Help with first 55g discus tank

[pakash]

Hello guys, as you can see im new in the forum and could use some help please:

First:


I´ve decided to stay away from my african cichlids and move on to a planted discus tank.

Fish: Since it is a planted tank i would only buy 4 discus
- 20 Cardinals or neons
- 15 Snails for algae
- 2 clown plecostomus
- 8 corys

What other fish could fit.

Filtration: aquaclear 50 and another canister maybe a marineland c360

Light: 4 54w t5ho and leds for night.
Substrate:Black or red
Plants: Anubias, Cabomba Caroliana, Hemianthus Cuba, and some red ones, but i want a cool tank, but im not so good at aquascaping, so please help, my problem is where to put some rocks and driftwood and all.

Do you think it is too many fish or what would be a nice combo for my tank.
The other question is, is it too difficult to take care of these fish and the plants, and what about waterchanges do i have to vacuum the substrate or how if i have as foreground plant the hemianthus cuba, and what fertilizers do you guys use.

CO2: REACTOR for 55g

[Lenin]

Are you buying adult discus?

[TURQ64]

Start with a half dozen Discus, (more if small) rather a bit tight than too roomy...I'd skip the snacks (I meant Tetra's), and concentrate on making the Discus work out first....not just like falling off a log....a little harder..Gary

[AKRON AWOL]

Hello guys, as you can see im new in the forum and could use some help please:

First:


I´ve decided to stay away from my african cichlids and move on to a planted discus tank.

Fish: Since it is a planted tank i would only buy 4 discus
- 20 Cardinals or neons
- 15 Snails for algae
- 2 clown plecostomus
- 8 corys

What other fish could fit.

Filtration: aquaclear 50 and another canister maybe a marineland c360

Light: 4 54w t5ho and leds for night.
Substrate:Black or red
Plants: Anubias, Cabomba Caroliana, Hemianthus Cuba, and some red ones, but i want a cool tank, but im not so good at aquascaping, so please help, my problem is where to put some rocks and driftwood and all.

Do you think it is too many fish or what would be a nice combo for my tank.
The other question is, is it too difficult to take care of these fish and the plants, and what about waterchanges do i have to vacuum the substrate or how if i have as foreground plant the hemianthus cuba, and what fertilizers do you guys use.

CO2: REACTOR for 55g

i'd go with 5-6 discus for that size tank, and like turq64 said...forget the neons.

btw is this your first discus tank? because if it is i'd really go with a bare-bottom tank first and see how that works for you before going with the planted....even though i know its boring and all, im really glad i did it that way....and i'd use really light colored gravel/sand for your substrate...also, i'm running an aquaclear 110 on my 55 gallon and i found that it works really well....sure it's probably overfiltered but its better than underfiltering. and it really keeps my water crystal clear :)

btw i'd really stear clear of stem plants like cabomba....my personal experience is they just make your tank dirty and a hassel to clean....but maybe they might work for you...but yeah just try the bb with no plants and decor for a while and see if you're able to take care of the discus first... :)

[3dees]

if your going with larger discus then you don't need to go bb. personally, I don't like the sterile look. you may want to rethink the pleco's. I just gave away my 5" bn. it did'nt clean up the algae anymore and it put out more crap than my 8 wilds combined. I would go with at least 5. some people have luck with Cardinals and sometimes they are just expensive snacks. you can go with larger tetras. I have lemons and there is no problem. rummies often work also. if your set on a dark substrate, then be careful of what discus you get. it will cause peppering on many discus. ditto for a dark background.

[Fishplants]

Light: 4 54w t5ho.....


That is a lot of light for a 55g! Must be a long tank to fit those tubes over too. I can only fit 39w T5 and 30w T8 over my 55g tanks. Are you sure it is only 55g?

[pakash]

Tank size in mts: 1.22*30*50

[Fishplants]

Tank size in mts: 1.22*30*50

Ahh, so actually less than 55g! That is a very long tank, and a lot of light! Most 55g tanks are only 900mm to 1000mm (3ft) long.

[x2h]

Ahh, so actually less than 55g! That is a very long tank, and a lot of light! Most 55g tanks are only 900mm to 1000mm (3ft) long.

i thought standard 55 gallons arte 4 ft long

[Stag]

i'd go with 5-6 discus for that size tank, and like turq64 said...forget the neons.

btw is this your first discus tank? because if it is i'd really go with a bare-bottom tank first and see how that works for you before going with the planted....even though i know its boring and all, im really glad i did it that way....and i'd use really light colored gravel/sand for your substrate...also, i'm running an aquaclear 110 on my 55 gallon and i found that it works really well....sure it's probably overfiltered but its better than underfiltering. and it really keeps my water crystal clear :)

btw i'd really stear clear of stem plants like cabomba....my personal experience is they just make your tank dirty and a hassel to clean....but maybe they might work for you...but yeah just try the bb with no plants and decor for a while and see if you're able to take care of the discus first... :)

Gonna have to agree with Coin. It sounds like your ahead of the game on planted tanks but if this is your first discus tank I would just stick with a BB to start.

If you are going to try your hand at it anyhow I would purchase adult discus like 3dees said and cut down your other (non discus) fish quantity in half(make it easy on yourself).

[NewETown]

i thought standard 55 gallons arte 4 ft long

They were when I worked at a LFS a few years ago before college. I don't think I've ever heard of a 3 foot long 55 gallon...

-Everett

[walt3]

one tip, if you are set on plants and substrate with discus, do your self a favor and scape it so its easy to properly gravel vac the majority of the bottom. i learned the hard way and have been removing rocks and plants that keep me from cleaning the gravel well. you will realize the fish need very clean water and its a pain to struggle around all the dense aquascaping. plus sometimes less is more and gives a cleaner overall look and more open swimming space for the discus. the less you put in the bigger the tank looks, and thats what most want... a big tank. :) good luck. walt.

[SeaDragon]

In addition to all the super helpful things others have posted. I'd say skip the other fish in the tank, the tetras will get eaten, the plecos might just start feeding off the slime coat of the Discus, the snails (I've heard from others never tested myself) can't handle the higher Discus temp, and the corys, well they may just be a pain to the Discus. They generally just seem to like to be along in their own tank without any other fish.

[jlcoop277]

In my 100 I have 5 Discus 9 roseline sharks, 3 small cory's, 3 mystery snails, 4 Bristlenose plecs, and a hammers blue lobster. And i keep my tank at 86 degrees everyone is thriving. I'm about to get rid of the plecs bc the don't eat algae anymore that I can tell. I have Pool filter sand as my substrate.
If you want plants I would start with amazon swords. That's what I did until I figured out what worked well.

[walt3]

i have 6 discus, 24 cardinals, 12 lemons and 3 brushnose pleco and 9 small corys.. 85 degrees. ehiem 2217 with aqua 70 ,air stone and power head to move water. i do aggressive gravel vac daily and 1/3 change. its work, but they look happy. if you have a high load you need to commit to daily changes and it can work. have fun. i actually like the maintenance so not a big deal to me. :) pics? mine is 75 gallons with plants.

[fast93accord]

Don't run 4 bulbs on a 55. On a 75 yes cause its wide, but a 55 is skinny. I run 2 54watt t5hos on my 55 with co2 and its the max amount of light for a planted discus tank. And an Ac50 is way too small. I run an Ac70 on my 36, and an Ac 70 with Ac30 impeller on my 20 long. My 55g has an Ac110 and emperor 400. An Ac110 alone would work, but I'm overstocked...lol

[jeralar]

Thanks for the info on your light setup. I have a 55g and trying to decide about the lighting setup. My friend whose a San Jose electrician suggested the t5hos, but wasn't sure how many was necessary or what convection methods I would need. That gives me a better idea about what I need though.