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... I won't be adding discus for quite some time but will be setting the tank up, lightly planted with a sand substrate. I am wondering, once it is cycled and my discus tank mates are done with quarantine, would there be any disadvantage to putting tank mates in a few months before the kings of the tank are grown out and ready to join them? I want to get the bio load up so the K1 in my sump loads up with BB before the discus go in.
Thoughts and suggestions?
It should be fine, as long as you aren't adding aggressive tankmates that will act territorial with the discus later.
Thanks Ryan, nothing aggressive. Corydoras, Rummy Nose, German Blue Ram, and maybe a large 50+ school of Cardinal Tetras. (still TBD on tank mates but this is what I am thinking)
Keep in mind that your bio load will only build up enough bacteria to support what you have in the tank at the time. It really won't create much excess bacteria so unless you are pulling some of them out when you add the discus you will need to keep this in mind. You can either add the discus a few at a time, add some media from the existing discus tank to the new tank, do heavy water changes or all the above.
I'd just move the sponges over with the discus when the time comes. Put them in a HOB filter or stick them in the sump of the new tank if you have one.