220 gallon w/ 75 gallon sump salt water setup conversion to Discus tank?

[TickTock39]

I have an 220 gallon salt water setup i'm considering converting over to a Discus tank. I also have a 75 gallon tank available for use. Need advice on if the 220 is too large. I've done discus in the past in smaller tank. What are some options for the 220 as far as fish occupants? How many discus would you start off with if I decided to go straight to the 220?

[RogueDiscus]

I think one of the main factors will be water quality. I'm guessing with a tank that large you may have a sump system. If that's the case, I would encourage you to search the forum for other sump threads to get an idea of how long folks go between water changes and how much they change. Without a sump, using other filtration, I think with adult discus you might get by with 1 or 2 50% per week water changes. That's a lot of water in a 220, so that's the point. As far as numbers of fish, again, just discus, the recommendation is 10 gallons per adult fish, so that cold be a lot of fish. But if it's planted, has other fish, etc, your bioload will be much higher and reduce the number you can keep. If you give a better idea of what you have in mind you'll get more feedback. I encourage you browse the forum and get ideas and info.

[rickztahone]

I would use the 75g to raise the discus first and then transfer to the 220g when they are larger

[TickTock39]

Yes...I have a sump on the 220. I have been bouncing around the idea of having a large discus tank, and was looking at the pros and cons. The tank is a room divider and is set as a showpiece. Our saltwater days ended with a power outage and now trying to decide which way to ramp back up tank...discus or salt.

[Ryan925]

Yes...I have a sump on the 220. I have been bouncing around the idea of having a large discus tank, and was looking at the pros and cons. The tank is a room divider and is set as a showpiece. Our saltwater days ended with a power outage and now trying to decide which way to ramp back up tank...discus or salt.

A 220 discus tank would look amazing. I was just recently drooling over one at my local reef shop. The Lil lady says not until the next house lol.

I agree that you should grow them out in a smaller tank then transfer to the large one. A small group of small fish may feel sketchy in a tank that size but when they are grown they will appreciate the room

[Filip]

10 gallons per discus is a good rule of a thumb for adult discus in a BB tank .For a planted community you need to lower the bioload down , to keep your system in the safe zone .
Growing discus with daily changes in smaller tank has proven as more efficient over growing them in large water volume with less water changes, So I would too vote for raising them first in your 75 g . until 4.5-5 inch mark before you transfer them in your 220 G monster tank.