What to do with a 45g

[Mueller777]

If you were going to keep Discus in a pretty small tank (45g) what would you do to set it up? i.e. substraite, filitration, tank mates ect.

Thanks guys

[korbi_doc]

A very small tank will be more difficult to balance...that being said, if you are committed to this, doing lots of W/Cs will help stability if the water is heated, aerated with same ph & other parameters.....
Bare bottom would be best for cleanliness...add some interesting pcs of driftwood, perhaps with some plants attached for looks (for ppl, not fish). For myself, I like the Aquaclear filters, easy to use & easy to clean....then I add sponge filter(s) & airstone(s)...add heater & lights....there's lotsa ideas for the back of the tank, paint, foil, plastic, homemade nature scenes....do a forum search... tankmates will be limited, but corys or plecos may help with cleaning....
Major limitation will be the # of discus....4 to 5 at the most & with lotsa W/Cs (usual # considered to be 1 discus to 10g water)..........remember W/Cs..W/Cs....W/Cs....HTH, JMO,

Dottie

[korbi_doc]

Oh, almost forgot, welcome to Simply...& have fun!!

[Mueller777]

Cool, thanks for the info. I think I'll wait to get Discus when I have a bigger tank like a 90g.

Why are all of these PWCs needed?

[hboute]

I kept 5 discus in my 46 gallon bowfront until I moved them last year in a 75 gallon tank. I had a few swordplants, driftwood and substrate in there and never had any problem. The discus grew quickly, I did 30% water changes every other day and had other fish in there. As long as you keep up the water changes, you won't have any problems. I currently have 8 discus in my 75 gallon and keep up the same routine, without any problems. I feed them three times a day (FBW, tetra colorbits, fresh brine shrimp, frozen beefheart, etc...)

[DiscusOnly]

Do you currently have a 45gal? If you plan to get a 90 gal later, this is what I would do.

Get 6-8 2-3" juvies and and grow them out on a BB 45gal for the next 3-4 months. Feed them a lot and do daily WC. During the 3 months, work on getting a 90gal set up. Move all the Discus over after when you want them on your "show tank"

[Mueller777]

cool, thanks for the info. I do have the 45g now but I probably won't have a 90g untill I move

[Mueller777]

another question. can you compermise daily PWCs with a kick *** filitration system so that you maybe only have to do one a week?

[korbi_doc]

A good filtration system is necessary in most tanks, tho some lucky ppl have great water & do 100% daily W/Cs & don't have filtration....for those of us that are not that lucky, a good system will be advisable, but does not take out some of the dissolved organics (docs) that will be present, only W/Cs will help that & again....the smaller the tank, the more difficult to keep the balance & the more important are those frequent W/Cs....with adult discus, you may not need so much water change, but with young fish it's more necessary to do more frequent changes for good growth....you've had good advice from those above who have done this, so go for it & get your fish ready for the bigger tank, lol.....JMO, good luck....

Dottie

[Elite Aquaria]

another question. can you compermise daily PWCs with a kick *** filitration system so that you maybe only have to do one a week?

Like all tropical fish the key is water quality...

If you keep up with water changes and have a top notch biological filtration then YES this will reduce the amount of water changes needed. But it will not eliminate the need for a regular schedule....