Discus in a 32 gallon

Also, they are a schooling fish and will feel more comfortable with others of thier own kind. You could try just one....but I would go with 2 or 3....and keep in mind the temp they need. I'm not sure the fish you have in there now would tolerate those temps for very long.

There must be a site somewhere that has a list of compatable fish with discus...the first that comes to mind for me are german blue rams or the bolivian ram. Also I think alot of people keep neons or cardinals with discus as well.
 
you can keep 5 discus in 55 gallons. they are good comunity fish, they mess only with each other, sometimes they like to poke non moving fish, when they are young. but you can't have plecos with them or any socker mouth fish. true about the temperature, some fish die from high temperature, like very small fish, but most do fine. you can't have agressive fish with them, discus don't like stress.
 
Emg said:
Also, they are a schooling fish and will feel more comfortable with others of thier own kind. You could try just one....but I would go with 2 or 3....and keep in mind the temp they need. I'm not sure the fish you have in there now would tolerate those temps for very long.

There must be a site somewhere that has a list of compatable fish with discus...the first that comes to mind for me are german blue rams or the bolivian ram. Also I think alot of people keep neons or cardinals with discus as well.

well ive got 2 sets of mated GBR tank temp stays around 83-85 there are not aggressive fish in my tank at all. although i do have a betta and a D.Puffer they are both the most peacefull fish in the tank. the betta stays at the top and lounges on my sword and the puffer hunts for snails night and day.

besides being extremely pricey, 5 discus seems like a bit much in a 55. id feel more comfortable w/ 1 or a mated pair.

my lfs keeps thier discus w/ thier rams so i figured that would not be much of a prob. i doubt you'd keep a $50 fish in an unsuitable environment.

what is this ive been reading about them being difficult to feed?
 
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If you really wanted too, you could keep 100 2" discus fry in a 32 gallon tank...I have done it before. it all comes down to filtration and water changes...for the most part relying on water changes. You can keep 4 juvenilles in the tank, just watch for signs of aggression. That way, they would be cheaper for you and give you a few more fish to look at in the tank, lol. Just be sure you dont get them from your LFS as they are of MUCH lower quality and generally diseased and will die very easily.

Discus can be hard to feed...if they're not healthy. What most people experience is with bad or sick stock. If the stock you buy is from a reliable and reputable discus breeder/importer who knows what the hell they're talking about/doing, then they shouldnt have any problems what so ever in feeding. And another big problem that people run into with discus is not enough water changes. if you arent doing enough water changes, the discus will let you know by becoming dark, hiding all the time and eat very slowly or not at all. A healthy discus should be at the front of the tank or swimming around constantly....not sitting in one place behind something. A healthy discus should attack food like it's their last meal. If they dont do this, then something is wrong. Always, always, ALWAYS as a first line of defense when something is amiss with a discus is to increase the water changes. Discus can and will eat almost anything you put in the tank that is fish food...from flake food and pellets to homemade beefheart and red wigglers.

IMO, one of the best tankmates for discus are rams...they tolerate the same kind of water conditions and are very attractive. You can do angels, just be sure to clean the angels up for internal worms and bacteria first as angels *can* pass something onto discus. Dont worry about the angels pushing the discus away from the food...if the discus are healthy, they'll push the angels away, lol.

-Ryan
 
Dkarc said:
If you really wanted too, you could keep 100 2" discus fry in a 32 gallon tank...I have done it before. it all comes down to filtration and water changes...for the most part relying on water changes. You can keep 4 juvenilles in the tank, just watch for signs of aggression. That way, they would be cheaper for you and give you a few more fish to look at in the tank, lol. Just be sure you dont get them from your LFS as they are of MUCH lower quality and generally diseased and will die very easily.

Discus can be hard to feed...if they're not healthy. What most people experience is with bad or sick stock. If the stock you buy is from a reliable and reputable discus breeder/importer who knows what the hell they're talking about/doing, then they shouldnt have any problems what so ever in feeding. And another big problem that people run into with discus is not enough water changes. if you arent doing enough water changes, the discus will let you know by becoming dark, hiding all the time and eat very slowly or not at all. A healthy discus should be at the front of the tank or swimming around constantly....not sitting in one place behind something. A healthy discus should attack food like it's their last meal. If they dont do this, then something is wrong. Always, always, ALWAYS as a first line of defense when something is amiss with a discus is to increase the water changes. Discus can and will eat almost anything you put in the tank that is fish food...from flake food and pellets to homemade beefheart and red wigglers.

IMO, one of the best tankmates for discus are rams...they tolerate the same kind of water conditions and are very attractive. You can do angels, just be sure to clean the angels up for internal worms and bacteria first as angels *can* pass something onto discus. Dont worry about the angels pushing the discus away from the food...if the discus are healthy, they'll push the angels away, lol.

-Ryan

is 10% waterchange a wk enough for discus?
and where should i consider getting some discus from ?
 
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the minimum amount for water changes are 50% once a week....twice a week if you want them to do well. If you really want to see them grow and flourish, do 50% everyday. 10% a week isnt anywhere near enough for discus. Its not really all that much work to do 50% 1-2x a week. if you set things up right, it would only take 20-30 minutes of your time each time you do a water change.

As far as where to get discus from...check your PM's.

-Ryan
 
Dkarc said:
the minimum amount for water changes are 50% once a week....twice a week if you want them to do well. If you really want to see them grow and flourish, do 50% everyday. 10% a week isnt anywhere near enough for discus. Its not really all that much work to do 50% 1-2x a week. if you set things up right, it would only take 20-30 minutes of your time each time you do a water change.

As far as where to get discus from...check your PM's.

-Ryan

sorry, i do %20 wkly. if i could find something better than 5gal buckets a 50% change wouldnt be so bad. problem is i just dont have room for 5-6 buckets to age.

someone said there had to be a compatibility chart, fosters and smith has one i dont know how accurate it is but it looks fairly decent. also says discus prefer 79-86 degree water. chart
 
i'm against keeping discus with any kind of plecos, your chart said yes. you can keep discus happy from 84 to 90 degrees, ideal is 86. somebody just recomended rams for my system too, which from my research looks like great idea. i'm going to get a pair of german blue rams as soon as the store will get them in.
 
oh, yes, forgot to say that 20% weekly water change is fine to me, make it 25%. make sure that you pull decorations out and wash them, shuffle the bottom of the tank too. i think that 50% every day is way too much work, but they will injoy extra clean water. i hope your fish tank is ready for the fish, discus are not good choice for cycling the tank. do more research on discus keeping if you don't want to learn from your own mistakes, that can be pricey.
 
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