Picking right tank mates......

[jbop65]

Hi everyone just wanted some input as to the selection of tank mates I choose for my discus.

let me start by saying I have a 150 gallon lightly planted tank with only 5 discus in there right now. I will be adding 5 more discus for a total of 10
the 55 gallon tank the discus had been living in is now the QT Tank for the tank mates for the next 4-6 weeks.

here is my tank selection of what I ordered and please feel free to make suggestions

Cardinal tetras- 10 of them
german blue ram 3-5
Corydoras catfish 3
Rummy Nose Tetras 10
powder blue Gourami 5- 3 made it so far 2 died in first week got stuck to intake pipe.
Bosemani Rainbow 5
Clown Loach 3

So here is where I'm at a lose these fish will be put in the 55 gal from which the water is set for the discus, everyone said they need to get used to the 84 water temp, and as far as acclimating them to the tank I am doing the drip method

I need to know one is the selection of tank mates good with the 10 discus or would you suggest something else.
is 4-6 weeks a good period to QT them
I didnt get bristlenose someone on this board said they poop alot and dont do anything to help the tank.
what does everyone do to insure the tank mates last for 4-6 weeks since they have to get use to a higher temp ie 84 and a PH of 7.6

now also concerned is we will be going away for a week in Aug last time I took a week vacation I was a nervous wreck, I stopped feeding them 2 days before then did a huge water change, then I hooked up my cam to the lap top and literally watched my discus while 800 miles away lol

but when you have tank mates you cant stop feeding so what does everyone do? hire a tank babysitter? lol

thanks for all the help and suggestions

John

[Solid]

All these fish might work, but a couple of my opinions.
Cardinal and rummynose Tetras - In a big tank like that I would get a lot more like 30+ at least. 10 will get lost in there.
Cory cats - these are shoaling fish and would be happier with more. I would get at least 5, and in a 150, I would get 8-10
Rainbow fish - I wouldn't put them with discus, they are super active swimmers so they may stress the discus. Also they prefer temps in the mid 70s.
Clown loach - I don't really like loaches for some reason, but clowns might work when they smaller. The problems are they get BIG, over 12". You probably won't want any fish over 4-5". Also they can be pretty active and agressive feeders so this may also stress your discus.

Also you will want to take pictures of your fish and tank because everyone here likes discus pictures!

[jbop65]

Thank you for your advise as far as what fish and how much, I will defineitly get more Cardinals, getting them to all get along and live in the QT tank is a job in itself lol.

As for pictures I will as soon as I can get my discus to come out and play, they been in new tank for under a week now, they were used to a BB tank for 6 months now I give them a huge tank to play and everyone is hiding behind my huge centerpiece driftwood, I'm hoping they get used to the tank soon and come out and swim around, most people said give it a little and they will come out.

Thanks Again.

[bluelagoon]

Silver or spotted hatchet fish make decent tank mates.I have a dozen or so in my 6 footer and they give the tank a little surface action.

[Jnotjane]

I agree with Matt, more tetras. To me, nothing is prettier than a nice sized school of tetras navigating around plants in a large tank. And a larger school tends to stay together, in my experience.

[jbop65]

Thanks for all the help. Any suggestions as to when we go away since we will have discus and other tank mates

[Jnotjane]

You can invest in an auto-feeder (not really expensive when compared to everything else that goes into a large discus tank). But I used to leave my 90 gallon community angelfish tank, with a similar stock list as yours, for a week and it was just fine.