discus

[FishHunter8]

Hey yall,

I was just wondering whats the ideal discus tempurature in a planted tank that includes angelfish, neon tetra's and bloodfin tetras that will be safe for them all. Thanks alot.

[Dangerdoll]

I would think the ideal temp all around for those would be 82 degrees. The smaller fish could stand it a little cooler while the bigger ones could stand it a little warmer. But all in all, 82 is probably best.

[CHughes]

I agree 82 degrees is best temperature for the Discus. The tetras will adapt very well to that temperature, I've had several silver tipped tetras in my Discus tank now for the past 2 years.

One thing you may wish to consider is finding another home for the angel. I found them to be very aggressive at feeding time battling the larger Discus for every scrap. Also they carry diseases that the Discus are very susceptible (sp?) to.

[CHughes]

I've never had any luck with neon with my Discus. I'm not sure whether it was the temperature, or the neons were to slow not to be considered a tempting treat!

[FishHunter8]

Thanks, thats what i figured the tempurature would be best at. Unfortunatly i don't have another home for the six angles that are in there already.

[Deb2]

I keep angels in with my discus and have had no problems. I have heard that the disease problem was more with the wild caught carrying a virus that didn't affect the angels but was usually lethal to discus. Since I don't keep wild caught angels I have not run into that problem.
Neons are not a good choice as tankmates for discus since they can't handle the higher temps. that discus need and they do need 82F. Cardinals are a better choice since they like higher temps. I think the bloodfins will be ok, but I have never kept them.

[Harry Tolen]

I agree with Deb2 about the neons. They prefer cooler temperatures, and will probably not thrive at 82F with your discus. I keep cardinals with mine at that temperature, however, and they have been exceptionally long-lived. Perhaps you can exchange your neons for cardinals at your LFS (not necessarily on a one-for-one basis, but hey you can't have everything).

Angels are generally not recommended as tankmates for discus because they are more aggressive, especially at feeding time, but if you already have them in there and have noplace else to put them then you've got to give it a try. Just a thought: both discus and angels come from water with few plants but lots of roots. Perhaps aquascaping your tank with lots of driftwood will help.

[Dangerdoll]

I keep Angels with my discus and have yet to encounter any type of aggression from the Angels, however, it seems the other way around, but like I've said many times before, this could all be based upon an individual basis.
As far as the temperature is concerned, I believe the neons would be alright in the 82 temp as long as 82 is the max the temp is at, since they prefer water 76-82 degrees while the discus prefer their water at 82-86 degrees.
With this in mind though, I believe Harry & Deb are correct in advising cardinals, perhaps it'd be a safer bet to go for them as well in case the temp does fluctuate higher than the 82 needed for the bigger fish you've got.

[125gJoe]

Don't let the temp drop below 82 degrees, 84 is safer....

[azriel]

id get the neons outta there regardless of temp... once your angels and discus are full grown there is a good chance of the neons being eaten anyhow. your bloodfins may be able to avoid that fate however. i havent had any problems with my angels and discus YET but theyve only been together about six months. good luck with your tank.