More on the Importance of Quarantining Discus
Any time a new fish is brought home, it should be kept in a quarantine tank and closely monitored.
The quarantine period will last six weeks. It should be done in a clean, aged tank with a stable pH. Add some cycled filter media from an existing tank, or add some ammonia to start the biological filter if an aged tank is not available. Be sure to test the water and wait until the nitrites and nitrates have fallen to safe levels. Without a well cycled bio filter, plan on doing very large daily water changes to keep nitrite levels as close to zero as possible.
Quarantine tanks should always be bare bottom. Up to a 35 gallon aquarium should do just fine, but no smaller than 20 gallons. Keep the water temperature at a stable temperature between 82˚F – 85˚F. During this time, you may want to use a deworming medicine to kill off any parasites.
Quarantine means complete separation, so it would be a good idea to keep the quarantine tank in a separate room from the main tank. Use separate buckets, hoses, nets, siphons, etc. Do maintenance on the main tank first, then the quarantine tank to eliminate the chance of contamination.
During this time, maintain optimum water quality. Be watchful and catch problems early on. If any odd behavior is noticed, do a 50% water change.
When the quarantine tank is in remission, add some ammonia to keep the biological filter going, and do a small water change from time to time.
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