260L Discus Stock Question

[AntonyB93]

Hi, i posted a querie on here a while back but have unfortunately had internet issues so i will give you guys an update.
I have a juwel vision260 and i am interested in keeping 5 or 6 discus, the current inhabitants are:
1 fully grown raphael striped catfish
3 scissortails
2 firetails
3 rosy tetras
2 gold barbs
3 ottocinclus
2 apple snails
3 shrimp
(these came with a setup i bought)
Im looking for stocking ideas i can rehome and add to the fish i currently have. I also have an empty 90L.
Also 2 xray tetras (possibly rehoming today as they should be in a larger group as should some of my other species)

 

[AntonyB93]

I should add that ive just been informed the 'firetails' are not firetails lol they are 2.5 - 3" long, have transparent bodies with an orange tail. I cant find them anywhere.

 

[Asteria]

Tetras and barbs should ideally be in groups of 6+ 10 or more being better sized groups. 
That's all I can say about your current stock. 
Good luck with the tank

 

[AntonyB93]

Tetras and barbs should ideally be in groups of 6+ 10 or more being better sized groups. 
That's all I can say about your current stock. 
Good luck with the tank

Thats the plan, adding to the gold barbs and rosy tetras i think and the others will be rehomed within the next few days with more of their own kind.

 

[jag51186]

Just a note on the oto's, there are reports of them latching onto discus and eating their mucus coat. So, I would be wary of that. Otherwise I think you are on the right track.

 

[Far_King]

What sort of shrimp are they?  Big enough to avoid becoming Discus food?

 

[Akasha72]

I'll also add a warning on the oto's. There have been reports of angelfish choking on oto's and so keeping angels and oto's together needs to be done cautiously. As Discus are slightly larger than angels I would suspect the same warnings apply

 

[AntonyB93]

What sort of shrimp are they?  Big enough to avoid becoming Discus food?

Yeah they amanos they should be fine, its the catfish that might hoover them up if they go near his food lol he hasnt bothered them up to now though.

I'll also add a warning on the oto's. There have been reports of angelfish choking on oto's and so keeping angels and oto's together needs to be done cautiously. As Discus are slightly larger than angels I would suspect the same warnings apply

Arent angels aggressive though? Also my otos are fully grown but i can replace them for a larger loach if they are indeed a hazard.

Just a note on the oto's, there are reports of them latching onto discus and eating their mucus coat. So, I would be wary of that. Otherwise I think you are on the right track.

If the discus attempt to spawn il quarantine them, does the mucus coat only develop whilst spawning?

 

[Akasha72]

 

I'll also add a warning on the oto's. There have been reports of angelfish choking on oto's and so keeping angels and oto's together needs to be done cautiously. As Discus are slightly larger than angels I would suspect the same warnings apply

Arent angels aggressive though? Also my otos are fully grown but i can replace them for a larger loach if they are indeed a hazard.

 
All cichlids can be aggressive and Discus are no different. Some are worse than others. My angel pair are very easy going for angels and they are in with oto's but thankfully so far they just ignore them and in turn the oto's ignore the angels. I do keep a close watch on things though and the minute I see the angels showing any interest in the oto's the oto's will be re-homed. 
 
The general rule is this. If a fish is small enough to fit in a larger fishes mouth there is always going to be the chance they will become food at some point. The problem with oto's is that they have barbed fins and when under threat they extend these barbs and so the minute they find themselves in another fishes mouth those barbs come out and they get wedged. The end result is the death of both fish.
If you are aware of this you can keep your eyes open for it

 

[Byron]

There are certainly some issues with stocking.  I will work on the assumption that you will be getting five or six discus, which should work in a 260 litre/70 gallon tank.
 
First, remove the gold barbs.  All barbs are reasonably active fish and thus should not be combined with discus (or angelfish for that matter) which are sedate.  Aside from this, many barb species have the penchant for becoming nippers when sedate fish are present, and even if no physical interaction occurs, the discus would likely be stressed by the presence of such fish sending out allomones.  On another issue, the temperature for discus must be warm, around 82F, and this is not good for active fish like barbs.
 
Second, on the tetras.  You intend removing the firetails, so we needn't worry as to just what species they are.  Common names are so misleading...Trochilocharax ornatus might be the fish (?) but so long as these are going, I needn't say more.  The scissortails I gather are also going.
 
Rosy tetras (Hyphessobrycon rosaceus) are very good tankmates for discus.  This species is very sedate, and is highly unlikely to become a fin nipper, and it can manage in the warmth.  I would suggest a group of at least seven, up to maybe 10.  This fish does not appreciate light, and will normally remain among plants in the lower half of the water column.  Floating plants should be considered mandatory, for the discus as well as these tetra, as the floating plants will significantly calm these fish.
 
Otos are OK as far as size, but as others have mentioned, there are reports of these fish grazing the slime coat of discus.  As you have the three otos, I would leave them, as they could always be removed if something occurs.
 
Same goes for the raphael; its nocturnal habits might well unsettle the discus.  I would not combine these myself, but you already have the raphael and it is ageing, so it may work.  Temperature should not be a problem at least.
 
Byron.

 

[AntonyB93]

Thanks byron you have told me more than the hours and hours of reading could, will the scissortails unsettle the discus? Im quite fond of them. I have rehomed a few im left with
3 scissortails
3 rosy tetras (going to add 5 more)
3 otos
2 gold barbs (rehoming)
Raphael striped catfish is very calm and rarely ventures from the bottom so i think il hang on to him
I forgot to mention i had 2 silvertip tetras which were rehomed today also.
Yes the plan was to get 5 small discus and hope they develop a pair, guy at the local told me i could have 8 in a 260L but i disagree, i hate a tank which looks overstocked and id like a few friendly oddballs in there too if possible.
Which floating plant would you recommend? Preferably a fast grower as ive heard snails love chomping through floating plants.

 

[Byron]

Thanks byron you have told me more than the hours and hours of reading could, will the scissortails unsettle the discus? Im quite fond of them. I have rehomed a few im left with
3 scissortails
3 rosy tetras (going to add 5 more)
3 otos
2 gold barbs (rehoming)
Raphael striped catfish is very calm and rarely ventures from the bottom so i think il hang on to him
I forgot to mention i had 2 silvertip tetras which were rehomed today also.
Yes the plan was to get 5 small discus and hope they develop a pair, guy at the local told me i could have 8 in a 260L but i disagree, i hate a tank which looks overstocked and id like a few friendly oddballs in there too if possible.
Which floating plant would you recommend? Preferably a fast grower as ive heard snails love chomping through floating plants.

 
You are most welcome.  I agree not to overload on the discus.  One of my seven tanks is a 4-foot 70g, and I think five or six discus (no fewer than five, they must have sufficient to interact) would be enough, especially with other fish.
 
Glad the silvertip are gone, these are not always good tankmates either, for their activity and sometimes nipping.  Even fish that would normally be considered peaceful will sometimes nip when they are in a small space (to the fish) and confronted by sedate fish.
 
The scissortails, is this the rasbora species Rasbora trilineata?  If it is, I would rehome them.  The species gets largish, close to 6 inches/15 cm, needs a group, is fairly active, but perhaps most of all cannot manage in such warm water.
 
On the floating plants, Ceratopteris cornuta (Water Sprite, the true floating species) is my favourite.  Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) is the Amazon species that does best in warm aquaria) is another, and Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes).  The temperature will not bother C. cornuta, nor the Frogbit, not sure about the Lettuce; I've had this latter grow very well in room temperature, better than in my tropical tanks, but other factors may be involved too.  Another option is the stem plant Brazilian Pennywort (Hydrocotyle leucocephala) which grows very nicely floating.  As for snails, the small species (Malaysian Livebearing, pond, bladder) are fine, but I am not sure about Apple Snails.  These floating plants are very rapid growing, so one or two snails might not do much to them.
 
Byron.

 

[AntonyB93]

Yes that is the species, i will certainly move them on now i know of the temperature issue. What size tank would you recommend for 6+ scissortails?
I will also do some more planting tomorrow, you would make my day if you could reply to my other post byron. Closer to my discus tank each day.

 

[Byron]

Yes that is the species, i will certainly move them on now i know of the temperature issue. What size tank would you recommend for 6+ scissortails?
 

 
At minimum a 4-foot (121 cm) tank for a group of at least six but more is as always better for the fish; in this sized tank, you could have 9-12.  They need swimming space.  Good info here:
http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/rasbora-trilineata/
 
Other post, presumably another thread...I'll hunt for it now.  B.

 

[AntonyB93]

Thinking of some corys for the discus tank, will corys mix with other corys or is it best to stick to one kind?