Rummy Nose?

[Smoke to Fire]

Hello. So, currently I have a 90 gal tank with 4 discus, 1 bristle nose pleco, and 10 cardinals. Tank temps sit currently around 84 degrees. I have been reading about people mixing rummy nose with discus and think it would look outstanding. However, with the rummy nose, I see their temps should be up to a max of 78-79 degrees, and discus, a min of 80 degrees. I was hoping to get some insight from somebody who has experience at keeping both species together. What temps do you currently keep them at? Any stress issues with the active rummy nose vs the calm discus? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much!

[scuba guy]

Hello. So, currently I have a 90 gal tank with 4 discus, 1 bristle nose pleco, and 10 cardinals. Tank temps sit currently around 84 degrees. I have been reading about people mixing rummy nose with discus and think it would look outstanding. However, with the rummy nose, I see their temps should be up to a max of 78-79 degrees, and discus, a min of 80 degrees. I was hoping to get some insight from somebody who has experience at keeping both species together. What temps do you currently keep them at? Any stress issues with the active rummy nose vs the calm discus? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much!

I have about 100 Rummy Nose with my Discus - temperature is 84.5 most of the time - but has been as high as 87. The rummy nose school beautifully and are growing fast on beef heart (the bits left over from the Discus feeding).

You can keep Rummy Nose with Discus easily.

[DiscusFandS]

i have a 56 gallon and have 10 rummy nose with 5 discus and my temp has gotten to 88. Shouldn't be a problem

[jeffh2]

Same here, I have 60 gallon @ 85 degrees with 12 rummynose and 6 discus and everyone is amazed with the schooling rummys.

[underwaterforest]

Your right about the rummy noses growing fast on beef heart. Actually that was my main problem with having the rummys along with discus, the rummys would get too fat. Because of the fat rummys I had to slow down on the feeding the discus. Maybe your rummys were slower eaters than mine, but each time I fed them they would eat to almost bursting.

[scuba guy]

Same here, I have 60 gallon @ 85 degrees with 12 rummynose and 6 discus and everyone is amazed with the schooling rummys.

Imagine 100 schooling rummy's! They are almost as much fun as the Discus....well, not really, but fun nonetheless to watch.

[scuba guy]

Your right about the rummy noses growing fast on beef heart. Actually that was my main problem with having the rummys along with discus, the rummys would get too fat. Because of the fat rummys I had to slow down on the feeding the discus. Maybe your rummys were slower eaters than mine, but each time I fed them they would eat to almost bursting.

I am going to try and get a non-blurred picture of this: My rummy's swarm the mouths of my discus who also swarm the beef heart cubes. The discus attack the gelatinized cubes and big bits and little bits fly off. The big bits the Discus quickly grab. The little bits are grabbed almost instantly by dozens of rummy's (and a few cardinals). The fish swarm around each other - it is amazing to see.

Once the beef heart cube is gone, the fish fan out searching for more bits. Nothing - I mean nothing makes it to the bottom. Usually I throw in a second cube to complete the feeding.

[underwaterforest]

It was probably the larger number of rummys you had that helped you not get the "overfeeding" experience that I had with them. I only had 10 rummy nose with the two discus. Usually the discus would be just starting to feed while the rummys had already attacked and ate most of the bloodworms/beefheart. I agree it is great watching the rummys in a bigger schools, I alway wanted to get more, but my LFS can never get healthy ones in.

[scuba guy]

It was probably the larger number of rummys you had that helped you not get the "overfeeding" experience that I had with them. I only had 10 rummy nose with the two discus. Usually the discus would be just starting to feed while the rummys had already attacked and ate most of the bloodworms/beefheart. I agree it is great watching the rummys in a bigger schools, I alway wanted to get more, but my LFS can never get healthy ones in.

Ahh..... to get my hundreds of rummy's I must have killed hundreds of rummy's. It was a culling process. My population today, though is quite stable. I haven't lost a Rummy in over a month or so. I am going to try and get video of them feeding on the beef heart.

[darbex]

+1 on what everyone already said. I have about 50 rummys and 50 cardinals in my tank with no problems at all and they school really nice. I keep my tank at 84 and it has on accident gone up to 90 for a whole day and no deaths with either of them.

[Keith Perkins]

...My population today, though is quite stable. I haven't lost a Rummy in over a month or so...

Scuba guy, you must be one heck of a fast counter! :jester:

[rickztahone]

rummies seem to fine in the 84 range, mine have been at that temp for well over a year now.

[scuba guy]

Scuba guy, you must be one heck of a fast counter! :jester:

It was easy - I counted them when they were in the bag, flat with little water. They school tight and don't move. Once in the aquarium, they are gone forever....never to be counted again.

[kmckim]

Another agreement here.

I used to work at an LFS and we often found that the best way to help new arrivals settle in and avoid massive die off of Rummy Noses and Cardinals was to feed them really well and keep them at temps around 85. it made a big difference in long term survival and overall health of the stocks.