Discus in a 58G

[BobB]

How many discus would be a good fit for a 58G tank. 36x18x21

[rogge26]

Rule of thumb is 10 gallons per adult discus. I would say you could easily fit 6 discus in that tank.

[*Polka dots roc*]

I would say 5 adults if its planted and 6 adults if its barebottom because if it's planted the sub. and plants and driftwood take up alot of tank space. But thats just my opinion.

[bs6749]

I think it's more of a combination of the amount of waste produced per fish, surface area of the water that is in contact with the air, and the overall room to swim. Sure plants take up space but they also take OUT nitrates produced by the discus so you can get more fish in a tank that has plants IMO.

With that in mind I'd say you can get 7 in that tank, 8 if you do water changes every other day.

[Bobears]

Are you sure you don't have a 65? 36x18x23? I have a 65 with 7 sub-adults and adults. I asked this question on the forum a little while ago and got answers ranging from 6 to 8. My tank seems to be doing very well, knock on wood, with the 7. I change water 3x a week@50%. My decision to stay with 7 came down to the question of forgetting water changes. Hopefully I never forget WCs or get to busy, but if I do I'm a little more safe. If you do have a 56 with no decor 6 is perfect.

[judy]

I have ten young adults in a heavily-planted 78 gallon, sharing with some cardinal tetras, dwarf loaches, flower shrimp, and simaese algae eaters. Six of the ten discus have paired off and are regularly spawning. Two of the other four are, I think, same sex, and the remaining two are blue diamponds younger than everyone else by at least six months.
I do a 35% WC once every ten days or so. I have three HOB filters that, combined, offer filtration for 150 gallons, plus a big sponge filter in a corner, mostly hidden by an Amazon sword clump.
(The prettiest pair I temporarily put into a spawning tank to get a batch of babies, and they will go back in for another round of parenthood as soon as these babies are big enough to sell.)

[DiscusChris]

Yes, thats 58.9 gallons if you do the math.

[Bobears]

Sorry DiscusChris. I was just wondering about the measurements themselves. I don't come across many 58s. I see 55s, 56s, 60s, and 65s. Anyway, have you decided how many discus will work for you? I'd like to add 5 more to my 65 but you know:shocked:

[DiscusChris]

Are you sure you don't have a 65? 36x18x23? I have a 65 with 7 sub-adults and adults. I asked this question on the forum a little while ago and got answers ranging from 6 to 8. My tank seems to be doing very well, knock on wood, with the 7. I change water 3x a week@50%. My decision to stay with 7 came down to the question of forgetting water changes. Hopefully I never forget WCs or get to busy, but if I do I'm a little more safe. If you do have a 56 with no decor 6 is perfect.

Well Bo, the amount of fish in you can put in a 65 really depends on what else is in the tank. For example, it would be easier to keep 6 in a 65g planted with a thick substrate. However, with proper water changes, a bare bottom tank of that size could hold twice as many. It just depends on what your goals are for your current fish and your current tank setup.

edit:
lol sorry to bump up such an old post. didnt look at the date. oops!