7ft tank - How many Discus? How often to clean?

[ujwaldignified]

I am thinking of getting a tank made for my new discuses.
I can make of any size till 7ft.
This is my first time with Discus though i have kept Flowerhorns, different cichlids and starting with gold fishes long back, now since 15 years.
1. Please get me a best tank size for 6 to 10 Discuses. (You suggest with how many shud i start off with for the first time. Water chemistry & nitrogen cycle is nothing new for me)
2. How many times in a week wud i need to change the water when the tanks are huge?
3. How many sponge filter will i have to use along with the Hang on Aqua clear?
4. Is it adviceble to go for big tanks and 6 to 10 discuses as a beginner?
Thank you in advance.
:)

[plecocicho]

My poit of wiew:
7feet tank is a whole something like 700 to 800 liters. That is a huge amount of water.
Keep in mind to give one adult discus 60 liters of water (that is almost twice of general 10gal per fish). Make a diy compartment filter, that is app. 20% of tank volume. Buy semiadults as those do not need to be fed heavilly. Feed them dry food, fd and frozen food. You do not need them feeding bf as this kind of fed is a main cause for heavy daily wcs. You can feed them earthworms instead, just clean their guts. Use also floating plants as they will suck nutrients (pistia). You can easilly keep 10n discus in such aquarium

[grandrapids9]

Hi, I had a 7 foot tank, not many around, mine was 7 foot long by 18 deep, and around 22 or 24 tall, I cant remember, but I calculated the water and it was 180 gallons actual, not tank dimension water. I loved the tank as it gave a wide panoramic view and was easy to work with. Mine was salt water reef. After 14 yrs I got out of it and sold the equipment all separately on a local Michigan forum. The tank, stand and light hood is now in a Vietnamese grocery store stocked with lobster on one side and crabs on the other. I say go for the tank 7 foot is nicer view than 6 and easier to fit than a 8 foot tank. You can put a lot of Discus in the tank, it looks like a show piece in the making - are you going for a planted tank.

[ashaysathe]

I am thinking of getting a tank made for my new discuses.
I can make of any size till 7ft.
This is my first time with Discus though i have kept Flowerhorns, different cichlids and starting with gold fishes long back, now since 15 years.
1. Please get me a best tank size for 6 to 10 Discuses. (You suggest with how many shud i start off with for the first time. Water chemistry & nitrogen cycle is nothing new for me)
2. How many times in a week wud i need to change the water when the tanks are huge?
3. How many sponge filter will i have to use along with the Hang on Aqua clear?
4. Is it adviceble to go for big tanks and 6 to 10 discuses as a beginner?
Thank you in advance.
:)


Howdy,

7 ft tank.. nice.. I would love to have one. But a few things to consider from my own experience.

Maintaining discus is not hard but is different from other fish (its not a pure carefree fish). If you are to start with 6 to 10 discus I would advice not more than 55g tank ( 4ft long X 1ft wide, 20 inch high) going to 75g tank as they grow (look here for sizes http://www.thekrib.com/TankHardware/size-chart.html ).

I am assuming here that you are starting with 3 to 3.5 inch discus (which are considered juvies).

As your fish size increases, the quantity of water and size of tank increase and more importantly your margin of error will also increase.

This forum will give you breadth of knowledge on each aspect so make sure you do your homework nevertheless there is no better teacher than trying it out yourself.

Besides clean water and multiple small portion feedings several times a day, U have to get into the habit of quarantining your new additions, only reason being Discus are far less tolerant than many other fish.

Bottom line (again my opinion) you are on the right track with # of fish but to me its just too much bigger tank (7ft long) to begin with. The flip side would be start with 22-25 discus in that water..

Now how often to clean - I can't come to one answer on this one. For juvies you need to feed a lot, so water gets compromised quicker, but then whats your filteration (always over filter than not - for my 6ft (125g tank) I use 2 aquaclear 500 and 2 sponge). Discus need a clean water - food, poop et al compromise water quality. This is a balance that you have to maintain and manage but don't get overboard but don't under-do as well.
But few small portions is better than one big.

Where in India are you? It is always nice to see a fellow hobbyist from back home.

[ujwaldignified]

Hey Ashey sathe..!!
I am from South India , Bangalore.
I am now planning to get a 4.5ft X1.75ftX1.75ft - 92 US Gallons.
Will be introducing after the tank cycles, 6 to 8 Discuses of 2" to 3" .
Bare bottom tank. Two Aquaclear 500. One 300Watt Thermostat. Two sponge filter. A reservoir tank with aeration and 300W thermostat where the tank is first stored(borewell water) and heated to showtank temp and circulated with Show tank.