29 gallon

[discusdude970]

Hello, this is my first post on this site. I am looking into buying some discus for the first time and was just wondering if there is any hope of keeping a pair in a 29 gal. tank w/ undergravel, powerheads, penguin 170 bio-wheel, and whisper power filter w/ peat in the filter bag? I also plan to keep rummynose, cardinals, neons, blue rams, and exotic plecos.

[RyanH]

Welcome to Simply!

That sounds like an awful lot of fish for a 29. :undecided

In addition, Discus typically should be kept in groups of 6 or more to help alleviate fighting. If you have a mated pair you might be ok in a 29 but I think you've pretty maxed out the bio-mass capacity with 2 adults and adding much more may cause problems for you.

As far as your filtration goes, an undergravel filter is probably not a good idea to use with Discus. Waste and rotting food get trapped under it and will wreak havoc on your water quality. If you decide to use gravel, I would go with a VERY thin layer and leave out the UG filter so you can syphon out waste while doing your water changes.

I would also avoid the Whisper filter if you haven't yet bought it. If you have, then I would cut out some foam to fit it and stick with biological filtration only. Do not mess with those replaceable cartridges that they sell for the Whispers. They wear out quickly and by replacing them you have effectively removed all nitrifying bacteria from your filter... rendering it useless.

The Penguin is fine.

I want to reiterate, you are going to find that typically Discus do much better in groups of 6-8. Any fewer and nasty heirarchies can form and the odd ones out can be killed or simply starve to death. Clean water is absolutely crucial to success with these fish. People sometimes forget the needs of the fish while setting up their tanks... and Discus have very specific needs.

hth!
-Ryan

[Howie_W]

Hi discusdude,

Welcome to Simply! :)

I'm going to reiterate most of what Ryan has stated. If you are intersted in Discus, you need to think bigger size tank...a 29 gallon is too small. Discus are large size schooling fish, and are most comfortable in groups...put only two together and one will establish dominance over the other to the point where the one getting picked on will never grow properly, and in all likelihood get sick and die.

As far undergravel filters, they are the best way to foul the water in your tank...complete garbage. Nothing the matter with the Penguin especially once the wheels develop a healthy bacteria colony, combined with you keeping the insides of the filter cleaned regularly. In addition, it's always a good idea to invest in some Hydro sponges...easiest and least expensive way to filter your tank.

As for the your thoughts on a community, all your selections are fine with two exceptions; The neons are quite small, and as Discus grow, the slower ones often end-up as snacks for them. As for "exotic" plecos...I'm not sure which species you are considering. Some are fine to keep with Discus, while others are not, based up their temperament, growth, and overall requirements.

As Ryan mention, Discus have specific requirements that are not hard to meet, the most important of which is clean stable water, combined with a strong diet...all things that work well in a bigger tank with a larger group of fish.


Howie

[discusdude970]

Thanks guys! I guess i'll start donating plasma or something to fund a 75 gal. I guess my first order of business will be to spawn some blue rams. Oh well, discus another day.

[RyanH]

Some of my friends in college donated plasma once a week or something like that instead of getting part-time jobs. Their reasoning was that the money was actually pretty good and they usually got fed aftewards. They were getting pretty serious into it. At one point I heard them talking about selling one of their kidneys or pieces of their livers to pay off student loans. Sheesh... I just went out and got a job.... :p

:D