90g Breeding Pair Discus / Community Setup - ASAP

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M

malawi500

Candiru
MFK Member
Sep 29, 2011
319
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UK
Evening

I have a 4ft 90 gallon tank which is fully cycled at the moment, I have the opportunity to pick up some very high quality blue turq discus which are a proven breeding pair originally from www.chensdiscus.co.uk . (male is 6" the female is 5.5")

I'd like these to be the focal point of my tank which is basically play sand based with a few pieces of driftwood.

It is running a 20g sump filled with bio rings and is filtered via a surface drain through a 100 micron filter sock (will also get a 50 soon) and is returned via an Eheim 1262 pump and an FX5 outlet head.

Questions
1. Will the discus be fine as a pair with no other discus?
2. pH is 7.6 I presume this is okay for captive bred discus so long as it is stable?
3. How many cardinals would work well in a 90g tank to add colour and movement?
4. What is the best form of catfish? Sterbai corys or clown loach? If so, how many of each?
5. I don't want a dull tank so will Java Fern tied to my bogwood be simple to keep?
6. Are bristlenose plecos good at cleaning the glass? If so, how many?
7. Is prime suitable as water treatment

I'm hoping to breed the discus but will use a cone protector if they do lay and transfer them to my smaller breding tank.

Thoughts? I need to make a decision on the discus within the next 12-24 hrs
 
This could end up being a very nice set up :)

1. Yes if they are a mated pair just the two of them will be fine

2. Ph is fine for domesticated discus

3. I have 50 cardinal tetras in my 90g, looks awesome in a school

4. Sterbai cories work great, they can handle the higher temps. No loaches they are way too active at night

5. Java ferns are easy to keep and very decorative

6. Bristlenose are your best option for algae control in terms of best choice for plecos. Otocinclus do well too

7. Prime is a good product to treat tap water

Good luck and pls post pictures when set up!
 
Discus Origins said:
This could end up being a very nice set up :)

1. Yes if they are a mated pair just the two of them will be fine

2. Ph is fine for domesticated discus

3. I have 50 cardinal tetras in my 90g, looks awesome in a school

4. Sterbai cories work great, they can handle the higher temps. No loaches they are way too active at night

5. Java ferns are easy to keep and very decorative

6. Bristlenose are your best option for algae control in terms of best choice for plecos. Otocinclus do well too

7. Prime is a good product to treat tap water

Good luck and pls post pictures when set up!
Click to expand...

Good info the only things I would add is be careful with Otos they sometimes develope a taste for Discus slime and will be stressful to the Discus if that happens. If you want to raise fry the Corys will try to pick off the wigglers and the Cardinals will pick off the free swimmers day one and two. If it's a display tank no problem. Anubius is another good plant to tie to drift wood to add a little diversity.
 
OP posted he would use cone protector and transfer to smaller breeding tank so I'm assuming there won't be wigglers or fry in the 90. But yes if trying to raise fry in the display tank def agree the cories and cardinals will have a feast ;)
 
Discus Origins said:
OP posted he would use cone protector and transfer to smaller breeding tank so I'm assuming there won't be wigglers or fry in the 90. But yes if trying to raise fry in the display tank def agree the cories and cardinals will have a feast ;)
Click to expand...

I failed to notice that, my error.
 
Thanks for the input guys.

I have spoken to the owner of www.chensdiscus.co.uk and he can do me 20 x 3" Blue Turqs or Cobalt Blues for £200 delivered and estimates I will get 3-4 pairs. However, he has siad I will need to do 2 water changes a week for them to grow on well.

He also indicated that the breeding pair I am looking at from a private source but originally from him will be a good buy for £120 (£185 including a breeding tank, stand, light, cone, Fluval 205 filter) at the sizes mentioned but he said that if I keep just the breeding pair in my 90g tank they will likely 'unpair' unless they are kept with other discus. I don't think he's just trying to sell me his as he seems a genuine guy.

Any truth in this? Will the breeding pair 'unpair' in such a large tank? Should I opt for the 20 smaller fish and watch them grow on?

The breeding pair I am interested in are these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Breeding-...AkOHMMVpJJsPybBVxzUSET4=&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

although the photos don't do them justice having been to see them. Moving house / splitting up from his ex has forced the sale.

Thoughts?
 
Un-pairing can happen but in my experience it's very rare with established pairs that have raised a few spawns together. Mostly happens with young pairs.

Trying to raise 20 3" juvies in a 90 will take a lot of work for them to grow uniformly and to full potential. 2x a week WC is not enough, realistically you're looking at daily WCs.

Your decision will be based on how much work you want to do with the tank on a daily basis.
 
In that case I think I will just opt for the breeding pair with 50 cardinals and a few Sterbais say 6? How many bristlenose plecos should I add?
 
You can add 3-4 Bristlenose if you want, keep in mind they get up to 6-7" adult size. Also if you want prettier ones look for L183 or albino ones.
 
Breeding pair is a better bet, I have tried but that's in Singapore. I tried 10 pcs of Juv Blue diamond but along the 3 months I'm left with 4 pcs.
 
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