Suitable companions for Discus?

[chewy7]

Hello,
i only got a few small discus, and was wondering what would be other suitable companions for these guys?

thanks
shane

[JeffreyRichard]

I have had success with a whole bunch of different fish with my discus. In my case, however, I have several 125 gallon tanks in my hatchery that get constant water changes.

One of the best companions IMO is the Blue Ram (Microgeophagus Ramerizi). They thrive in the same conditions (high temperature, low hardness & pH). And they'll eat the same foods ... mine actually get very large with the discus because of all the food the discus get! The related Peruvian Ram (M. Altispinosa sp?) is also a good companion.

Other dwarf cichlids such as Apistogramas will also make good companions, but they are a bit more territorial. However, since most Apistos set up their homes at the bottom of tanks around rocks or driftwood and discus occupy the mid areas, you rarely have conflicts. I especially like A. Borelli (spawned like crazy in my 125 discus growout) and A. Cucatoides.

Cardinal Tetras are another good fish ... a school in a large tank with discus is very beautiful. make sure you have good healthy fish, though. Most LFS don't give the tetras enough TLC ... Cardinal are imported directly from SA and go through the exporters and wholesalers without a lot of care ... a good shop makes sure they fatten up after they receive them for several weeks before selling ... lots of baby brine shrimp and water changes.

I find that gouramis make good companions. Dwarf, Honey and especially Pearl Gouramis work well for me.

Catfish are also interesting and beneficial. Corydoras Adolphi, Sterbai make good companions. Ancistrus (bushnose plecos) are great for clean-up ... they'll eat the leftovers and keep the glass clean.

Keep in mind that you will need to have the space for additional fish ... plan your bioload accordingly. For instance, in a 55 gall, I'd put NO MORE than 6 discus and several Rams or a school of 12 cardinals and maaybe 4 corys ... lots of water changes!

Good luck

[Lou]

Hey Shane,

I have had great success with rummy-nose tetras. IMO they are the best discus companions. As soon as water quality starts to dip, their red noses become pale. Hopefully it never gets to that point. ;) I also have a Bolivian ram which is getting huge and gorgeous! Add to that a keyhole cichlid (very docile) and a clown plec. My clown plec has been with discus for three years without incident. Hope this has helped.

-Lou

[RAWesolowski]

Shane,

I like Jeff and Lou's suggestions. I find that it's nice to have a couple "dither" fish in the tank with discus. The dither fish are less shy and seem to encourage the discus. Cardinal tetras are excellent as are rummy nose tetras,

Jeff mentioned corydoras and plecos. I caution on the corydoras and plecostomus, some are not suited for the higher temps or do to your bottom clean-up. Corydoras Sterbai are very good for the temps and for cleaning up food waste. They're scavengers and like discus food, best in a shoal of 5 or 6. The Ancistrus is an algae eater that does a nice job but you should also have some wood in the tank.

I would consider an otocinclus or two. They seem to go after some algae that the Ancistrus ignore.

[TnMark]

I love my cories. I have about 8 in my Discus tank and they are fun to watch and seem to be pretty good scavengers. I would not recommend others put Cories in because they are sensitive to salt and should you need to treat your Discus, it will probably kill your cories.

[chewy7]

Hello,
I am going hunting for some blue rams and cardial tetras this weekend. hope to get some.
Thank you all for this info.
shane

[chewy7]

ive got a 100gallon tank and its been running for 1 week now. i am running a trickle filter that has been used for 1yr to kick start the bio. I got so far 8 Small disucs and the tank is pretty much bare (there are a few pieces of drift wood). The tank look so empty, so i need more fish ;D. i am getting two blue diamond disucs today and looking to buy 2 blue rams and 10-15 Cardinal Tetras and a small black ghost knife. Thanks all for the help. Going to do my fist water change...hope i dont freak the fish out :-\. the Tank is 650L and i will changing 100L. The tank temp is 29 degrees celcius and the 100L of water is 24 Degrees. Will the discus notice that temp drop? hope they will be alright.

Once again Thanks Everybody for the Advice!
Shane

[Ardan]

Hi,
Be sure to quarantine any new fish before adding to the discus tank.

hth

[Carol_Roberts]

Hi Shane:
Ardan gave you a very valuable piece of advice. Quarantine all new arrivals. You are playing Russian Roulette by adding two discus here two other fish there . . . you are betting the newly purchased fish are all healthy, parasite and disease free. You may win a few times, but all it takes is one sick fish to lose all the fish you have . . . .

[chewy7]

oh i c. i have got myself into a little problem...with the water change. i took out about 120L. Last night i got a 115L Tub and put water in it and some prime and aireatored it. now i have no way of moving that water >:(. i have to use the bucket and move 10L at a time. damn...any suggestions?

thanks
shane

[chewy7]

do you know if i can use straight tap water for my discus tank? i add prime then 100L of tap water, tank is 650L. should that be ok? i did not change the ph at all when i added discus, it was 7.8-8 from the tap.

thanks
shane

[Carol_Roberts]

If the tank water is 7.8 and the tap is 7.8 -8.0 it should not be a problem. AS long as the tank is a little lower pH or within .2 if higher tank pH you are safe. Be careful with temperature and chlorine/chloramines

[chewy7]

hi again,
i added about 120L of water from the tap :-\. and i added prime to neutralise the chlorine and stuff. hope it all goes well :-\. all the discus are hiding under a huge tree stump piece. temp dropped 4degrees :o. its warming back up quick now. if they look alright i will add the black ghost knife, would you recommend that carol?

thanks for the help.
shane

[Carol_Roberts]

Carol recommends discus are kept only with discus in a bare bottom tank ;)

4 degrees is a pretty big drop in temp. I try to have my change water the same temp as the tank water. Hiding behind a stump during the water change is unhappy fish behavior. . . .

[chewy7]

Thanks Carol. They are all out and about. there was one little guy that stayed on one side of tank, even before the water change, and he is slower, but he does eat. i'll post something if he stops eating.

thanks again carol.

[Willie]

Shane;

All my water changes are straight from the tap, with AmQuel and sodium thiosulfate added to remove chlorine and chloramine while the tap water is going into the tank. And all my water changes are 100%. That is, the fish are flat on the bottom while I change over from a Python to a hose. Note that this is in a barebottom tank. I find that they do fine with large changes. My breeders frequently spawn within 2 hours of a large water change.

Large water changes straight from the tap are not a problem if it matches your tank water. If you do frequent water changes, then there's little difference between tap and tank water. Young discus are more sensitive to temperature changes than larger fish. When in doubt, add in water warmer than the tank water you're replacing.

Willie