Hi Everyone - new member needing advice.

[Sedge]

Hi everyone, i'm new to the forum.

Always kept fish (Tropical and marine) and now fallen in love with the Discus.

I always like to research as much as possible before starting so bought several books and signed up to this great looking forum!

Please feel free to give me pointers here.

I'm limited for space and so my tank of choice is a Juwel Lido 120.

I have ripped out the internal filter to maximise space and have also opted for an external filter (Aqua 550)

I have attached a dark 3d background to hopefully create a darker calming environment and hopefully show of the brilliant colours to their max.

The substrate is a mixture of Fluval Stratum and black gravel - I'm opting for a heavily planted tank.

Next step is to place a nice piece of bog wood and plants and begin the cycling.

How long should I cycle the tank for?

I'm going to put in a couple of Corydoras to aid cycling and this is my planned finish tank stock - comments please!

2 x juvenile discus (blue diamond)
1 x Adolfi Cory
1 x Albino Cory
10 x Cardinal or Rummy Nosed Tetras
1 x Betta Splenden or Ram
1 x Plec

Advice on these please..... Thanks in advance!

[Dogvet06]

Welcome to SD!
is that a 120 liter tank? its a little small for discus and only having 2 discus will cause problems b/c they are schooling fish. There are lots of stickies in the beginner section that will be helpful for you. Starting off with plants and young discus can be a challenge too but not impossible. would be easier to grow them up to adults first then add plants and substrate. and length of cycle is as long as it takes to complete its cycle. there are things available that can help speed the process. doing a fishless cycle is faster than with fish and no chance of a loss. there is also a product called pure aquarium that can cut the cycle time in half. good luck!

[Sedge]

Thanks! yes it's a 120 litres

[Eddie]

I definitely recommend a fishless cycle as any fish can be a disease carrier and introducing new discus to a tank that housed/has other fish can be risky. Also agree on the amount of discus and the tank size. 6 discus is generally a minimum in my opinion and a 55 gallon tank or more is a better option.

[DiscusBR]

If you read this forum extensively (as I did before starting my tank), you will realize:

- A 120 liters (32 gallons) is not sufficiente for a discus tank. Discus are a schooling fish that have to be kept in groups of at least 5, better 6 or 7. Since the rule of thumb is 10 gallons per discus, a 55 gallon (208 liters) is often considered the minimum size for a discus tank.

- It is not recommended to start discus-keeping in a heavily planted tank. It is not impossible, but it is a recipie for problems.

- As Eddie said, it is always better to do a fishless cycle. Difficult to know how long it will last. Mine lasted 6 weeks.

[Sedge]

Thanks fellas - may have to consider changing my 120G Percula tank over to freshwater?????

Failing that may just go for angels instead?

[Poco]

Welcome to SD!

+1 to everyone above. 120g will be a great size for discus. You just need to make sure you add good healthy stock, check out the sponsor section.

Good luck.

[Poco]

Didn't realise you were in the UK. You can also check BIDKA. It is your local discus keepers association.