10 discus - 55 gallon tank

[Cleto253]

Is 10 discus too much for a 55gal tank? Some of my discus are 3"and some are 4" . I do 50% water changes every day. I have a hang on back filter and 2 cone filters as well. I feed them 3-4 small meals a day. I've had them for almost a month and they're about 7 months old. So the only thing I want to know is if I should get a bigger tank. I want to keep them together to get a mating pair. Yes I'm new to the hobby. Btw

[Leland F.]

As they get larger, you'll only be able to keep 4-5 fish maximum in that tank. You need to do 80-90% water changes daily with that many fish in the tank now. If your fish are truly 7 months old, they're a bit small, but certainly don't look bad from the picture.

-Leland

[Cleto253]

Thanks Leland. They might be bigger I'm not sure how the discus world measures them lol I just know that some are bigger than the others. Do you think it is too crowded for them to find partners? Should I split them up 5/5 and get another 55gal tank? Or should I just go with 100gal tank and throw them all in there together? I want the best odds for them to pair up that's why I bought 10

[CrazyAngels]

mother nature will take it's course whether you want to or not, crowded or not. The issue is if you want optimum growth out of them you will need more room overtime for them to comfortably fit and get along as WWIII will set off once the pairs begin to form. BTW though pairs may form in a few months they are too young for you to hope anything yet..

[jmf3460]

ive merged your two threads OP since the second was a partial duplicate.

[Cleto253]

Thanks Jacklyn
Also just an update I just bought a 75gal tank and I'm going to install a canister filter

[jmf3460]

your fish look great Alberto. Good job on the 75, but if space is an issue I think the 55gal will be fine for a couple more months.

[Cleto253]

Space is not an issue it's more about lack of knowledge lol I have a 55 gallon drum that I use to age water to do water changes

[John_Nicholson]

Your fine now. Just keep up your water changes. If you do a good job the tank will be crowded as they grow.

-john

[Cleto253]

Here's my most recent update now I just need to get a canister filter :D

[Leland F.]

Oh man, don't get a canister filter, they're bad news with discus tanks. They CAN work just fine, but need weekly breakdowns for cleaning thoroughly, which rarely happens on a regular basis. They trap detritus, and can cause big issues if the power is off for an extended amount of time. Stick with the sponge filters and daily water changes.

-Leland

[rickztahone]

Oh man, don't get a canister filter, they're bad news with discus tanks. They CAN work just fine, but need weekly breakdowns for cleaning thoroughly, which rarely happens on a regular basis. They trap detritus, and can cause big issues if the power is off for an extended amount of time. Stick with the sponge filters and daily water changes.

-Leland

I'll agree and disagree with you. Canister filters provide a huge convenience and it is a form of filtration I have used for years. I find sumps better now but it isn't because canisters werent good enough, the sump simply offered a better way to hide equipment.

With that said, I used to keep 2 canisters running all the time for redundancy. When I would do filter maintenance, I used to alternate the cleaning of each filter so they never get cleaned together.

I have also used sponge filters only for many years. Both work fine, it just depends what you want from your tank

[Leland F.]

As I said, they WILL work, but are potential problems for anyone who doesn't clean them regularly. With the proper media they provide great filtration when clean, you're obviously very experienced with discus, and know the dangers of poor maintenance. I also use wet/dry filters and sponge filters, which of course need their own maintenance, but imo are much easier to use and less likely to cause issues. Like most things, there are many opinions on what works.

-Leland