South American Tank

[jaywings19]

As you can see in my sig below (and other post), I'm currently fishless cycling my 72G US tank. I already set up the tank with a South American motif in mind... black substrate, various (fake) plants, and driftwood.

My pH is at 7.0 (neutral) right now... but I haven't added in the driftwood yet... which will probably bring it down a tad. I have an Eheim Pro II 2026 canister filter... and I will be adding a bubble wand on a Rena air pump to get extra oxygen.

My dilemma (albeit a good one). . .
I am still undecided about the actual fish that I want to put in once the cycle is over. One idea revolves around a South American community tank... the other idea centers around Discus. Here's what I had in mind:

Community Setup
5-6 Angels (small) - just trying to get one or two "pairs" and return/exchange the rest
2-3 Apistogramma Cacat.
3-5 Silver Dollars - I have fake plants, so I'm not sure if that's ok for SD's
10 Neon Tetras - I'm aware of the potential danger with the Angels when grown up
5-6 Corydoras Sterbai - if my LFS can get them in for me
1 Pleco - gold nugget or zebra

Discus Setup
5-6 Discus - various types
1 Pleco - gold nugget or zebra
Other???

I like the Community Setup because it allows me to have a wider range of S.A. fish. However, I haven't ruled out the Discus idea... I stare at them in the LFS every time I go. I'm just not sure about what the right Discus tankmates would be. I am aware that Discus are timid and like the higher temperatures of 79-84F, which most other fish can't tolerate.

With 72G, I definitely have enough space to accomodate some Discus. I just want to make sure I can get some other variety of S.A. fish with the Discus.

If you had a 72G clean slate (like I do), then which way would you go? This is my first "large" tank, so I want to make sure that I don't start on the wrong foot.

Thanks.

 

[ryan]

I would personally go for the Discus set up and you could add the Apistos from the other idea and some tetras like Cardinals or Rummys and some Hatchets.

 

[CFC]

IMO no south american tank is complete without a species of pimeloid catfish which with the discus you will not be able to have. I would stick with the angels corys and silver dollars but go for a larger species of bottom dwelling cichlid and forget about the smaller tetras all together. Then i would add some of the medium sized pims like Pimelodus pictus or if you can find them one of the rarer ones like P.albofasciatus, P.maculatus or a group of P.gracillis

 

[ryan]

IMO no south american tank is complete without a species of pimeloid catfish which with the discus you will not be able to have. I would stick with the angels corys and silver dollars but go for a larger species of bottom dwelling cichlid and forget about the smaller tetras all together. Then i would add some of the medium sized pims like Pimelodus pictus or if you can find them one of the rarer ones like P.albofasciatus, P.maculatus or a group of P.gracillis

But thats because your catfish crazy and every tank should have a catfish.

 

[CFC]

Also just thought id add that unless you are prepared to pander to the discus needs for very soft acidic water and almost non existent nitrate levels then they wouldnt be the best idea, discus are hard work and unless you have tapwater that meets their requirements can be costly too since you will either need to buy R/O water or your own R/O unit.

 

[jaywings19]

Also just thought id add that unless you are prepared to pander to the discus needs for very soft acidic water and almost non existent nitrate levels then they wouldnt be the best idea, discus are hard work and unless you have tapwater that meets their requirements can be costly too since you will either need to buy R/O water or your own R/O unit.

My tap water naturally comes out neutral to slightly acidic. I just tested my new tank and it's still at neutral (7.0 pH). As mentioned before, I haven't added the driftwood yet, which will drop the pH slightly and make it acidic. The only water product I use is Wardley Chlor Out to remove the chlorine/chloramine.

No doubt, I am aware of the Discus requirement for clean/fresh water on a regular basis. My only concern is having someone take over the responsibilities when I'm away on vacation... but I'm sure all Discus owners have to deal with that too.

 

[drobbins27]

Get a red oscar Or get some convicts to breed the silver dollars are a great idea, they are an amazing fish. I wouldnt reccomend Discus only becasue it limits what other fish oyu have so terribly. Its up to you tho. Dont forget to post pics

 

[ryan]

Also just thought id add that unless you are prepared to pander to the discus needs for very soft acidic water and almost non existent nitrate levels then they wouldnt be the best idea, discus are hard work and unless you have tapwater that meets their requirements can be costly too since you will either need to buy R/O water or your own R/O unit.

Yes I was only joking, Discus are hard work and should only be attempted by a fish keeper with a few years of experience under his belt.

 

[Adrinal]

IF you have RO the discus can be a nice tank. And their mating habbits are cool, IF YOU WANT to raise fry (for me.. been there done that). Otherwise, they are kinda boring fish IMO.

Bristol nose pleco is the only plec I would recommend (there may be others, but this is the only one I have kept that actually did not grow 2 million feet a day. The one plec I have now takes care of the whole 75g tank and that gets dim light for 4 hours and full light for 12 hours a day! I havn't cleaned the inside of the glass for months. (course I am sure my water conditions are pretty good)

Ill try to think of some SA that I would like .