Discus Set up, odd custom tank

[Von Devilish]

I have received my custom 30 inch wide, 36 inch tall and 12 inch from front to back aquarium. (Approx 56.025 gallons)

I want to set it up for Discus, but I have NO experience in keeping discus outside of work (in a MARS unit, I work at a LFS, and even then we didnt have much control on water parameters or filtration due to systems being interconnected to other tanks)

Im looking for best recommendations for Filtration, water parameters, Heater, Lighting (everything)

I am an experienced freshwater keeper in all kinds of other fish (tropicals, SA Cichlids, African Cichlids, Arowana) but have never kept discus.

 

[Cynic]

With discus it's pretty simple. Work out how many you can have, normally 1 per 10/15G (making sure you don't have three), bigger tank the better and finally do regular, twice weekly, water changes. Discus aren't as fragile or as difficult to keep as they are made out to be, just a LOT of work.

 

[Bichir Bro]

It's not the fragility of the fish just the work and all the time you must put into the fish, filter, heat, food, etc......
Beautiful fish and very rewarding however!

 

[Von Devilish]

But, but adding stronger filtration and equipment, ie: denitrifying filter, uv sterilizer, oversized trickle filter etc reduce the amount of labor?

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[Von Devilish]

I already keep several oversized arowana and osphronemus in a 600 gallon, a few hundred africans in a 220 gallon and about 100 oddballs in a 350

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[severum mama]

Given that the footprint of this tank is the same as a 29 gallon, I would recommend no more than one pair of adult discus.

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[Von Devilish]

Additionally there is a 55 gallon sump attached bringing total water volume to 111.025 gallons

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[severum mama]

The issue isn't the volume of water, it's the lack of horizontal space. Mature discus in a group will likely bully the snot out of one another. Juvenile fish may not be an issue, but a group of adults just can't be housed like that IMO.

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[Bichir Bro]

This is just a suggestion but I'm pretty darn sure angels would go nuts for a tank with those dimensions.
Just a suggestion, if you want discus by all means go for it!

 

[severum mama]

Sigh...

I'll go out on a limb here and assume that this was directed at me. If you'll notice, I did not disagree with your statement that people often make them out to be more difficult to keep than what they really are. I agree with you there. However, they are cichlids, and they do need their space. I know some discus breeders, and I was fortunate enough to volunteer at a discus convention in 2012... Trust me, most hobbyists have never seen adult discus in person. That's where I'm coming from with my opinion here.

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