Stendker Discus: How it went wrong Bloat Bacteria Sick Fish

All that went wrong during my two years of Discus keeping and how I solved most of them. Unfortunately one Discus died.

[@MRVSKIN]

Never thought that would be the case. Always followed the guidance. Water changes every week. Makes sense now. Makes total sense. Wouldn’t have lost 3 stendker discus if I had known this

[@alastairpollock7740]

Great video, thanks for sharing.

[@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155]

Thanks Alastair for watching the video, I really enjoyed the process of raising the discus and making the videos.

[@PP-pi9dg]

What is the PH in your discuss aquarium?

[@paulbolton1071]

hi michael please can you tel me the actual size of your tank shown in the video , did you buy all your discus as babies and if so what size was they when you bought them ? Paul

[@EuroGupper]

You said they they eat each others eggs. Have you ever gotten wiggler/fry without separating the pairs?

[@hahoona6777]

I also keep stendker discus as well and I love them but I only had them for a month fantastic vid btw

[@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155]

Hey na Hahoo, Thanks for the comment, it’s great to get some interaction on my videos. Discus are such interesting fish and their behaviour is wonderfully engaging. Hope you save yourself some hassle and mistakes by watching some of mine. If I can be of any help just ask👍 Mick

[@hahoona6777]

@@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155 Will do do you have sns maybe I could follow you and ask for tips :)

[@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155]

I don’t have the app, ask anything you want any time here 👍 or on any video and I’ll get back to you 😊 Michael

[@salsung73]

Stunning fish 🐠

[@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155]

Well thank you 😊 They are not without their problems but they have matured brilliantly . Thanks for the comment 😊 Michael

[@salsung73]

@@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155 you’re welcome 😊 I’m glad you made the video because I’m keen to get some discus but I need all the care help I can get before I do. So thank you again 😁

[@cdave2006]

Hi thanks for sharing, I had a 100 liter tank with random fishes and I am now going to buy a second 450 liters tank to jump on Discus keeping. I think I ll wait 6 month at least to see if I can have a perfect cycled tank with plants / filter / water changes. If my test results remains stable I'll take 10 discus at once and 7 oto algea cleaner and 7 corydoras maybe. I don't know if I want 25 tetras with them or not, maybe. Do you do RO water changes with mixed tap water with the Stendker ? My local store does have Stendker but they don't have much of a choice and some fish are just not having the perfect patern I am looking for.. But maybe the patern get changed when growing ? I think I'll buy 10 discus of 8 cm (3,14") or 10 cm if I can afford it... I really want them to eat Tetra pellet for discus... I don't think I want to go with feeding fish the heart of beef that seems so crazy to me

[@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155]

Hey cdave, Sorry for late reply. That sounds great 👍 if you are going to jump right in, daily water tests to learn how things are going and lots of water changes to keep things balanced. Let me know how you get on 😊

[@formercityboy9772]

Hi Michael. I'm studying for my first discus tank. I saw your deep cleaning of the bare tank video before. Now that your tank is scaped, I wonder what maintenance do you do for the same effect? From my experience I know there's a lot of waste hidden in the sand and between the roots and plants. Thank you.

[@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155]

Hey formercityboy, Ok love the question, firstly young discus are very different creatures to bigger sub-adult or adult discus. The bare bottom is a must for giving yourself the best chance to get good growth and minimise difficulties for the young fish. There is more latitude in water conditions for the bigger fish so that’s why you scape when your fish are at a bigger size and bare bottom when they are little ones. So to answer your question what Maintanance for the same effect. There is definitely no way to get the aquarium as clean. I have planned a video to show the difference in cleaning regime now in my scaped aquarium when compared with when it was bare bottom. As a little peek into how I now clean, the main tool I use is powerheads and careful “swishing” of my hand around the scape. I ran a heavily planted hi-tech system with co2 ferts and very high volume lighting where I raised up platinum angelfish (there’s a photo of the on my channel header) to see how it can be done and what problems there are in such an aquarium. I ran the project for about 3 years so it was a great research project to learn from. It showed me what I could and couldn’t do and still have success! That is why I have such a minimal scape with space under all the structures. Hopefully this helps, Thanks for the comment Michael

[@formercityboy9772]

@@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155 Thank you Michael for your reply. I think I might have turned off reply notification. My ten 6-7cm Stendker lil guys arrived two weeks ago. I wanted to do a bare bottom tank to keep water quality in control but my boyfriend wanted very much a planted tank so I made compromise (that's life) with a layer of white sand and several leggy woods that "stand" on the sand (hence no waste is collected under) with some anubias and ferns attached. I do a small daily cleaning to suck away the waste (mainly from ancistrus eating wood). During weekly 30 % water change I vacuum clean those areas as well. I think I still need to clean a bit more after reading your opinion on young discus... Thanks again.

[@yousefabraham8855]

you all prolly dont care at all but does any of you know a tool to log back into an Instagram account..? I was stupid forgot the account password. I appreciate any assistance you can give me!

[@maxtonkyrie4648]

@Yousef Abraham Instablaster :)

[@yousefabraham8855]

@Maxton Kyrie Thanks so much for your reply. I found the site thru google and Im trying it out atm. Takes a while so I will reply here later with my results.

[@faizan6810]

hi do u use fertilizer and co2 for plants?

[@cdave2006]

I've read on Stendker website that they recommend not to with discus. They are plants which grows easily without co2 and fertilizer, it should also stend 29°, there is a list of compatible plants on stendker website

[@sudharsanajay_music]

Hello 😀 my fully adult discus has a small bulge near its tail on the spine to be specific on one side.. Could some expert pls suggest best cure.. Fish's color has become darker too ..

[@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155]

I’m fighting the same thing with two of mine. Do a little research on “swim bladder disease “ if that’s what it is come back and let me know. Maybe some one here could offer some help and information 👍

[@sudharsanajay_music]

@@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155 Lucky they are eating normal. Thanks for your reply Mike !

[@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155]

@@sudharsanajay_music mine too, it’s been 9 months for the first one and it’s eating great and still being a bully to the others at times. It gets better sometimes and then comes back🤷🏻‍♂️. Still a happy full bodied fish with great colour. As always my recommendation is water changes and good food and keeping everything clean. I have not found a solution for the condition yet. It’s very frustrating

[@TLCole425]

What cubes of food do you use?

[@alecthenice8115]

Most people with stendker discus buy this beefheart (mixed with veggies ect) called good heart from Hans discus.

[@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155]

Stendker goodheart discus beef heart cubes. They love them although they definitely have their drawbacks but work well

[@Hornbyttgingernerd]

Lovely video my friend missed this one where about from the south of Ireland are you from ?

[@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155]

Hey Thanks mate, I’m happy with this video 😊. I put lots of work into it. Hope my experiences can be useful for others who find themselves with similar difficulties. Thanks for commenting I’m living in a small town in the north of Co. Kildare just west of Co. Dublin where I grew up. Your discus are looking great. Keep the updates coming Mick

[@alecthenice8115]

Happened to me also and I thought I was experienced lol

[@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155]

They are a complex fish to keep 😊 worth all the effort, thanks for the comment

[@blueXcss]

asian discus are more stronger and easier to keep, these German discus with their limited gene poll are prone to disease and are a massive pain to keep

[@michaelsdiscusandatticaqua9155]

@@blueXcss they are a beautiful but as you say a pain to keep! Worth it though 😊

[@urbanculturetv3000]

stinker discus are problematic waste of money I prefer ASIAN discus all day everyday

[@nellim9239]

What is stinker discus ? Thanks