Discus and Angel Fish in a 36ish inch tank?

[Tombeaux]

Hey everyone, looking for advice. My 66 gallon tank is 39.4 inches long and 19.7 inches tall and 19.7 inches wide (or 100cm x 50cm x 50cm). I will never get a metric odd ball size again, but that is another topic for another time. 

I am wondering if it is ethical to keep either of these species in my aquarium. I'm looking at maybe one day having 5 or so in a group. But it appears to me that my tank might be right on the cusp of what is ethical.

I've heard angel fish should have 24" of height but then also that they can live solo in a 29... so would my tank be ok for them there?

I've heard discuss need a minimum of 4 feet but then I've seen them in 55 gallons with only 13 inches of depth... so would my tank be ok for them? 

 

[Lennie]

I have 2 angels in my 100x40x40. And I have a discus pair in their breeding tank 60x60x50cm. If I gotta be honest, I would go for angels only (but not big ones like altums) and no discus if you certainly want these two. If not building the tank specifically for these species, then I would consider gouramis.

First, discus are very limiting due to their big size, hot temp liking, and fragile nature. Mine are pain to feed well. I cant imagine keeping mine in a community setup. You need to consider anything that may block or injure them while decorating your tank. Not every plant will enjoy discus temps. I personally have mine in a setup with a simple tank with floating plants and background stem plants only

Angels are usually more flexible, hardier and easier to take care for, and should be much easier to source locally. The only problem is potential aggression and pairing up in the future. Stuff may go wrong and you should be ready for it. Are you willing to run another tank for or rehome the potential pairs, for example? Or any potential bully let's say

I know people keep discus in much smaller tanks for breeding purposes, but believe me, for a discus pair, even 60x60x50cm (47.5g/180 Liters) feels small. I wouldn't keep a group of discus in 100x50x50 myself. 

 

You can also consider gouramis. Pearl gouramis can be a nice one. I like my golds but they are known to be bullies I guess. I keep mine with my angels, but it has been 2 months early so I dont wanna recommend with such short time of experience. But pearls are known to be peaceful.

[Tombeaux]

Thanks Lennie, that's the kinda info I was looking for from everyone. I do love gouramis and kept them in the past. So I may do that again. But for now, I have unwittingly back myself into a boisterous Tiger Barb-centric/only set up for a while. 

[Lennie]

On 9/8/2023 at 12:32 AM, Tombeaux said:

Thanks Lennie, that's the kinda info I was looking for from everyone. I do love gouramis and kept them in the past. So I may do that again. But for now, I have unwittingly back myself into a boisterous Tiger Barb-centric/only set up for a while. 

Such tiger barb only setup is a dream tank for me. Hopefully one day! They look amazing 🙂

Edited September 7, 2023 by Lennie