More noob discus questions

[Skabooya]

I know i posted before and got the big N-O for my question of 2 4" discus in a 32gal.
Ive been reading more and more since that day and Im getting more and more confused. Having 2 discus in a 32 is possible but not recomended because having 2 discus only is a bad idea, okay.
Now Im reading lots and lots of min 4 discus in a tank. I have read at least 20 posts maybe more about people growing out 4 discus in a 33 gal and a few of them have been planted. Some of these posts are on this forum.
Of course with this set up I dont plan on having full grown dinner plate 8" discus. 5-6" discus would be awsome for me.

Anyway my question is can I keep 4 discus (bought at 3 or 4") in my 32gal tank? 32"l x 14"w x 17.5" h
If I get them at 3" they will be bb until I can get them to about 5 or 6" then they will go planted with fluorite substrate and a heavy planted tank. No other fish at all.
I have time to do WC once a week 50-70% or 20% daily. Some weeks I can do more, some less.

Thanks in advance for looking at my post and giving your opinion.
Vanessa

[Skabooya]

no one has anything to say? :(

[alxjss]

I would love to answer ur ? Vanessa, but i am still learning myself. From what i no its 10gal per fish. I think it would be okay if u did daily w/c's at least 33%. But, i am not sure.
There is alot going on here @ simply. The loss of a good friend and sponsor+administrator. Simply is in mourning right now. Please don't get discouraged, someone will be here to answer ur ?'s.
hth

[mikel]

I dont know about your situation, but I do have 7 juves in a 40 breeder. So I am severely crowding them. But they are being grown out at this point, and I do about 70% water change a day. I think the only way you can get away with crowding them is if you are willing to do substantial daily water changes, and keeping a close eye on their condition. If your tank is only 35 gallon, why only 20% a day? You should be able to do at least 50 % a day...that's only 17gallons a day? mike

[rick.c]

i would say it would be posible only if you were to do 50% or more a day . i grow 6 discus in a 29 gal tank with 50to75% water changes every day, i tryed an experiment and had 6 in a 29 and only did 50%wc 2 times a week with that tank in about 6 months i had small fish and problems with health of the fish . when pepole tell you or me that you have to do alot of water changes and cleaning they are not kidding if you dont you will have problems i did not listen and i found out the hard way beleve it or not your chose find out for your self


rick

[tonymaccs]

Hi Vanessa,
In my experience with the above scenario and weekly water changes you might have disappointing growth rates at best, and long term might be plagued by health issues. Daily cleaning and water change would give a better outcome but as you have acknowledged, dont expect supersize discus.
HTH
Tony

[Skabooya]

To answer mikel's question about why I cant do more, its because

1. I am a teacher waking up at 6am and not getting home until 4. In the morning I feed my 20gal lights on, feed and water pooch as well as walk and then leave for work. Come home lights on in my high light low tech 4gal, feed all fish again, dose ferts (daily). Let pooch out again feed, water, walk. Then time to start dinner and do dishes at the same time. Eat, rest, mark and grade work, lesson plans, etc. By the time im all done i am so tired and off to bed by 8:30 or 9. On a good day 10pm.

2. I dont have a python. I use a little teeny 5 gal bucket and go back and forth from the kitchen and bathroom to my tank.

The only real time I have to myself to concentrate on my hobbies are friday (we have a 4 day school week) sat or sun.

[Skabooya]

#2 is actually the biggest reason.

[alxjss]

#2 is actually the biggest reason.

yes, u need to invest in a Python:D

[Skabooya]

Hey. Theres an idea for a christmas present from my husband. I would need a 50ft python more than likely and that will be over $100 at the lfs.
Okay so If i got a python I know that I can easily do daily wc.

If thats the case with daily WC is it okay to have 4 discus in a 32 gal planted? I fully know I will not get 8" discus. My goal would be 5-6". No other fish in the tank.
Started out with BB first of course until they get to the size I want and then I can revamp the tank into a planted :)

[cktrimble]

If you are cost conscience like I am, you could pick up the smaller pithon (25 ft) at walmart or petsmart for $34. Then go to Lowes in the tubing section (near the pvc, etc.) and purchase approximately 30 ft of clear 3/4" tubing for $13.00 and the plastic garden hose ends (1 female & 1 male) for $0.99 each. For a total spend of approximately $49.00.

Just a thought!

Take care,
Kevin

[alxjss]

If you are cost conscience like I am, you could pick up the smaller pithon (25 ft) at walmart or petsmart for $34. Then go to Lowes in the tubing section (near the pvc, etc.) and purchase approximately 30 ft of clear 3/4" tubing for $13.00 and the plastic garden hose ends (1 female & 1 male) for $0.99 each. For a total spend of approximately $49.00.

Just a thought!

Take care,
Kevin

thats an even better idea. My father made one out of a soda bottle. I worked real good:D

[Skabooya]

So with 4 discus in a 32gal planted I would need to do minimum 30% wc daily until they reached 5-6 inches after which I can do 50% weekly?
As for food feed heavy while they are growing and then remove polluting foods such as beefheart after they reach the size I want (5-6").
Is this correct or am I missing anything?

[phidelt85]

This may be even cheaper:

http://www.aquaria.info/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=59904&highlight=python

[ed8t]

I shop here all the time, prices on a python type hose is pretty decent:

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/cleaning.php?product_ID=cl-lugv50

Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that starting with 4 juvies would work out. You may have one mean honery fish that makes life miserable for the other 3. Having a couple more in a bigger tank disperses aggression a bit better. But you never know until you try and if you have the energy and time, go for it. If you don't need to raise juveniles, finding a matched pair M&F is a good option. I took in a M&F wild brown and they make the nicest couple until they lay eggs and will start chasing off all other tank mates.

[Skabooya]

Thanks for the Phython builds people :) Im gonna look into exactly how much they cost here and if i can find a waterbed drainer/filler thingie then I will prob make my own. It looks very easy.

ed8t a pair wouldnt work although it would be ideal. There is no way I can afford $400 for a pair of discus plus $80 overnight shipping to the airport to get them just to get them home and them split up. I was already told even with a proven pair there is no guarentee.

The more i read again the more scared i get. I almost feel bad too. What im getting now is that 4 can be done in my 32gal with daily WC. 30% daily until 5-6"? Then go full blown planted with 50% weekly? I dont know :(
What worries me the most is the fish I get are gonna be $40+ each and shipping is $75. I would be devastated if one died or if one got sick. Getting these fish is a dream and a huge investment.
I want to make sure I can care for these beauties before I buy them. I dont want to get 4 discus in my 32 if they are going to be hardcore stunted or unhappy or trying to kill eachother.
The price is what scares me the most. If there was a breeder locally and i could just go and pick up my fish i wouldnt have a problem but with the shipping cost the fish are gonna be about $58.50 each. If one dies YIKES!

Because of the cost for me I am definitely gonna take care of the fish. A python is gonna make it so... other than that caveman bucket dragging ive been doing (45min- 1hr on my 20gal).

So please I need to know honestly and truly if my future discus are gonna be okay or should I never get them. I wont be getting a bigger tank at all any time soon :( .

Lots of waterchanges is what I am getting to grow them out but I want a long term opinion for 4 in a 32gal. Not a temp solution where they will be going into a bigger tank once they are bigger. Its just not gonna happen.

Sorry for rambling Im just so worried. I want to make discus a healthy part of the family without loosing all my money in mistakes.

Thanks

[White Worm]

Sounds like you want the best for the discus that you get considering the investment. To make it simple, there is no for sure answer here. It will depend on the discus themselves whether or not they can live together (4) in a 32g. As they reach adulthood, they may begin to show aggression because they will have that urge (breeding) or....You may have 4 of the most peaceful discus on the planet and all will be fine. Its always a learning adventure...even for those who have been doing it a while. Feed em plenty and keep the tank clean and start with high quality/healthy stock from the beginning and all you can do from there is watch, enjoy and learn. If it makes things easier, you could do larger w/c's less frequently. Getting a better w/c method should be first on your list.

[C_of_Discus]

I would say you need at least 6 Discus they are a schooling fish and need to be kept in at least that size of group

2nd I think you need a 65 or larger and taller tank the better they like height. 10 gallons per fish.

Start with a bare bottom tank.

any other way you do it your just asking for trouble and pouring good money after bad.

IMO

[Skabooya]

Yea thats what I thought. No exceptions. I guess that means no discus for me. :( *cry*

I was considering angels instead but im not really in love with them like i am with discus.

Oh well. I guess it means I can focus on plants and try to fall in love with something else. Dont know what though.
Ive been in the hobby for 13 years and have loved discus pretty much the whole time (since i realized fish like this existed).

So I guess i need to settle with looking at pictures of discus and watching discus videos.
So sad, kills me. But whatever is better for the fish.

[fredox]

Is there any way you can get a 'cheap' 60+gal tank? I'm thinking sales, second hand or even free from someone quiting the hobby? Unfortunately bigger always seems better with fish.

[judy]

There is one other option if you really want discus: yes, a proven pair will be more expensive in one way-- but say a proven pair costs you $300.
Then assume, probably quite correctly, that if you bought four juveniles at $60 each-- that's $240, and you would have aggression developing in the tank for sure, damage, illness, and deaths, since everyone I've every asked about this has said try to keep a minimum of six in a tank big enough for them, to help limit aggression. (The aggression gets distributed more evenly so no one ends up getting picked on fatally).
And by putting four fish in a 32 gallon tank, you really need to do fifty percent WCs daily while you're growing out the juvies. And you just can't manage that.
Why, then, would you want to guarantee yourself all these headaches and sick and hurt fish, when, by spending just $60 more on one proven pair, you have adult fish, a big enough tank for them, and you can get busy and plant it before you even buy the fish, then bring them in when the tank is ready and they will be happy, and maybe even breed for you.
And once you have a stable planted tank with plenty of filtration (PLENTY of filtration) and adult fiscus only eating twice daily, you wont have to do WCs more than once weekly.
Oh, and get ten buckets. I use a bunch of buckets for my WCs. I have a 78 gallon. It takes fifteen minutes, tops. I fill up half the buckets with treated water, set them beside the tank, siphon out water into the other half of the buckets, then refill the tank with the siphon (I have one gigantic bucket which I put up on a stand whose bottom is level with the top of the tank, and I just use a stepstool to fill that big old bucket with the fresh water that flows into the tank.
While that's happening, the old water gets schlepped into the kitchen andpoured down the drain. Stack all the empties, put them away for next time.

[Skabooya]

hmmm well if a pair would work better for my tank then where would I get a pair for $300or less in BC?

And why was I told before that having a pair would be too difficult for me and I shouldnt do it?

How old are pairs typically before they are sold? not too old i hope because i would love to have the pair for 10 years.

[White Worm]

You can have a pair as long as they are a "pair". Not just any 2 discus are considered a pair. A pair is Male and Female who have bonded and possibly had fry or breeding behavior with one another. In this case, you have a better chance of one not killing the other. In the sponsor section here are many breeders who could help you with a confirmed pair. Check with Cary @ GLD. Pairing/breeding behavior usually starts around 10-12 months old. Not all discus will live to 10 years old. Big difference between a "pair" and 2 single discus.

[Skabooya]

Oh yea no worries I already knew the difference between a "pair" and two discus. Key word being "proven".

So judy says that for a pair in a fully planted 32gal water changes should be once weekely. How much? 50% a week or more ? If more then i would go bi-weekely.

[Skabooya]

found good reason why pairs are no good

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=49365&highlight=29gal&page=2

"Keep in mind: mated pairs are expensive. You will pay alot of money for decent fish. Despite the money and promises, there's still no way to tell if the seller was honest with you about the fish actually being a pair until you get them settled in. Even if they were a pair, the move could split them up and they could start fighting. If you decide to go this route, only buy from a reputable breeder, preferably local, or you will be asking for trouble.

Honestly, you really don't want to start in Discus with a 29 gallon tank. You are setting yourself up for tough times. Buy a 55 gallon tank and 6-8 good quality 3" juveniles. If you can't afford to do it now, wait until you can. If you do things correctly from the start, you'll thank yourself later.

JMHO

-Ryan"


Still looks like no discus for me. Gotta have a plan B for my 32gal

[judy]

For an adult proven pair, fed twice daily, in a planted tank with LOTS of filtration (I run 3 HOB filters rated for a total of 170 gallons on a 78 gallon tank), you could do fifty percent weekly and be just fine-- possibly even twenty or thirty percent, if the tank is heavily planted, healthy, and your water parameters are staying steady. Check them every second day once the tank has been fully cycled and running for at least four months. daily for the first month when you introduce the discus ( get the tank cycled and the biofilter fully-established with other fish, keep them healthy, then sell them shortly before the discus come in.)

[White Worm]

Oh yea no worries I already knew the difference between a "pair" and two discus. Key word being "proven".

So judy says that for a pair in a fully planted 32gal water changes should be once weekely. How much? 50% a week or more ? If more then i would go bi-weekely.


found good reason why pairs are no good

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=49365&highlight=29gal&page=2

"Keep in mind: mated pairs are expensive. You will pay alot of money for decent fish. Despite the money and promises, there's still no way to tell if the seller was honest with you about the fish actually being a pair until you get them settled in. Even if they were a pair, the move could split them up and they could start fighting. If you decide to go this route, only buy from a reputable breeder, preferably local, or you will be asking for trouble.

Honestly, you really don't want to start in Discus with a 29 gallon tank. You are setting yourself up for tough times. Buy a 55 gallon tank and 6-8 good quality 3" juveniles. If you can't afford to do it now, wait until you can. If you do things correctly from the start, you'll thank yourself later.

JMHO

-Ryan"


Still looks like no discus for me. Gotta have a plan B for my 32gal

Yep, like I said, never any perfect answers but in the best of situations, Ryan's advice is exactly what most would advise. Wait till you can afford to do it right.

[mikel]

Hi: I have a few thoughts for you...As a fellow teacher, I fully understand the financial and time issue.

1) Your 35 gallon would be a great breeder tank, or secondary (hospital) tank for discus further down the road, so for right now, hold off on getting any fish. Save money for a good 60+ gallon, and get your 5 juvies then.

2) Once you have your larger tank, think of the following...try placing your tank, if possible, near a window or door. In this way, all you need is a long enough siphon tube pipe, and one end in the tank, the other out the door, or window. Give the door end a good suck, and Hopefully the water flows to a flower garden. In this way, you can vac out half or a third of the water each time (or however many gallons of water you wish to, for that matter). You can also go to walmart and get yourself 6-8 buckets. They are usually in the 3-4 gallon range. Line them up in the bathroom, and fill them from the shower faucet full blast right off the tap, adjust for temp, and conditioned with Aquil/prime (you only need to our two capful of amquil into the first bucket). Then, simply lug them one by one to the tank and pour in to refill. So, hopefully your tank is close to a window or door, and not too far from the bathroom. Assuming a strong water pressure going into your house (shower faucet heads are generally more powerful than a kitchen sink faucet head), this whole process will take less than 10-15 minutes each day...and you will have a prestine tank, with healthy and jumbo fish (and a bit of good exercise each day too). I do exactly this with my 45 breeder...and I change more than 60% of the water in the morning within 10 minutes, and my rose garden by the front door of the house had never looked so good this past summer. Mike

[BSW]

Hey Skabooya -
If you did do 4 juvies in a 30 + gal. GO BB FOR NOW. You could very well end up with a pair on your own. You will probably have stunted fish though ! For long term - you would have to be looking at selling the other two fish down the road or set up another tank. You could add plants in containers on down the road if you like, but with that small of a water volume, cleaning the tank would be much easier with BB. And if you did end up with a pair, you would want the tank BB anyway for fry. Plants, gravel, etc... would only decrease your space and water volume in an already small tank. Only a person with experience in Discus should even try that. And one with experience wouldn't do it ! I would have to agree with the others though, you are starting sort of backwards with a 30. The starter tank should be 55+ and end up with pairs in a 30+. Discus aren't an inexpensive hobby.
High cost and high maintenance. Just part of the package.
Lots of Discus = Lots of space. They just do the best like that.
It certainly wouldn't be the easiest situation, but if you really stayed on top of it, it might could be managed. Proven pairs are EXPENSIVE, that's about all there is to it. And that's the only way you'll get "two" to make it well.
B

[Seecher]

So with 4 discus in a 32gal planted I would need to do minimum 30% wc daily until they reached 5-6 inches after which I can do 50% weekly?
As for food feed heavy while they are growing and then remove polluting foods such as beefheart after they reach the size I want (5-6").
Is this correct or am I missing anything?

In my opinion doing water changes based on the day in the week
or so many percent change per day or per week is non-sense,
without any scientific data to confirm this is the way to discus
should be raised.

Do water changes because the water NEEDS to be changed.

Test your water, see what the nitrate levels is, try to keep the
nitrate level below 20 parts per million. Although it has not been
determined the maximum nitrate level for discus, it could be 40,
or 50 parts per million.

I keep 4 discus in a 32 gal. tank, I clean my tank once a week
replacing two to 4 gal. of water with each cleaning my nitrate
levels are consistently below 20 parts per million. Every situation
is different that is why you need to test the water frequently for
nitrate level. You have a busy schedule don't make work for
yourself if you don't need to. Good luck.

[Skabooya]

Looks like no discus for me. I want the best for the fish so Im gonna need to wait for a miracle to afford a larger tank 60+ gal and then leave it empty for a couple years until i can afford a group of 6 discus.
There is no way I can afford tank and discus at the same time with my paycheck.
Thanks for the help guys it did give me a lot more information and now i know that there are no if's and's or but's in a discus tank for me. If i get them I need to go full blown both feet in right from the beginning.

[Seecher]

Looks like no discus for me. I want the best for the fish so Im gonna need to wait for a miracle to afford a larger tank 60+ gal and then leave it empty for a couple years until i can afford a group of 6 discus.
There is no way I can afford tank and discus at the same time with my paycheck.
Thanks for the help guys it did give me a lot more information and now i know that there are no if's and's or but's in a discus tank for me. If i get them I need to go full blown both feet in right from the beginning.

It is too bad that the mis-information you have received is turning
you away from keeping two or four discus in a 30 gal. tank.
Unfortunately many people have been driven away by getting
the wrong information about how difficult discus are to keep, in
fact they are very resilient, tuff and quite forgiving aside from
being beautiful with great personalities. Keep the water that way
they like it and you'll have few problems, if any. They are far less
work than what is being told you.

I would like to suggest you call Steve at Mac's Discus, he is just
down the road from you in Woodinville. Washington. He has
been around discus for 30 years and pulls no punches.

http://www.macsdiscus.com/

[rick.c]

seecher if you had read the post then you would see that she couldnt keep the water the way the fish need .thats thats the problem not the misinfo

[Seecher]

seecher if you had read the post then you would see that she couldnt keep the water the way the fish need .thats thats the problem not the misinfo

Sorry, I didn't read that. Where is that said?

[tonymaccs]

If everything that humans did had to be justified by scientific data then we'd still be living in caves.
The information offered as opinions in this thread and indeed the general water quality information on this site is not mis-information nor is it non-sense. It is empirical practice which is entirely valid.
I have yet to see any detailed definitive and quantitative scientific data being put forward by those that choose to criticise the empirical practices.

[rick.c]

seecher. It is in the first post she made ,she said she could only do 50-70 % weekly or 20 a day in a 32gal tank with 4 or so discus to me thats not enough . (jmo)
rick

[Seecher]

seecher. It is in the first post she made ,she said she could only do 50-70 % weekly or 20 a day in a 32gal tank with 4 or so discus to me thats not enough . (jmo)
rick

Greetings Rick,

What quantitative measurement do you use to
determine what is and what isn't enough?

[rick.c]

I dont realy do any kind of quantitive measurements (not realy sure if i know what that means lol ) just know if i dont do my regular wc the fish dont seem to be as spunky and bright . i did an exsperiment once on two difrent tanks and the ones that i did daily wc on did much better .thats all i know and so i do my wc large ones and fregint ones

[SpunkyQueen]

Do what i am planning on doing.... take the money you were going to spend on discus and put it in a money market account. every month put 10-100 bucks in (if you really look at your budget it is amazing where you can pull money from) and in 5 years look at what you got! In the mean time find ways to really save money... look into making a bigger tank (more discus!) look into diy lighting, making a sump, if you buy the tank, then make a stand and canopy.

5 years is a long time... but you have gone 12 and you seem to really love discus, so why not let your money work for you?

[White Worm]

It is too bad that the mis-information you have received is turning
you away from keeping two or four discus in a 30 gal. tank.
Unfortunately many people have been driven away by getting
the wrong information about how difficult discus are to keep, in
fact they are very resilient, tuff and quite forgiving aside from
being beautiful with great personalities. Keep the water that way
they like it and you'll have few problems, if any. They are far less
work than what is being told you.

I would like to suggest you call Steve at Mac's Discus, he is just
down the road from you in Woodinville. Washington. He has
been around discus for 30 years and pulls no punches.

http://www.macsdiscus.com/

Did you ever post pictures of your discus as you said you would? Show us some proof of discus that dont require frequent w/c's. Otherwise, your constant nonsense when you post is worthless. Every time you post, you insist that our advise to keep the water clean is foolish. It is not mis-information...It is proper advise for someone who wants to keep discus in the best possible environment. Dont ask what that is either. You obviously cant wrap yourself around our definition of proper requirements even though all the experts would agree, so please stop passing off your junk as discus care. You may be happy with the bare basics but most would like to go above and beyond that. Do you even have any discus?

[White Worm]

just know if i dont do my regular wc the fish dont seem to be as spunky and bright

Exactly....you are not alone...everyone here also understands and has experienced the same thing. Well, almost everyone.:D

[Skabooya]

Wow. well i didnt think my little post would cause this much of a debate/argument.:inquisitive:

[White Worm]

His responses go back further than this thread.

[Skabooya]

Yes i know i saw quite a few of them :)

Ive been trying to come up with different stocking ideas for my 32gal now.
The best one ive come up with so far is:
4 German rams (2 pairs)
6 marbled hatchets
13 Harlequin rasbora (i already have these)

This way i have action in the top middle and lower parts of my tank. However none of this is set in stone yet. There are many other ideas I have.

[BSW]

Hi Skabooya -
You will like German blue Rams, they are very pretty, but also require a little softer water, and clean water too. Actually ALL fish require clean water. You may not need to do water changes with other fish to the extent that you need to with Discus, but a regular water change schedule is best for ALL fish. I raise Angelfish too, and they are on a water change regime also.
Don't shy away from Discus though, you will fall in love with them.
Look for used tanks, some awesome deals can be found that way. I understand the time restrictions and cost restrictions. But there are ways around, spending lots of $$$$$ on a tank set up. I change water on a 60 with a bucket also, because of the tanks location, every other day. It's a 30 minute process, not that tough to get use to.
If you can come by a larger tank inexpensively, juvie Discus aren't THAT expensive. And you will really enjoy them. Don't let anyone talk you into sparing the care on them though. They will be sick & die, that's just the bottom line with Discus.
Some Asian breeders don't even run filters, because 100% of the water is changes out EVERY day. And at the rate they pump fish into this country, I would certainly guess they know what they are talking about.
Either way though, I hope you end up with a tank that you really enjoy.
B

[ArtOfFish]

2 discus in a 32 gallon is a bad idea they need alot of space I wouldn't recommend anything less than a 55g. I learned this the hard way I started with a 20g then a 29g and then a 46g bow front to a 55 gallon now and most like will have to upgrade to a 75 or 90 because my discus are getting very big. Even with a breeding pair although in a 20 gallon must be taken out and put into a big community tank so they wont go crazy with boredom.

I suggest contacting Your nearest Petland if You have them around the had a great deal on the 55 gallon tank with iron stand!

[Blackwater Aquaria]

I know i posted before and got the big N-O for my question of 2 4" discus in a 32gal.
Ive been reading more and more since that day and Im getting more and more confused. Having 2 discus in a 32 is possible but not recomended because having 2 discus only is a bad idea, okay.
Now Im reading lots and lots of min 4 discus in a tank. I have read at least 20 posts maybe more about people growing out 4 discus in a 33 gal and a few of them have been planted. Some of these posts are on this forum.
Of course with this set up I dont plan on having full grown dinner plate 8" discus. 5-6" discus would be awsome for me.

Anyway my question is can I keep 4 discus (bought at 3 or 4") in my 32gal tank? 32"l x 14"w x 17.5" h
If I get them at 3" they will be bb until I can get them to about 5 or 6" then they will go planted with fluorite substrate and a heavy planted tank. No other fish at all.
I have time to do WC once a week 50-70% or 20% daily. Some weeks I can do more, some less.

Thanks in advance for looking at my post and giving your opinion.
Vanessa
I will jump right in and say that the norm is 10 gals per Discus. Right now I have 8 Discus in a 1/2 BB 1/2 planted 75 gal tank and they are growing out just fine. 2 4 inch Discus in a 32 gal tank I see no problem. Mike

[SpunkyQueen]

Sorry if this veers the conversation a little, but the more I read about discus and tank space, the more I don’t get it…

so everyone says the 10gal rule.... but there seems to be many unwritten contributors in addition if you are having a community tank...

I am wondering what makes the determination on how many discus to have…. From what I am reading there are two factors…. interaction/aggression (square footage) and water quality (gallons) that play a role…

Do people take out the gallons that any substrate or rock would take up and what about sumps? What if you have a sump that is large (1/3 of you tank gallons) can you add to the main tank’s gallons? I suppose individual fish, whether aggressive or not, would factor. Unfortunately you don’t know until you get one (at least if you are receiving them by mail.)

So how do you make your determinations? (assuming preparing for community of adult discus)

[Skabooya]

oooo good question. Yea i see people for example with 10 discus in a 100gal tank (thus following the 10gal rule) and on top of that they have tons and tons of other fish like tetras etc. Im assuming it just means more waterchanges more often.

[phidelt85]

Ok, I don't know exactly in BC you are, but I found a couple tanks for sale on Craigslist.org. I recommend taking the money you already have saved up and get the things you need to house a group of discus properly. Then, once you have the supplies you can save up for the discus later. As has been said, you've already waited 13 years, what a couple more.

Here's one: It says 48 gallons but I'm guessing that's empirical since it's in Canada. It looks like a standard 55 USgal. to me.

http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/hsh/505272491.html

Here's the Vancouver, BC Craigslist search for "aquarium" you can also try searching for "fish tanks" (http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/search/sss?query=aquarium)

[phidelt85]

Another one in your "area" (http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/hsh/503679798.html)

Here's a leaker for only $40 that can be repair (http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/hsh/511282397.html)

[phidelt85]

Here's one that comes with Discus already :D (http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/for/509780619.html)

And a different one (http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/for/506668977.html)

[White Worm]

Sorry if this veers the conversation a little, but the more I read about discus and tank space, the more I don’t get it…

so everyone says the 10gal rule.... but there seems to be many unwritten contributors in addition if you are having a community tank...

I am wondering what makes the determination on how many discus to have…. From what I am reading there are two factors…. interaction/aggression (square footage) and water quality (gallons) that play a role…

Do people take out the gallons that any substrate or rock would take up and what about sumps? What if you have a sump that is large (1/3 of you tank gallons) can you add to the main tank’s gallons? I suppose individual fish, whether aggressive or not, would factor. Unfortunately you don’t know until you get one (at least if you are receiving them by mail.)

So how do you make your determinations? (assuming preparing for community of adult discus)

Its not a "rule" it is a comfortable starting point and yes, you can subtract for substrate and other fish. Follow the starting point until you get the experience and see what works for you. It will also depend on filtration. 1 or 2 extra shouldnt hurt anything but crowding will. You can put 2 discus in a tank by themselves and you may be ok....you may not. You could put 10 discus in a 55g and you may be ok...you may not. You could do small w/c's or one a week and you may be ok...you may not. Why take the chances with the money involved in this hobby? Ya never know but the best advise you will get here is to take the safe route until you get the hang of it and then you can deviate with your level of experience. JMO

[Skabooya]

Thanks but all those tanks are way way too far away from me. Im located in Kitimat which is much furthur north than those places. As for money saved up, I have none currently because of house renos's and still doing some currently (new house). Im just gonna need to wait. No biggie. It might not ever happen but who knows.
Ive learned no if's and's or but's for discus im gonna need to wait for a good sized tank to come along ... as well as enough money for me to buy the tank.
Thanks anyways people :) Im just gonna wait

[SpunkyQueen]

Sorry you have to wait, but it is exciting to see smart decision making!

thanks Mikscus for your answer... when i get closer to figuring out what tank size i will have, i will post and find out what my safe route will be!

[seanyuki]

Hi Vanessa,

Go with discus and you will not regret. Christmas is coming and
there are sales at Big Al's ( Boxing Day) and at King Ed Pet Centre
( Tanks on sale till end of the month ) in B.C. Check with April ( PetsBeautiful) down at Dunbar. Her fish are from Kenny and he' s
one of the sponsor here. I got some nice 3.5 ins red spotted leopard there for a very very good price.

Good luck to U:angel:

Cheers
Francis