Maybe Discus Aren't All That Great? Discus vs Angelfish

[@cadenlikespigs]

Triangle fish vs circle fish.

[@mrfish.-]

▶️ vs. ⏺️

[@invaderjoshua6280]

Don’t mess with the water saws with teeth!

[@asurajeff6316]

Scizzors vs paper

[@DawidBartczak4]

I was thinking the same thing 😂

[@nochillkowa9493]

😂😂 i lost it when I saw your comment

[@_lucid_one]

While I cannot speak to anyone else's experiences, I will say that I have kept both. Started out with angels as the centerpiece and we loved them. They are beautiful and durable. The group ended up with two who paired off and that's when things changed. They spawned regularly and while doing so occupied the ENTIRE 55 gallon tank - pushing everyone to the side except for the corys. They literally dominated the tank and were super aggressive. We ended up splitting the group of 7 up among friends. In hindsight, I should have probably added more angels to the group. I finally made the move to discus and couldn't be happier. Our water is well suited to them and I always enjoyed the maintenance aspect of the hobby so that was not a put-off. I have a group of 7 discus in a 90 gallon community tank and wouldn't you know it - two of them paired and spawn pretty much every 5 days. Unfortunately, our water isn't quite soft enough for the eggs to hatch but they behave very differently than the angel pair. The discus parents won't push anyone away unless they're within about a 5-6 inch circle and even then, it's nothing of concern. They are nowhere near as aggressive as my previous angels were and the rest of the tanks many inhabitants are free to be themselves. My water is 3-4GH, 7.8pH and 85F with 20-40ppm nitrates between water changes for all the plants. I always appreciate that you encourage continued learning and help educate others, and I come to this channel as well as others to help further my own knowledge as well as other non-youtube sources:) I have also learned from the experiences of others and appreciate comment threads (usually) for this purpose. I think the true end result most of us are after is enjoying our tanks and their inhabitants, much of which comes with continued education, experience, consistent maintenance as well as learning from others. This channel helps me do just that. Keep up the great videos!

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Thanks for sharing!

[@LuckAqua]

It's nice to hear the story. Love to have an exciting community tank like that.

[@greglee1663]

Thanks. Well said. 😊👍

[@turdferguson8412]

Loved how you changed scenes periodically throughout the video, let’s us admire the fish room while we listen

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Thank you :-)

[@dhammaboy1203]

I have never owned Discus but my Angles are adorable. They have so much character - they are curious and line up to investigate new things when I add them in my aquarium. They turn 90 degrees upwards to eat, they stare longingly at the top of the aquarium when I’m not feeding. I love my triangles! And yep in Australia discus are $120-160ea compared to $5-25ea for various angles - depending on breed.

[@mjpfl8131]

Many years ago, I co-owned an aquarium shop. As the only shop in the local area, we knew our regulars quite well. We routinely had both angels and discus. While the prices were considerably lower back then, the spread between the cost of a discus and and angel was the same as you stated. While it would have seemed that we had a financial incentive to push the discus, we we much more apt to be guiding our customers toward the angels. Only the true, educated hobbyists were able to cope with the finicky discus. My husband would sometimes comment that you could raise and breed angels in a garbage can! Big exaggeration, of course, but as shopkeepers, it was a lot more fun to have a customer excited about his brand new baby angels than to try to figure out why someone's discus wasn't thriving. Home visits were sometimes the only answer. Go angels!

[@terrymartins2552]

Really love the Angel fish patterns and colors and their fin varieties. I like my aquariums to be low maintenance and my fish to be hardy, so I would always choose the Angel fish.

[@St4rOfD4vid]

I was fortunate as a beginner getting dicus i ended up with two breeding pairs within a year but as a beginner you need to do your homework first especially buying your discus they tend to stress more than the larger and be gentle and eventually they will eat off your hand and follow you around they swim to me as soon as i walk in they know thier owners..

[@briacarter723]

I just got a pair of marble veil tail angels and I absolutely love them! They have the funniest personalities. They always want to know what I'm doing and never miss the opportunity to beg for food lol

[@audrisampson]

I'll take a wild caught Angel over any other discus or Angel. An Altum is a dream fish of mine.

[@brucescanlan1162]

I love the looks of the fish room. I would take my PC and sit on a comfortable chair and do all my work there. It gave me ideas for a future office.

[@marksguitars5617]

excellent info, I've kept both over the decades. I find angels to be less sensitive than discus. Lately discus are a little more hardy then wild caught of the past. I do find that angels fight a lot and even a large tank of them will result in a pecking order and some of them getting beaten up as angels almost always want to pair up and breed. Hard to pick a winner, get a tank of each!

[@invaderjoshua6280]

I would actively suggest keeping them together. Discus like to eat food from the bottom and angels from the top so they don’t conflict their. As far as aggression with angels go I’ve noticed it dies down with larger discus present as they don’t feel as dominant from the get go. I view my discus as the piece keepers. Though i have had a really sad moment where an Angel got in between a discus and it’s food and the discus plowed so hard into the Angel that I guess it did something to its brain and the Angel proceeded to swim aimlessly against the outtake of my filter after that till it died. Really weird I know but just a warning that discus while more peaceful are a lot stronger and bigger when both are full grown and discus can unintentionally hurt angels as they become steamrollers when you put in food.

[@LuckAqua]

@@invaderjoshua6280 I had the same exp when keeping them together. Seem DC sometimes bully AG due to their size.

[@lemonlizard1]

what do you do to minimize aggression with angels?

[@joestoddart772]

I just got 3 Blue Pinoy Angels and added them to a 90 gallon tank with 4 Red Scribble Discus and a dozen Neon Tetras. I am looking forward to keeping them together!

[@blujeans9462]

Discus are beautiful...to watch in someone else's tank. :-). I've always been drawn to the angels. Just getting back into the hobby and plan to have some angels as my show piece.

[@cichlid_kings]

Great topic. Just picked up a few silver angels a few weeks ago. Getting back to one of my first fish in the hobby 😎

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Have fun!

[@VPicksGuitarPicks]

I am now keeping 2 angels and 6 discus in 112 gallon tank. Over a year now and everyone is thriving. I do a partial WC every 2-3 days. Bare bottom tank. Temp at 81 degrees. Also some clown loaches in there. I feed mostly frozen foods.

[@johnlynch5167]

I have the German Discus. I'm on well water with a ph of 7.8 with a hardness of 150. My fish are growing and doing great. Temp is 85 and change 12% water every 2 days on average .

[@plumber1331]

Hey Jase great video I just started getting into discus I have them in a 180 gal mixed tank with anglefish and a few mollies I got a bit carried away. have a few to many fish in there but running an fx4 and 6 on the tank and do a 25 % WC every week so far so good. Then in a 75 I have 8 of them the first two I bought have laid eggs don't know if they are male and female i never see who Lay's the eggs they both protect the eggs so far eggs are not fertile. There are some great sites I've bought my discus from that are running great sales now and even ebay.

[@ronaldjohnson4470]

I have kept both, Angel fish are so much hardier, and easier to breed. Great channel.

[@Vcaser]

I grew up with angelfish, they are among my favorites. I miss having them, but I don’t have space for an appropriate tank at the moment

[@serviowilches4784]

JASON is there any way you can make a video in the future about pleco proof a aquarium plants ? My BNPs have cost me a fortune over the years in plant replacement

[@invaderjoshua6280]

I have both and find them water sensitive wise to be identical, as long as you keep water at around 6ph 3kh low gh and around 82f they are all easy to keep. As far as personality Angelfish are far more aggressive when breeding, though even though discus do fight less their fights are way way worse when they do happen, and have a nasty habit of attacking eyes. I have also noticed that discus show significantly higher signs of longer memory then angelfish. Also I like the fact you can keep a lot more discus together then angels, since male discus will form harems and don’t breed with only one female as the whole discus pairing thing is simply a rumor. Where as angels will pair up with only one other and attack all other angels. Overall I find discus to just be the better pet, they are smarter, more interactive, and more colorful.

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Your water is definitely good for both!

[@James_Hande]

I always wanted discus since I started in the hobby. But back then they were mostly wild caught and a bit difficult to keep. Setting up a 125G and considered getting a couple but don't really like the higher temps and my limited tank selection of tank mates and plants. I've kept and bred angels since the early 70's so I'm not sure if I'll put a few of them in instead of discus. 🤔

[@ST62382]

I’ve kept both species in my community tank and have one of each in there now. In my experience, the discus are much hardier than people give them credit for. I like their less aggressive personalities but don’t care for the warmer waters they need

[@LuckAqua]

Really true. I had some of them in my tank years ago.

[@derpychicken2131]

Have you noticed any negative effects from keeping them at cooler temps? I'd love to keep them but I'm really put off by how hot they need to be kept.

[@ST62382]

@@derpychicken2131 I keep the aquarium at 82 so it’s a decent compromise between the warmer water discus like and the “cooler” temps the rest of the fish like

[@derpychicken2131]

@@ST62382 Thanks. I was considering 80 out of fear a heavily planted tank wouldn't do well and other fish might be a bit finicky, but at that low I was worried for the discus. If at 82, plants and other fish generally seem to do well, that's probably what I'll settle with.

[@ST62382]

@@derpychicken2131 mine is planted too, no CO2. Not all plants like this temp though

[@adkgaladkgal1799]

I had 8 beautiful small angel fish in a 55 gallon aquarium. I went to feed them one day, they had gotten very large, and 4 of the fish, 2&2 were lock jaw together trying to rip each other apart. I bagged them up and drove a 3hr round trip to the "local" pet shop and left them at the pet shop. I don't have the space to separate fish. I only have 2 aquariums, the other one has goldfish. Now both are fancy goldfish. very peaceful. Tanks 50g and 60g -not large enough for discus, but I would choose discus.

[@reggie2803]

I tried to keep discus years ago but wasn’t successful. However, thanks to channels like PTA I may give it another try. 🤗

[@scotp6362]

How about Vieja Synspilum vs Severums? I’d love to have an update on your Vieja.

[@Suz_408]

Angels are so fun to watch. Love them.

[@XCaliKev]

👍😎 Never kept either. Now you’ve got me scratching my head, hmmm?

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Just need another tank! Haha

[@robertbuckland3187]

I'm building my 120 gallon angelfish tank now. Went with them because of the ease and wider range of mates.

[@MrLoaded21]

Great video Jason! Love both species so hard to choose between the two, also is that shirt available on your site? Tried looking for it and I can’t seem to find it

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Thank you! It was a limited run for the summer. We may bring it back next year. 😀

[@amymandeville8342]

I love Discus and Angels, both. I never had luck keeping Angels and have been too intimidated to keep Discus.

[@videogazer801]

This really great comparison video

[@tastyfishsauce4410]

Love discus, but so hard to enjoy the hobby when you're a slave to them due to the high maintenance. Angelfish are less colorful, but in my opinion they are beautiful and much more enjoyable to keep as a hobbyist specially if you have MTS. Note that a lot of angelfish are not so angelic when they have paired up so having another tank or a huge tank so that other fish don't get harassed. A good hardy alternative to discus is a red/gold severum, they have the size, the nice color of reddish white with gold/red speckles, very hardy and peaceful for a cichlid. To me, the extra upkeep and husbandry the of discus is a big dealbreaker, I would not recommend them for newer or intermediate fishkeeper. I'm at a stage of this hobby where I want to enjoy them more than anything else.

[@Firestorm637]

I own fresh and saltwater fish. I own Angelfish and discus. Yes, Discus is very close to saltwater fish in color. Discus high maintenance especially with expensive foods vs angelfish

[@MakoyUnggoy]

To be honest, I'm more interested in your Synspilum in the background, they're looking good!

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Ya - they are showing some great color. Super shy - very hard to get them on camera without them all cowering in a corner! :-)

[@liljeepz]

Where is that tank that you showed in the very first B-roll? That looked amazing!

[@liljeepz]

I forgot to add, my first fish i bought was vail angel fish... love angles, but I always look and admire the colors of disc fish, always stayed away due to our rock water we have here...

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

The discus tank is from Wonders of Wildlife in Columbus Missouri

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

I love beautiful planted aquascapes. 78 degrees and angels is perfect. 86 degrees and discus is a problem for most plants

[@debburr3756]

Can and angel fish or discus live with my rainbow shark? Looking for a center piece, I have rasboras, neon tetras, shrimp and snails

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

I’ve mixed angels and rainbow sharks before but I haven’t mixed them with discus.

[@averagejoestanks3120]

I miss having angel fish in my tank.

[@NOOOKevin]

I wish I could get big discus for just over $100. In Australia I'm not getting change from $400 for a decent sized one

[@garg4531]

Personally I really love the unique shape discus have, and the brown discus is probably one of my favorite fish because of of that unique shape paired with a beautiful natural coloration and handsome patterning, but I feel that their size and care requirements are beyond my abilities Meanwhile angelfish have a very unique and interesting shape, love their colors and patterning, they seem like they'd be much easier to care for, and I'm very curious about their personalities and what it'd be like to have one as a wet pet centerpiece fish Tbh a koi angelfish is probably one of my dream pets, along with german blue rams (Oh speaking of rams, how do they compare to discus? They're both south american cichlids that prefer soft water, high temperatures, don't do well in poor water quality, and come in a number of color variations, but one stays at a much more reasonable size for most fish keepers)

[@keepamerica2astrong280]

Great vid as usual. 10k away from 200k subs. You guys rock....

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Thank you!

[@devanshugaur6490]

Nice video brother. 👍

[@BananaHandSlap]

I had learned the hard way with my angel fishes attacking my discus 😅

[@jevonsmith4751]

hey questions for you, abt how many mbunas could i put in a 40 gal

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Maybe 10-12 but I make sure they are least aggressive types in that size tank.

[@thomasdonohue3437]

Angels also have more personality, recognize and interact with their owner more I believe. Have owned different Angel's for years, never discus, am I wrong?

[@JimGuz56]

Really appreciate your channel Jason especially the water chemistry series. I am in the process of setting up 160 gallon aquarium with a sump for Corys, Rummynose tetra and discus. I have Chicago water as well but my thought is to set up continuous drip at a half gallon per hour of RO water and a half gallon per hour of tapwater to achieve the correct water parameters I am planning on doing a lot of testing and of course the discus would be added last. I would be interested to know what others think of my plan 😊

[@James_Hande]

As long as the mixed water parameters end up correct sounds like a plan.

[@ilikepiplup2433]

The idea that discus need soft water is false, that's really only for breeding. If you want to learn more, go to simply discus forum. You'll get lots of good information there. Discus don't require soft water, just clean water! :)

[@bzig8988]

Nicest Discuss tank I've ever seen.

[@JoshV74656]

Angel fish Vs Discus? I'm going to choose...the Severum. Lots of colors, very showy fish, and I think better personality and hardiness than either the Angel or Discus.

[@GregEScott]

I feel like angel fish are hardier for the beginners, leading toward them being more prevalent.

[@pavlaleinberger9555]

I love discus but unfortunately can’t have a tank of the size they need. I’m not too crazy about angel fish; although, koi angels can be cute. I think that once I scape my 72 bf, I’ll have a better idea what to stock it with. Planing is part of the fun!

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

A 72 will work for angels :-)

[@smurfygoodtimes8148]

Breeding is pleasure😁acres of angels ✌️

[@TenorCantusFirmus]

I honestly think dwarf Cichlids (Apistos, Kribs, Rams and Checkerboards) are a better option than both. That said, having to choose I'd find Discus to be a good challenge to be accepted. Also, I have had some bad experiences with bouts of aggressivity from Angelfish, which have made me not that enthusiastical towards them.

[@UmbrellaFly]

Dwarf cichlids are fantastic! I have a group of discus and don't get me wrong, they're beautiful. But my group of laetacara curviceps are both personable and peaceful. When the light catches them, you get a whole subtle rainbow of yellow, red, and blue. They're hardy and cheap, and they stay a perfect size for even a 30 gallon tank. I think they'd be a lot more popular if more people saw them in person at stores, but they're pretty niche so I could only find them online. Pictures don't do them justice.

[@TenorCantusFirmus]

@@UmbrellaFly I'm busy in this period, but once it'll be over I'd like to try some dwarfs... Breeding and territory management require some time and attention, so I prefer to wait until I can.

[@onlywei]

I prefer the Pearl Gourami over either of these.

[@TheGameBoy56]

I’ve been taking care of fish over. 10 years never did discus Because I respected they need hot temperature and don’t like other fish and really need to be alone so I just stayed away never had one Respect the discus and don’t force it in ur tank I Always had the angel Have 3 know In salt water I love wrasses. But found out real fast they I wanted every wrasse there was $40-80$100 a pop But they didt like other fish and were very shy and litterly hide in sand come out when they feel comfortable which could be 5 minutes and most of the time so sad Why I got out of salt water the fish I liked just kept literally disappearing or attacked each other And good luck geting bully fish out Salt water fish have brains lol And after u spend so much money on salt water it’s such a pleasure doing unlimited water changes on fresh water lol Owww FUN FACT In fresh water ur charged a premium for imported fish PERU OR OTHER PLACES In salt water ur charged a premium for captive bred loooool

[@101zombiesfy]

What kind of discus are those at 2 minutes 40 seconds

[@danielpapp3995]

I absolutely love the discus but because of their high maintenance I have angels

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

could an angelfish coexist with a gold gourami

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Hard to say for sure. I’ve had it work and I’ve had golds that chase angels around relentlessly.

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

@@PrimeTimeAquatics guess it just depends. probably going to wait until I have a backup tank

[@JohnWood-tk1ge]

Both pretty to look at. But you know me my hart is at the bottom of the tank with the cellar dwellers !😊

[@JosephKarthic]

Once my angel fish chases a mono angel who is 6 times bigger...scary guy...

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

awesome

[@johncameron4194]

I think I might get an angelfish

[@Godisnotreal112]

I think discus win unless the angels are wild altums i have 8 biggest is close to 15 inches.. regular angels look like a weird arrowhead

[@AlysseDuncan]

Everyone should subscribe

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Woohoo!

[@chocolatewithaknife3910]

Discus is a swimming circle Angelfish is a swimming triangle

[@kmaguire7161]

Discus stress me out. They always look really anxious.

[@mrhistory2179]

Can I keep 1 discus in a 55 gallon

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

90 gallon is usually the minimum, but a 6ft tank is a better choice.

[@mrhistory2179]

@@PrimeTimeAquatics ok I asked bec I always hear people say 10 gallons per 1 discus

[@mrhistory2179]

So would this statement be correct

[@_KingQuinn_]

U could just keep both together, works out fine

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Yep!

[@martykorn1424]

Discus are like Ferrari’s. You have to be a little crazy to keep them. But there is no substitute.

[@sergeiz.5815]

Happy Monday oooooops sorry Sunday:)

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Close enough :-)

[@Rammykazemi]

if you're thinking of Altum Angels, ignore whatever he said in this video. specially wild caught ones. they are as hard as Discus to keep happy.

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

No doubt

[@brianp6180]

Discus are Beautiful fish but my water is too hard. I will stick with angel fish

[@michelhaineault6654]

Only saltwater fish surpass discus in beauty .

[@kingdomstorm4205]

Is it ok to have a Dead Sea sponge in my freshwater aquarium???????

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

You'll just have to see what it does to water parameters.

[@lauraokelly2644]

Angels are too aggressive for me. I prefer a peaceful community tank so discus are more my cup of tea.

[@johncameron4194]

Discus Being kept at such high temps no thanks

[@saigonmonopoly1105]

very picky disc jockey