3 discus?

[SethKaatz]

I have a quick question concerning amount of discus. I have heard from many I should have 5 discus in my 55g tank. But with 5 discus it leaves little room for other fish. I was wondering if I could just get 3 so that I could have more tetras? IS this a bad idea?

[GulfCoastDiscus]

Discus tend to be happier is larger group. You can try it with 3 pcs and just add the others later. Tetras don't really matter that much cause they have very little bioload in the tank.

[dishpanhands]

But with 5 discus it leaves little room for other fish

Yea it leaves room for more Discus...:D

[Elite Aquaria]

The bottom line is water quaility...In my 40 breeders I keep 10 adults but I do 90% water changes on a regular basis...:D

[pcsb23]

IS this a bad idea?Yes it is imo. With 3 I can almost guarantee that one will be picked on until it's death, shortly followed by another until you are left with one only. Very rare that 3 work out.

[SethKaatz]

ok, I'll do 5. Thanks for help

[Don Trinko]

I have 4 in 2 tanks and 7 in another. In one of the tanks with 4 one is picked on but no actual damage, in the other tanks with 4 it's hard to tell because they all seem to chase each other occasionaly. Again no actual damage. In the tank with 7 they also chase each other but no actual damage. I think the bottom line is that Discus have a pecking order and there will always be one that is last in the pecking order. Don T.

[thang45]

I bought three 4” – 5” discus and put them into a 20gal QT. It has been a week and they are still very nervous when I’m around. They will eat if I’m not around.


Can I put 5 juvenile discus around 2” with the three discus above so they will not get nervous? Is this a bad idea or would the three bigger discus kill them?

[judy]

I think that might help. The additional numbers, even though they are smaller, will give them a "safer" sense of being a colony instead of a few lonely fish wandering around...

[judy]

Just remember, though-- that's a big bioload for a tank that small. Have a big sponge filter and lots of water changes...

[thang45]

After 4 days, big and small discus are doing well. They big ones are not nervous anymore.

[deanne]

Judy, are sponge filters better than other types? With 6 discus in 55 gallons, maybe I should do something more than my two canisters and two bio-wheels?

I'm not even sure what a sponge filter is- I will try to see one in the store.

d

[judy]

actually, look up DIY sponge filters. You can make them for much less than you can buy them, and I'm a DIY idiot and it only took me five minutes. Check the DIY section here; http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=40648&highlight=sponge
-- works great and it doesn't sit on the tank bottom, taking up space...
they are a great addition to already-existing HOB filters, but keep those as additional biofiltration and as mechanical filtration-- and an option for chemical filtration, should you ever need it. Sponge filters are pure biofiltration.

[seanyuki]

Judy, are sponge filters better than other types? With 6 discus in 55 gallons, maybe I should do something more than my two canisters and two bio-wheels?

I'm not even sure what a sponge filter is- I will try to see one in the store.

d


Hi deanne,

Here a photo of a sponge filter and you can get them in LFS or
even Jehmco.com.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh127/seanyuki/Hydro-1-75p.jpg


http://www.jehmco.com/

Hope this helps

Cheers
Francis

[April]

get a hydro sponge number 4 or 5. blue box..they are great as you can move htem to a hospital tank or new tank if you need to. youd need some airline and an airpump.
good to have also..as if your power went out..your canister and biowheels would lost their good bacteria quickly.