Discus in 55 gallon

[Oli]

Hi guys, currently have a 55 gallon cichlid tank which includes a Severum. I know this fish along with my current stock will eventually outgrow it and at that point I am thinking about rehoming all the fish and starting again with a discus tank. I went to one of my LFS the other day and they had some huge absolutely beautiful discus and I knew straight away I would like to keep them in the future. I am wandering about numbers? They were around £85 each and were what I can only assume is fully grown (size of a dinner plate.) So I had a few questions…

-will they be suitable for a 55 gallon. They looked massive but I have read discus are suitable for a 55 gallon (I can only assume because they are so thin?)

-I would like to introduce them fully grown. Do they have similar aggression/pecking order issues as other cichlids. Like I say, I would prefer to get them as adults as opposed to introducing a group of juveniles and splitting them up at a later date like you would with other cichlids.

-basically I want to end up with 3/4/5 of these big, beautiful discus. I certainly couldn’t afford to get all at once. Could I do maybe 2 at a time. Is there a suitable number for this tank. Is it even possible to have these big fish in a 55 gallon.

Appreciate any help!

 

[itiwhetu]

No, A Discus tank starts at around 250 liters and then goes up from that. I would never put Discus in anything smaller than 250 liters.

 

[itiwhetu]

The measurements of that tank will be 48x18x18 inches or similar.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

Actually the recommended tank for Discus is 8-10 gallons per fish.
You can have about 6 Discus in your 55 gallons.
Keeping Discus can be unpredictable.

Here are some information from the Discus breeders Jack Wattley and Stendker about the stocking level.
But if you can't access the link below, please refer to the attached screenshots.

Strategies For Planted Tank Cleaning With Discus Fish | Wattley Discus

Some strategies on how to clean a planted tank with water changes when you keep discus fish and other heavy protein eating fish

wattleydiscus.com

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I don't recommend getting 2 fish at a time.
They are schooling fish and to avoid aggression, it's best to have at least 5-6 of them and you have to buy all of them at the same time.
Sometimes you will encounter 1-2 males that are very aggressive which will attack the rest.
The bigger the group, the better it is to reduce aggressions.

Fully grown fish are expensive and they may have difficulty to adjust to other types of food.
It's better to get them at around 2-3 inches and it will cost you less.

Take note that they will pair up and will start to breed.
You may want to separate them from the rest, which mean you may need more tanks in future.
So, keeping Discus can be unpredictable.
And if you remove one pair, the remaining 4 will have more than enough space.

Or you can leave them with the rest but will less chance of survival for the fry.
If you are not interested with their breedings, then you can just leave them inside the tank.

One breeding pair may need about 25-30 gallons. Tall tank is better than wide tank for breeding Discus.
If the tank is too wide, the fry may get lost and find it hard to find their parents.

 

[itiwhetu]

There you go you can keep two Discus in an eighty-liter tank, Go for it.

 

[malfunction]

From memory, you’re a fairly new fishkeeper, and your current setup is the first you’ve had. If that’s the case, I’d say get some more experience keeping less sensitive fish before you move onto discus. They’re really beautiful fish, but bear in mind that they’re more expensive and more delicate than many other fish. Probably not the best choice for someone that’s just starting out in the hobby

 

[GaryE]

What sellers suggest and real world enjoyment can be different. Yes, ten gallons a Discus if you are in a warm country with expensive filtration. My personal formula would be different. 20 gallons per fish, 5 or 6 fish or nothing. They always look better and behave more interestingly in groups - these are social creatures.
First off, you are unlikely to want bare cold looking tanks. Wattley operated in a different generation, and had very good filtration systems. Most of us have canisters or HOBs. 10 gallons per Discus means water changing at a level you may not enjoy.
I have a 120 gallon as my largest tank, and I did very well with a small group of wild caught Discus for a few years. I would never keep them again though, as I like to sit back and relax and not always be monitoring their tank and changing water. Even then, it was 50% per week, with no cushion. The schedule had to be respected.

 

[Byron]

Discus and angelfish have a great deal in common, from the perspective of their inherent requirements (= what the individual fish "expect" in their environment). They are shoaling fish (as I use the term), which means they need a group, and five is as few as you want; the only exception is a bonded breeding pair. The intended group should be acquired at the same size and at the same time. Like angelfish, they develop something of an hierarchy. This means young fish. This is a real commitment, but nothing less is fair or frankly humane to the fish.