Title says it all. Can I keep discus in a 46 gal and if yes how many? 2, 3, 4? Right now its home to a 4" pleco, 2 vey small feathertail cats (2") and 10 tetras. Its planted and filtered by a Magnum 350 (350gph) and a Whisper 40 (210gph). Ph is 7.5, I have no test for hardness, I can get this if necessary, altho im sure I have the same water as my LFS. All other water stats are good. Water gets warm during the day is my biggest concern, gets up to about 81ºF during the day when the ac is off and im at work, drops to 78ºF at night which is what I have my heater set at. If tank size is ok what other concerns should I have? Ive done quite a bit of research but all I could find regarding tank size is to have at least 10gal per fish. However obviously you wouldnt want to keep one in a 10 gallon tank which is why I asked the question.

Thanks guys. I have a feeling im going to get flamed for some reason.

From what Ive read up on Discus, cause I was wanting to get some, but changed my mind, yes its 10g per fish, but I think the dimensions of the tank are also important, as they will need room to turn around. To be honest, I wouldnt want to try in anything under a 55g. Dont forget your talking 10g per Discus but you are already keeping other fish and they like to be in groups of 4/5+.

The temperature wouldnt be a problem, Discus like warm water and 81 isnt that high, my SA tank runs at 80 permanently, the discus would be fine.

As said, dimensions are very important. You should be okay adding a group of 4-5 Discus as long as the width is 12+ inches, and the height is over 18.

Unfortunately the Pleco and cats will have to go. Pleco can sometimes suck the slime coat off of the Discus. Those cats are nocturnal, and will spook the Discus at night.

As long as the temperature isn't fluctuating it should be okay. Discus like temperatures around 30 degrees.

In a tank that size I would keep a school of Discus and those tetras, and keep it at that. I would de-worm both the Discus and Tetras too.

would turn stat up so water is constant..providing aerated... more fish thanfish per inch rule doesn't apply.have had 25discus,,,,,2.5-3.5inch in a 3ft x12 x 12tank and were very happy...bullying stops when more fish.keep an eye on them..if you like discus you can tell if they unhappy..don't get addicted to them..they have characters..don't let them hide if you introduce new fish or they will always hide.don't know the science with the water but my fish are very happy family pets

dont change your mind....get some discus...you wont look back.......8 or 10 marvelous

Sorry mate, but a 3'X12"X12" tank isn't big enough for one, let alone a group Discus can max out arround 8 inches, and the guideline is 4X their length for the minimum tank length, and twice the height and wideth tank as the length of the fish. On those grounds, you need a minimum 32"X16"X16" tank, of one. They are shoaling fish, needing 10g each ad a minimum group of 5, so realisitcally, the tank needs to be a little larger than this

Remember that those are the minimum lengths in any given direction, if any side on your tank is shorter than those guidelines, the tank ain't large enough The bigger the better realy with discus, as larger tanks can hold more fish, and thus keep agression spread and reduce bullying

HTH
Rabbut

my tank is 36"L x 18"H x 12"W but is 14" at the peak of the bow. So it seems to be 50/50 so far. I guess ill wait for more opinions since im in no hurry. Is there anything similar to discuss that would be comfortable in this tank?

edited 7/7 - actual tank dimensions are 36" x 21" x 12" bows out to 17" actually measuring it makes a huge difference.

This post has been edited by Jim Curtis: Jul 8 2008, 04:31 AM

Probibly the most similar fish to Discus would be angels, but they are far from a true likeness.... They also need a larger tank IMO

I have heard of Discus tetra before, but I think the person that mentioned them to me were trying a wind-up

All the best
Rabbut

Hehe nah the Discus Tetra (Brachychalcinus orbicularis) does exist. It's not colourful like a Discus, but it has a similar, discus-esque body shape. Link here.

i have similar tank which contains 11x 3.5 inch discus,,,,2x julii,,,1x cory and plec...tank is happy.needs good filtration frequent water changes and good aeration..but don't be put off.very rewarding fish...will try to download photo

Im not a fan of angels anyway. Yea, I would never put 11 discus in this tank, If I put in any it would be 4. But im still waiting for more opinions.

11 juvenile Discus in a 46 gallon tank is even pushing it, but wait till' they grow...


Jim,

Keep researching I am assuming you know juvenile Discus are going to need daily water changes.They need to be fed three to four times a day for maximum growth rate.

These fish do best in acidic, soft water, although you always want to try and match the water of your LFS (like you said.) I would call up a good locally owned shop and ask if they know specific water parameters (Ph and hardness.)

In that size tank 4-5 Discus is the complete maximum, the tank dimensions seem OK. Some other small fish will be fine, but like said, those cats fish and Pleco (I am assuming the common Pleco) will have to go. Again, if it's a common it will out grow the tank and max out anywhere from 12-16 inches. I wouldn't be surprised if the cats out grow the tank too.

Edit: Sorry, just read you know your Ph. I would try to lower that a little bit with some peat/drift wood. If you dont have a C02, a simple sugar/yeast kit would be a good investment for the plants and help lower the Ph. Even .2 down would help.

This post has been edited by DiscusLova: Jul 8 2008, 03:08 AM

My plec is a King Tiger, hes about 4" right now which is close to full grown for this species, think the guy at the store said they max around 6". I have no attachment to the cats or the pleco tho, my sisters boyfriend would gladly take them off my hands. But I dont want to give them away if my tank is too small for discus.

Hate to break it to you, but I just recalculated your tank size, something didn't seem right. Tank only comes out to 34 gallons

Might go for 2 or 3 Angels instead. Just double checked the size those Syno get, and they came out to 6 inches. Thats fine for the tank size as long as the Discus don't go in. I believe the Pleco are okay also.

My tanks 21" deep, was estimating before, just grabbed the tape measurer. Sorry. It was sold to me as a 46 Gallon and Ive since seen the exact tank at 2 stores labled 46 gallon. Im sure the bow in the front accounts for a gallon or two of that, it actually bows out to 17" at the center.

This post has been edited by Jim Curtis: Jul 8 2008, 04:29 AM

Okay most likely a 46 then. I just calculated the dimensions you gave me as a rectangular tank.