Thoughts on adding rams and cardinals before my 14 2.5 in stendker discus

My tank is cycled and ready to go and am thinking about adding Cardinals and a few GB Rams before I get my Discus in about 6 weeks time.

What are the potential problems with this ?? is it a bad idea and if so i'd love to hear why

Mick

It's generally considered best to introduce discus to a new tank first, before any tank-mates, to allow them to acclimate and become fully comfortable in their new surroundings for the first few weeks without having to be exposed to other fish during this period.

It's also better to undertake a proper quarantine with the tank-mates being placed in a QT tank (rather than the discus), to be later introduced to the main discus tank, as this creates far less stress on the discus.

Hi, I‘m new to all this, never kept discus before, first ever post... may i ask you would I be risking the health of my new discus if adding tank mates (rummy nose tetras) from an older established community aquarium in to a newly cycled tank before adding discus? The idea being that I could introduce a natural bioload in the form of rummy noses and maintain the cycle before adding a group of discus. My concern is that I live in Uk and want to get German Stendker‘s. My rummy noses are likely from an Asian source and I’m am unsure if there is a chance of cross contamination from other fish knowing the risk of keeping discus from different sources together? All hypothetical, just doing ongoing research in preparation, and haven’t come across an answer to the this type of question so far online. hope this makes sense. Thanks.

I quarantine discus, but I don't quarantine tetras, corydoras, etc. with certain exceptions. Sometimes the tetras go into another tank so I can fatten them up with bbs before they get added to the big tank. Wild corydoras will sometimes have parasites that need treatment, but tank raised ones go right in. Ditto with plecos.

I don't believe distantly related species require quarantine. (I'm not concerned if my dog gets a cold. :o)

Willie

I added my rams after the discus but they greatly improved the discus social skills and behavior..
Funny to watch the two together …
They are meant to be together ...

Actually your dog should be concerned if you have the flu, otherwise minimal risk of cross species upper respiratory illness transmission between canines and humans.:) I am curious, do most folks feel the same way about quarantine with distantly related species? Would be nice if that is indeed a safe rule to follow. I am guessing that you would have quarantined the rams. Would you use the same family of fish as the cut line on who to quarantine? Tom, I am just curious, did you quarantine the rams? Am asking as I am in the process of starting up a 175 gal tank.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dspeers

Tom, I am just curious, did you quarantine the rams? Am asking as I am in the process of starting up a 175 gal tank.

---

I guess you could yes I QT them ?
I bred them and they have never shared a tank with any other fish [like all my rams ].
I actually added some of my best breeding pairs to the discus tank and thought the round fish to be my greatest risk ..

That's great, good to know that they compliment each other so well, two of my favorite fish. Post videos.