ready to start converting existing tank into a discus tank

[Dave-H]

Hi all -

I've had a very successful planted 54 gallon corner tank going in my living room for about 5 years now, but lately I've wanted to do something new with it and I'm 99% sure I'll turn it into a discus tank. I've kept discus before, but it was many years ago (i.e. 15+) and there was a lot less information back then, so I'm doing a bit of research about how to best make the transition. I wonder if I might get a few opinions on the following:

Tank Size: the 54 gallon corner tank is very deep and roomy for the fish, but I worry that it's a hair small for a discus tank. I know that discus do well in small groups, but then as the gain size the 54 gallon might not be big enough. In the past, I had a very happy group of 4 discus living together but that was in a 110 gallon tank. Would it be a reasonable plan to start with, say, 5 discus in a 54 gallon tank and expect a good outcome?

Water: my water ph is around 7 and a wide variety of fish have been happy in it without any treatment at all, except prime to remove cloramine/chlorine. So, I'm optimistic that the discus will be happy in tap water.

Tankmates: Right now there are a bunch of cardinal tetras, some oto's, a couple of cory cats, and a siamese algae eater. I am pretty sure the algae eater will have to go, but I'm not too sure about the others. There are also a few neocardina shrimp, but they are limited in population because the tank is too hot for them. Also misc snails.

Substrate/Flora: Right now the tank is planted, but it's fairly low light and low-tech. The substrate is safe-t-sorb, and there are a bunch of anubias and vals living in the substrate and on the driftwod. The plant life in the tank has been incredibly successful for years, and I have been selling off stems on other forums for a long time without having to add any fertilizers or anything. Whether to keep the tank 'as is' in regard to the substrate/plants or to convert it into something more discus friendly is probably the biggest decision here. I have manage to find plants that grow nicely under low light, and are happy with our water conditions and temperatures in the low 80's so it would be easy enough to just introduce the discus to this environment and try to keep it very stable. It certainly looks nice, but I'm open to the idea of changing it.

I am also trying to figure out the best source for a group of discus to put in the tank, once I have gotten everything ready. I remember hearing about a Denver-based breeder a while back. Does anyone happen to know of one? It would be nice to go and pick them up instead of having to subject them to the mail!

thank you all in advance for any input. - Dave

[kris2341]

I'm no real expert but depending on how you wanna go about it, and how good you are on maintenance, you can get away with an optimal group of 5, MAYBE 6 discus as adults.

a Ph of 7, assuming that you do not use CO2 injection seems optimal for the tank bred discus of today, as everyone tells me that using tap water that is slightly alkaline in fine and discus can live fine (but not breed) in hard water with Ph up to 8.

the tankmates seem good except the otos. but they may also work if they dont take a liking to discus slime coat. I hear different stories, otos stressing out the discus by sucking on them until they die, and some ignoring the discus. What you can probably do is just feed them heavily and hope for the best.


to me, the tank sounds good to go, BUT you need to really be on top of the water changes if you go with juvenile discus. Daily or every other day at minimum for them to really grow well, otherwise they may grow to be stunted.


Im sure some more experienced guys will come along soon but gl!

Oh and finally, make sure to buy QUALITY discus from a good seller, the forum sponsors are solid discus providers from what I hear from the hype. I didn't and I now regret it with about $200 wasted on weak discus.

[OC Discus]

Kris,

Looks like you've been around for 3 years, but only posted 3 times. Keeping your head down can be a good thing. Welcome to the discussion.

I'm not going to comment on every aspect of discus keeping, but will share a few personal observations and preferences.

1) It is vary possible/likely your established tank will harbor some parasites/diseases that the existing fish are immune to, but will cause an outbreak in newly introduced discus. The disease section on sd is full of sad stories of people losing their valuable fish. So, for health purposes, I would recommend researching the quarantine process recommended by sd sponsors and following it extensively (8 weeks or more). Another alternative, and maybe safer, is to rehome the existing fish and plants, sterilize the tank and filters, and begin a discus only tank. Your 54g should house 5-6 adults.

2) Ph is no longer considered an issue unless it changes significantly after it leaves the tap. You can test it by measuring ph right out of the tap then measure ph after 24 hours in the tank. A big swing requires aging water. Someone here can help you with that if needed.

3) Getting the 5-6 discus from the same source at the same time is also recommended to avoid cross contamination by disease from different sources (1 strain immune the other not). Extensive quarantine again is the exception to this rule. You couldn't go wrong by ordering from Kenny's Discus in the market place section. He gets a huge order each month and sells out each month. Go to his section and look at the last 3-4 months shipments. You can call him and tell him what you are looking for. He probably has a larger selection than anyone else. You might find cheaper fish somewhere else, but you probably wont find better quality. He ships overnight with the fish leaving his facility at the end of one day and arriving at your house by 10 am the next day. Even fish stores often ship their fish by air. Unless there is a problem with the shipper, they will arrive in good shape.

Keep us posted on how things go.

[tonytheboss1]

:bandana: Gonna go out on a limb here & say some things might need to change depending on your selection. (1) Adults would be your best bet. Yes they are more expensive but less labor intensive. Assuming you want to keep the planted theme. Now, the tricky part, the OTHER inhabitants could pose a problem because of tank dimension & volume. 5/6 adults & a few tetras will pretty much max that corner tank. I would rehome the rest.
(2) If you are thinking grow out, planted probably is not best. BB is much easier to maintain. Again, you might wanna choose rehoming the others. "T"

[Dave-H]

Thanks for this input.

I have started to slowly sell off some of the plants, take out driftwood, etc. in just to get the tank generally cleaner. After 5 years, I forgot how many species are living in this tank! There are about 6 kuhli loaches that I haven't seen in a while (but wow do they look healthy) and an albino bushynose pleco in there, too. Getting the tank ready will take a while, so now I'm starting to look at what species of discus I might go for and where to get them.

Anyone know of any sources here in Colorado? If not I can go the mail order route. I'll probably avoid the fish stores unless I can find one that really specializes in discus.

thanks!

[discuspaul]

Based on everything you've said, how long the tank has been set up, and how many different types of fish you now have in there, it seems to me that the safest, most conducive approach for you is to continue with what you've started - i.e re-homing fish, selling plants etc., with the end result being, as OC Discus suggested, to completely clean the tank out & get a fresh new start with some good quality discus, preferably adult, or near adult, from a source such as Kenny's Discus, in Daly City, Ca.
Off the top of my head, I'm not aware of any good quality source either in Colorado, or anywhere closer by than Kenny is.
So he's your best bet to ensure you're getting healthy, top quality fish.

If you opt for near adult or adult fish, you could for example, use a light layer of PFS and plant the tank lightly (if you want a planted, display set-up), and preferably go with just 5 or 6 discus as a discus only tank, or if you wish some tank-mates, you should be able to get buy with adding to that group just a few Cories, say, or a modest group of Cardinal or Rummy-Nose Tetras - keeping in mind you want to avoid 'pushing the envelope' with respect to the overall bio-load.
Best of luck to you.