Hi everyone. This is my first post in the discus forum. I come to you because my friend (who doesn't belong to this site) said he was interested in keeping discus. I told him that I would check with you guys. He currently has a 55 gallon predator tank (Puffer, bichir, pictus cat) and he has finally decided to change it into a discus tank. I know he is capable of taking the next step to caring for discus. He will be getting rid of all the fish and cleaning the tank out to start over. My first question is: Can he keep discus in a 55 gallon? If so, how many would be good? I know discus are very picky about their water. Is there any equipment or water additives that you would recommend for Discus? My friend has a small rena filter (I don't know which kind yet, but I assume its XP1) as well as a Power Filter. He is willing to upgrade or replace filters, so what kind of filtration do you guys recommend? As for tankmates, I told him to get some Cardinal Tetras and Cory cats. Are there any other tankmates that would go well with discus? Sorry for all the questions, but he is eager to get started this summer.
Converting to Discus
- Thread starter Optimist
- Start date
I'll jump in....For the tank size, obviously bigger is better....But if 55 is all he can do, then it will be fine. Next how many? I think he will be fine with 6 or 7 juvis, or I think he could probably handle 4 adults. Water quality.....Clean water is the key. Others may disagree with me, but I think his filter set up will be o.k. I say this because I have a Rena XP3 (With a U.V. Sterilizer), and a Biowheel 350 on my 75 gallon. Your friend may be interested in keeping his Rena XP1 and adding a sponge filter. Cardinal Tetras and Cories make excellent tankmates...I prefer Clown Loaches over Cories (Just because I love Clown Loaches)...Hope I helped. I am by no means an expert on the subject, but I have been having excellent luck with my fish....By the way, he needs to find an excellent source for his fish (Don't let him buy the first Discus he sees in a pet shop).....Have him go to centralohiodiscus.com. The guy's name is Mike. I've brought home 15 Discus from him since January. All 15 are alive and growing like crazy. And, his prices were about half of what you would pay in a pet shop (And the fish are three times nicer!!).
MIKE
MIKE
i would say 6 is good!
1discus=10gallons
as for water quality make sure that the pH is right and all and water temp! also make sure he keeps up with water changes! but i would add tetras! but thats just me i love my black skirted tetras they are fun to watch! but try a planted tank discus always look great roun a planted tank!
1discus=10gallons
as for water quality make sure that the pH is right and all and water temp! also make sure he keeps up with water changes! but i would add tetras! but thats just me i love my black skirted tetras they are fun to watch! but try a planted tank discus always look great roun a planted tank!
Black skirts don't do well at discus temperatures for long periods of time. Planted tanks require a good handle on how they work, and a balanced, and strong planted tank long before you get discus in the water, plus the use of many more things.WolfFisho1;845201;845201 said:i would say 6 is good!
1discus=10gallons
as for water quality make sure that the pH is right and all and water temp! also make sure he keeps up with water changes! but i would add tetras! but thats just me i love my black skirted tetras they are fun to watch! but try a planted tank discus always look great roun a planted tank!
Optimist;838237;838237 said:
He will be fine with 6 discus in a 55, and I would not house any less than that. Does he plan to go with bare bottom or a substrate? To up the filtration I'd add an AC110 with 1 sponge and 2 biomax, in addition to the XP. Cardinals and corys make good additions, but I'd stay away from clown loaches myself (they can be little pigs, and a little aggressive for discus IMO). It is very important that he gets his stock from a reputable breeder/seller. It is also good to buy them all together, and at the same size. He also needs to be ready to feed them 4 times a day with a variety of foods. Mine get live blackworms once a day*, blood worms once a day, flake mixture once a day*, and beefheart mixture once a day.
*If I'm out of blackworms I use flakes.
I HAVE to jump in here and disagree.
Unless you plan on upgrading tank size later, 6 adult Discus in a 55 will lead to poor water quality (unless you plan on being a slave to water changes daily) and likely aggression between males.
I raised 7 babies in a 55, a year later, I had to move them to a 90 and if I don't do at least a 50% water changes once a week, the nitrates go through the roof and they start turning dark.
I also have 7 large adults in a 125 (had to move them from a 100 because the males were turning into A-holes) and it still needs a large (and I do mean large) water change every week.
So, sorry to all who disagree with me, in my experience, a 55 is only good for 3 or 4 adult Discus.
Unless you plan on upgrading tank size later, 6 adult Discus in a 55 will lead to poor water quality (unless you plan on being a slave to water changes daily) and likely aggression between males.
I raised 7 babies in a 55, a year later, I had to move them to a 90 and if I don't do at least a 50% water changes once a week, the nitrates go through the roof and they start turning dark.
I also have 7 large adults in a 125 (had to move them from a 100 because the males were turning into A-holes) and it still needs a large (and I do mean large) water change every week.
So, sorry to all who disagree with me, in my experience, a 55 is only good for 3 or 4 adult Discus.
Yeah...I told him to get four. How does this stocking list sound so far?:
3-4 Discus
10 Tetras (Probably neon or cardinals) or maybe a two different schools of seperate species.
4-6 Cory Cats
He also mentioned that he is interested in a rainbow fish. Could he be able to fit one or two? If so, what kind? Please tell me if this is overstocking so I can work out a new stocking list.
3-4 Discus
10 Tetras (Probably neon or cardinals) or maybe a two different schools of seperate species.
4-6 Cory Cats
He also mentioned that he is interested in a rainbow fish. Could he be able to fit one or two? If so, what kind? Please tell me if this is overstocking so I can work out a new stocking list.
Optimist;849377; said:
i would still go with 5! i havent had any problems with that many in a 55! i dont kno what is rong with ur discus abpositive!
Discus need more water changes than that a week. If they are in a planted tank like mine, I monitor their TDS closely, and if they get above 350, they get a 50% water change. For a bare bottom discus tank, I'd be doing 1 or 2 50% water changes every day. These fish are easily stunted, and when starting with small ones, it is best to just feed them very often 4-6 times a day, and water change like crazy.abpositive;849159;849159 said: