the fry brine schrimp .... because they feed on the parents skin... but if introdued to frozen foods right off could they survive parentless????

[LORENZO]

Great info posted by Fishguy!
The filter on the 75,is it cycled yet?

NOpe not yet. i have no filter yet. do not worry i have a rena xp 3 and an xp4 so I will take out sponges in them and put in new xp3 for the 75 gallon. I have to go and get some media for the bilogical filtration. I have time to cycle the tank. But i know how sensitive these fish are. I just asked Lady HObbs could fry grow up without parents. I know in fish labs they do. But i have no experience. Any spikes in water parameters and these fish are cooked. Maybe just leave one parent in with them. but then she might get nervous all alone and eat them. i moved them all once before when the 125 brand new tank they were in sprung a huge leak in the bottom. I won't live through that again. But they all survived! The floor did to as well as the speakers. They were smaller then and I think i netted them up. Have to get plants. Lady Hobbs suggests plants put in pots. I just can't wait ...... to see that baby discus. But right now they are all fighting for the spot on the glass believe it or not. They all want the same territory in the tank.

[Lady Hobbs]

You can spawn fish in different ways. Add a breeding pair to a smaller, barebottom tank with a seasoned sponge filter..... let them spawn and move the parents back to their own tank. OR.....if they are parents that don't eat their young, leave the Discus with the young for a couple weeks and then move the parents out. (The fry don't start feeding off the adults for a couple weeks.) OR.......let the parents spawn on slate or a spawning mop in their own tank and move the slate or mop and eggs (keeping wet and moving quickly) into a spawning tank with an airstone.

You should really have spawning size tanks and then move the young when they're about 3 months old into that 75 because of so many water changes that will be needed.

[LORENZO]

i am going to send you a pic when i get this set up.The blue diamond will go in with the turquoise and then hopefully given the right water parameters and nothing to stress over they will start to spawn. They will go in a quiet room low light. No heavy traffic at all. No beaming lights shining in on them from tv's or anything. I want to see them with the parents that would be something. They can stay hopefully in with the fry if they don't it them and then be moved in three weeks. But i have to look for a sponge filter like you advised. You have a cichlid tank don't you? You have that parrot fish. Now a parrot fish with gouramis that would look good. i was looking up the parrot fish. Beautiful! Did you say it was in a barebottom tank?

[Lady Hobbs]

Yes it is barebottom but keep in mind it has a canister filter that is full of bioload. You have to have a very seasoned filter if going barebottom and it should be in the existing tank for some time to get seasoned, moved to the new tank and then the fish right away before the bacteria dies.