Discus Questions...

[J4G3D]

Im seriously thinking to get a discus in my 44gallon. I have a angelfish fairly small, if they dont get on i would have to remove the discus.

But anyway my question is, there a schooling fish i read but whats the MINIMUM discus i could house while at the same time keeping them happy. I was hoping for just getting 1 but read they shouldnt be alone.

I know you can keep 2 who have paired up but... isnt it hit an miss if they will pair or not? if they dont should i get rid of 1 and get another? or is 2 unpaired discus ok in my tank?

 

[markandhisfish]

your tank is a little on the small side for discus really . you want 55 gallon MINIMUM , and should have a group of at least 6 discus. 1 on its own will live but wont be happy. just getting 2 and hoping they become a pair wont work either . if you want a pair you should buy a proven pair which can be expensive . 2 unpaired discus would most likely lead to 1 becoming dominant and bullying the other 1 .

 

[J4G3D]

your tank is a little on the small side for discus really . you want 55 gallon MINIMUM , and should have a group of at least 6 discus. 1 on its own will live but wont be happy. just getting 2 and hoping they become a pair wont work either . if you want a pair you should buy a proven pair which can be expensive . 2 unpaired discus would most likely lead to 1 becoming dominant and bullying the other 1 .

Thanks

2 paired would be ok for my size tank? i will remove the barbs for starters (see my sig)

 

[markandhisfish]

when you say 2 pairs , do you mean 2 proven breeding pairs? if so thats not really viable breeders will usually use something along the lines of a 30 gallon cube for a pair. then of course you have the fry to deal with ( should you get any) which with discus is very hard work . if you were really serious then you would be looking at getting rid of everything in your tank and buying an established proven pair , then using the tank solely for them .

 

[J4G3D]

when you say 2 pairs , do you mean 2 proven breeding pairs? if so thats not really viable breeders will usually use something along the lines of a 30 gallon cube for a pair. then of course you have the fry to deal with ( should you get any) which with discus is very hard work . if you were really serious then you would be looking at getting rid of everything in your tank and buying an established proven pair , then using the tank solely for them .

No no dont want them for breeding, purely to put in a community tank.

 

[kaivalagi]

Do yourself a favour and research the price of a bonded pair, I think it might put you off, especially if you are wanting purely a community tank

If you don't get a bonded pair you'd be looking at getting a number of them to live together but then you hit the space problem as your tank wont be big enough.

How about getting more Angels, you can get a nice variety of them, just not sure on the best number to have and whether your tank will have room for 3-4 of them? Or how about a nice group of dwarf cichlids?

 

[markandhisfish]

then you need a bigger tank ( 55g minimum 75g would be better) and a group of at least 6 all more or less the same size and all added at the same time .altho discus may not be quite as difficult as their reputation , they are still a fish that require a certain level of experience and dedication , as they are just not forgiving of mistakes.

 

[J4G3D]

Do yourself a favour and research the price of a bonded pair, I think it might put you off, especially if you are wanting purely a community tank

If you don't get a bonded pair you'd be looking at getting a number of them to live together but then you hit the space problem as your tank wont be big enough.

How about getting more Angels, you can get a nice variety of them, just not sure on the best number to have and whether your tank will have room for 3-4 of them? Or how about a nice group of dwarf cichlids?

yes i have seen prices, money isnt a problem id pay it to be honest with you.

i am seriously thinking discus or dwarf cichlids actually. Both will cost around £50 anyway whether it be 2 discus or 5 dc

 

[markandhisfish]

a pair of discus will cost you a lot more than 50 quid . tbh i think youd be better off with dwarf cichlids

 

[J4G3D]

a pair of discus will cost you a lot more than 50 quid . tbh i think youd be better off with dwarf cichlids

Breeding pair i know would cost 80 MIN upwards

Im optimistic to find a pair of unbred discus for cheaper (am i being overly optimistic? lol)

Plus size makes a big difference in price... Id prefer small ones 2 to 4 inches in size, do they pair up at that size?

 

[kaivalagi]

a pair of discus will cost you a lot more than 50 quid . tbh i think youd be better off with dwarf cichlids

Breeding pair i know would cost 80 MIN upwards

Im optimistic to find a pair of unbred discus for cheaper (am i being overly optimistic? lol)

Plus size makes a big difference in price... Id prefer small ones 2 to 4 inches in size, do they pair up at that size?

I think you're being over optimistic of getting just 2 unpaired discus and see them bond. I think as there are only 2 they wouldn't be happy and so wouldn't entertain pairing up. Not sure at what size discus will pair, but I don't think that is all that relevant in this case...

Go for a nice sized group of Dwarf cichlids, or more Angels

 

[walkers101]

as said to have discus you really have to have your heart in it you can't expect to throw 2 strange discus together and expect a happy tank it may work but nine times out of ten they each pick a corner and stay there or fight it out

have a long think to see if you can afford a breeding pair if not forget about it

 

[markandhisfish]

a pair of discus will cost you a lot more than 50 quid . tbh i think youd be better off with dwarf cichlids

Breeding pair i know would cost 80 MIN upwards

Im optimistic to find a pair of unbred discus for cheaper (am i being overly optimistic? lol)

Plus size makes a big difference in price... Id prefer small ones 2 to 4 inches in size, do they pair up at that size?

a breeding pair would be more than 80 pounds upwards , more like double that , even treble depending on quality. as i have already said in a previous reply , just throwing 2 unpaired discus in a tank and hoping they pair off is a recipe for disaster. i have already told you that the chances of them pairing off are very slim , with the most likely outcome being that 1 will bully the other to the point where it refuses food becomes stressed , and ultimately dies. discus wont pair up at 2 inches , both my pairs formed when they were around 4 inches , and even when a pair is newly formed it is not set in stone , it is not unknown for them to then "break up" and if you only have 2 discus then this would also lead to an agression/dominance problem .
sorry to have to tell you so bluntly but the simple fact is that neither your tank or ypur plan are suitable for success with discus. i would reccomend either buying a bigger tank and doing lots more research , or taking your second option you wanted which is the dwarf cichlids .

 

[snowflake311]

Here in the USA for a proven pair (that means they have produced fry) you are looking at $375.00-$500 . You can get a pair cheaper but it will not be a proven.

Mark said it best there. I think 2 could work depending on the fish but it's a big risk to try it. Every cichlid is differant you know I'm sure 2 discus have worked for someone. But there is a good chance one will pick on the other till it dies. 3 is the worst number because 2 Will beat up one and it dies. I have seen this happen with my festivums who are also "schooling" fish. My uarus are a schooling cichlid and they do well as just 2 but I'm sure they would be happier if there were more of them.

Why not get a cheap used 55 gal and set it up for just 5 discus?


http/www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwdiscus&1285515607