Restarted Tank

[ifarrell93]

i know i asked for opinion but i might be getting a little frustrated over possibly not being able to keep my awesome new fish. (and yes i have done my research) and i know i don't have a pair of cory i was just stating past experience. also i don't have a bottomless wallet, and can't really afford to buy 5 or 6 discus at once (let alone tank room). one or 2 at a time is probably my limit. why can't i get my link to work?

 

[minnnt]

I know that feeling. If you're struck on the Discus then rehome your Shark and Gourami and add to the Cory numbers. You could add a couple more Discus i guess, but you would need to do this with a bigger tank in mind soon imo.

 

[soybean]

i know i asked for opinion but i might be getting a little frustrated over possibly not being able to keep my awesome new fish. (and yes i have done my research) and i know i don't have a pair i was just stating past experience. also i don't have a bottomless wallet, and can't really afford to buy 5 or 6 discus at once. one or 2 at a time is probably my limit. Just copy and paste:
www.#114###.co.uk/chrisdiscus.htm

I appreciate it's frustrating. I'm having to rehome some bolivian rams which I have wanted for ages and have become attached to, however my dwarf gourami simply will not tolerate them, and I'd rather keep him. I can't have it both ways. Sometimes you have to compromise on fish and tanks. And it can be very expensive. It's about what's best for the fish, not you.

By all means, keep the discus. Add another if you like. But they'll be pretty miserable in just a pair and far too small a tank. One website saying contrary to these facts is not enough.

And again, by all means, keep one cory, if you believe it will be fine (simply being alive does not always equate 'happy fish'). It will be lonely and nervous without others of it's kind and you're missing out on seeing some far more natural behaviour. Also, the majority of corys need to be kept at lower temps than discus, so currently depending on your temp it's either too hot for the cory (and most of the other fish, actually), or too cool for the discus.

I would return the discus, myself.

 

[ifarrell93]

fixing the cory population is something i can do but it would take longer to fix the discus problem

 

[soybean]

fixing the cory population is something i can do but it would take longer to fix the discus problem

Exactly, and in the meantime the one you have is in a less than ideal setup. I'm sure it's a beautiful fish to watch but it's always a setup idea you could return to in the future when you can spend time and money on it properly.

Good luck with it anyway.

 

[coldcazzie]

The website is blocked.

As for discus, I have a 55gal and I wouldn't consider keeping discus in it. Not even a pair. Have you seen how big discus get? They get the size of dinner plates. 10 inches plus. And need to be kept in shoals. Ie, the more the better. If I upgrade to a 5x2x2 or 6x2x2 I might investigate keeping them in it, but if it is agreed that even this would not be suitable then I wouldn't keep them. I certainly wouldn't buy them out of stubbornness - "I want to keep them therefore it's fine"

 

[ifarrell93]

i know the quality is pretty bad but it was taken with my ipod touch

 

[ifarrell93]

What is the official size of a full grown discus. i understand that they can get up to 10-12 inches
but i keep getting either 6-7" or 10-12" Which is it? is 6-7" the norm and 10-12" a rarity or something like that?

 

[Didge007]

I'm having to rehome some bolivian rams which I have wanted for ages and have become attached to, however my dwarf gourami simply will not tolerate them, and I'd rather keep him.

I know how that feels. I bought two GBR (thankfully turned out to be a pair) and my dwarf gourami HATED them being together. When I took female GBR out all was peaceful, popped her back in and everyone went mental. Took Dwarf Gourami out and put him in with the neons (different tank) problem solved and breeding GBRs

 

[Mowbz]

Define "need" any cory i ever had did fine in pairs with gravel

Need - A basic requirement or necessity.

i.e These fish naturally shoal in the wild, in huge numbers. Its considered in the confined space of an aquarium that 6 is a suitable number of "friends" to have around them for social interaction, general wellbeing. Safety in numbers eh?

Sand substrate is not "100% Standard" for Corys, yes they can live with Gravel. But then you can live with a serious illness, but it wont make you happy....

The replies on this basis are for the overall wellbeing of the fish. Sand makes them happier than gravel. If you havent had Corys and sand, you wouldnt have noticed.....

 

[soybean]

I'm having to rehome some bolivian rams which I have wanted for ages and have become attached to, however my dwarf gourami simply will not tolerate them, and I'd rather keep him.

I know how that feels. I bought two GBR (thankfully turned out to be a pair) and my dwarf gourami HATED them being together. When I took female GBR out all was peaceful, popped her back in and everyone went mental. Took Dwarf Gourami out and put him in with the neons (different tank) problem solved and breeding GBRs

I took the gourami out for two weeks and rearranged the tank decor, hoping he'd forget his claim over it. Popped him back in and he went straight for a ram. So gouramis have a memory of at least a fortnight )

--

OP, in that tank your discus will not likely reach 10-12". It hasn't got enough room. But they have the potential to and should be kept in a tank suitable for maximum adult size.

 

[hanny93]

Just to show you that cories and discus live in huge groups and hopefully you'll realise how sad yours must be.
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXDrfXTOAPw (cories)
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=B99IuJ2t34M&feature=related (discus, not the best but you can make them out)

Seriously, listen to the advice given, give/sell that one discus because your tank isnt big enough to keep him and the friends he needs properly.

 

[ifarrell93]

What would you say to keeping the discus until it outgrows the tank?

also i know it's not the 6+ that heard of but i now have 3 corys problem slightly fixed.

 

[Louiseness]

What would you say to keeping the discus until it outgrows the tank?

The proble here is that if it's in a too-small tank it probably won't grow as it should.

That sounds like I'm saying 'it'll only grow to the size of the tank' which seems good but it means you could end up with a stunted, deformed or quite possibly dead fish.

 

[soybean]

What would you say to keeping the discus until it outgrows the tank?

also i know it's not the 6+ that heard of but i now have 3 corys problem slightly fixed.

Glad you've added more corys, 3 are far better than 1.

You risk stunting that discus and affecting its quality and length of life in a small tank. It is also a shoaling fish! It's not fair living conditions for it. I don't know how else to say it. I don't know how anyone else can say it.

You need to rehome the discus OR buy a tank large enough for a GROUP of them. As you've already said you can't at the moment afford a new tank (and I know how frustrating that is) the discus has to go.

You can ignore all the advice or suggestions given - that's your right. But I don't think anyone is going to give you the nod you're looking for to keep it.