Discus And Angels?

[PrincessKiara]

I've been told Discus can't compete with Angels for food and so shouldn't be kept together, but I've also seen reports of them being successfully kept together. My tank is 238L + 100L in the external filter, and will be heavily planted, with a white sand bottom, with 2 air pumps working at the same time (1 airstone and one 90cm bubble wand). I have a few questions:
I would really prefer Discus, but my mother is bent on Angels, and I do love them also. However, I have never kept either fish before, and would like to know the following:
1. Can I keep the Angels with the Discus, if I can ensure they all get enough food?
2. If I keep them at 79 or 80 degrees Fahrenheit, will the discus still be fine?
3. Can I keep small fish and/or cherry shrimp with the angels and discus? I mean, is there a chance the angels won't eat the small fish if kept with them since they are very young?
4. Do ADFs get along well with these fish?
5. Is my tank large enough for 1 pair of each?
6. Symphysodon discus is smaller than Symphysodon aequifasciatus, right? By how much?
7. Which discus species is best?
8. Can I successfully keep zebra danios at 79-80 degrees?
 
Thanks in advance! I'm not a total noob, been in this for four years, but I am new to cichlids If my tank is well planted, like a thick jungle, can I keep all these fish?
 
Thanks in advance!
~PK.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

1. Can I keep the Angels with the Discus, if I can ensure they all get enough food?
No, the tank is too small. In the wild. smaller groups of angels live within much larger discus groups.
 
2. If I keep them at 79 or 80 degrees Fahrenheit, will the discus still be fine?
If you get a much bigger tank keeping them 80-82 should be fine.
 
3. Can I keep small fish and/or cherry shrimp with the angels and discus? I mean, is there a chance the angels won't eat the small fish if kept with them since they are very young?
Not for very long, the shrimp and small fish will sooner or later be inside the fish, and what do you think discus eat?
 
4. Do ADFs get along well with these fish?
NO!
 
5. Is my tank large enough for 1 pair of each?
NO. You should have more than a pair of each to keep them in a mixed group.
 
6. Symphysodon discus is smaller than Symphysodon aequifasciatus, right? By how much?
Nope- http/www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/why-so-few-discus-species-and-how-did-they-arise.htm
Basically there are wild discus and from them all the rest were man engineered. Two kinds, imo. And properly cared for they all get big.
 
7. Which discus species is best?
The hardiest ones that are easiest for new discus keepers. Try red turqs. A clue to hardy ones is they will usually cost less. Wild discus are not a great stater fish when getting into keeping these fish. They take more work and experience usually. Maybe you can find F1s.
 
8. Can I successfully keep zebra danios at 79-80 degrees?
Why does that matter? They are not great tankmates for angels or discus.

 

[PrincessKiara]

Thanks!

 

[Electric Warrior]

I keep a pair of discus in my 240L S. American community.  I would def not keep both discus and angels in a tank that size, as per above.  If you are really keen to try discus, you could keep a breeding pair in a tank your size, but you would really need to do what I did and buy a breeding pair of adults, which will cost you $$$.  Trying to raise healthy juvi discus in a planted tank, and with other fish is a huge no no.  
 
And the angels would likely out compete the discus for food in a tank that size.  My discus do the majority of their feeding by grazing over the sand and picking up bits of food from there, rather than feeding directly from the water column.  When I had angels (before discus, not together), the food would barely have a chance to hit the bottom, they were so frenzied during feeding.  As for shrimp, I have no idea.  I have heard some people keep the larger species like amano's with discus successfully, while others say that didn't work.  I would rather not take the chance, nor would I be willing to risk more possibilities of introducing parasites into my discus due to eating shrimps (this has happened to people).  £180 of dead fish in my tank is something I am not willing to risk just to keep some shrimp.  If you want a clean up crew, maybe some type of snail?  My discus dont even bother with my assassin snails.  
 
I would not personally keep discus in anything lower than 82, but that is just me.  My temp is 82F, and they are just fine and lay eggs every week.  I wouldn't worry about it creeping down a degree, but I don't think 79 is okay long term.  I had a power outage one night when I was asleep during the winter, and I was horrified to find my temp at 73 when I woke up!  They were fine in the end though, I think that a lot of the tank bred discus are a bit hardier than people make them out to be.  You didn't mention things like your ph and gh/kh?  This will really be the determining factor as to whether or not you could think about keeping discus, and as to whether you would be using RO or not?  My 2 cents.