I've seen various compatible fish for discus such as some of the tetras, but wondered if Rainbowfish would be compatible? I presume they are too active but thought I'd check to see if anyone has tried that combination successfully.
Discus and Rainbowfish
- Thread starter jmarsh3253
- Start date
I don't get why people say not to put active fish in with discus. Every time I have, the discus have done immensely better. They are challenged for food and so they do like they do in the wild; compete. They seem to be much more alert and healthy than the discus I've seen in unchallenged tanks. Once I get the fish room done, I'm going to set up a group of 10 red turquoise in a community tank and detail the results.
my discus are alays at the front of the line when it's feeding time
..they are big enough to push cometitors out of the way and the cobalt reds are not shy
..they are big enough to push cometitors out of the way and the cobalt reds are not shy
Well there are some basis to that argument, but there are indeed fish that can be safely kept with adult Discus.
Some of the issues/reasons are:
1) Discus require a much higher temperature range that would be detrimental to many other fish.
2) Discus are "grazing" fish which means while they prefer to take their time on a meal, other fish may quickly consume all the food. Should be less of an issue for fully grown adults.
3) Discus can in fact grow rather large (8-10 inches), and while not known for being extremely predatory may eat smaller fish such as neon tetras.
4) The slime coat produced by Discus can attract unwanted attention from some species of fish who will attempt to eat the slime coat off the Discus' body. There are reported incidents of Otos attaching themselves to the side of a Discus for example.
I'm guessing that most of these people are discus breeders and therefore need to focus on near perfect water params and other nitpicky stuff rather than other fish...tons, and I mean tons of people keep dicus in a somewhat heavily planted, peaceful community setting.
I have 9 Discus in a community tank.
Yes,there can be some competion for food ,even though my Discus were bigger.
I am in the process of cycling another tank for my Discus,but I do plan on moving a small school of Rasboras and Cory cats in with the Discus. So far I have never seen either of these species get in the way of a feeding Discus.
Yes,there can be some competion for food ,even though my Discus were bigger.
I am in the process of cycling another tank for my Discus,but I do plan on moving a small school of Rasboras and Cory cats in with the Discus. So far I have never seen either of these species get in the way of a feeding Discus.
1) Partly false, They only require much higher temperature when being bred. They can be kept quite well in normal temp ranges.
2) False, They are only lazy about eating when there is no competition.
3) True, they shouldn't be kept with fish that can fit into their mouths.
4) True, fish that suck on glass, leaves, or tank decorations should not be kept with discus. They will mistake the discus for "meals on wheels."