Stocking question

[M0oN]

I was just curious how many discus people on here have successfully kept at loads higher then 1 discus per 10 gallons.

I'm considering keeping my 100 gallon bare bottom and adding about 15-20 discus in total with daily 60 gallon water changes and I'd like to get a good idea on what other people are doing in these situations.

Thanks in advance :)

[CARY_GLdiscus]

8 MRs in a 55gal tank.
W/Cs every day at 50%
filters cleaned every other day with each one takeing turns daily.

hth
Cary Gld!

[SLY]

Ya it shouldn't be a problem if u don't follow the 1 discus per 10 gallon rules..the most important factor is w/c everyday. :)

[Carol_Roberts]

As Cary said . . . . it's not just water changes . . . you have to keep the filter's clean too. It doesn't matter how much clean water you pour in a tank if the filter is a stinking cesspool of rotting food and feces. ;D

[Rod]

1 per 10 gals is a good general guideline to follow, but as the others have said more can be kept if the tank is well kept. I keep about 15 adults per 100gallons.

Nice graphic description re the filter Carol :o ;D

Rod

[henryD]

I have 25 adults in a 100 gallon. They get a w/c daily and filter rinse daily.

Henry

[Not2Day]

I think that the number of fish per gallon is why this question keeps poping up. One way to settle this is the Number Of Inches Of Fish Per Gallon.
Let's say an adult is 7" and we all agree on 10 gallons per adult if the water is not fully replaced daily. If you are an anal, long time keeper you obviously can keep more.But we are not the ones that keep asking this question. Using this method you can easily figure out how many fish to keep simply by measuring them and aloting 7" per gallon. Watcha Think?
Dave

[Carol_Roberts]

Fish keepers are notoriously bad at measuring their fish. Is that 7 inches with tails or without tails ;).

Better to tell the new folks 10 gallons per discus. There is more room for mistakes if you have too much space and too much water rather than not enough.

Those that have been around a while figure out the stocking ratio that works for them. You have to be on top of things to over stock. If you have a busy work schedule or frequent power failures it's safer to stock lilghtly.

[M0oN]

I've decided I'll stick with 10 in a 100 gallon until I can successfully breed, then I'll move the pairs into their own personal tanks and work on a new batch of juvie's with overstocking in mind. Seems to be cheaper that way, at least in terms of the learning process, since I'll have my own stock of discus to raise...

[Shari]

I have 12 in a 120 gal., and another 9 in a 55 gal.
Some are full grown, the rest soon to follow in size.

I go back and forth with this issue. When I spend alot of time just watching them, some days I feel I have overcrowded them - or will be when they are all full sized. I know they are shoaling fish, but at times I think understocking is much healthier for their life in our tanks.
I need space - they need space! Know what I mean??