Stocking help for planted discus tank

Essjay said:

You do need to bear temperature in mind. I've never kept discus but I understand they need higher temperatures than most tropical fish, so tank mates have to be chosen from those fish which need the same temperature.

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Thanks Essjay, I appreciate the advise. I will definitely look into that.

Does anybody have any thoughts on the ideal number of shrimps and snails for a planted tank of this size and with these inhabitants?

Pellington said:

Does anybody have any thoughts on the ideal number of shrimps and snails for a planted tank of this size and with these inhabitants?

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Most likely your shrimp will be heated to a nice meaty bite sized treat cooked to perfection for your discus... In other words a very expensive heated dinner

Pellington said:

and snails

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Not sure about snails... but again, discus need high temps and snails need it cooler than discus

Thanks Rocky! Hmmm.... what a conundrum!

Pellington said:

Thanks Rocky! Hmmm.... what a conundrum!

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Yah, im starting to notice that its hard to find TMs for discus... their high temp requirements make it hard

Besides just temperature, you need to match the fish to the water you have, in terms of pH and hardness.
Granted, you can chemically alter both, but then you'll have to do that for every water change and it rarely works out well for the fish.

When looking at individual fish needs, please try to avoid aiming for the extremes at which each fish can survive. Instead, look for the middle of the range, in order for your fish to thrive.

Besides basic compatibility and the detail that many fish need to be in a shoal, don't forget behaviours are also paramount to consider. For example, some fish are very active and need a lot of swimming space, other fish need a quieter, more settled environment.

Discus have always been fussy beggars to properly care for and whilst their farm-bred cousins are slightly more hardy and tolerant of non-Amazon blackwater conditions, they still ain't the easiest.
I'd suggest ignoring these until you've got your hands (and feet) properly wet.

For stocking ideas, you could pick a theme, or not.
I like to go with a geographical theme.
Next, think about populating the tank from the bottom up...starting with (mainly) substrate dwellers, mid-water dwellers and perhaps some upper water dwellers. Personally, I like shoals when possible, with a 'show piece' fish, or pair, to finish off.

One of my tanks has Bristlenose catfish, with Pygmy Corydoras. Thn glowlight and black neon tetra and golden pencilfish. A pair of Cockatoo Apistogramma round things off. This has a South American theme.
Tank No.2, with a SE Asian theme, has kuhli loach and a Panda garra, with copper harlequin, cherry barbs and chilli rasbora. Dwarf Gourami will complete the ensemble.

Thanks Bruce! Sounds like a I need a spreadsheet to figure all this out. Thankfully i am not in any rush to put fish in, so i have time to research properly and plan it all out. Appreciate the tips!

Because you are brand new, discus may not be the best choice. They need perfect water conditions. Perhaps coldwater cichlids suit your fancy. I’m best with Africans. You could do a large group of Peacock Cichlids.

Essjay said:

You do need to bear temperature in mind. I've never kept discus but I understand they need higher temperatures than most tropical fish, so tank mates have to be chosen from those fish which need the same temperature.

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You have actually selected some warmer tropical fish- the cardinals, rams and discus all prefer warmer than average tropical temperatures.
BUT, they are all soft water fish and I suspect your tap water is hard or very hard in Berkshire. Check on your water suppliers website for the water hardness (GH in german degrees or PPM). Your water would probably be suitable for livebearers (swordtails, platy, molly, guppy and so on), rainbowfish or African rift lake cichlids.
I would half your numbers for amano and nerite so 10 and 5 respectively, but you could always add more later. They do not mind harder water.

If it's densely planted, the shrimp might be able to survive. You could also have corydoras in there if you lower the other stocking. I've watched a guy who had such a densely planted tank that his cories laid eggs and they hatched and got juvenile cories in his discus tank without him noticing until later.

if you do shrimp though, they will have to go in first so that they can settle before the big fish go in.

I always run Discus in a peat-based tank. It will make your water soft and acidic which is what your Discus need. The only fish you may struggle with in the warmer temperature is the Lemon Tetras. I have run Cardinals and Black Phantoms together with Discus. The dwarf cichlids will be fine. I would just have Twenty Cardinals and say 10 Black Phantoms. I would also have dwarf loaches rather than Kuhli loaches. These little guys do well in warm tanks.

itiwhetu said:

peat-based tank.

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Aquarists (and gardeners) are advised to avoid the use of peat.

Peatlands store more terrestrial carbon than all other vegetation sources combined, including forests.
Damaged peatlands are a major source of greenhouse gases, annually releasing almost 6% of our CO2 emissions.

Naughts said:

Aquarists (and gardeners) are advised to avoid the use of peat.

Peatlands store more terrestrial carbon than all other vegetation sources combined, including forests.
Damaged peatlands are a major source of greenhouse gases, annually releasing almost 6% of our CO2 emissions.

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And you think that the little bit you are going to put into your aquarium is going to make a difference.