need some info on discus

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Z

zachery120

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Aug 6, 2007
79
0
36
colorado
im wanting to get 4 discus the tank is going to be 60 gallons with a foot print of 24x24x25 other fish is going to be 1 oscar 1 JD 1 con 1 snakeskin gourami
lots of plants and a Fluval G6 Series Premium Filter the oscar,JD,con,snakeskin gourami are fine are far temper goes wont fight a fish thats 2" I know that its going to be pushing it.
 
imo, not going to work. oscar's and jd's are some of the most aggressive fish, and discus are very docile, plus it's just way too many fish for that tank. even though your tank is 60 gal. it's a small footprint. 24x24 is not a lot of surface area and that is what you must consider, not the amount of water. one mated pair of discus would be pushing it. one oscar will outgrow that tank in no time. I know this is not what you want to hear, but you need to research the fish you plan on keeping. I just don't want to see you waste your money on a plan that will fail.
 
I'd go with nothing smaller than the standard 38ga [36"x10"x15" I think] for 4 discus. but I'd would really prefer you to get a 55.
Not sure on the gourami, but the other fish you list can not mix with discus. All 3 are far to aggressive.
 
Get a 55 gallon, six young discus, and don't add anything else. Four is pushing it when it comes to discus aggression. They form pecking orders and the more discus you have, the more the aggression gets spread around. Anything less than 4 usually results in a disaster unless you have a mated pair.

People think because they're tall, you can keep discus in square tank or a tank with a small footprint. I don't agree with that. They still swim the length of a tank, not vertically, and so they appreciate the length and width more than the height of a tank. I always raise out small groups in 55 gallons and then upgrade them as the fish grow. Keep in mind that this is also with frequent (everyday or every other day) water changes and good foods.
 
Those other fish simply won't work with Discus. I agree with the above post that you should get 5 or 6 Discus, put them in a tank by themselves and leave them alone. Adding fish to a Discus tank will eventually get your Discus sick, I know because I have done this.
 
My two cents, go with the 60, thats fine. My 75g is very tall and small foot printed. I can see the other people arguments, but i didn't have the room so i went with the biggest tank i could get. the footprint on mine is 36X15, small.
BUT i do water changes every other day, and long before, every day!!

AS for the amount, in a 60, i would say 6-8 would be nice, nothing else tho!! NOTHING. until they are grown out. Then you can add other COMMUNITY fish. I have over 115+ in my 75gal. no problems (currently).

If you have any other question, im glad you asked before doing it. I learned a ton of info from this site (on discus) and from my breeder and experience.

~my 2 cents
 
sorry, but not enough room is not an excuse to cram to many fish in a tank. my 120 gal. is the largest tank I can fit in the room it's in. that does'nt mean I can keep adult aro's, rays and other monsters. the tank size is what it is. it's like living in a room thats 4x4 feet but 15 feet high.
 
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