New Discus in 10 Gallon Tank

[jackie1258]

I have 3 new 2.5 inch discus in a 10 gallon tank waiting for them to grow to 4 inches to put in my 75 gallon tank. Do you think growing these babies in a 10 gallon tank is sufficient?

[jmf3460]

............cant wait to see the replies to this.

[John_Nicholson]

Don't really think that will work. To have success you really need at least 6 discus and they need to be in at least a 55 with daily water changes.

-john

[Rudustin]

Ten gallons won't do it. Listen to John.

[wolfel]

I do think 4 inch discus looks a LOT bigger than I thought...

[Ryan]

Jackie, there are a few issues with that. The first is obviously tank size. A ten gallon isn't suitable for most cichlids, even young ones. I wouldn't keep them in anything less than a 20, but even then you'd have to really stay on top of your water changes to ensure their growth didn't suffer. Water quality is key with young discus if you want them to grow well.

The second issue is aggression. There's a fairly high conspecific aggression in discus. Buy two or three young discus and they will bully each other to the point of severe stress/death in most cases. It usually consists of a dominant fish refusing to let a submissive fish eat and chasing/nipping the submissive fish until all it does is hide. Four is really the absolute minimum I'd recommend but six is better. Actually, eight to ten is better, but six is manageable. This will obviously require more than a 10 gallon (or 20 gallon, or 30 gallon...) tank.

I know it sounds odd if you're a newcomer to discus, but it's one of the things that makes them a bit more specialized compared to other cichlids.

[pgrhodes1]

Hi there,

Tried this with 4 small Discus. IT DID NOT WORK. Almost lost my little guys. Every time I turned around my Nitrites were high. Changed water, 2 hours later same thing and this was a cycled tank with a canister filter rated for a 30 gal tank. They were VERY unhappy. Will never make that mistake again.

[BODYDUB]

Yeah, 10G is WAY to small for discus, but it would work for fry though. I've even seen people try to grow fish out in a 20G (SMH) and even 40Gs, although a 40G is bigger than a 20G I suppose lol............

[Aeon]

I don't think discus and 10 gallon tank will ever belong in the same sentence

[tonytheboss1]

:bandana: Not to pile on but you're kinda setting yourself up for failure. Tank size & # of discus to start out are both insufficient. Oh it might seem ok for the moment but heartbreak is just around the corner. The others advice is fair warning & should be heeded. Re-start ... 55g w/ 5 or 6 juvies, good food & clean water. That's a possible recipe for success. "T"

[a volar]

Welcome Jackie, you can start by reading here:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?86009-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Getting-Started-with-Discus

[jackie1258]

Not to worry, they are now in a 75 gallon tank. Thanks for all your great inputs.

[mopedsteve]

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?118816-Does-tank-size-for-discus-really-matter

[navarro1950]

jackie1258 don't listen to mopedsteve, he's BANNED. And steve DISCUS ARE NOT JUST FISH, IT'S A WAY OF LIFE TO US HERE so please don't participate on this forum, you're not welcomed.

[Banzai883]

you can grow brine shrimp in a 10 gallon tank