Keeping Discuss

[neilrufc27]

Hi,

What is the min size tank required for keeping Discuss?

Thanks

Neil

 

[tetraman]

A 20 is good for a small pair, but when they get in the 5 or 6 inch range a 30 gallon would be better. Be sure to use tall tanks.

Oh, and by the way, it's spelled discus, not like the word for conversation.

 

[crazie.eddie]

29 gallon recommended for a mate breeding pair, but a 20 gallon can suffice. Remember, this MUST be a mated breeding pair, not just a male and female. Otherwise, a minimum of 50 gallons for a group (5) of discus. Most discus do well in groups.

 

[kev_kb]

As your a discus newbie I would say forget keeping a pair in a small tank and only buy them if you can keep a group in a larger tank.

 

[annka5]

i agree with kev - breeding pairs are very expensive, difficult to find, and really sound like you're looking to keep them, not breed them anyway.

Try searching recent topics and you'll see loads of info re: tank sizes etc.

 

[paul-discus]

I would personally advise you to buy discus that are at least 3 inches, you will have a better chance of growing them on that way and i would always have an odd number of discus in a tank, for some reason it seems to work without one being picked on and bullied all the time. Feed at different places as this too reduces any bullying.
I have 9 discus in an 80 gallon tank and i do water changes every day, seven days a week as this stops stunting and is beneficial to the health of the fish. I have 6 fish paired up and are spawning but as i don't want to breed i just let them get on with it and the eggs are usually eaten in 3 days or so.
I feed mine on a beefheart recipe that i have perfected over the years. The only live food i feed is the odd brine shrimp and the only frozen food i feed is brine shrimp and mysis shrimp. I will not feed frozen bloodworm or tubiflex under any circumstances, however earthworms are fine source of protein. I feed Tetra Discus granules too.
Tankmates for discus have to be fish that are gentle and can put up with the high temperatures that discus must have so i would reccomend most corydoras with the exception of pandas and a couple of others, a pair of rams would be fine and a small shoal of tetras will act as dither fish and bring the discus out. Get them used to you and soon they will take food from your hand but always approach the tank in a gentle fashion and don't dart in front of it.
Discus will let you know if tank conditions are not right by their behaviour and if this happens you need to test your water so before buying the fish you need to buy the various test kits first and get used to reading them correctly.
Most important is to cycle the tank correctly and age the water prior to adding your fist fish, this will heap huge dividends later, if you try to rush things then you will be plagued with problems. Common sense and cleanliness are the key ingredients for keeping discus combined with the correct water chemistry. The tank needs to be hoovered daily with an aquarium hoover and any uneaten beefheart food should be siphoned off after 5 minutes. Feeding should be 4 times daily and just as much food as the fish will eat in a few minutes and the diet needs to be varied. Gamma Improvit food is a beefheart and turkey heart food which they will take with gusto if you don't wish to make your own. Not many flake foods are reccomended but their is afood called discus delights from www.plymouthdiscus that is okay and one called D-Allio from www.fishandfins.com.uk.
Looked after correctly these fish will give you years of pleasure but please do your homework first as they deserve the best of care and will reward you well.

 

[Kazuya73]

Tankmates for discus have to be fish that are gentle and can put up with the high temperatures that discus must have so i would reccomend most corydoras with the exception of pandas and a couple of others, a pair of rams would be fine and a small shoal of tetras will act as dither fish and bring the discus out.

Why not Panda's?I thought they could stand the temps;am I wrong?Or is there another reason?

 

[demonmagus]

according to planet catfish they can survive up to 25 degrees C

 

[Kazuya73]

Anybody know exactly which species of cory's are good for Discus?Can't find any that can stand the temps according to thier specs ,but a lot of people keep them with discus?Which ones?

 

[paulf]

Anybody know exactly which species of cory's are good for Discus?Can't find any that can stand the temps according to thier specs ,but a lot of people keep them with discus?Which ones?

The only corys you should keep with Discus are.... C sterbai, adolphoi, Duplicarus, C121, gossei, suessi and maybe agazissi - there maybe a few more, but they are the usual suspects

Could this be stickied some where as its about the fourth time I have posted this info on this forum

Adding bronze, pandas or anything else that doesn't like warm water will simply age faster and hence die faster....

Also I dont feed my discus beefheart as Its too fatty for them, having learnt of a discus that had a heart attack that was blamed on beheart after an autopsy (thickening of the arteries etc) and other things I have heard, a cow free tank here

 

[kribensis12]

I keep a female krib in with my discus and she handles the warm temp cery well and is gettting some nice color to her. Make sure you feed your discus sprinula, very healthy for them and reall inhances the colors.

 

[kev_kb]

I keep a female krib in with my discus and she handles the warm temp.

This is generally not a good mix. Not sure how they would handle the temps, but Kribs can be really aggressive and IMO are too aggressive for discus tank mates.

 

[NEONCORY]

Why not Panda's?I thought they could stand the temps;am I wrong?Or is there another reason?

Pandas are originated from near the base of the river in high mountain and they thrive in cooler colder water than average Corys. I keep my Pandas in UN-heated tank(hover high 60~low 70's) and they are happrily leaving me eggs every 3~4days. And they also enjoy brisk current from the outlet from the powerhead.
So that is why the Oandas are not good candidate for the Discus that require much higher water temperature.

 

[Kazuya73]

The only corys you should keep with Discus are.... C sterbai, adolphoi, Duplicarus, C121, gossei, suessi and maybe agazissi - there maybe a few more, but they are the usual suspects

Could this be stickied some where as its about the fourth time I have posted this info on this forum

Thanx Puulf I agree it should be stickied.

Didn't mean to highjack a thread ,but I had to know because I have ordered some Panda's to go in my discus tank,along with ottos and a Royal Farowella.Thought they would be OK,but since they haven't got here yet,I guess the LFS will be mad when I tell them I can't use them.Oh well,I did pick up the ottos and they are fine,besides,they(LFS) knew I was ordering tank mates for a discus tank;They should have said something ​

 

[Rhiannon]

Do the discus like to have 20g tanks long ways or high ways?