260 litre tank

[Oli]

Discus or Angelfish?

Debating 6 angelfish or 6 discus…

Angelfish are easier to care for, more container with things like Congo tetras. But apparently no matter what, there will come a day when 2 pair off and don’t tolerate the rest. Especially in a 4 foot tank. For this reason, maybe a group of discus is better long term.

 

[Colin_T]

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website (Water Analysis Report) or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

 

[Oli]

120 x 40 x 63
PH - 6.8

Don’t have the rest to hand

 

[Oli]

B

 

[Oli]

Bump

 

[Colin_T]

Have you managed to find the GH & KH of the water?
Discus and angelfish want a GH below 150ppm (wild fish need a GH below 50ppm).

Discus grow bigger than angelfish and have the same territorial aggression when it comes to breeding. So in a 4 ft tank, angelfish are probably a better option.

 

[Oli]

Unfortunately not…

The thing is, I’ve always had bad experiences with groups of Angelfish and always find myself with a lone pair. I have successfully kept groups of discus before, but in a 5ft tank. Is a 4ft definitely too small for a group? I’d be able to get them around 9cm and was hoping for a group of 6

 

[Wills]

Are you really set on Discus or Angels? Assuming you have the soft water there are a bunch of other South American Cichlids that would work great in there - if you wanted a gregarious species something like a big group of Cupid Cichlids would be awesome.

Wills

 

[Oli]

I’m pretty set on them for 2 reasons…

1.) the tank is heavily planted
2.) I know I’ll be slated for this…but I am so damn impatient and want instant gratification Discus and Angels are easy to source in a variety of sizes. Big Angels are everywhere, and I have a local supplier with a range of beautiful discus in all sizes

 

[Colin_T]

If the tank was 6 ft long x 2ft wide x 2 ft high then I would go for a group of discus. But in my opinion, the minimum size tank for a breeding pair of discus is 4 ft long x 2 ft wide x 2 ft high. This is due to the adult size of discus, which can reach 10 inches in diameter. However, most only reach 6-7 inches in diameter. Having a group of adult discus in a 4ft tank could lead to fights with 1pr taking over the tank and confining everyone else to the far corner. Angelfish do the same when breeding.

Adult angelfish can reach 8 inches high x about 5-6 inches long.

 

[Oli]

So essentially, discus and angelfish are a no go for this tank?

 

[Colin_T]

You could do angelfish but I think discus should be in a bigger tank. Some people keep discus in 4ft tanks but they do better in bigger tanks. Juvenile fish will be fine in your tank but when they mature and start breeding, then the trouble starts.
Any chance you can get a 6x2x2ft tank?

 

[Oli]

Out the budget unfortunately, the 4ft will cost me $2500 and that’s the cheapest brand new tank I can get. Nothing on market place, but even if there was, I only ever buy brand new aquariums. It is gorgeous if that’s worth anything by haha.

Is a group of angelfish likely to cause issues in a 4ft?

 

[Oli]

There is the option of just going community with some medium fish. Congo tetra, denison barbs, cardinal tetras, emperor tetras, Columbian tetras…

I really had my heart set on a nice eye catching shoal of bigger fish tho

 

[Wills]

It feels like you are on the very minimum edge of it - the height could be an issue for the angels, I've not heard of a 10 inch discus before but will defer to Colin as I've not really ventured into them.

I think you'd have a better tank with smaller fish that could live in a 260 for life.