Rainbow shark with discus?

[discuspaul]

As others before me have said, neither sharks or rainbows, nor CAE's, SAE's, and Otos, are good, compatible discus tank-mates.
Some grow too large, and harass and intimidate the discus, or are far too swift and active, having the same result of stressing discus, and others, like SAE's & Otos, may have a tendency to take a liking to discus' slime coats as part of their diet.
While others (like neons, for example) can't handle the higher discus temps, and soon perish.

One must be careful selecting tankmates for discus. Remember, discus are expensive fish, and their welfare & ongoing health maintenance must be the foremost concern for any discus-keeper. (Or you'll be tossing $$$ out the window.)

[MaiaDee]

Discuspaul, thanks so much for pointing out those two threads. I will read this as soon as this reply is posted (although if I read them first, I might save myself from potential embarrassment). I feel like I've done nothing other than read about discus online since starting this thread, actually, I think I've read some of your stuff too .

No worries, I got it. It's a discus tank. Nothing else except the cories. I don't see a reason to not have some cories with them to help with clean up, but if they seem to bother or annoy the discus, out they'll go! BTW, I'm thinking peppered and bronze cories, so they should not at all distract from the beauties.

I appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out. I'll keep ya updated

[MaiaDee]

Before you jump right into discus-keeping, you want to know how to avoid the pitfalls experienced, and the common mistakes made by many new discus-keepers, so may I suggest you first have a read through my 'Beginner's Guide to Getting Started with Discus' (first sticky) and the thread I started, titled -' DISCUS- 6 Cardinal Rules for Newbies' - both located here in the Cichlids section, Angel Fish & Discus sub-section.

I respectfully feel they will help you to get off on the right foot to begin with, and be successful keeping these beautiful fish.
Once you have done that, please do some research to ensure you are placing the right type of compatible tankmates in with the discus, and those species which can also do well at the higher discus temps.
All the best to you in this project - and please remember to call on me if I can be of help at any time.

Paul, Thank you so much for taking the time to post those threads and for pointing me at them. Great information and I've learned more stuff about my future friends. You've reinforced many of the important points and clarified some things I was not clear on. I definitely feel better about my pH. I am much clearer on the appropriate feeding schedule and obviously I have a much better understanding of appropriate tank mates. Cories will be ok, yay!!

While I feel prepared (my wife says I obsessive about my fish tanks because of the regularity in which I test and WC. That's a good thing ) I'm sure I'll make mistakes, and I am so glad to know there is someone so experienced and willing to help available to me.. Rest assured we understand the commitment we're making to these fish. Thanks again and I'm sure we'll chat again soon .

[discuspaul]

Discuspaul, thanks so much for pointing out those two threads. I will read this as soon as this reply is posted (although if I read them first, I might save myself from potential embarrassment). I feel like I've done nothing other than read about discus online since starting this thread, actually, I think I've read some of your stuff too .

No worries, I got it. It's a discus tank. Nothing else except the cories. I don't see a reason to not have some cories with them to help with clean up, but if they seem to bother or annoy the discus, out they'll go! BTW, I'm thinking peppered and bronze cories, so they should not at all distract from the beauties.

I appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out. I'll keep ya updated

Keep in mind, good buddy, that Cories are not the only very suitable tankmates for discus.
If you're inclined to maintain a community tank with discus, there are may other compatible species that can handle the higher temps, AND get along well with Discus.
Examples are, among others, Cardinal, Rummy-Nose, or Lemon Tetras (& other Tetras), GB Rams, Rasboras, Hatchet Fish, BNP's, some Gouramis, and there are a number of others too.
Some discus-keepers have successfully kept peaceful Barbs, such as the Cherry Barb, or even Guppies, or a Betta, Angels, & others. There's really quite a wide list.

[MaiaDee]

Keep in mind, good buddy, that Cories are not the only very suitable tankmates for discus.
If you're inclined to maintain a community tank with discus, there are may other compatible species that can handle the higher temps, AND get along well with Discus.
Examples are, among others, Cardinal, Rummy-Nose, or Lemon Tetras (& other Tetras), GB Rams, Rasboras, Hatchet Fish, BNP's, some Gouramis, and there are a number of others too.
Some discus-keepers have successfully kept peaceful Barbs, such as the Cherry Barb, or even Guppies, or a Betta, Angels, & others. There's really quite a wide list.

I don't think I really want a "community" type tank for them. My 29g has several species of tetras, a school of danios, ADFs, and of course the rainbow shark (and the CAE that has to go). I just love the cories (so darn cute!) and I have a thin layer of sand as substrate and the cories do a great job in the community tank and I understand the discus can be messy eaters, so it seems like a good pairing. I have a few of them in the discus tank now keeping our friendly bacterias fed (and as hard as they are to catch, I'm glad I won't have to chase them around in there to get them back to the "community"!).

I school of cardinals or GB rams (love those, too, but haven't kept one) or some other colorful fish would be fun to see swimming amongst the discus and if I ever upgrade to a larger tank, that's something I'd like to do.