Sarah Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 As mentioned in my Fishroom thread, can angel fish and Discus be kept together? Compatibility and water level wise, yes. But Matt brought up this: Sarah, you can't mix angel fish and discus.... That was my plan until I did research, they transmit pathogens and parasites to each other among other reasons, I went with the cheaper and easier option of angels. My thinking is that transmitting disease to other fish can happen with any fish, regardless of species (although some are more known for it i.e., neon tetras). Is it simply a matter of quarantining new fish, and being careful of their source? Or is there something deeper, that lurks beneath the mix of angels/discus. Discussion thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanagi Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Can Matt please link me to the article which describes said pathogens and parasites that angels carry but only affect discus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 I'm tired, I'll try find it tomorrow, I believe one was cryptobia or something, I believe angel fish are far more resistant to it and disgus are highly suseptable, discus can tolerate this unicellular parasite in its intestine at higher numbers while even small amounts are supposedly deadly to angles... The can both give each other the "plague" that's just off the top of my head sorry... I'm sure if you look hard enough if you need them NOW you will find them.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kertaz Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 (edited) I've tried mixing both of them. Though both parties were healthy, from my experience, discus are far more passive than the angels. Angels were really greedy that they ate most; if not all; the food before the discus get them. If I remember correctly, I think there were 4 discus to 4 (or 5) angels. Since mixing, the discus were gradually getting thinner, so they got separated again. Edited April 18, 2012 by kertaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanagi Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 I did my reading and fail to see how this is an issue with appropriate quarantine/medication which is just basic practice (or should be, anyway). I have/had 7+ Discus and 4 angels (down to 2 - the other pair went back to work) together for months with only minor issues. Altums that were terribly skinny when I got them put on weight after worming treatments. I don't even think the altums and discus knew each other existed. They didn't mingle, fuss or fight at all. Now my small pair of Angels will have all my Discus up the other end of the tank when they are in breeding mode and they're half the size of my 'boss/dominant/biggest' Discus. If I didn't have a breeding pair, it would not be a problem at all. Discus are more passive, slower moving, calmer fish. When I had a group of Angels, they were constantly in each others faces reminding each other who was boss, etc but never really challenged the Discus as they would hold their own ground very, very easily being much larger. Discus prefer to graze off the bottom while the Angels prefer to eat from the surface so my easy fix is feeding a pellet that both sinks and floats through an auto feeder set to go off four times a day with two rotations and regularly give them a huge amount of bloodworms so everybody can graze for 5-10 minutes and nobody misses out. Yep, they're all FAT as hell. Now if I could just find something to stop my Angel pair breeding, it would be paradise in there all the time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2littlerevheads Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 i would like to know this too as i have 3 Discus coming tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 All these people with discus.... Wish I could afford some I'm struggling just to put money aside to save for my angels! And I get accused of having a disposable income I've seen plenty of setups with both angels and discus together and all looked healthy. I have a friend with such a setup. I'll have to ask if he has ever had any problems. Sometimes theory and experience bring different results. A lot of us are keeping fish that theoretically shouldn't get along or have totally different water requirements, but there they are happily living side by side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2littlerevheads Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 im only paying $45 for my 3 as they are babies jarrod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 That's a good price. I've never seen them that cheap - even for young ones. Where did you get them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2littlerevheads Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 happy fish on face book, he just doesnt want them anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanagi Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 This would be my male angel attempting to chase off two of my smaller Discus for being near his eggs. My red spotted green and Burnie (you can just see the top of his dorsal in the BRH corner) quickly came along and put him in his place and peace was restored.. For about 20 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 I can't find the article sorry... I thought it was a TFH one... I think you need 5+ discus in a tank, otherwise one is often bullied to death, that's not from experience but from most of the research I did. Also, juveniles are more work than adults, they need more water changes and better water quality to ensure they don't get deformed and stunted... I have seen that happen. Jarrod, I know a breeder who sells blue diamonds for $45 each, there are a few good breeders around with fish that price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanagi Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 Speaking as someone who deals with Discus a lot at work, the 5+ rule holds no ground unless you've got one particular fish who is a jackwagon. Just like Angels, you'll find certain Discus are just nasty, nasty pieces of work who bully anything and everything. It's all about finding a compatible mix. I've never seen one come close to being bullied to death, let alone injury. $45 is about entry level price on majority of Discus. I believe 2LRH was referring to $45 for all three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2littlerevheads Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 yeah $45 for all three :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted April 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 This has moved onto bullying.. not transmitting parasites? I'm thinking of discus, and angels are a bit like female bettas. Say with a female sorority, no matter the number, sometimes you do get that bully and you just need to remove that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazell Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 As Yan has said, it is all about the fish's personality. I got my angels warned they'd kill my each other because of such size difference, they are best of buddies and inseparable now. In near future, I was told I most likely own a male and female and will become mates. I can't compare to discus and angels though. Same with Jarrod on the Discus situation, are a tad expensive for me, seeing as I have a habit of killing all expensive fish I touch (The angels have proved me wrong so far). Sorry to drag on this one Sarah. XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanagi Posted April 22, 2012 Report Share Posted April 22, 2012 I think unless any new info pops up, the transition of diseases/parasites has been covered. The same as every other single fish in the universe, you need to apply proper quarantine and medication practices. I medicate every fish that goes into my discus tank. Yay, sterazin and other waterlife products <3 For me the important part of keeping either angels or discus or angels and discus together is the compatibility and personality side of things. It's incredibly frustrating when a customer asks if they can do it and that's the only answer you can give them. Everyone wants a yes or no answer... Sorry mate, not as simple as that and they just don't get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Yes but if you tell them the shop will happily swap fish until they get a compatible combination, doesn't that reassure them? :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanagi Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 Haha, if only. The boss won't accept Discus from anyone under any circumstances. I've seen him do it once, ever, and I ended up taking that pair home after they sat in a quarantine tank out back for about 2 months... lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fletch Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 A lot of shops won't accept any fish from the general public as they know how most people look after there fish. I wish I had a $ for Everytime someone has offered to show me their tank and I can see signs of disease in the tank. Most just respond by "that's why we are always buying fish to top it up. Seem to lose a few almost every week.". Even cichlid keepers do this. Very depressing really. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted April 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 That's so sad. Unfortunately, people just don't bother to educate themselves when going to care for living animals. Often I hear people claiming they are "just fish". You would think at least they'd have the common sense to not get anymore fish until the others are ok... guess not. Common sense - it's not really common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 Common sense - it's not really common. Yes, you do have to wonder why it is called that when it is so rare What gets me is the people who set up a new tank, then proceed to dump 20 odd new fish into an uncycled tank, then blame the store for supplying sick fish... I'm taking my time with my angel tank. Partly due to cost (but let's face it - if I decided I wanted to finish stocking it tomorrow, I would) and partly because I wanted it to cycle properly, become established and to do my research. I had a single male betta in the tank for 3 weeks. Now he has 4 rummynose tankmates who will be joined by another 10 rummynose on the weekend. In a week or two, I'll start looking for my angels. As Busman has said on many occasion - rummynose are the best indicator of water quality. If their red noses pale out, you know there is something wrong. My 4 rummynose are glowing. The red is much brighter than they were in the store - and that is even with the blue cochus tetra hassling them. I must be doing something right :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts