"Standard" or "cube" tank

[BrandPGH]

Hello everyone,
My name is Brandon and I'm from Pittsburgh, PA. I've been lurking around and reading the forum as much as I can. I've had fish since I can remember and I've decided to take the leap and raise up some discus. I bought some very young fish that were just taken from their parents 2 weeks ago. A LFS breeds discus and I loved the parents.
I'm have them in a smaller tank for now, but I'm trying to decide on what tank I should buy for their final show tank. I've read that discus like to swim up and down, rather than side to side. I asked a guy at the LFS about cubes, since they tend to be higher, but he told me I couldnt/shouldn't have as many fish in a cube as "standard" tank because of the surface area of the tank.
Anyone out there have thoughts on this? Thanks in advance for the help and opinions.

Attached is a pic of the parents of my fish, which are unrelated to eachother... Hopefully making for more vigorous offspring :-)

[jmf3460]

its weird that you were told that discus prefer to swim vertically rather than horizontally. I would argue the exact opposite. I think the majority of the members here use standard tanks as show tanks. There are many people who use standard 125's I myself prefer standard 75s. Most people choose standard 40 breeders as grow outs when they are young then up to 75s when they are bigger. I guess its ultimately up to you but I strongly suggest you do more research. I do not think that vertical swimming is a discus preference. In the wild they roam in shallow rivers that have a lot more horizontal space than vertical.

[tonytheboss1]

55g standard would be a good start. 75 / 90g even better. Larger surface area is best. "T"

[Ardan]

I have a couple of cube tanks, but I don't use them much, only as overflow.
I like more surface area and length for the discus to swim.

hth
Ardan

[BrandPGH]

Thank you for the feedback.... 75g is definitely in my price range, maybe a 90 if overtime is available in the next few months

[jmf3460]

one thing to think about with the 90 as oppose to the 75 is height. A standard 75 and 90 have the same dimensions except the height. For most of us, reaching the bottom to vacuum up poo and uneaten food is impossible without a stool with a 90 tank. For 15 more gallons, I don't think the 90 is worth it. I am 5'8" and I can reach the substrate of my 75gal without a stool or tiptoes. Just offering you some things to consider. What filtration are you planning to use?

[BrandPGH]

Probably an eheim canister filter... I belong to a reef forum as well and folks always have something for sale on there. So I guess it all depends on if the tank is drilled or not

[ericNH]

If I had to guess, I'd say cube or standard, neither is better is than the other. I'm sure it's mostly about cleanliness and fresh water. If you want a cube, get a cube. Just my two cents.