tank size and discus numbers

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Stuquarium

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Feb 27, 2005
Messages
114
Location
Melbourne Australia
hi guys,

i remember being told that 5 discus for a 55g tank is just enough, and thats what i have, but i think that i also remember being told you should always have the pairs..

so my questions are.

1 - is 5 too many?
2- is the odd one out (blue turq) going to suffer socially? he is also the smallest
3 - would it be a good idea to get him a friend? making it 6 for a 55g? with wwater changes done every 3 days

4 - how will this effect the pairing up when they hot sexual maturity?

thanks guys
Ps - here's a lis of my discus stock, and filtration
2 x blue diamond (under 6 months old one alot more colourful and larger than the other)
1x pigeon blood (3months old)
1x red dragon (3 months old
1x blue turq (3months old also smallest of them all)

1x aqua one 250L cannister
1x Ehiem 250L cannister
tank is planted.
 
most likely not all of your fish will pair off. anyway, they are all pretty young to be pairing off, but they may be staying close to the one(s) that they have been with the longest.

I think what you have is good. They will fill out the tank, and then you dont have a time bomb waiting to go off if you miss a water change.
 
I agree with aquakev. 5 discus makes for a good pecking order in the shoal.

Your discus are very young yet. IMO to achieve maximum growth and maintain optimum health, changing water every three days won't cut it. I would change a third of the water almost daily. How often and what are you feeding your discus?
 
i haven;t really got the room to be changing the water daily, so that's why i do it every 3 days, enoguh time for it to age, and become warm enough.

i feed them once a day.
 
I understand that it's tough to buy into the fact that young discus need lots of water changes Stuquarium. I didn't believe it when I first started either. Then my fish got ill and it was totally related to the quality of the water. You see, there is no way to remove the DOCs other than changing water. As they build up they act as a breeding colony for unwanted bacteria. This will stress the fish to point of lowering their immunties to not being able to fight off anything which they now don't show any sign of suffering from. Hex being a prime example.

Your fish don't need aged water. If your pH is close and you use a dechlor, you don't have to age water for them. In any event I'm going to suggest that you keep some meds in stock and have a hospital tank at the ready. Potassium Permangenate for any signs of gill problems, and Metro for any intestinal disorders.
 
Im getting rid of my goldfish and my some of my platies, and maybe some other fish I got in my ten gallon and getting new plants and a small discus for my ten gallon with a small school of neon tetras (5-15)....Is this a good idea?...Im asking because this is a discus thread.
 
I think the more experienced folks on teh site will chime in to say "bad idea", and I would agree with them. Discus shouldn't be kept alone, and should have about 10 gallons of water per fish. You meet the second requirement, but not the first. (ps, this is definitely off-subject from the thread)
 
xIHaKIx said:
Im getting rid of my goldfish and my some of my platies, and maybe some other fish I got in my ten gallon and getting new plants and a small discus for my ten gallon with a small school of neon tetras (5-15)....Is this a good idea?...Im asking because this is a discus thread.

Discus cannot be kept in a ten gallon tank. Sorry, but this is a fact. I believe you knew that when you posted your question perhaps?
 
Dont put a discus in a ten gallon tank. There is just not enough water to give you a buffer for bad water quality. not enough space. and those other fish in there with such a small space will bug the discus.

The only time I have ever or will ever put a discus in a tank that size was when I had 2 that were really small and I was medicating them and after a few days I put them into the big tank. They didnt like the small one at all.

Dont do the 10g idea!
 
Ok. Ill hold off on the discus. I just thought cause it was tiny like 2in and only 9.99 not 79.99 and 5in that it would do ok in my little ten gallon but Ill take ya word for it and not buy the little guy but Im still gettin rid of my gold fish.
 
Back
Top Bottom