Discus in 20 gal long......
- Thread starter Jlui83
- Start date
i'd say definitely not. Discus don't usually do well in very small numbers ... young Discus do much better in a group of at least 4 to 6, which is too many for a 20 gallon tank.
remember that Discus are Cichlids! this means they are fishes of changeable behaviour, but also of character and personality. They can on occasion be aggressive towards their own kind and others, mainly when pair bonds are formed, or when territory of fry are involved.
The main problem is with bullying within themselves. Often, in small groups of fish the individual at the bottom of the pecking order is on the receiving end of a great deal of bullying, which can result in death. keeping a group opf 4-6 will mitigate this.
if, after you get a breeding 'pair' out of the 4-6 juveniles you begin with, you want to use a 20 gallon tank to continue with spawning, a twenty gallon tank will suffice but you need a tank with at least 18 inches in height. that may be as 20 'high' but not a 'long'.
remember that Discus are Cichlids! this means they are fishes of changeable behaviour, but also of character and personality. They can on occasion be aggressive towards their own kind and others, mainly when pair bonds are formed, or when territory of fry are involved.
The main problem is with bullying within themselves. Often, in small groups of fish the individual at the bottom of the pecking order is on the receiving end of a great deal of bullying, which can result in death. keeping a group opf 4-6 will mitigate this.
if, after you get a breeding 'pair' out of the 4-6 juveniles you begin with, you want to use a 20 gallon tank to continue with spawning, a twenty gallon tank will suffice but you need a tank with at least 18 inches in height. that may be as 20 'high' but not a 'long'.
Last edited:
If you have an established pair you can keep them in a 20(preferably a 20 tall)
if you don't have an established pair you will most likely need to keep a small group of discus in a larger tank.(discus seem to prefer groups/schools).I would suggest a 55-75 for up to 6-7(you can keep 4 but I was told by a breeder this is the minimum number) discus and let nature take it;s course..I think sexing discus is about as hard as sexing angels.
if you don't have an established pair you will most likely need to keep a small group of discus in a larger tank.(discus seem to prefer groups/schools).I would suggest a 55-75 for up to 6-7(you can keep 4 but I was told by a breeder this is the minimum number) discus and let nature take it;s course..I think sexing discus is about as hard as sexing angels.
You can often get an established pair to do well in a smaller tank and spawn. This being said, a 20G is not going to be big enough to establish a pair if you don't already have one. I use 33 longs as breeder tanks but sometimes the only way to get a male and female to bond is to add a third fish to the tank. a 20G is probably too small for 3 mature discus especially when one is there simply to help bring out the territorial instincts of the pair.
Bigger is better in this case.
Just my opinion.
Bigger is better in this case.
Just my opinion.