Can Discus survive in Hard Water/ 20g tank?

[Exiled]

Hey Fishy Peeps:

I'm interested in having Discus(s).... My water is hard, somewhat alky and I have a 20 gallon Tank. What are your reccomendations? How many discus(s) can the tank healthfully hold? Should I start out with young Discus(s) or mature? ANy particular sub-species that would be better in my circumstances?
Thanks for your input!

 

[Cian McLiam]

To be frank, I wouldnt keep any Discus in a 20g!
Its too small in dimensions, and the body of water is also too small to keep constant easily.
Discus need room, and they need constant conditions, without either of these it will be an uphill struggle to keep them alive.
Discus can be acclimatised to harder water over time, and should do ok. They arent designed for hard water though and may be more prone to disease. Same goes for pH, if its over 7 you dontneccesarily have to rule out Discus but be awarethat in nature they have never been exposed to toxic ammonia and it is deadly to them. This is because their natural water is acidic and under these conditions ammonia is rendered less toxic, hence there was no need to build up any resistance to it.
Young Discus will physically 'fit' in youraquarium, but they should be kept in groups of five or more until they are at least 4-5", which would leave your tank overstocked. Without companythey will be very shy and nervous, and will almost certainly suffer from bad health.

If you have the cash, the ambition and especially the enthusiasm, get a 4ft tank, a Reverse Osmosis unit to filter your water and 6 4" Discus.
If this is impossible I would urge you to read as much as you can from as many sources as possible and keep them on the 'wish list'

Ken

 

[thecichlidaddict]

agreed, agreed, and agreed. Forget it.

 

[Exiled]

Thank you for your reply, Ken. I had a feeling that a 20g was pushing it..... hmmm... I want to create a tank that is different from all the others I had in the past. I want to try fish I'v never done before. It's been over 10 years since my last Aquarium... I used to have the standard fish..y'know, tetras, and loaches, and gouramis.
I guess I'm gonna need a bigger tank. Remember Roy Sheider in Jaws? "We're gonna need a bigger boat."
How about a 55g tank for Discus? You mentioned a 4 ft tank. Is that 4 ft high or long? And will acidifying the water chemically, or with peat be safe for them? My water is usually around 7.5--8.0 alk.

Thanks for answering!