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3 Responses to “Is this a good set up for a 4 discus 55 gallon tank (starting with Juvenal discus)?”
first of all discus like being in groups of 6 or more second you need at-least one adult when you have a group of juveniles because they will bully the smallest juvenile to death if there is no adult. second they wont fit in a 55 go for a 75 gal.
third discus are sensitive i wouldn’t recommend 3 changes a week there can be too much of a good thing you know.
forth discus need Real plants the fake ones just wont due.
fifth your filter: hob’s are OK but i would go with a canister filter.
I had a question a while back just like yours but ive leaned alot since then email me if you want to ask me any other questions about fish in general.
to many fish for a start up and the price of discus I would wait to add them till the tank had cycled good also I wouldn’t put any other fish with them tetras can be nippers and discus can and are very particular I would use live plants
the tank size is good
I have a total of 17 discus right now I have 9 in one 55 right now they are still small and just got in 8 that are in a 29 pending movement to a planted 55 once grown I will have 4 to 6 per 55 and 2 in each of my 29’s and then 10 to 12 in my 125 gallon tank
when done all tanks will be planted starting out I am useing bare tanks due to it being the best way to quarintine them
The only way I would recommend 4 adult Discus for a 55 gallon tank would be if you get two pairs (the fish pick their partners, you don’t). If you have 4 unpaired fish, the tank will be a virtual battleground, which is not good for easily-stressed fish like Discus. Other than that, the stocking sounds fine– just be sure you get Catfish that stay small (like Cories or Glass Cats), not something like an Iridescent Shark (which is a Catfish) that will turn into a hulking monster. Your maintenance sounds perfect, as 2-3 small water changes offer far less stress than a single larger one would. Really, live plants would be ideal, but there isn’t a whole lot of difference in the end, as the plants won’t have a huge affect on water quality. Just be sure there are a LOT of plants, whether plastic, silk, or live, as well as tall driftwood for them to hide behind. The filtration is perfect, and really, the Biowheel 400 offers a fair bit more biological (the most important for Discus) filtration than most canisters do.
December 27th, 2009 at 6:45 am
Gerald Paddock
first of all discus like being in groups of 6 or more second you need at-least one adult when you have a group of juveniles because they will bully the smallest juvenile to death if there is no adult. second they wont fit in a 55 go for a 75 gal.
third discus are sensitive i wouldn’t recommend 3 changes a week there can be too much of a good thing you know.
forth discus need Real plants the fake ones just wont due.
fifth your filter: hob’s are OK but i would go with a canister filter.
I had a question a while back just like yours but ive leaned alot since then email me if you want to ask me any other questions about fish in general.
December 29th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Nelson Heist
to many fish for a start up and the price of discus I would wait to add them till the tank had cycled good also I wouldn’t put any other fish with them tetras can be nippers and discus can and are very particular I would use live plants
the tank size is good
I have a total of 17 discus right now I have 9 in one 55 right now they are still small and just got in 8 that are in a 29 pending movement to a planted 55 once grown I will have 4 to 6 per 55 and 2 in each of my 29’s and then 10 to 12 in my 125 gallon tank
when done all tanks will be planted starting out I am useing bare tanks due to it being the best way to quarintine them
good luck with your discus
December 30th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Wayne Pickens
The only way I would recommend 4 adult Discus for a 55 gallon tank would be if you get two pairs (the fish pick their partners, you don’t). If you have 4 unpaired fish, the tank will be a virtual battleground, which is not good for easily-stressed fish like Discus. Other than that, the stocking sounds fine– just be sure you get Catfish that stay small (like Cories or Glass Cats), not something like an Iridescent Shark (which is a Catfish) that will turn into a hulking monster. Your maintenance sounds perfect, as 2-3 small water changes offer far less stress than a single larger one would. Really, live plants would be ideal, but there isn’t a whole lot of difference in the end, as the plants won’t have a huge affect on water quality. Just be sure there are a LOT of plants, whether plastic, silk, or live, as well as tall driftwood for them to hide behind. The filtration is perfect, and really, the Biowheel 400 offers a fair bit more biological (the most important for Discus) filtration than most canisters do.