How many discus?

[CammieTime]

I have a 29G tank that I want to use for discus as a grow tank. How many should I have? Two or three?

[DiscusDreamer]

First off, I would not recommend using a 29 gallon tank as a grow out tank. This is from personal experience. I would recommend using at least a 55 gallon tank because they need a lot of room to swim and develop. I had 5 in a 29 gallon tank for ten weeks and was doing 80% water changes every day. They grew fine for a while but as time went on I could tell that 29 gallons was way too small for them and that the aggression was too much.

I also recommend getting at least a group of five discus, but six is a lot better. I personally would never keep less than five discus together unless they were a breeding pair (2).

If you do decide to use your 29 gallon as a grow out tank like I did, you will need to do A LOT of water changes and have another tank to put them in very soon. I don’t think I will ever attempt to grow out discus in a 29 ever again.

[Marfie]

I currently have 4 3.5 to 4 inch discus in a 29 gallon. Most people on this forum will suggest that discus be kept in groups of a minimum of 5 to 6 in at least a 55 gallon aquarium. The general rule of thumb is to have at least 10 gallons for each discus. I currently have had no problems but I have only had the fish for 3 months. I guess common sense would suggest that if your tank is a bit over crowed, the more you should keep attention to your water changes. I currently do a 100% WC every week and wipe the walls as I am too busy to do any more especially since I am in medical school.