Discus vs Angel

chupapiedras · Post by **chupapiedras** » 27 Mar 2004, 00:35

Lately I've pondering starting a tank to house the fishes that I thought I will never be able to keep ( 2 or 3 discus a possible Gold nugget and corys). However I forgot something, the exact samething that allows me to be a better fishkeeper and save time/money, my tap water and the climate in Puerto Rico. I've never had a need for test kits or heaters, which I just realize that for discus and GN they are a must.

1.My problem is that the average temp on the island is 85 deegres yearround and discus required at least 80 deegres. In my town the temp in spring and summer is 85-95 (probably higher) but drops to 78-85(probably higher) on autum and winter.

2.Ther are no discus breeders on the island, so only LFS stock is available(usually high priced adults)

Assuming a ten deegres difference from tank to outside, do I have any chance of succesfully keeping discus without a heater or should I stick with Angels(hopefully Altums)?

Thanks in advance,
Eduardo

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 27 Mar 2004, 08:44

altums are at least as difficult to keep as wildcaught discus....and they need the same temperature!
common angels and captive-bred discus are much easier to keep, with angels running up front with quite a gap.

chupapiedras · Post by **chupapiedras** » 03 Apr 2004, 05:24

Thanks sidguppy.
I've spent all this time reading and searching and after going through a lot of photos, info and descriptions I'VE come to the conclusion that in the wild discuss don't experiment the 85+ temp that people keep telling me, but most likely 75-85. After all they seem to escape the heat by living among the shade of tree roots, floating plants and seem to escape the day heat at deeper areas of the river and near the surface at night. Still, I don't I don't whant to risk it not to mention that this is a setup for the whole family and they seem to favor the wild or wild type Angels. I don't mind the extra work involved with discus(but scared of the parasites and infections), so IF I can get away with at least one or a combo I'll try it. Maybe I'll just add a small heater during the winter moths or see if the heat from lights or sun can bring it up a few deegres .
I guess I was looking for some input to point me in one direction or another. Maybe another biotope?
Anybody else's thoughts are welcome.

Thanks,
Eduardo