Opinions on GBR with discus?

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

In a 55 and/or a 125?

[jmf3460]

do it, they are a great companion for discus IMO...so are bolivians and they are a bit larger...

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

What ratio would you say for both tank sizes? Lfs got in gbr finally. http://i58.tinypic.com/1zp5fnr.jpg

[discuspaul]

In a 55 and/or a 125?

Welcome to the forum, Jessica.
5 discus and a pair of GBR's is near the limit for stocking a 55 gal tank. Better to go with a larger tank.
What are your overall plans and details for keeping a discus tank ?

[jmf3460]

those GBR/EBR cross looking fish that your LFS has look great! I would scoop every single one up and put them in a 125, just make sure more girls than guys, they are easy to sex, just google it...the 55 is too small for 5 discus but the rams in a 55 would be fine its the discus that you don't want to put in a small 55. the more divisional pieces (wood, rocks, hardscape of any type, plants etc) you have on the bottom of your tank the more rams you can accommodate. I have a pair of GBR in a 46 gallon tank and they rule the bottom third of the tank with the corydoras but ive housed three ram couples in that same tank with no problem..

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

Thank you! Ive had a discus tank running for around 6 months now. Me and my SO have designated tanks. I have the 55 he has a 125g. The 55 are juveniles, under 4 inches. Growing out 7 right now, rehoming at least 2 or 3 to the 125 and then wanted to look into the gbr as a tank mate. I dont want a schooling fish, the 125 has a school of cardinals so i wanted something different. This is my tank right now http://i59.tinypic.com/2ry24gj.jpg

[rickztahone]

the 125 would be a great place for a few GBR's and discus as advised.

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

So it is not a possibility for a 55 g with lots of driftwood? He doesn't want them in the 125 which breaks my heart lol! But i dont want to mistreat my fish. I do 50-75% wc every other day. Or is it more so a space issue.

[rickztahone]

You can keep the GBR's in the 55g, no problem, but the discus would have to elsewhere and the GBR's on their own in the 55. 5 discus +2 rams as previously mentioned would be pushing it, and that is without driftwood.

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

Okay ty!

[Kev29]

Whats this i hear about rams only have a lifespan of about a year to year and a half? I heard they just end up slowly dying at bottom of tank after a while no matter what because of breeding in captivity.

[jmf3460]

Whats this i hear about rams only have a lifespan of about a year to year and a half? I heard they just end up slowly dying at bottom of tank after a while no matter what because of breeding in captivity.

no truth here based on my experience, I currently have a female that is 3 years old and still spawning. while they do not live as long as some tetras and plecos I would say more than 1.5 years is standard.

[Larry Bugg]

3 years is above average and still breeding at that age is very unusual. 2 years is probably closer to average.

[Ryan]

Usually when you get adult rams from the LFS they are already 4+ months old. Their average life span is 2 - 3 years, so 1.5 - 2 years in a hobbyist tank is not uncommon.

Just remember to quarantine all new fish well! I see a lot of rams this time of year with ich because of the cold weather and the stress of being moved from farm to LFS, then from LFS to your tank.

[rjs2115]

I have a 90 gallon with 7 discus, ranging from 4.5"- 6.5." I recently added 4 GBR to the tank (after quarantine.)Everyone got a long a great, but 2 of the rams died out of no where, within the first 2 weeks. The other 2 are still going strong, going on 2 months now. They get right in there with the discus and fight for food. I have never seen any problems between the two species.
I think I lot of people fine GBR can be harder to keep than even discus.
I have Bolivians in my 29 gallon. They are very easy to care for...but not nearly as attractive.

[monilovesdiscus]

You could look into a tank that takes up less space. That's what I did. I bought one that's 120 gallons but instead of being super long it's actually 48" length and about 6 inches wider. I found I love the size and the Discus enjoy it. I put plants down the center of the tank so the gravel is on both sides and I set it up so the short end is against the wall. That makes it easier to pull off pipes and my canisters. Also, my guests can look at the tank from all directions. It's pretty funny actually. When my Discus are hungry, they follow me to all four corners when I'm working. :D You may have to look around and special order it at a quality store. I saved up my money for a year to buy the tank and now I'm super happy with it.