Perfect tankmate?

[Bud Smith]

I have 2 discus tanks and 1 angel tank and I would like to add tankmates to my tanks but I read threads about adding tankmates and I see alot of responses like "Good Luck".
Is there a sure bet tankmate for discus?

[ShinShin]

Cardinal and Black Neon Tetras. Any of the Blue Rams color variants.

[DiscusBR]

Corydoras are perfect!!!

[Bud Smith]

Cardinal and Black Neon Tetras. Any of the Blue Rams color variants.

I have read threads where cardinals and some tetras get eaten - Can I expect to loose some tetras?

[Discus-n00b]

My festivums don't bother my angels or discus, have angels in one tank with festivums and discus in a separate tank with them and I've never seen so much as a dirty look in either tank.

[mrblah00]

I have read threads where cardinals and some tetras get eaten - Can I expect to loose some tetras?

Yes, you will lose some. I had some albino glo-light tetras with my discus. It was the crazy. They ate the eyes of the tetras!!! It was creepy. Little tetras in the corner with no eyes.
Sam

[Bill63SG]

More discus.

[Bud Smith]

More discus.

I like the way you think Bill - I am watching the Super Bowl and giving thought to Kennys new shipment - leopard and white pigeon

[Bud Smith]

Yes, you will lose some. I had some albino glo-light tetras with my discus. It was the crazy. They ate the eyes of the tetras!!! It was creepy. Little tetras in the corner with no eyes.
Sam

Sounds like a horror flick

[CajunAg]

I like my Rummynose Tetras, they school constantly and I've never lost one to a discus.

[ShinShin]

I have never lost any. Don't buy bite sized. For the most part discus will not eat other fish. Ask anyone who has put some guppies in the tank for a free live food supply and had a ton of guppies in 6 months. I know that I tried it. I am not saying they never eat them, but it is not a part of the normal diet, even in the wild.

[LKSDiscus]

HI Bud, I just made my 92g wild discus only except for a few Cory cats and two albino plecos. I found that my wilds would stay in the wooded areas when they were in the bigger tank where I had angles which I just took out all but two angles in the bigger tank (210g) to put some of Kenny's white butterflies discus in there and I also have a small school of sepra tetra's which always got along with my discus before and they are hardy I didn't loose any until I decided I didn't want anymore and traded them in to my LFS but then I missed my school of fish so I will be having them in with WB when I'm done quarantining the WB so I will see, think it will be ok though. Just do a lot of research on the type of fish you put in and then if you decide even if they say they are docile watch them to make sure they are not bothering the discus. The discus don't like fast fish like the rainbow's or barbs it makes them get discourgage about getting the food. Hope this helps

[Bud Smith]

I have read threads where cardinals and some tetras get eaten - Can I expect to loose some tetras?


HI Bud, I just made my 92g wild discus only except for a few Cory cats and two albino plecos. I found that my wilds would stay in the wooded areas when they were in the bigger tank where I had angles which I just took out all but two angles in the bigger tank (210g) to put some of Kenny's white butterflies discus in there and I also have a small school of sepra tetra's which always got along with my discus before and they are hardy I didn't loose any until I decided I didn't want anymore and traded them in to my LFS but then I missed my school of fish so I will be having them in with WB when I'm done quarantining the WB so I will see, think it will be ok though. Just do a lot of research on the type of fish you put in and then if you decide even if they say they are docile watch them to make sure they are not bothering the discus. The discus don't like fast fish like the rainbow's or barbs it makes them get discourgage about getting the food. Hope this helps

Thanks for the info Linda
I have plecos in with my Hans discus now and Iam presently re-scaping my tank with more hiding places in hopes of adding some rummy nose tetras
I have just started a angel tank with wild crosses and will add rummy's to that tank also

[moon_knight1971]

The reason for the "good luck" wishes is because most people select tank mates that come from drastically different water conditions than original discus do. Even though most of us buy "domesticated" discus, if you stick to fish that also come from the Amazonian waters they should be good tank mates. Most fish don't do well at the high temps discus thrive in.

Joey!

[crazycracker]

I have Cory Cats, Pleco, Rummynose, Black Neons, German Blues & Gold Rams. I haven't had any issues in my 120 gallon (well did have a crash but that was my fault). I have some good size sword plants w/ driftwood for hiding. I love my Rummy's always schooling together but my Black Neons r together sometimes but not always.

[lane mechtel]

If you like schooling fish, rummunose are the best IMO. I have 18 with 11 6-7 inch discus. the discus ate about 10 the first day, but have not bothered them since.

[Raysocal]

My first post on this site as I just purchased some juveniles from Mishka on this site. i've seen a lot of nice discus tanks with cardinals and neons. Last night I introduced 15 neons from a quarantine tank in with the discus. I feed the discus at least 6 x daily with beef heart, dried worms and brine shrimp. As the bag was floating the discus did not seem curious of what was in the bag but once the neons were out of the bagf - total havoc and chaos! Neons were schooling towards the bottom of the tank and the discus were laying on their sides to charge the school of neons on the bottom of the tank. The neons were dodging charge after charge of the discus. My mellow discus tank was now much more chaotic than my more aggressive cichlid tank. I turned off the lights hoping they would calm down and I also couldn"t watch anymore. This morning the neons came out of hiding and all were present and the discus seemed to have given up trying to eat them. Glad my kids were not awake to see the neons they grew attached to while in quarantine being attacked! If I had to do it all over again I would put the neons in the tank first. The peppered corys I introduced are fine

[vernon_24]

I have 2 discus tanks and 1 angel tank and I would like to add tankmates to my tanks but I read threads about adding tankmates and I see alot of responses like "Good Luck".
Is there a sure bet tankmate for discus?

Well it depends really from tank to tank however,

I've hace had success with tetras like neon, black neon, serpae, phantom. Zebra danios, corydoras, danisons barbs( i wont recommend these though because they are very fast and compete for discus food) neon raibow fish, dwarf gouramis, ghost shrimp( have ample hiding spots or there gonna be dinner), mountain minnow, guppies, and my personal favourite rummy nose tetras (keep more than 6 at one time they look great because they roam together and look wonderfull )

dont put in clown loach they develop a taste for discus slime
angels will eventually start bullying the discus
Common plecos

[strawberryblonde]

I have a school of cardinal tetra's along with 5 jumbo neons (the neons came with the big tank I bought last summer) along with 6 cory's - 2 giant albino's and 4 sterbai's.

I lost a cardinal on the day they went into the tank, and then one more who hopped into the sump overflow (curiosity doesn't just kill cats!). Other than that, I haven't lost any of the tetra's or cory's. The discus seem to totally ignore them.

[xKevinx]

i have 3 pairs of electric blue balloon rams with my discus, no problems even when the ebr spawn. i also have lots of cardinals and corys......be careful with smaller size tetras with discus. ive seen mine eat a few of the small tetras of mine.especially my wild semi royal

[krislewis3]

Iv just been told in a different forum that bn catfish can't handle the high temps of a discus aquarium......how does your Pleco fare in the warm water? And what kind of pleco is it?

[Bill63SG]

In my 180 I try to keep I around 82-83,because its planted,and my bn's actually regularly bred in it.Any higher and they do seem to die off quicker.