What is the minumum tank size for 1 discus?

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YoFishboy

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Feb 16, 2005
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FishFreak101 said:
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.
 
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CajunCC

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Sep 10, 2004
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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

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Jan 3, 2004
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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

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Feb 15, 2005
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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

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Jan 3, 2004
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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

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Jan 16, 2005
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NatakuTseng said:
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 !)
 
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FishFreak101

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Jul 1, 2005
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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!
 
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