How Much Space Realistically For A Shoal Of Discus?

[Spank]

Hello!!

Realistically, how much tank space will I need to keep a shoal of Discus??

I have 120 UK gallons to play with, and was thinking of stocking the tank with 8 discus fish, plus a shoal of cardinal tetra and some loaches. Is 8 discus too much for a tank of this size? I know following the inch/US gallon rule, I theoretically should have lots of room to spare, but I can't help thinking that it's gonna be pretty cramped in there. Will I be better off keeping just 6 discus and give them each plenty of space to swim and having some other fish?
BTW the tank is not Long in shape, its a 5ftX2ftX2ft

Thanks for your help
Hank

 

[Tolak]

When it comes to larger fish, the inch per gallon thing doesn't apply. Discus at a minimum neeed 10 gallons per fish, 8 discus would give you 15 gallons per fish, 6 would give you 20 per fish. If you plan in adding any other fish, go with 6 discus, as this will help with keeping the water as clean as is needed for these fish.

Watch which loachs you plan on getting, I know plecs tend to like the slime coat on discus, I'm sure certain loachs would be the same. Make sure to get larger tetras, if they are small enough to fit in the discus's mouth, they risk getting eaten.

 

[Spank]

Thanks for the advice Tolak, I think you're right, 6 Discus is definately a safer bet. I've heard conflicting views as to what Tetra go well with the Discus. Many websites do say that cardinals make ideal companions but I don't want them to become fish food when the Discus become big enough to eat them!!
Also, what loaches would you recommend? I'm thinking either clown loaches or Kuhli loaches

Thanks again
Hank

 

[CAC]

I cant comment on which loachs to get, but IMO if you had a shoal of maybe 10 cardinals, then id say go for 8 discus....
if they have 10G each, then thats good stocking, but because of the length of the tank,id have 8 (personally). not just because it allows you to have another pair, but it will spread aggression etc.
remember not to keep angels with them, because of parasites that angels carry, that dont harm them, but do harm the discus.

Mikey

 

[kev_kb]

8 will be fine in a tank of this size, as already posted 10g per Discus is a general guideline. I'd avoid the Clown Loaches as they can be pretty active and may spook the Discus. I'd stick with Rummy Nose or Cardinal tetras, its a bit of gamble if smaller tetras will be eaten, some experience it, some don't. I'd also have some Corys or small plecs, but be sure they can handle the higher temperatures and soft water that Discus require. Have you researched their water requirements?

If you plan on buying baby Discus I'd use a bare bottom setup and stock lightly untitl they are grown, then if you want a substrate with some planting you could add it. If you buy adult fish you don't need to worry about this so much, and you'll making life easier on yourself.

 

[sylvia]

Take care to only add tankmates that can take the higher temps. that dscus require - many cories, plecs and loaches won't work well because of this.

 

[Spank]

8 will be fine in a tank of this size, as already posted 10g per Discus is a general guideline. I'd avoid the Clown Loaches as they can be pretty active and may spook the Discus. I'd stick with Rummy Nose or Cardinal tetras, its a bit of gamble if smaller tetras will be eaten, some experience it, some don't. I'd also have some Corys or small plecs, but be sure they can handle the higher temperatures and soft water that Discus require. Have you researched their water requirements?

If you plan on buying baby Discus I'd use a bare bottom setup and stock lightly untitl they are grown, then if you want a substrate with some planting you could add it. If you buy adult fish you don't need to worry about this so much, and you'll making life easier on yourself.

yep, this is all sorted, my house has an in built water softener to keep the water soft, got 2 X 1200l/hr filters to keep the water clean and I was either planning on adding peat to one of the filters to bring down the pH or investing in a CO2 kit. I'll probably choose the latter as it means the cardinals will get a nice planted tank.

Seems clown loaches and plecs may not be such a great idea as I've read that they have a liking for discus mucous coating, will I encounter similar problems if I stocked with Oto's?

cheers
Hank

 

[Liam]

That’s a great tank for discus. I used to have one that size (until I moved house). I started off with eight tiny discus, when they grew up three pairs formed. I gave away the two singles. They all tended to breed at the same time they were okay but I had lots of other tank mates so it was a bit crowded and there was a fair bit of squabbling when the eggs hatched. I kept 50 cardinals, three clown loaches that grew to about 7/8 inches, a pair of pearl gouramis, two SAEs, a pair of altum angels a pair of rams. The tank was planted from the start. I did move the angels out eventually but only because I hated seeing them eating the baby discus. I kept the temperature at 27 C in an attempt to stop them breeding so often.

Maybe I was lucky but the discus were never ill and liked the plants and the bogwood they like having hiding places I think. The other fish swimming about fearlessly kept the discus calm, well that’s what I thought anyway. I kept the gravel clean and used ro water. They are wonderful fish to keep, if the water is clean and soft they are as tough as any fish. I kept them for five years and reared some babies.
Good luck with them.

 

[kev_kb]

yep, this is all sorted, my house has an in built water softener to keep the water soft, got 2 X 1200l/hr filters to keep the water clean and I was either planning on adding peat to one of the filters to bring down the pH or investing in a CO2 kit. I'll probably choose the latter as it means the cardinals will get a nice planted tank.

Seems clown loaches and plecs may not be such a great idea as I've read that they have a liking for discus mucous coating, will I encounter similar problems if I stocked with Oto's?

You need to be careful with your water softer. I don't think they are the same as RO units, and I think some use salts to soften the water, which you do not want to use with Discus. Using RO water you'll probably achieve a pH around neutral, if this is the case you don't need to lower it unless you wish breed them. Be careful using CO2, it fine to use it but the pH needs to be consistant, consistancy is the most important facter when keepin Discus.

I've had success with keeping Bristlenoses and Clown plecs with Discus, I think it's the larger ones which cause problems. I've also read about Ottos sucking Discus, and some not lol. I guess a lot depends on the fish.

 

[grayboy1]

i have 20 serpae tetras in along with 9 discus in my 6' x 2' x 2' tank. taking everything into account they are perfect. plenty movement. no hassle to the discus. and they are larger than neons

as with the angel parasite comment. this is totally incorrect. both angels and discus can carry internal parasites and other nasties that can lay dormant in the carrier fish then can affect other fish from the same or other species. angels do not carry any parasites that "dont harm them" that is nonsense. they are more hardy than discus due to how long they have been bred in captivity. for this reason they usually carry things that dont actually end up infecting them, but instead end up infecting more sensitive fish such as discus. it would be fair to say angels can carry parasites which can infect other tank mates such as discus. but it works the other way round. alot of people have made a mountain out of a molehill over this. partly because discus are far more expensive than angels, and rightly so people are protective over their discus.

incidently i have a tank with 10 real altum angels in it that took me ages to track down. ill be adding some discus soon. but ill be treating the discus with a wormer and quarantining them before i add them to my altum tank. curse those filthy discus



ps: angels are great companions for discus. i wont go into it much more than that. i already keep koi angels with discus. they are the best tankmates a discus could have as long as they are quarantined first