angelfish and discus

[12 Volt Man]

Actually the most important thing to consider when putting discus and angels together is Discus size and tank size. Baby discus do not do well in community set up. If you get a tank large enough to accommodate Discus and angels you will need to start with discus at least 4" or larger. Angels of all sizes are aggressive eaters while small discus are timid around other fish. My first thought would be get the tank set up and cycled then get some healthy adult discus from a reputable breeder. give them a month or so then when you know they are acclimated and doing fine start with a few small angels(always QT fish that are going in with discus) and see where it goes from there.

agreed.

this is the way I did it, back when I had discus.

I put smallish angels in with 4 inch semi-adult discus and everything worked out fine.

 

[jm1212]

cardinals may not be very good tankmates for angels or discus. both will eventually get big enough to eat them. rummynose tetras would probably be a better choice.

it also depends on the individual fish. some angels are not as aggressive as others, and the same goes for discus.

 

[el wadd]

cardinals may not be very good tankmates for angels or discus. both will eventually get big enough to eat them. rummynose tetras would probably be a better choice.

it also depends on the individual fish. some angels are not as aggressive as others, and the same goes for discus.

I've kept cardinals w/discus, and never saw that....

rummys are the coolest tetras around IMO

 

[angel68]

Hi,
I would say most discus keepers have cardinals and I have never heard of discus eating cardinals.....I think the big issue mixing angels and discus is more the internal and external parasite issue. Angels often carry Capillaria and they usually resist it pretty well, whereas even a healthy discus will fall ill very quickly if exposed to Capillaria for instance. Just make sure that you QT your fish and treat them for internal and external parasites. I have an 80 gallon with 8 discus and fighting parasites has been quite a learning experience!!! I have enjoyed it though. They are my fave fish now!!! I find angels too aggressive!
Good luck,
Sophie

 

[Rbishop]

discus = tranquility

 

[number1sixerfan]

I have discus and they grew up with my cardinals. If the discus go without food for a day or two, they will likely eat a card or two. So just keep them feed.

I'm suprised that no one mentioned that angels are the carriers of a disease(can't remember the name, will research) that discus can contract from them. It is harmless to the angels but can be deadly for the discus.

 

[Tolak]

I have discus and they grew up with my cardinals. If the discus go without food for a day or two, they will likely eat a card or two. So just keep them feed.

I'm suprised that no one mentioned that angels are the carriers of a disease(can't remember the name, will research) that discus can contract from them. It is harmless to the angels but can be deadly for the discus.

Hexamita and spironucleus are common internal protizoans in angels, and are considered part of the normal digestive flora. They can get out of hand in any fish, usually due to stress. Discus are more delicate fish, so are prone to stress, thus these protizoans can be easily tranferred from the more hardy angels who are normally unaffected, to the discus where they can do quite a bit of harm.

This is the reason I suggested treating the angels with metronidazole during the quar period, and making sure the discus are well settled in with healthy growth & appetite.

 

[Lupin]

Hi,
I would say most discus keepers have cardinals and I have never heard of discus eating cardinals.....I think the big issue mixing angels and discus is more the internal and external parasite issue. Angels often carry Capillaria and they usually resist it pretty well, whereas even a healthy discus will fall ill very quickly if exposed to Capillaria for instance. Just make sure that you QT your fish and treat them for internal and external parasites. I have an 80 gallon with 8 discus and fighting parasites has been quite a learning experience!!! I have enjoyed it though. They are my fave fish now!!! I find angels too aggressive!
Good luck,
Sophie

Well said.

I regret ever mixing the angels and discus when I had them. The angels were eager to breed and eventually bullied the discus.

 

[Temo]

wow

 

[severum mama]

I would say most discus keepers have cardinals and I have never heard of discus eating cardinals.....I think the big issue mixing angels and discus is more the internal and external parasite issue. Angels often carry Capillaria and they usually resist it pretty well, whereas even a healthy discus will fall ill very quickly if exposed to Capillaria for instance.

This is an excellent point, and one that has made me shy away from mixing discus and angels. Also, I'd have to agree that the angels I have kept are much more aggressive at feeding time than my discus. That's just another reason I wouldn't personally mix them. My experience is that discus do very well with passive tetras, and I even keep mine with a breeding pair of apistogramma steindachneri with no aggression issues.

I think the most important advice I've ever received was that juvenile discus under 4 inches should not be grown out in community tanks. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to heed that advice when I was given 4 3 inch juvies for my planted 55 gallon community, as I had no grow out tank. Even with 50% water changes 3x weekly, all my original discus have died. I suspect a parasite is the cause, even though I treated the fish for parasites, however, there's nothing to say that it couldn't have been brought on by water quality issues, even with frequent water changes, as my 4 inch discus have done much better under a more lax water change schedule.

The world may never know, but one thing is for sure:
I will never again grow out small juvenile discus in anything but a 29 gallon barebottom tank.