Number of discus in aquarium

[ilaizm]

Hi,

I have an aquarium which holds 32 gallons of water. How many discus do you suggest keeping?

I know that the general rule is 1 for every 10 gallons. But since 3 is a no go for discus should I go for 2 or can I afford 4?

thanks

[Don Trinko]

You could put 5 small (2 to 3") discus in there if you are prepaired to get a bigger tank within 3 or 4 months.
5 looks great when they are small but with clean water and good food they will grow fast.
I had 4 in a 29 for a year and it was definatly "crowded"when they grew. They do not get stunted from a small tank, they get stunted from poor water, food, temperature, or disease. I am retired so they got a lot of attention. Looking back it would have been better to move them earlier or better yet start with a bigger tank . Don T.

[ilaizm]

Getting a bigger tank shortly is not possible. I'm going to stay with this tank for quite a while. So they have to live in it when they grow.

[Apistomaster]

I got away with six discus in 29 until they reached 4 inches but then they had to be placed in a larger tank. As Don said in his post, large frequent water changes are what made it possible but I can't say it was a fun thing to do.
You are likely to have a bad experience if you try keeping a group of discus in a tank large enough for one mated pair.

[Palue]

I have 2 in my 30 gal but would not put anymore in there. My big one is quite a size and although discus are not really active fish they still need some room to swim.

:D

[*Polka dots roc*]

I just placed my discus in a larger tank today, they used to be 5 in a 25g. I got them from 3 to 3.5 inches. It was alot more work then I ever could have imagined and I would probably never do it again. The huge waterchanges killed me. And the aggression got real bad. Now that they are in a bigger tank they seem happier and the runt of my group seems to think hes one of the neons swimming back and fourth with them.:D