Discus - To Buy, Or Not To Buy... That Is The Question

[ArronP]

Hi guys.  New here.  This may have been covered already but my question is somewhat tank-specific so I thought I'd give it a go.
 
I've put together a community tank that is very vibrant with color, and I'm interested in adding a 'show fish' to tie it off.  I've been doing some research on discus, and opinion seems to vary in regards to the level of care, type of aquarium setup, and the possibility of living in a community.  I'm hoping to get some solid information here so I can save myself the stress and heartbreak of potentially killing these beautiful (and expensive) animals. 

Tank deets:
90 gal (48x18) with gravel and lightly planted. 
eheim professionel 2229 cannister filter
700gph powerhead for surface disturbance
well lit with reef-quality lighting
 
Inhabitants:
3 peppered cory
6 red wag platys
6 yellow guppies
2 blue dwarf gourami
18 various danio
(planning to sell or rehome the danio before the discus go in)
a score of trumpet snails
dwarf hairgrass
anubias nana
wisteria
(all plants are newly added over the past month)

Everyone is healthy and happy and the color scheme makes it easy to sit and watch for hours.  I think discus would be a beautiful addition.  Here are my questions:

Will a planted tank prove difficult in keeping healthy discus?  Has anyone had successful experience with this?
 
I have a few pieces of decor...   two faux tree stumps on opposite ends for gourami territories and two medium sized faux rocks with some plastic plants as filler until I can replace them with live.  Considering the tank size, number of inhabitants (minus the danio), and decor... could I safely keep the minimal number of adult discus?  I've read the minimum is four.  Has anyone had a good experience with less? 
 
Would the powerhead cause too much disturbance for them?
 
Can I expect problems between the discus and gourami? 
 
Should I be concerned about the guppies fin-nipping?
 
In a tank this size, with good filtration and a reasonable cleaning crew, how difficult would it be to maintain the quality of life for the discus as far as water quality?  A 50% water change is a daunting task when you consider the 9 five-gallon buckets of water I would have to carry.  I'd prefer not to do that weekly if at all possible (allowing for the usual smaller 20-30% of course).  Are there any species that could be added to help with additional cleanup?
 
I currently keep my water temp at 78-80 F.  I've read discus require low-to-mid 80's.  Will this be problematic for the current plant and animal life? 
 
If discus is not a good option for my current setup, can anyone recommend a colorful, vibrant 'show fish' I could look into?
 
Sorry for the lengthy post.  Just trying to be thorough.
 
Thanks!

 

[Noahsfish]

Well for your stocking and to maintain water quality I'd say 50% at least every 2 days. Also, discus really prefer and need sponge filters.

 

[MBOU]

Personally I would say completely revise your stocking if you want discus... because soon or later, those discus will kill your guppies and quite likely the dwarf gouramis too. Guppies ar small, flappy and irritating and the gouramis bolshy enough to start disputes that discus will certainly finish should they feel the need to.
 
As for discus prefering sponge filters? There is apsolutely no evidence of this... the only keepers likely to use sponge filters are those trying to breed them and stop fry being drawn through filters. Discus dont mind fair ammounts of flow any more than they mind cooler temperatures of 26-27 degrees (which is great if you arent breeding them).
 
As for water changes, well, hard to advise how often you change water as it relies entirely on water quality, the reason people over do the water changes is to keep the nitrates and organic waste levels right down but if the levels are low, there is no need to stress fish out so often.
 
I  found for my water and feeding regime (which was pretty heavy to be fair!) worked just great with 30-40% changes once or twice a week depending in what was fed. My discus loved eating prawns so on those weeks, they would get two 40% changes, on normal weeks the got discus novobits or prima and a home made blend of frozen bloodworm, mysis, krill, brineshrimp, garlic and spirulina which didnt pollute  the water so much, would mean 1-2 30% changes a week...
 
There is no set in stone routine.

 

[DrRob]

The old school sponge filters for discus were before the wider use of externals. Internals were good but tended to clog and undergravels didn't cut the mustard for a lot of people.

 

[ArronP]

Thanks for the advice.  It would be a shame to lose the color from the guppies and gouramis, but if my primary focus is discus it seems I don't have much choice.  Are there any similarly colored fish with which they could be replaced that live will with discus?  I'd like to maintain the vibrant community if possible. 
 
Thanks again!