i have a oddbal 180 gal tank its 48"x24"x36"tall. i have had tanks for 5 years or so with great luck but now i want to try discus. 1 how many discus can i put in here and keep them happy? 2 what tank mates can i look for (i have lots of plants and caves) i would like to ad some inverts if posible. 3 water specs kh=4 ph=7.6 temp=79 are these ok or do i need to adjust anything befor i buy? thanks for any input i just want to do this proper like
new to discus
- Thread starter shane.s
- Start date
lower ph to 6-6-5.
i would do 8 discus, lots of shrimp (no claws or long armed ones), tetras (20), and then 5 oto catfish or bristlenose catfish.
make the water soft too. up temp to 80 for younger discus, 78-79 for older discus
prepaare to do AT LEAST 2 30% water changes a week.
feed bloodworms/black worms, brine shrimp and spirilina frozen food,and nls or some pellets.
discus are fussy so dont add more in if they didnt eat it.
gravel vacuum and then feed some blood or black worms
i would do 8 discus, lots of shrimp (no claws or long armed ones), tetras (20), and then 5 oto catfish or bristlenose catfish.
make the water soft too. up temp to 80 for younger discus, 78-79 for older discus
prepaare to do AT LEAST 2 30% water changes a week.
feed bloodworms/black worms, brine shrimp and spirilina frozen food,and nls or some pellets.
discus are fussy so dont add more in if they didnt eat it.
gravel vacuum and then feed some blood or black worms
8 would be far less than I would do in a tank that size, I'd personally go for 12-16. As for tank mates, anything will do that is peaceful. Cardinals and rummynose are both popular additions. For discus, maintain at least 82dF for temp. Feed young ones often, and make sure you buy from a good source. Don't adjust the pH like the above poster recommended, as it will only cause extra stress to the fish. If you parameters are sitting nicely where you have them, consistency is more important than having a match to wild conditions. Many keepers have them in higher pH ranges, and there is no problems. Discus are not as frail as they once were, as they have been tank raised for so long. Avoid otocinclus for tankmates, as they often will begin to suck on the slime coating of the discus.
i plan on alot of water changes at first to set up bacteria but is that many necesary for the long term? with all my other fish i would do water samples 2x a week but only do a 50% change about every 2 months unless something showed up in the test and then i would change alot until the problem goes away