What is the minumum tank size for 1 discus?

[FishFreak101]

i mite be getting 1 discus wat is the minium tank size?

[PumaWard]

You shouldn't keep just one discus, they are shoaling and social fish. Either should be 4-6 in a 55g, or a *bonded* pair in a min 29g... this is assuming they are BB. Otherwise, max pair in 55g, or 4 in 55g.

[FishFreak101]

darnit ok.

[Kasakato]

And they need something like daily water changes. They are VERY sensitive to any changes and bad water.

[FishFreak101]

lets sasy it was in a tank with other fish (bcause im not rich so i wood only be able to by 1).

[PumaWard]

Really, if you can only get one, you should at least save up until you can get 2. More would be much better.


Kas, discus don't need daily water changes in general. It depends on your set up and what your doing. In BB tanks and grow out tanks yes, because you're promoting rapid growth. Also, many discus tanks are overstocked or at max stocking and therefore do need dailies... however, there are a many discus tanks that only get 1X a week 25-50% changes. This is much better to do with adults because their already grown out. I also use the "plop and drop" method when getting new fish, and I don't exhempt the discus from this. Discus are actually very forgiving fish... all and all, I think their easier than pet-shop guppies. You just have to understand their basic requirements like all fish.

[NatakuTseng]

I'll second Puma on that one. Discus are not the difficult species to keep that most people think they are, you just need to do a few things right.

[WinterWind]

Discus have very specefic need to water quality, such as soft and acidic water. They are not for beginners, so if you are just starting out, I would not recommend discus.

[Emg]

You know..the special needs thing was expressed in many informative sites about keeping german blue rams when I was looking up info on them. I had pretty much decided that I shouldn't get them from all the doom and gloom about "exacting" water conditions and the like....but then....my lfs here got a batch of them in and I coudn't resist.... :D Brought 3 home the first trip and a few weeks later picked up 2 more because the ones I had purchased were doing fine !

I haven't found all that scary information to be true at all concerning blue rams..and I'm thinking someday when I have enough for a proper sized tank...I would like to try discus.......HOWEVER......my german blues only cost me about 6 bucks each !!! Not quite the investment a good batch of discus would require....sooo.....guess it's a matter of counting the risk with the cost in order to find out if you'll be successful with them or not ... :huh:

[NatakuTseng]

Winter, your wrong, simply put. EMG, I have 60ish fry growing out right now, I could give you a heck of a deal if you wanted some, let me know.

[Kasakato]

Take any person off the street and get them to keep discus with out any help. That's a true noob, IMO.

[YoFishboy]

i mite be getting 1 discus wat is the minium tank size?

To answer your question directly, you really don't want just one discus by itself. Many discus breeders whose fishrooms I have seen use 20 talls per pair, 55 gallons and up for grow out tanks and unpaired adults. Like any fish, once you do your research and understand the necessary parameters they need, your chances of success will be much better. If you want some really good info. do a google search for Bing Seto, D ick Au and Jack Wattley.

[CajunCC]

I've got a happy-go-lucky discus in my 75 with angelfish and silver dollars. He doesn't seem to mind not having discus company at all. He's extremely active, very personable, not even a little bit shy, beats out the other fish for food, and just downright thrives in the hard, alkaline water, getting water changes every week or two.

Bottom line, they're NOT that demanding. Everyone says they need perfect water and all that stuff, but really, they're just fish, like every other one out there.

[NatakuTseng]

Frankly Cajun, you lucked out period. Its not the norm at all, and I would not advocate keeping discus with that mix you have because it is volitile to say the least.

Fishboy, generally breeders use 29gals for breeding tanks and 75gals as a min if not larger, for grow out, thats the most common. While Seto, Au, and of course Wattley were the greats of their times, many things have changed, I know both Wattley and Seto are now retired and no longer in the business, Au I don't know for sure. Now a days the guys big into breeding and winning world class shows mainly come out of Asia. Some of those guys to talk with are Andrew Soh (who is retired, but recently just released the best discus info book to date, Discus the Naked Truth), Kelvin Chiang, Wayne Ng, Roy Choo, and many others.

If you really want a lot of info from many knowledgable people about discus and do things the way you should, I reccomend going to http://www.discusasahoby.com Its the best site I have found with the most knowledgable people who are actually in the business of breeding and selling discus. AC simply is not the place for a lot of good accurate info about those fish, I've said this in other threads and frankly I feel there are only a few of people on this site that know much at all about discus, others think they do but they have next to nothing for expirience, at DAAH the people there know their stuff, they are practical people and will tell you straight up what to do. Also I reccomend reading the article in my sig that is here at AC.

[tbone]

Ok I'm with fishfreak. I just like the natural beauty of a discus, and watching it swim. I realize the exitement and potential of breeding discus. But I just like watching my fish. I personally don't want to breed. I just don't have the time, money, and tanks it takes to breed.


If I were to get discus, what 'could' I put with it?

You are saying you 'have' to get a pair, or several? One just wont do?


I probably won't buy any in the near future, but I may in the distant future. So I'm just curious. IMHO I probably would't put discus in a 55 or smaller. Just because I'd wan't to give them/it lots of swimming room. Unless I were to breed.

[NatakuTseng]

A 55 is plenty of room for up to I'd say 6 adults. If your going to do a planted tank I would only go with 4. To anwser your question, no they generally do not do well alone, in the wild they are found in shoals that number in the hundreds. With your first go around with Discus I would reccomend you only keep the discus with a bristlenose pleco, and a bare bottom tank. I know BB tanks sound ugly, but they really aren't. Read the article in my sig, and take a visit over to http://www.Discusasahobby as I have suggested earlier and start looking around. I could write a few pages here about discus but its much easier and simpler to just send you in directions where the info is already listed.

Being in Canada I can send you to a great importer/breeder up there at http://www.canadadiscus.com her name is Barb, real nice person and great fish, if you want give her a call and start talkin with her.

[Emg]

EMG, I have 60ish fry growing out right now, I could give you a heck of a deal if you wanted some, let me know.

Boy..wouldn't I just like to take you up on that one Nat.....lol....however, the largest tank I have at present is only a 29...and anything larger just isn't in the picture for me right now...(sigh)...HOWEVER...I am going to pick up a couple of dart frogs this weekend...I have a 20long sitting around that needs something in it and I decided to go with something that doesn't need water changes...lol...(OOOO...CAN'T WAIT !)

[NatakuTseng]

Awwww how can you say no to these little monsters.....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/NatakuTseng/quarterdiscus2.jpg

Let me know when you are ready to take the jump, I got a lot of connections ;)

[FishFreak101]

hey tbone thats exactly what i think i love (well love is a pretty strong word but wutever) all my fish and i just like watching them swim around and watching them interact with eachother. if i cood i wood start breeding discus i just dont have the money. in the future i think i'll buy a 100 gall. and put a few discus in there (hopefully they'll breed) thx for the help!