Best discus Tank size.. wide vs long

[Eyecandy]

Hi There... This is a fantastic site.. love following it.
I want to upgrade my discus tank in gallons. I currently have a 72 gallon bowfront. the discus are happy and the ones I got only a week ago even laid eggs two days ago then they got eaten But I think I want to go to about 125/135 gallons.
These are 6 adult and semi adult discus w/ 3 bosemani rainbows and bn. with a sand substrate and driftwood with lots of anubas... so a moderately planted tank but most are tied to driftwood. I can go with four feet long and two feet deep or 6 foot long but only 18 inches deep... The 4 ft but deeper will fit the spot better but want to know if it matters to the discus and water changes etc. I've never had a really deep tank before.. The heights will be the same. I was thinking that since the discus are relatively slow moving, and the bosemani stay relatively small, the length might not be much of a plus for them and the aquascaping might look better in the deeper tank. I want whats best for my flat friends tho..
Feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thanks soooo much. Sue

[CARY_GLdiscus]

I like 150,125,180,90,75,29 for My Discus

hth
Cary Gld

[phidelt85]

I would go for the longer tank versus the taller tank. It'll give them more room to spread their fins and get away from each other if need be.

[Tropical Haven]

I would agree, go longer instead of wider.

[LizStreithorst]

Yep, longer is better.

[Eyecandy]

Hi.. Thanks for the quick responses..
I may not have made myself too clear.:D
The tanks I'm considering have the same height... it's the footprint that's different.. 4x2 vs 6 x18in..
I realize the 6footer is more common. Does anyone keep their discus in a deeper (not higher) tank than 18 inches??? Cary have you ever tried this?? Can anyone tell me why one would be better or is it mostly an aesthetic thing... I want the best for them.. just want to give them more volume of water and larger footprint. There will not be more discus just the 6 of them with the 3 bosemani and 2 bristlenose.
Thanks again for all the replies so far.. Sue:angel::angel:

[madfish]

I like my 120 its 48"X24"X24" that way I have some great plants in there for my discus to go get in when they want to. Plus you have the hight and deep for them to swim all around just not back and forth.

[Harriett]

I think the 4 x 2 x 2 foot gives you more potential for aquascaping [with room for front, mid, and back sections to plant and scape]. The 6 foot x 18" allows less room for creating a sense of depth, which in a planted tank is something that adds great interest to the tank.
Best regards
Harriett

[DavidH]

I thought wider was better than longer because of surface area???

Dave

[Eyecandy]

Hi ... Again some quick replies... still undecided, awaiting more replies and checking the $$ involved...Thanks soo much D:D
Harriett and Madfish what do you do as far as heaters and filters??
Two of each with one on each side like you would a 6 foot long??? Or do you aline them on the 2 foot sides of the tanks instead. I use submersible heaters so they can go anywhere.. Would 2 xp3 filters be too much for the discus.. I now have the one xp3 and an airstone but have a spare xp3 and a spare powerhead from another tank. Or should I just convert the airstone to a sponge filter thing..
.
Also I do alot of w/c and the nitrates never go above 10,do you think that w/c can be a little less often since the tank volume will go from 72 gallons to 120 with the same bioload??? Also what would happen if we take a month vacation instead of the 2 week one I've sucessfully done??? I can have someone feed once every few days but wouldn't want them to do w/cs or vacs... would the increased water volume make it doable???
Sorry to ask so many questions but "if you don't ask you'll never get an answer". :angel:

I really appreciate all the helpful knowledgable folks here. Thanks again Sue :angel::angel:

[phidelt85]

You've actually got more surface area in the 6ft tank versus the 4 footer.

6 x 1.5=9 ft squared.
4 x 2 = 8 ft squared.

It's just aesthetics, although a 6' tank will give your fish two more feet of swimming "room"

[DavidH]

Good point.

[doc3toes]

having seen my fish actually school i'de say go for length. i have 16' total length and they use the whole thing. i'de like to have more than 18" tall though.

[phidelt85]

Hey Doc, you gotta post a picture of that in a new thread. That's a must see!!

[Northwestcoastdisc]

I like to have largest tanks are less problems with water and more fish :)

about 18 or 20" height by Long tank by less than 2 feet wide is best choice for discus.

hth

Duncan

[Harriett]

"Harriett and Madfish what do you do as far as heaters and filters??"

To tell the truth, my 120g is sitting dry; I do have a 180g with the same basic footprint but a 6 footer [6 x 2 x 2]. I use an FX5 and would probably run one on a 120g also; it would be just about right for me--solo it is just a little weak for my 180, I've found. I boosted it with an Eheim 2026. I tend to overfilter. I like to run all filters with spraybars. They are located at the back bottom of the tank and point up--return water runs up the back wall and along surface to the front. Works well.
For a heater, I seem to need only a 300w Rena submersible in there....seems like I should need more...but it works. Larry [Polar Bear] has got me convinced to start using Hydor inline heaters in the future rigged to the canister filters...as soon as I see a problem with any of the submersible heaters in my tanks I will start switching over.
Good luck and best regards.
Harriett

[Rod]

all my discus tanks are 2 foot wide, but different lengths. 20" for breeders, 24 to 36" for fry, 36" to 72" for growouts and adults. The discus are less shy in a nice wide tank, gives them a more secure feeling imo.

Rod:)

[Northwestcoastdisc]

nice tank Size Rod!

I had 6' x 2' x 2' It was 180 Gal but The tank was really very heavey! I built the largest tank it was 12' x 4' x 3' it was about 1000 Gallon. The tank sold.

on Spring time I will make some huge tanks :)


Duncan