Discus Questions

[CoryFever]

I have a few questions about discus, as the title states Can I keep a proven pair of discus in a 70 gallon? What plants are compatible, as I plan on keeping them in a planted display tank. There will be no other fish in the tank with them when they are introduced, but what fish would be compatible? Could I keep a few angels as well? And what color strains would you recommend?

 

[l_l_l]

Hello!
I am presently working my way up to a discus tank, and I plan on adding a cardinal tetras and rummynose tetras in there.
Plants would be anything that tolerates high temperatures. Amazon Sword per example are perfect.

 

[Byron]

A 70g is fine for discus, a group of five or six even, so a pair (I assume "proven" means "bonded") would be OK.  I would not include angelfish.  Jack Wattley, the well-known and highly respected discus breeder, has frequently advised against these two fish being combined.  Jack says the more aggressive feeding habit of angelfish can cause the discus to become frightened and even to the point of refusing to eat.  There is also the temperature factor; while discus must have warmth (82F+) the angelfish are better below this, if they are commercially raised; wild angels are a different thing, requiring warmth just like discus, but the angels you acquire in stores will usually be commercially raised.
 
Cardinal tetra and rummynose tetra are fine, as they can manage with the warmth and similar water parameters as discus.  Corydoras catfish can be included provided you stay with one of the species that will manage in warm water, such as C. sterbai.  Many of the corys will not do well in this warmth.  There are other fish species also suitable, though I would have to dig into my references a bit to name them, but I will if asked.
 
Plants in the Echinodorus genus (the so-called Amazon sword species) and the chain swords (Helanthium tenellum and H. bolivianum) should be fine.  Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes), Frogbit (provided it is the true tropical species, Limnobium laevigatum, and not one of the temperate species sometimes encountered) would work, both are floating plants which is very beneficial with discus.
 
Byron.

 

[elmo666]

Very good input from Byron. A 70 gallon tank, in my opinion, would be wasted if only a pair were to be kept. Even a breeding tank would not go much more than 20 gallons, so make the most of your 70 gallons and have a group of 6/7. A shoaling species with colour but little size compliment discus perfectly. Cardinals and neons fit the bill but look best in a large shoal, in your case 40+. Stepping up in size black phantoms or emperor tetra look good in lesser numbers. I like to include shrimp and otocinclus in a planted tank to keep any algal growth in check, a great clean up crew when employed with a nice group of coryadoras. I find the aforementioned plants do well, as do anubias and, as I found out by chance, banana Lilly, which look fab growing from substrate to surface giving good cover. As for angels, well the above reasons are correct for not having the two together. Also, I don't like the aesthetic of both. One or the other should be the focal point of your living picture.

 

[CoryFever]

Thank you for your input Byron, and everybody else I was considering getting a group, but I have my eyes set on a beautiful pair. If I can't get those, then a small group of juvies would be my second choice.

 

Very good input from Byron. A 70 gallon tank, in my opinion, would be wasted if only a pair were to be kept. Even a breeding tank would not go much more than 20 gallons, so make the most of your 70 gallons and have a group of 6/7. A shoaling species with colour but little size compliment discus perfectly. Cardinals and neons fit the bill but look best in a large shoal, in your case 40+. Stepping up in size black phantoms or emperor tetra look good in lesser numbers. I like to include shrimp and otocinclus in a planted tank to keep any algal growth in check, a great clean up crew when employed with a nice group of coryadoras. I find the aforementioned plants do well, as do anubias and, as I found out by chance, banana Lilly, which look fab growing from substrate to surface giving good cover. As for angels, well the above reasons are correct for not having the two together. Also, I don't like the aesthetic of both. One or the other should be the focal point of your living picture.

 
Also, would the discus eat the smaller tetras as angels do? It seems to me they would be aggressive towards a group of neons...

 

[elmo666]

I've never experienced any issues with discus and small tetra. I have around 40 cardinals and they co exist very well, the tetras move around the tank freely and are happy to feed along side the discus.

 

[Byron]

I would agree that discus eating the tetra is much less likely than it is with angelfish.
 
BTW, you mention neon tetra, you do not want these in with discus as the neons cannot last in such warm water; they are best around 75-77F.  Cardinals are warm water fish.