Are you sure you want to keep Discus Fish?

There is no intention here to put you off, the fact you are reading this suggests you are trying to do the right thing by doing your research.  So in the interests of balance its only right to highlight the bad bits of a discus fish tank rather than just the good.  

Discus live in a aquariums for around 10 years.  That's if you're getting it right and luck is on your side.  This is quite an undertaking and commitment.  So its a long term project for a start.

You'll need space for the tank (the bigger the better), time to look after it properly and you will find yourself spending money on equipment, food, plants and fish on a regular basis.

I find the maintenance water changes and issues all part of the fun.  The moment you dont enjoy the discus fish care side of this hobby its time to have a think about what you're doing.  The moment you put off cleaning, changing water and so on is when your tank and its inhabitants start to suffer. 

I've changed and refined a number of things and find I can do a clean and a water change in under an hour, and I do that at least twice per week.  Every 4 weeks or so its a longer process as one of the filters is stripped and cleaned, your floor will get wet, you will get dirty and you will have to move a vast amount of water around the house (see refined water change process).

You also need to feed discus fish regularly, they will be waiting for their food, their food is expensive and needs freezer space (see feeding).  On a brighter note you can leave them without food for some time and they will be fine, so holiday cover for your discus may not be needed. 

There will also be issues, usually because your aquarium maintenance isn't regular or consistent enough.  There is always something trying to spoil this hobby, be that algae, parasites, equipment issues, the list goes on.  Solving these issues and knowing what to do gets easier and this site will hopefully help with some of that.