55 discus

i would do at least 2-3 30%-50% a week for discus that size, since they would need about 4-5 feedings a day to keep them growing.

i'd also keep them out of a planted tank until they are fully grown, many people have a hard time raising discus in planted tanks...it can be done, but it would just make the experience of raising them even harder.

KingOfTheDeep said:

i would do at least 2-3 30%-50% a week for discus that size, since they would need about 4-5 feedings a day to keep them growing.

i'd also keep them out of a planted tank until they are fully grown, many people have a hard time raising discus in planted tanks...it can be done, but it would just make the experience of raising them even harder.

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+1

Mark

I have been running a planted bare botttom tank with 14discus in a 72gal BF. What I did was use these stemless cosmo glasses to secure my plants in gravel. have 5 glasses set up + 2potted swords left in their plastic pots + have 3 driftwood pcs with plants in them.
with 2 ac110's to stir things up my bottom remains relatively clean.

tho one ac110 had to extend the intake tube to the bottom to suck up the heavier poop.

this way I get my plants & still go bare bottom! (sounds obscene right?!)

so far so good.

To touch on a couple of your questions...

1. As KOTD mentioned, with discus that size, you may want to do at least 2 water changes per week, imo.

2. I also agree bare bottom would be ideal in that situation, and sushiray's suggestion, imo, is a great solution as a compromise, while you are growing them out.

3. Unless you are planning on getting wild discus... which I would not recommend for a beginner anyway... you do not have to worry about your pH. Just make sure it is stable. Tank bred discus are not sensitive in the same way wild caughts are, regarding pH. Your bigger concern here is to not have it fluctuating, and I think that is best served by leaving it at what it is, and buying quality fish from a quality source. I happen to know people breeding discus in hard water and a pH of 7.8.

4. Yes... if you can afford the adults, those are easier for beginners, because you can put them in a planted, and you can do less frequent water changes. adults are a bit more forgiving of mistakes than juvies are. so if your budget will allow it, then you want to go with adults.

If you are interested, send me pm, and I can give you some other info as well, that may help you.

-Rich

i had 7 Discus in 110gal that had lots of plants and some small fish as well
i dont think Discus are as hard to take care of as everyone seems to think
i did do a 40 to 50% WC weekly i also feed them good food ( blood worms, gost shrimp, small worms,
when i got them they were all around 2.5 to 3" and about 8" when i got rid of them to try a saltwater set up ( that was a dumb mistake ) sorry i did it
i think most Discus you get in your LFS are tank raised and easier to take care of

just my 2 cents

danimal_dan said:

i had 7 Discus in 110gal that had lots of plants and some small fish as well
i dont think Discus are as hard to take care of as everyone seems to think
i did do a 40 to 50% WC weekly i also feed them good food ( blood worms, gost shrimp, small worms,
when i got them they were all around 2.5 to 3" and about 8" when i got rid of them to try a saltwater set up ( that was a dumb mistake ) sorry i did it
i think most Discus you get in your LFS are tank raised and easier to take care of

just my 2 cents

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The trick for your set up and mine (I have been growing my discus in a planted tank) is water volume compared to the amount of discus. It is that way with any fish, not just discus. Larger water volume = more room for error. With that being said to the OP.

I would go with 7 discus. You can raise discus in a planted tank that size if you are willing to put in the time for daily water changes and thorough substrate vacs for the first year you have them. I spent at least an hour and a half every day vaccing my discus tank up until about 3 weeks ago. I just now have cut back to every other day. You may get away with less, but the potential for stunting and disease increases tenfold the fewer water changes you do. With the kind of money one must spend to get quality discus in the first place, most opt to do the water changes and just not take the chance.

As stated by Rich, unless you get wild discus, I would not tinker with the water hardness/softness. Tank bred discus are quite able to adapt to all but the most hardest water. As for DIY CO2, I would not do CO2 unless pressurized and unless you have used it for a while and can regulate it well. I say this because shortly after getting my discus I had a lack of oxygen problem in my tank for a total of 12 hours. In that 12 hours I did 3 - 75% water changes before people here on the boards helped me to figure out the problem and I added an air stone. I lost one discus and almost lost a second in that 12 hours. With higher CO2 levels, there is the potential for O2 issues and with the temperatures being higher the water holds less O2 in the first place.

Good luck with what you decide to do and feel free to ask me any questions about the planted tank. I will try to help all that I can.

All the advice given has been good. The only thing I question is keeping discus in a 55 for the long term. The need a bigger tank as adults,IMO.

67chevelle said:

All the advice given has been good. The only thing I question is keeping discus in a 55 for the long term. The need a bigger tank as adults,IMO.

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i have to disagree, unless you get a group of (unlikely) 9"-10" discus, a 55 is more than suitable for a group of at least 6 fish. i have always kept groups of 5-6 in 55gals with no problems.

i do overfilter them though, i currently have over 1200gph running on my 55, with 5, soon to be 6 adult discus. water changes twice a week.