need some advice about keeping discus with catfish

[phillipdoan]

hello guys, i want to keep a discus and plant tank, so i have decide to change my current 4x2 display tank. This will require me to sell most of my fish that won't be able to live with the plant tank.
However i have several catfish such as plecos and gibbiceps and i dunno if these are able to be kept with discus+plant, I thought that keeping them together would be fine. But one of the lfs said that its risky and my discus may die.
wat do u guys think?
Thankyou in advance :)

[RyanH]

I've had problems with plecos latching on to the sides of my Discus in the past. Particularly when they get older. I would not recommend them. I have had pretty good luck with bristlenose before though.

[Carol_Roberts]

Juvenile discus do poorly in planted, graveled tanks. I suggest you buy fully grown discus.

[phillipdoan]

and i really wanted to keep my gibbicep :( he is my fav catfish of all.
:-[ :'( :(
i am now deciding whether or not i should keep a discus tank
Can i ask why catfish would suck on the slime coat of the discus?
I have heaps of caves that the catfish usually stay in, but i guess its not worth the risk :(

[RyanH]

You have to find out what works best for you. Keeping pleco's with Discus has not worked out for me in the past. Nor has it worked for others. However, that does not mean it cannot be done. Give it a try, if it doesn't work for you then you can write it off as a learning experience and try something else. You could then come on here and give the same advice to others who are considering doing what you have already tried.... or you will be able to tell them that I'm full of crap!

Also, give some careful consideration to what Carol said about plants and substrate. You will not get healthy, fully grown fish if you raise them in that environment. It is virtually impossible to keep the tank clean enough. I would strongly encourage you to grow out your babies bare bottom for 9 months to a year and then consider doing a planted tank....or buy adults.

hth!
-Ryan

[phillipdoan]

i am considering buying fully grown adults.
thankyou for your suggestions :)

[Howie_W]

Hi Phillip,

I've been successfully keeping plecos and discus together in planted tanks.

There are a number of positive and negative aspects to keeping plecos with discus. If you are going to keep discus, especially for the first time, I reccomend starting out with small fish...learn how to raise them on their own, and grow them to full size healthy adults...these should be your primary fish in a planted tank. It would be a shame for you to buy full size fish, and have their lives come to an abrupt end unneccessarily.

As for the plecos; If you are already an owner, then you know they are part of an enormous species of fish, some of which vary greatly from each other. The type of pleco you put in with your discus, must be able to thrive in the tank best suited to your discus.

How big is your gibbiceps? What type of water parameters is he used to?...Sailfin Pleco's typically prefer temperatures that are a bit colder than what Discus like. This type of pleco, depending upon how large a tank you are keeping him in can get quite large, and subsequently territorial. In addition, the larger the pleco, the higher the amount of waste he adds to his environment.

These are all things to consider. But most important is to concentrate on the Discus by themselves before you do anything else. Juveniles are your best bet when starting out.

Howie

[phillipdoan]

i have actually put my large catfish into my other tank now.
So i'll be having some discus soon. The only fish i have atm in the tank which the discus are going into is a clown loach and red-tailed shark, which from what i have heard are fine to keep with the discus.

Just another small question:
Sometimes in display tanks in shops i find that ppl keep peppermint catfishes and bristlenose catfish with discus. because these do not grow as big, i was wondering if anyone had any experience with these?
thankyou