Discus aquarium stocking question (what is too much) ?

[anewbie]

I have a discus aquarium that is 72x24x24 in size (with sump). The current stocking includes:
~30 cardinals (mix wc/tank raised)
~12 glowlight (mostly tank raised)
~6 blue rams (wc)
~2 a. lineta (wc)
1 L18 2 inch gold nugget (wc)
1 L204 flash pleco (tank raised)
4 cameta discus (wc)
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additional to be added
1 L114 (wc)
6 cameta discus (wc) (from same population as the 4 above)
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water is 100% ro
temp 83/84
water change is 1gph drip system (might increase to 2)
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Question - thoughts on population (over populated, right, under populated)
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is there room for 4 smaller geo (mirablis or neambi)
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Thanks for your consideration.

 

[simonas]

Sounds like a similar set up to the discus tank I have in progress

I've got 5 in mine but discus do better in groups and I am adding another 10. I was talking to a discus breeder the other day and he reckons in a bigger tank you either need to divide it to help them settle as the extra space can be a negative unless theres a lot of them

 

[GaryE]

Lots of issues there, in one guy you don't know's opinion. The glowlights and Aplocheilus won't like the high temps. It strikes me as a stocking that started with one plan and suddenly shifted to Discus.

My advice would be to factor in growth. If you are any good at this, and you probably are, the little Discus you are buying now will be big Discus soon enough. They like to be in groups, but groups need bigger tanks. I might keep eight adults in a tank like ours, given the excellent tech you have put in place. But with all the fish leftover from a community tank idea, that reduces numbers.

I would consider rehoming a bunch of the other fish if you are going to really launch yourself into Discus. It looks like you are, given the usual price of wilds like that.

 

[simonas]

Lots of issues there, in one guy you don't know's opinion. The glowlights and Aplocheilus won't like the high temps. It strikes me as a stocking that started with one plan and suddenly shifted to Discus.

My advice would be to factor in growth. If you are any good at this, and you probably are, the little Discus you are buying now will be big Discus soon enough. They like to be in groups, but groups need bigger tanks. I might keep eight adults in a tank like ours, given the excellent tech you have put in place. But with all the fish leftover from a community tank idea, that reduces numbers.

I would consider rehoming a bunch of the other fish if you are going to really launch yourself into Discus. It looks like you are, given the usual price of wilds like that.

Is that from experience Gary? Only reason I ask is those that seem to specialise in discus suggest bigger numbers as it helps them feel more secure in the tank and as we all know when discus dont feel secure you encounter more issues with feeding, bullying.
I'll be keeping more than 8 in mine for that reason having kept and bred them before

 

[anewbie]

Lots of issues there, in one guy you don't know's opinion. The glowlights and Aplocheilus won't like the high temps. It strikes me as a stocking that started with one plan and suddenly shifted to Discus.

My advice would be to factor in growth. If you are any good at this, and you probably are, the little Discus you are buying now will be big Discus soon enough. They like to be in groups, but groups need bigger tanks. I might keep eight adults in a tank like ours, given the excellent tech you have put in place. But with all the fish leftover from a community tank idea, that reduces numbers.

I would consider rehoming a bunch of the other fish if you are going to really launch yourself into Discus. It looks like you are, given the usual price of wilds like that.

I don't have any Aplocheilus and the glowlights are temporary. Are you saying with 8 discus in a 180 i have to remove everything else in the aquarium ?

 

[GaryE]

My experience was with wild brown Discus, origin unknown. They were nice fish. I took the view, in time, that each fish was best with about 30 gallons of tank, all to itself. I had started with 20 gallons per Discus, and was surprised at how well they grew.

These comments aren't me saying you should do anything - I'm just considering the question. I expect you to disagree. My views are those of an outlier on stocking.

Discus sellers always push large groups.

I am a big fan of light bioloads for all fish. I don't like crowded looking tanks. I also had a job (prior to retirement) that could have crazy periods, and like to have that buffer in case I miss maintenance. Your water change system covers a lot of that.

I'm now a post-Cichlid killie guy - I saw A.lineta and immediately jumped to a killie., A lineatus rather than Apisto lineata. Oops. We of the one track minds.

 

[anewbie]

My experience was with wild brown Discus, origin unknown. They were nice fish. I took the view, in time, that each fish was best with about 30 gallons of tank, all to itself. I had started with 20 gallons per Discus, and was surprised at how well they grew.

These comments aren't me saying you should do anything - I'm just considering the question. I expect you to disagree. My views are those of an outlier on stocking.

Discus sellers always push large groups.

I am a big fan of light bioloads for all fish. I don't like crowded looking tanks. I also had a job (prior to retirement) that could have crazy periods, and like to have that buffer in case I miss maintenance. Your water change system covers a lot of that.

I'm now a post-Cichlid killie guy - I saw A.lineta and immediately jumped to a killie., A lineatus rather than Apisto lineata. Oops. We of the one track minds.

Yea these are wc cameta discus - i have 10 and i can't change that - only wanted 8 but the seller had 2 left over - i could take a couple to the pet shop once they fatten up. At 20 gallon per fish that would be 200 so i see what you are saying. The tank does have a 60 gallon sump so i could 'argue' it is really 240 and in terms of water quantitiy it is - i'll probably reduce the discus count to 6 to 8 and give a couple to the pet store. I'll also watch nitrate level and make sure it stays below 5.

 

[GaryE]

Then again, I could be completely wrong. If they are juveniles, there is a chance you will lose some. It happens. So maybe starting at 10 and thinning out the easier to find other fish might work.

I got mine because the exporter sent the wrong box to a high end dealer who is a good friend. He had no market for common brown Discus of their quality (not the best shapes) so I volunteered to be the market at cost. I didn't like running tanks that warm, so I traded them after almost two years with them. Even what were seen as low grade wilds were beautiful, and what you got should be much higher quality, and way nicer than mine ever were.

Wild rams? That is a treat to find. Those are little sparkplug fish, so different in my experience from domestic rams.

 

[Magnum Man]

I didn't realize there were wild blue rams...
but a quick internet search turned up this... not promoting the seller, it was the 1st listing of wild blue rams

Wild Blue Ram (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi)

A longtime favorite in the hobby due to its vibrant color, small size, and peaceful behavior, the Blue Ram originates in the Llanos region of Colombia and Venezuela, where it is found in small, shallow streams and pools known as morichales. Although it has been commercially bred for generations...

www.aqua-imports.com

 

[anewbie]

Then again, I could be completely wrong. If they are juveniles, there is a chance you will lose some. It happens. So maybe starting at 10 and thinning out the easier to find other fish might work.

I got mine because the exporter sent the wrong box to a high end dealer who is a good friend. He had no market for common brown Discus of their quality (not the best shapes) so I volunteered to be the market at cost. I didn't like running tanks that warm, so I traded them after almost two years with them. Even what were seen as low grade wilds were beautiful, and what you got should be much higher quality, and way nicer than mine ever were.

Wild rams? That is a treat to find. Those are little sparkplug fish, so different in my experience from domestic rams.

These are 5 inch already - so only a bit larger to grow - yes i am very very happy with the wc rams and to my surprise the a. lineta and rams are getting along really well frequently 'schooling' together.

This is the current aquarium (the other 6 are in a 40b qt tank):

 

[anewbie]

I didn't realize there were wild blue rams...
but a quick internet search turned up this... not promoting the seller, it was the 1st listing of wild blue rams

Wild Blue Ram (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi)

A longtime favorite in the hobby due to its vibrant color, small size, and peaceful behavior, the Blue Ram originates in the Llanos region of Colombia and Venezuela, where it is found in small, shallow streams and pools known as morichales. Although it has been commercially bred for generations...

www.aqua-imports.com

Mine came from aquaticclarity. For many reasons i gave up on domestic rams though i find the gold ones quite lovely.

 

[Back in the fold]

@anewbie That picture in your post # 10 totally blew me away ! That is an AWESOME set up.

 

[Colin_T]

The problem with discus is they can get big (10-12 inches diameter). Most don't reach full size in aquariums but they can hit 8 inches diameter without too many issues. So even in a 6x2x2ft tank, ten 8 inches fish is a big load.

The second issue with discus is when they start breeding. A pr will take up an area around 4 foot square. In the tank they will certainly take over half of it.

You need a picture on the back of the tank to make the fish feel more secure, and more plants in the substrate and floating on the surface.

 

[anewbie]

The problem with discus is they can get big (10-12 inches diameter). Most don't reach full size in aquariums but they can hit 8 inches diameter without too many issues. So even in a 6x2x2ft tank, ten 8 inches fish is a big load.

The second issue with discus is when they start breeding. A pr will take up an area around 4 foot square. In the tank they will certainly take over half of it.

You need a picture on the back of the tank to make the fish feel more secure, and more plants in the substrate and floating on the surface.

Long term i'll find some black paper to put on the back but it won't happen today. It sounds like i should give 2 of the discus to the pet shop to reduce the number to 8 discus and then see what happens over time; and if the nitrate rises above 5 consider removing more stuff.
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As for the plants give them 6 to 12 months to fill in. I mean they won't grow overnight unless i add co2 which i wont.

 

[anewbie]

The problem with discus is they can get big (10-12 inches diameter). Most don't reach full size in aquariums but they can hit 8 inches diameter without too many issues. So even in a 6x2x2ft tank, ten 8 inches fish is a big load.

The second issue with discus is when they start breeding. A pr will take up an area around 4 foot square. In the tank they will certainly take over half of it.

You need a picture on the back of the tank to make the fish feel more secure, and more plants in the substrate and floating on the surface.

Actually this thread suggest they will not get nearly that big:

Ave adult size of wild discus [Archive] - SimplyDiscus

Does anyone know the average adult size of discus in the wild? Also, what is the maximum adult size raised on bb tank with 5 feedings and water change daily? Do the tank raised get larger than wild?

forum.simplydiscus.com

(remember these are wc - the thread is suggesting close to 7 for males and we bit over 6 for females MAX.