View Full Version : Discus
I am thinking that if i can rearrange my tanks that i want to fill my 55 with discus. I know discus are schooling fish so how many would i be able to keep in a 55. Also is there any other smaller fish that can be kept with them.
Soupysteve
12-04-2008, 2:15 PM
You'll probably have a handful of folks tell you that you shouldn't put discus in a 55g. MY OPINION is that a big fish in a WELL-MAINTAINED, smaller tank is in better shape than a big fish in a POORLY-MAINTAINED, larger tank. Ultimately, that decision is up to you.
Discus are (from what I've heard) really peaceful. A school of tetras would go well with them, I'd think. Personally, I prefer to house fish together that you'd find together in nature - in your case, South America.
Good luck to you!
blue2fyre
12-04-2008, 2:24 PM
I thought about doing discus before I decided to go with mbuna. From my research 4-5 discus can do well in a 55 gallon. As far as other fish some nice tetras do well with discus, depending on what kind you like.
The Zigman
12-04-2008, 2:27 PM
well,
you should have at LEAST 5 discus in a tank, or there will be agression issues, and they will hide. While a 55 is small for 5 discus, you could use it short term till they grow if you get smaller fish. I say this because an adult discus can be 7-8 inches TALL.. a 55 is not very tall for an 8 inch fish.They grow pretty fast.
I have Cardinals, and Rummynose with mine, as well as some clown loaches (tooo big for a 55) and otos. I also have some black noens in their tank.
With Discus, the ideal temp is around 84F, smaller juvi discus like it warmer up to 88F, keep this in mind when picking tankmates.
A school of discus is peaceful, 3 discus arent peaceful, my 3 are at each other quite often, I need some more, but fell short on $$$...
Bottom line from me (IMO) is if you cant get 5, dont get any.
Star_Rider
12-04-2008, 3:32 PM
5-6 in a 55..
while some discus can reach large sizes (8-10") many do not.
the average size is around 6-7" for many of the domestic discus. remember most are not show quality .
if you decide to get discus..do look to breeders for your selection.. they will have discus from show quality to community tanks. expect to pay $$ for show large discus tho.
I started wit juveniles in a planted tank..tho it is much easier to do them in a bare bottom tank.
juvies as mentioned need warm water and many small feedings = many water changes.
daily if possible..or every other day. these do not need to be large but uneaten food should be removed. results in 30% + water changes 3-4 X week.
I also have a tank that is about 2 inches larger than the 55 would that be better. The only thing wrong with it is a have a big piece of driftwood that is leaking alot of t something cant remember the name so the water is pretty dark.
Weezer
12-04-2008, 3:46 PM
I also have a tank that is about 2 inches larger than the 55 would that be better. The only thing wrong with it is a have a big piece of driftwood that is leaking alot of t something cant remember the name so the water is pretty dark.
Tannins, it will dissipate eventually, or you could take it out and boil it, carbon may help also.......:)
Soupysteve
12-04-2008, 3:51 PM
I thought that the tea colored ("tannin" - is that right?) stuff was good - as it simulates an abundance of dead leaves, etc in your water column. I think they even sell some additive made for this purpose, even.
I say go with whichever tank is the tallest; just my two cents.
Soupysteve
12-04-2008, 3:52 PM
:shakes fists at Weezer:
"you're too quick!"
:P
tannins thats it but i dont mind the color it makes the tank but ive heard that it consumes alot of light and thats not good for plants. I cant take it out and boil it because it is huge its about 2 foot long and a foot high and a foot in depth. and if discus need plants than its not a good thing with the water that color right?
Soupysteve
12-04-2008, 4:13 PM
I think it'd depend on the intensity of your lighting, the depth of your tank, and placement of the plants. How dark are we talkin', anyway?
Star_Rider
12-04-2008, 4:30 PM
Discus don't need plants.. we put them there cause we think they look good.
tannins are a normal part of their existence. the are often found in slow water with lots of tangled wood.
Soupysteve
12-04-2008, 4:52 PM
Get on youtube and search "discus in nature".
I did the same - but used "neon tetra" in the place of "discus".
That gave me a GREAT idea of what I was going to try to simulate in my tank.
I hope this helps.
Good luck!
PopPopsfish
12-04-2008, 8:29 PM
If you All knew how many Discus I keep in a 55 you would all fall over!!!!
I believe a 55 is large enough to keep 5 or 6 for a novice , I would highly recommend that you do some research before you buy and get your fish from a local Breeder or contact us we would be glad to sell TOP Quality Stendker Discus at an affordable price. PM me for current stock and price list. ( Consider the fact that these fish grow up to 10" + and can live up to ten years, that is why most people say a 55 is too small)
The key to healthy Discus is( water quality , diet )and stock rate. Starting out with healthy fish is a must since these are investments not you average run of the mill fish.
We have 30+ tanks of just Discus
Good Luck
It gets pretty dark around wc day i have a black angel in it now that when in the back it takes a little while to find from a distance but it also has a dark background. This would be the tank. Dimensions are 48x211/2x14
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c102/On317/100_0804.jpg
Draal5
12-07-2008, 7:01 AM
That tank would be perfect for 5-6 discus. Discus are not real active swimmers so you can over stock them with little problems as long as you keep up with PWC's
The key to discus for the novice is the stock quality you could do no better than popops discus they are healthy and come from the heartiest stock around I have 19 discus and 5 of them are from pops.
Buy the largest ones you can afford as the larger the fish the easier to keep.
juvenile fish need to eat 4-6 times per day and require daily water changes as any nitrates can cause them to be stunted.
RedScare
12-07-2008, 1:58 PM
Start a bare-bottom tank with 10 (2"-2.5") juvenile Discus. Do w/c every other day. In about 6months-1 year cull or sell the least attractive 4.
johnlarson66
12-07-2008, 2:16 PM
What ever you do, follow advice from people that actually have discus. I have been interested in them myself and have been given the best advice from people that have them. I could tell you some stuff that I have read or been told, but I would recommend getting close to someone that keeps them.
I don't have them, yet.
pinkertd
12-08-2008, 1:24 PM
tannins thats it but i dont mind the color it makes the tank but ive heard that it consumes alot of light and thats not good for plants. I cant take it out and boil it because it is huge its about 2 foot long and a foot high and a foot in depth. and if discus need plants than its not a good thing with the water that color right?
Generally you could do 5-6 discus in the 55G IF you keep up with water changes and substrate cleaning regularly and frequently. If you're getting juvies, I'd get 6 and hope that 5 make it to adulthood. Get the best quality and the biggest you can afford.
The above tank would not be suitable for 5-6 sub-adult or adult discus with a piece of driftwood like that in there. It's not the tannins, but the size of the driftwood. If your tank is 48" long and 24" is used up by driftwood, that's also 12" deep (tank is 14"deep) and 12" high......that's not much room for adult discus at move around at all. Though discus are not active swimmers, they need more room that this tank will supply them.
Discus do not need any plants. Plants sure do make the discus tank look nice though and will give them a place to retreat if needed.
If you All knew how many Discus I keep in a 55 you would all fall over!!!!
I believe a 55 is large enough to keep 5 or 6 for a novice , I would highly recommend that you do some research before you buy and get your fish from a local Breeder or contact us we would be glad to sell TOP Quality Stendker Discus at an affordable price. PM me for current stock and price list. ( Consider the fact that these fish grow up to 10" + and can live up to ten years, that is why most people say a 55 is too small)
The key to healthy Discus is( water quality , diet )and stock rate. Starting out with healthy fish is a must since these are investments not you average run of the mill fish.
We have 30+ tanks of just Discus
Good Luck
Even Stendker/Hans stocks light compared to what can be done. Since they arent using oxygen in their systems, they are more or less limited to 1/3lb of fish per GALLON of water. If they were to use an efficient oxygen system and be able to super saturate the water with O2, there is a possibility of stocking 1lb of fish per GALLON of water. Now that is high density stocking, LOL.
-Ryan
RedScare
12-10-2008, 2:04 AM
Even Stendker/Hans stocks light compared to what can be done. Since they arent using oxygen in their systems, they are more or less limited to 1/3lb of fish per GALLON of water. If they were to use an efficient oxygen system and be able to super saturate the water with O2, there is a possibility of stocking 1lb of fish per GALLON of water. Now that is high density stocking, LOL.
-Ryan
How much is a pound of Discus????
A healthy 2" discus weighs in the neighborhood of 10-12 grams....