Can I add discus to a community tank?

[FishyGirl]

Hi! I would love to get these 6 fish, could I add discus to the mix, if so how many, if fish conflict with it which ones, I have a 75 gallon

Kuhli loaches 

honey gouramis 

Bolivian ram

angelicas loach

angel fish is possibilitie not completely sure yet

if I don’t do angel fish will do rummy nose tetra 

[nabokovfan87]

This is a really good reference tank. @jwcarlson help us out!
 

 

[Lennie]

@jwcarlson may respond this better.

from what I know, discus is a schooling fish as well as angels, so you need to keep them in big groups.

the problem with discus in community tanks is, discus are much more fragile to water parameters and diseases compared to many other fish. They also prefer different water temperatures that most fish don’t like. So I don’t think adding a discus is really a possibility. Def not a single one.

If you are not experienced with fish keeping, I would skip angels as well. They tend do be tank bullys, they prefer to be in big groups, and after they reach maturity they may get paired and that pair may potentially bully the tank even more. So you always need a second backup plan when you have angels in a tank.

I didn’t recommend it as you said you like honey gouramis, but if you’d like something bigger, you can keep pearl gouramis instead as well. They are really pretty. But it is not adviced to keep different gouramis together, so you will have to go with the species you like!
 

 

[Andy's Fish Den]

Discus can definitely be kept in a community tank, but I wouldn't keep just one in the tank. I always recommend at least three discus, if not more. One thing to keep in mind, discus like and prefer warmer water temps, in the 82*+ range, and some fish will not fare as well at those higher temps. 

[jwcarlson]

75, in my opinion is about as small as I would go for discus as you should have six of them together at least. 

Unfortunately, the fish you mentioned aren't necessarily good tank mates.  If you want discus, do a discus tank.  If you want a community tank with some of the splashes of color that discus offer, I'd do it with something else.  

I keep mine at 85 degrees, though they can do downnto about 82 long term.  I do have rummynose and lemon tetras in my 75 with 8 discus.  But I am also doing 90% water changes every night. 

That said... You can find people with one-off, largely temporary situations where they've got discus and bettas or discus and goldfish working if you go scouring the internet.  Just don't fool yourself that those situations are normal. 🙂

Angelfish and discus can be done together, but typically in much larger setups.  Haven't done it myself though.  

[gardenman]

I've seen videos of discus being collected in the wild and the variety of fish they pull out with the discus is impressive and includes fish I'd never think to pair with discus. Pike cichlids seem to be caught a lot with discus.

Besides the water temp and water quality issues, food might be another issue. Discus don't necessarily eat the same foods in the same sizes as some of the other fish you mention. Keeping everyone properly fed and happy could be an issue.

[FishyGirl]

Looking at the video from up above he seems to have an open tank, I have two tank decorations, with hiding places, I plan to put in some live plants as well, would this be too crowded for discus?

[AllCichlidsAllDay]

My tank may be up for debate but I keep discus in a community tank along with blue Acara, apistos, flame dwarf gourami, elec blue gourami, angel, platinum parrot,  geophagus, neons and Cory cats  82 degrees, planted/drift wood, sand, 6.6 pH

 

[Tazalanche]

From my personal experience raising & breeding discus for about 5 years, angelicus loaches (botia kubotai) & rummynose would work well with a school of discus, at discus temperatures. That being said, I would not have less than 6 each of any of the fish I just mentioned. If you have problems finding angelicus loaches, zebra loaches are an excellent option. Yoyos are okay, but the other two are MUCH better. If you don't have problems finding angelicus loaches, please send me a PM with where you're getting them, because I have been unable to find a good source in about 4 years & my school of them is over 7 years old, so they need some younger friends to hang out with. I want another dozen.

Also, unless the discus are split off into breeding pairs, I don't recommend anything less than a 75 gallon for a school of 6. A good rule of thumb for discus is 10 gallons each, to help with stable, clean water conditions.

While angelfish & discus can handle the same parameters, they do not always get along well. The angels will usually outperform the discus for food.

As to the others you mentioned, 
Kuhli loaches - I once had some with discus, but they made my juvenile discus very jumpy & were only active at night, which probably didn't help matters.

honey gouramis - I have no experience with gouramis & discus

Bolivian ram - These are a much cooler water fish than discus. I do not recommend the two species to be together.

Edited March 7, 2023 by Tazalanche

[FishyGirl]

Ok thanks!

Would a tank with 2 decorations with lots of wholes and hiding spaces along with live plants be crowded for discuses

And where do you get your discus?

[mynameisnobody]

@FishyGirl 2 decorations with holes is too vague. Your best bet is to post a photo. 

[FishyGirl]

OK, I will do that when i get home

[anewbie]

Another thing to consider is that adult discus are very expensive and young discus need very warm temps (85-87 recommended by most); and very clean water. An aquarium that is heavily stocked is not likely to have very clean water. I'm mixed on keeping loaches with cichild; i currently have 10 clown loaches and 10 zebra loaches with my angelfishes in a 120; the loaches definitely keep my angels up at night which isn't the best thing in the world for them. The aquarium itself is a bit crowded but in another month they will be move to a 550 and I'm hopeful the additional room will make it easier for the angels to find a quiet spot for the night. 

 

btw honey gouramis you want will definitely suffer at discus temperatures. 

[AndEEss]

To paraphrase JP Morgan, “If you have to ask, the answer is no.”

Seriously. Discus require temperatures that are going to really, really rough on the listed fish you currently own. And, 75g is a pretty small tank for 6 fish that will get to be 6”+ in diameter. I have a 5x2x2 and think that’s too small for them.

 

[FishyGirl]

[FishyGirl]

On 3/7/2023 at 2:47 PM, mynameisnobody said:

@FishyGirl 2 decorations with holes is too vague. Your best bet is to post a photo. 

Here are those pics, I do not have a tank yet, will have it by April may ish,

[AndEEss]

Again: the fish you plan to keep are NOT compatible with each other.

 

[FishyGirl]

I will say the fish I “keep” are fish I hope to GET

I can and will change it up, because I really enjoy discus and according to research I have been doing I can keep them. I just need to know if the  tank decor is crowded.

[Lennie]

The people who make suggestions here have numerous years of experience in the hobby bud. And some are directly keeping the fish you desire.

If you search enough online, you can find a source that you can base your idea easily under most circumstances. Internet is full of people who read stuff and gate keeping and copy pasting what they read all the time. There is really only a few that base their ideas on their experiences. Fishkeeping as a hobby is really ducked up in general due to the community. Majority of fishkeepers are far from caring about their animals and aiming to provide a healthy life. If you find a source that tells you you can keep a goldfish in a 10 liter bowl, I would not be surprised.

Making a research is great! I highly recommend it. But you should be able to pick and choose the good info. And that kinda requires a good amount of experience as well. You should combine what you read with your own fishkeeping knowledge.

I'm not sure you are paying attention to what people are saying here, coming from the fact that you are more focused on the decoration rather than what people are saying.

GL

Edited March 8, 2023 by Lennie

[FishyGirl]

I have been really paying attention to the people on here, I have a list of things people have said, I have watched the Aquarium co op videos and read their articles, that is where I am getting my info, from what I have piled up I can keep discus and now I am trying to figure out my tank decor, I was not  trying to come of as rude or snarky or that I wasn’t paying attention , I apologize if I did, I am very tired this morning.

[Lennie]

I might've misunderstood you as well then. I didn't mean to sound harsh either. Sorry if I offended you by any means. It is really hard to understand the tone while texting something.

I'm glad you are asking and trying to learn. That puts you ahead of most people in this hobby already. I have no experience with discus so I cannot really comment on the decoration, except potential sharpness and stucking situations, which is valid for most fish I bet.

My clumsy fish even manage to hurt themselves even by a driftwood. So I am always hesitant about decorations myself.

Hope you can have your tank as the way you desire. You can check @jwcarlson's discus journal if you like. I'm dropping the link below!

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by Lennie

[anewbie]

Honestly given the price point for discus and their more specialize care they are not a good species for someone who has not been keeping fishes for a few years; I'm a total newbie but i have learned a few things the past 5 years (I've been keeping fishes longer than 5 years but quite a few of those years was pre-internet) that I didn't know such as cold water from the faucet is not healthy for warm blooded fishes and bi-weekly 50% water changes are really helpful for fishes that require very clean water and a host of other things that you might not be aware of if you are new in this hobby. Also I would check the kh/gh/tds of your tap water (unless you are setting up a dedicated ro system) before deciding what species you want. Some people have ultra soft water (good for sa species) and others have ultra hard water (good for ca, lake african species and most live bearers); yes you can put a a soft water fish in hard water and it won't die right away (most of the time); but it isn't all that healthy for long term life expectancy (again this becomes species specific); and keeping hard water fishes in soft water can be just as harsh on the fish. Like wise for temp; you can keep discus at 80 but (esp if young) won't handle it well and in a few weeks or month they might die; conversely you can keep danio at 88; but after a while they aren't going to be doing so well.

 

anyways good luck - let us know how it turns out.

Edited March 8, 2023 by anewbie

[jwcarlson]

On 3/7/2023 at 9:41 AM, FishyGirl said:

Looking at the video from up above he seems to have an open tank, I have two tank decorations, with hiding places, I plan to put in some live plants as well, would this be too crowded for discus?

I'm not saying I am some sort of authority, but if you look at my journal.  I have a 75 and one piece of driftwood feels cramped a bit sometimes.  😄

Those decorations are not my style at all, but I am 100% confident saying discus would spook frequently and injure themselves on them.  I had one take a chunk out of their head and the only thing in the tank at the time was fish and sponge filters. 

 

Have you kept fish before?  Suggesting anyone who hasn't had fish before to even consider discus is probably setting up for failure or at least a lot of heartache.  

Don't get me wrong, I love ACO... But I am not convinced that their videos about discus paint the most accurate picture.  Additionally, my understanding is that their tap water up there is basically discus ready right out of the faucet. While I keep discus in my tap water, there is a LOT of chemistry behind the scenes that needs to be considered.  Ammonia toxicity is a very real problem for someone keeping fish at 8.3 pH whereas someone with soft, acidic tap water basically won't need to worry at all. 

So know that everyone here wants to help you succeed because we all get extra credits at the next Fish Cult meeting if you're successful. 🤣

I would highly suggest you shelf the discus idea.  I shelfed it for 20 years and waited.  It was the right thing to do as I would have absolutely killed them all and been really discouraged. 

Edited March 9, 2023 by jwcarlson

[FishyGirl]

OK, thank you! Could most fish cut themselves on decor like this? I am disappointed on no discus  but they will be worth the wait, although I am sad I am also sort of happy, lol, if i had ended up with discus a fish I really like, I would have had to probably leave two of my favorite fishes behind, honey guramis and kuhli loaches! Thank you for ya'alls advice!

• Have you kept fish before?  Suggesting anyone who hasn't had fish before to even consider discus is probably setting up for failure or at least a lot of heartache.  

No I have not kept fish before.

[Lennie]

If you like honey gouramis, You can definitely keep more than 3 in a 75g!