Tank Width

[noahyc]

Hello, I'm in the process of purchasing a tank for discus. I am able to custom build a tank but limited on width. Is 72" x 18" x 36" wide enough to raise up a small school of discus 5-6 and add some other tank mates. I would love to add some Geophagus, neon tetras, maybe Cory's, rams or apistos. Not necessarily all of them but a few of these fish. Please let me know what your thoughts are. Thank You.

[Second Hand Pat]

I love the size of a 180 (which is 6x2x2 ft).
Pat

[bluelagoon]

Hi and welcome. I've had both geophagus and discus but in separate tanks. Geos get big and like a sandy bottom, discus not so much but can be done and they will compete for food. The others mentioned will be ok. Nice size tank.

[brewmaster15]

Hi Noah,
Welcome to SimplyDiscus!

6 foot tank is perfect for Discus .. The fish you mentioned are all doable but geos can be a bit much for a discus tank. If you are set on the get the smallest species you can.. I have had not great luck with red head tapajo, altifrons, ,Acarichthys heckelii, and sveni in discus tanks.. Not saying you can't make it work.. just that the discus do better LONGTERM with out them IME.

What kind of discus are you thinking of getting and how do you plan on setting up your tank?

Al

[noahyc]

My wife and I are taking a trip in March to Florida. We're planning on visiting Jack Wattley discus while we are in Florida. We're planning on taking lots of photos and jotting down what specific types of discus we want to get. We're looking to get a pretty varied bunch of discus. Probably going to let everyone in our family pick one out. Probably right on the Geos, I would much rather have the discus be the focal point which they will be. Probably go with some Cory cats and some nice plecos rather than the geos which would probably limit me on space for the discus. So My main concern was the width of the tank at 18 in. Is this sufficient?

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Noah, 18 inches if fine and all my discus tanks are at least 18 inches. I think using Jack Wattley discus as a guide is ok but would suggest not buying your discus from there. I am in Florida also and have heard lots of issues with Gabe shipping sick fish and people walking into his store and seeing dead discus in the tanks. We had a member hear who ordered discus from Gabe and the fish were shipped. The first two shipments resulted in dead discus. Gabe finally got it right on the third shipment.

If you hang around this place you will see that the forum has sponsors which have been personally vetted by Al (brewmaster) who owns this place. Al cares a lot about the quality of discus being offered on his forum. Anyway just a suggestion.
Pat

[noahyc]

Thank You for all of the info. I remember when I was younger going through all of the aquarium magazines and seeing Jack Wattley Discus everywhere. I have wanted discus ever since I was teenager. Nostalgia does not translate into quality. Is there a section where I can see Discus retailers and peoples experiences with them?

[Second Hand Pat]

Thank You for all of the info. I remember when I was younger going through all of the aquarium magazines and seeing Jack Wattley Discus everywhere. I have wanted discus ever since I was teenager. Nostalgia does not translate into quality. Is there a section where I can see Discus retailers and peoples experiences with them?

Noah, check out the sponsor section of the forum in the link below.
Pat

[LizStreithorst]

Wide tanks are great for growing out fry. My grow out tanks are 24" wide and 36" long and 17" tall. Adult Discus look better in a longer taller tank, but not so tall that it makes it hard to change water. That's why I no longer use my 125. I"m lucky if I'm 5" tall now. I have shrunk and I have gotten older.