Tank size for discus?

Please what's the minimum tank size to keep 4 to 6 baby discus in?thanx in advance.

 

I would advise no less than six discus as they are social fish.
60 litres per fish minimum.

 

50 litre per adult?I want to know for babies?3 foot tank?4 foot tank?heater,aquaclear hang on filter with bare bottom just tiles?

 

3foot for babies will be just fine. Lots of water changes if you going to ffeed things like BH

 

What's the minimum price for normal colour babies?

 

That's a hard question any thing from 120 rand to 500 speak to @Altum and @Marco

 

I'd say do it right from the beginning and get a 500 or 600L

 

I respectfully disagree with this - not in terms of GETTING as such, but growing out babies in such a big tank will be a HUGE waste of water with the many big water changes that they need. Power for heating, too. Also, if they are forced to be in close proximity one won't get constantly chased away from the food. In my opinion it would be better to start them in a 250 litre or so, 3 foot would be fine imho, move them into a big tank after about 6 months. But do get the big tank going in the meantime.

And yeah, 6 at least, which means an adult tank of at least 400 litres. Discus space wars can go on for ever: 70 litres per fish! 90! 100 or you're a bad fish parent! But I feel that 400 litres, 6 adults is quite reasonable.

 

A 3ft is only 100 liters... So at least a 4ft to start them out...

In my opinion, the bigger the better. The bigger the tank, the more stable the conditions. Regardless. The more waste in a 3ft, the worse the water conditions will be, and it will get there quickly too. Personally, having kept discus in the past, I would also not recommend less than 6. They do tend to fight with eachother. They are still cichlids. Always remember that.

 

I have to agree with @PsyXe regarding the tank size. I have a 3foot with 9young discus and they are doing fine. Yes, it is a little more work however all the discus have a chance to eat. @Seanj is also correct regarding 6 or mor and the aggression that takes place.

Well this is what works for me.

 

There should be no cost savings attempted when keeping discus... especially baby discus. You need to feed up to 8 times per day... yes, cleaning a 3 ft might be easier and cost less money to heat and water change, but a 3ft concentration of waste is much higher and detrimental to the fish than a larger tank. Also keep in mind that by the time you decide to upgrade the tank, the fish are more than likely going to be stunted in growth.

 

Hi.

I think the answer to this question is do what will work for you. There are two different schools of thaught here and both have valid points

 

@profmuis - I have 32 juvenile and semi adult fish in a 500L tank plus the sump - bare bottom - temperature is 31/32 deg, Ph 6 - 6,5ish - feed 8-10 times a day, do 20% water change every day with prepared water - and I must say, my fish are growing so well I am surprised myself. So I don't quite agree with the 1fish per 60L, as some guys have been saying. I also seem to think that a little competition at feeding time makes for a more active and lively fish. The one or two of them that were a little shy to begin with, have become more forceful when feeding and they all eat faster and more at feeding time. This is just my 2cents worth of my experience and what works for me.

 

Eros,i once had a lot of fish in my 500l aswell,eveything was going great,until something goes wrong!!!
Just a word of friendly advice,32 fish is way to many even with 20% wc every day!
It took 18 months for me untill the first things went wrong,and it ended up costly,

 

Hi guys,

The mistake in understanding the 60liter per fish "rule" stems from a simple misunderstanding of the logic of aquarium maintenance.

I will try explain this so a better understanding of why this rule gets put forward can be achieved, and also that the common misunderstandings be avoided.

Im going to assume that anyone wanting to keep discus has a good understanding of the nitrogen cycle. If not-DONT keep discus.
Taking into account the amount of food and waste that get produced by say 6 juvenile discus, being fed 6-10 times a day, we can safely assume that this will lead to a certain amount of Nitrate build up in a 24hr period per liter of water. Lets call this hypothetical value "X"

So to clarify-for this example - X is equal to nitrate buildup over 24hrs dissolved in 100 liters of water.

Now, if these fish are kept in 100liters of water your nitrate value per liter of water will be equal to X, as said above.
Logically, if kept in 200liters of water the value becomes X / 2 and this same equation can be applied as we go to greater volumes.

Next we must look at ideal levels of nitrates in the tank volume.
Lets assume the above mentioned value X (which as said before is equal to all nitrates caused by 6 juvenile discus in any 24hr period)
is equal to 50% of our ideal nitrate levels.
Then this would mean that after 48hrs, in a 100liters of water we will reach the ceiling of our ideal nitrate levels. We will then need to do a water change to bring the nitrate levels back in check.
If however the same amount of fish are kept in 200liters of water it will take 96hrs to reach the same level, and so we will effectively add 48hrs between needed water changes for every 100liters we add.
If one thus have a 500 liter tank it will mean you will hypothetically reach the same nitrate levels that a 100liter tank reaches in 48hrs by the 240hr mark.

Does this mean you cant keep discus in 100liters. Yes and no!
I raise upto 60 baby discus in a 100 liter tank until they are 3 mths old. However- the tank then has 3 sponge filters plus a Hob filter, and I do 75% water changes 2 x a day.
Can we all accomodate doing that many water changes every day? No. So its from here that the 60 liter per fish rule is born. If kept in 60 liters per fish you should be ok to raise them to healthy adults on a mere 20% water change every week. If less water per fish is allocated, then more water changes are needed.

And THAT brings us to the next set of problems @Seanj raised-doing large amounts of water changes are risky and cumbersome. Larger tanks are more stable due to less waste per liter and less required water changes. Fish are thus healthier and happier.

Discus can thus be kept in less water per fish, but this requires a clear understanding of the principles of keeping them, and diligence in sticking to it.

I hope this answers your question @Pofmuis and you have a better understanding of the process.

Rgds

Marco

 

Marco thanx a lot that's the best answer ever!!!!thank you for your time explaining every thing in detail I will start off with a 500 litre tank then.

 

Hi,

@Pofmuis.

I dont want to overcomplicate things-but want to just elaborate on something @PsyXe said earlier.
Ideally you want growing discus in as little water as possible. This now sounds contrary to all the advise I gave earlier, and yes, it can be confusing.
Thing is, with juvenile discus you want them in close proximity to each other so they kind of spur each other on at feeding time.
When they in a smaller tank it also makes it more difficult for one fish to become an outcast and be bullied to death.
So....ideally you want about 200liters for 6 to grow to about the 10cm mark, and then you move them to a bigger tank.

Again, this can be done differently and I always try and be open to different ways of doing things-its just some common pitfalls Id hope you can avoid.
Of course you can put them in the 500 liter tank but by using a divider you can effectively confine them to as little space as you choose. This way you get the best of both and you start off with the size tank you ideally want.

Rgds

Marco

 

Thanks @Marco well said agree with you 100%