Discus Question

[BreeB1360]

Im a beginner with the discus fish, but i have been keeping aquariums for a couple of years now.... i have a 40 gallon cichlid tank and a 40 gallon community tank.... Anyway my question has to do with my 20 gallon high tank and discus.... Im not sure i want to fully jump into getting a 55 gallon tank or larger with a discus stock just because i dont want to waste my money on a fish that i cant manage to keep alive... I was wondering if i could keep mabey 5 or so small juviniles in a 20 gallon as a temporary housing situation to see if i can keep them alive with my water conditions... Im prepared to do as much matience as nessacary... Also if i could keep juvies in this tank for any period of time, how long would it take for them to outgrow it? and how often would i have to do water changes?


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[Sillyfishies]

Im a beginner with the discus fish, but i have been keeping aquariums for a couple of years now.... i have a 40 gallon cichlid tank and a 40 gallon community tank.... Anyway my question has to do with my 20 gallon high tank and discus.... Im not sure i want to fully jump into getting a 55 gallon tank or larger with a discus stock just because i dont want to waste my money on a fish that i cant manage to keep alive... I was wondering if i could keep mabey 5 or so small juviniles in a 20 gallon as a temporary housing situation to see if i can keep them alive with my water conditions... Im prepared to do as much matience as nessacary... Also if i could keep juvies in this tank for any period of time, how long would it take for them to outgrow it? and how often would i have to do water changes?


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5 juvies would be way overstocking. Especially for discus. I would do 1. 2 at the most. And I believe most discus owners do daily water changes. I'm sure 50% every 3 days with GOOD water should be ok. Make sure you plant the tank well also.

 

[BreeB1360]

okay thanks for the quick reply


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[Mebbid]

Thats an absolute no for discus in a 20g tank. Especially if you are beginning with them.

Discus need to be kept in schools and need great water parameters. Neither of which are easy to accomplish in a 20g high. They also need adequate swimming room which a 20h definitely doesnt have.

 

[BreeB1360]

okay so if i really want discus i should be prepared to get a 55 or larger then right?


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[Mebbid]

Yep, and the bigger the better when discus are concerned.

 

[BreeB1360]

Okay thankyou for the advice


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[gilpi]

I'd say 20g is ok for a pair, better yet a 29 or a 30g. A 55 would be good for 4 or 5 discus, these are all minimum sizes, bigger tanks are better.
As sillyfishies I also agree your 20 is small for 5 but it also has to do with how big they are when you put them in it and for how long you are keeping them there.
I have two in a 20 they're about a year old. You will have to make your water changes priority and not rely so much on your filter, I use a small sponge filter with air just to get the water moving but rely more on the water changes and it is a bare bottom tank to keep it cleaner, I change about 70% of the water two to three times a week and put nothing else in the tank that will change or pollute the water.
Keeping discus is not an impossible task, just requires a bit more work and will change your perspective on fishkeeping overall.
If you are going to commit yourself to 5 of them I'd say you'll have to eventually think about getting a bigger tank.