What's the best order?

[HeyitsSeanT]

I'm in the process of setting up a 180 gallon main display tank and a 75 gallon quarantine/grow out tank. Which would be better to get up and running first, and would having the community fish in the 180 gallon first be a good idea, or should I wait, grow out the discus, move them, then quarantine the rest of the fish in the 75 gallon?

[Akili]

A 75 gallon for quarantine tank is too big in my opinion.It takes a lot of medication in a 75 gal then in a 30 gal. All fish added to a community tank have to be quarantined.General rule is 10 gal per an adult Discus.Grow out tanks need large (50 to 100 %) water changes everyday. Do not know if you have read this thread Beginner's Guide to Getting Started with Discus http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?86009-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Getting-Started-with-Discus
You may have seen video this if not take some time and watch it

https://youtu.be/VXe3VKh7qF8

[warblad79]

Yes, you can use the 75 gallon as a quarantine tank because you don't have to fill up the whole 75 gallon of water anyway just fill up half of 75 gallon.

[warblad79]

Sometimes people don't realize that that you are medicating by volume of the water and not the whole 75 gallon of tank. You can put 30 gallon of water into 75 gallon of tank.

[HeyitsSeanT]

You guys missed the part about "grow out tank" as well.

[Ryan]

How many discus are you growing out? The 75 gallon would be ideal. You'd have to change larger percentages of water to maintain good growth and water quality, but a 100% change on a 75 gallon tank is still less water than a 50% change on a 180, so it's still a win-win IMO. Ideally you'd keep the 75 gallon bare bottom to make it easier for the growing out process. Once you have a decent adult size on your fish, then move them into a display tank (which I'm assuming will have some decoration/sand/etc.). There's so much less wiggle room with growing juvenile discus.

[HeyitsSeanT]

I plan on, when I'm ready, buying 12 from the same supplier, around 3". The 75 will be totally bare bottom and simple. I have no issue with that. When the 12 are a good size, they'll be moved over. I'm just wondering which system I should get up and running first, and if it's ok to stock the 180 partially before moving the discus in.

[briztoon]

I can't tell you which to set up first.

But one piece of advice I have read and heard many times goes something like this, "life some times gets in the way of even the best laid plans".

If you have the cash, (purely what I would do), I'd be setting up both simultaneously. Set up and cycle the display tank, and have the community inhabitants in quarantine in the 75 gallon while the display tank cycles. Once the display tank is cycled, add your dither fish, etc.

Then quarantine the juvenile discus in the half filled 75 gallon tank. Watch the video above, it has a good quarantine program in it.

Once the discus have gone through the quarantine period, fill the tank and grow out the discus. Again, watch/listen to the video for the best way to grow out discus.


I often put the video on and listen to it while cleaning and doing water changes on my discus tanks. But I have a few tanks, that take a while to clean and do water changes on.

[navarro1950]

It's not a bad idea to have 12 discus in a 180 but it is a bad idea to have 12 discus all together in a half full 75 gallon. Remember half of 75 is 37.5 so you will have too little water to safely grow out the 12 discus. In reality 37.5 gallons is safe for only 3 discus. Have you given any thought to having a 55 gallon grow out/quarantine tank instead. I use a 75 gallon quarantine tank and I've been blessed not to need any meds yet. Remember the rule of thumb. 10 gallons of water for 1 adult discus, you want to grow them out not stunt their growth,

[Keith Perkins]

How many discus are you growing out? The 75 gallon would be ideal. You'd have to change larger percentages of water to maintain good growth and water quality, but a 100% change on a 75 gallon tank is still less water than a 50% change on a 180, so it's still a win-win IMO. Ideally you'd keep the 75 gallon bare bottom to make it easier for the growing out process. Once you have a decent adult size on your fish, then move them into a display tank (which I'm assuming will have some decoration/sand/etc.). There's so much less wiggle room with growing juvenile discus.

I'm with Ryan, sounds like you have a wonderful situation. I would start with the discus first in the 75, when you start the 180 is quite variable. Since you'd want to quarantine your community fish, I'd set it up at least a couple months before you plan to move the discus into the tank. I'd probably set it up whenever you found some really nice community tank fish. If you start with a dozen discus in the 75 you'll likely end up with a couple that don't turn out the best. Those would be the first I'd move to the 180 as hero fish to make sure the community fish aren't carrying something the discus aren't use to. This will also help improve the water quality in your 75 as you'll reduce the total population in it as you're growing them out.

[HeyitsSeanT]

I never said the discus would be grown out in a half 75. I'll have that completely full with daily 90% water changes for the 12 discus. I'll be looking for 3" fish when I'm ready to buy. When I do the community fish they'll either be in 75 half full or a smaller quarantine tank. I'll have a couple 45 gallon drums sitting full of water for the big water changes. I was just wondering if I can add the community fish to the 180 first or if the discus need to go in first.

[Keith Perkins]

I never said the discus would be grown out in a half 75. I'll have that completely full with daily 90% water changes for the 12 discus. I'll be looking for 3" fish when I'm ready to buy. When I do the community fish they'll either be in 75 half full or a smaller quarantine tank. I'll have a couple 45 gallon drums sitting full of water for the big water changes. I was just wondering if I can add the community fish to the 180 first or if the discus need to go in first.

You can do it either way. Personally I'd put the community fish in the 180 first.

[discuspaul]

You can do it either way. Personally I'd put the community fish in the 180 first.

I'd like to hear why Keith would put the community fish in first. If it's a good reason, I'll buy it.

Matter of opinion though, I think - but for me, I'd start with the discus first. If only to get them well accustomed to their new surroundings, fully comfortable & eating well before adding the tank-mates.
In my view, the focus should be on the discus being 'comfy' and unstressed first, not the other way around.
Just my .02 cents.

[Keith Perkins]

My basic thinking Paul had to do with quarantine time. By starting the 180 with the community fish you can have the tank running for several months or more while the discus are being grown out in the 75, I'm always leery of the health of community fish and what they might pass on to discus so I'd prefer to watch their health as long as I can. Personally I don't think moving a group of discus from one tank to another twice the size of the original is all that stressful. The move is quick, the water's the same, the main tank mates are the same, the only real difference is the volume of water. If the discus were being purchased and added to the 180 rather than just being moved my opinion would be different.

[discuspaul]

OK, fair enough, and it does make some sense.

I still feel though, that whether discus are being purchased new from another entirely different venue, or just being moved from one tank to a much larger one not far removed from the other, they are still being exposed to a completely new environment, with all the required acclimation and stress that generally goes along with that, insofar as discus are concerned.
I'd be more concerned with the discus' good health being maintained for eventual resistance to anything that other tank-mate species may have exposed them to - and that would surely be mitigated by a single 'sacrificial lamb' discus being placed with the intended tank-mates in the 75 gal quarantine tank for the usual specified period.

Since there has been no mention of this to the contrary, I'm assuming all of the dither fish tank-mates would be located and acquired during or after the discus have been grown out & placed in the cycled 180 gal tank, at which time the dithers are placed in the 75 for suitable QT for checking out their health.

Can we call this a draw & simply agree to lightly disagree. ?

[Keith Perkins]

Can we call this a draw & simply agree to lightly disagree. ?

Sure, as long as we agree at the current exchange rate your 2 cents isn't worth as much as mine. :D

[Akili]

Sure, as long as we agree at the current exchange rate your 2 cents isn't worth as much as mine. :D:laugh:ROTFLMAO:laugh:

[discuspaul]

Sure, as long as we agree at the current exchange rate your 2 cents isn't worth as much as mine. :D

OK, but keep in mind - within a year, or even sooner, it could very easily be the other way around. :)

[HeyitsSeanT]

Leave a thread alone for a day and see what happens. :grin: Thank you for your input, gentlemen. Definitely something to consider on both ends of the spectrum. And Paul, I didn't realize you were so close to me. I'm just a few hours north in Prince George.