# discus questions!!!!!!!



## mermaid (Jul 22, 2005)

alrighty, another idea ive gotten is to get several discus, enough to look like several LOL maybe like 6-10 would be cool
questions... 
how big of an aquarium would i need once they were fully gorwn?
would a 55 be a big enough grow out tank?
is it true that a zebra pleco can go in with them?(always wanted one)
should i get some other schooling fish? (like neons or...???) to make them feel more comfortable?
any other advice????
thanks everyone! i just hope someone answers, since no one has posted in this forum in a while, oh well!


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

Well you could start them out in a 55 gallon when they are younger, but they will need eventually at least 10 gallons per fish..but they are slow growers. I had almost 10 in a 55 gallon for a long time and never had a prob but you have to stay on top of your water/cleaning/parameters etc. And certain plecos are fine, don't know a lot about them but I've seen several types in w/ Discus. Also Neons/Cardinals/Rummynose are also fine. I tried them but they kept dieing so didn't want to be possibly introducing diseases so I gave that idea up considering how much I spent per fish. I also tried some cories and my discus killed a few and plucked a few of their eyes out, so I won't try that again. But I've heard they can go well together, just not in my tank I guess. They are a lot hardier than ppl think, I started out w/ Discus knowing nothing about fish, and never lost one. I do use RO water and never overfeed to keep my water as pristine as possible and low on waste. But if you keep parameters up to par they are just as easy as any other fish. Good luck! They are great fish!!!!


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## mermaid (Jul 22, 2005)

thanks so much, so id be able to keep 10 in a 55 while they are young, then switch over to a 100g and they would all be happy?

at what size should i put them into the new aquarium? like as a goal, before they got to be __ inches that id have them a new home ready to go


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

Well although others may disagree I have done this, they have plenty of room, seem very happy and had no probs w/ water parameters or fish probs. Mine were up to 4 inches I believe before I switched.


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## mermaid (Jul 22, 2005)

alrighty... thank you! now i just have to come up with some $$money$$! ah well must start job searching hehe 

how expensive is it to set up a planted aquarium?... i read that they like that type of set up, but ive never done one, ive had bulbs that i bought from walmart but those things are crazy!!! and i need to start comparing prices of 100g aquariums in about a month or two, omgosh! sooo much money that i need, to bad i cant get a loan for this! LOL sorry, got a little off topic there

thanks soooo much once again! :-D


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

I have fake plants, I was a beginner when I got the discus so fish were enough to deal with for me. I will soon be starting plants in the tank but will also have to ask the details of how and what to do myself. So I am not sure on that part what all it entails.


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## DavidDoyle (Jan 18, 2005)

Although it is not mandatory, most discus keepers will tell you to keep them in bare bottom tanks. When kept in a planted with substrate the amount of vacuuming needed is intense.

Sterbais are a good cory to keep with them as the sterbai can take the higher temps discus need. Zebras plecos can as well.

At their heart, discus are still cichlids. They pair, and when they do they become intolerant of others.


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## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

I actually keep mine w/ substrate and a few plants although my plants hang from the sides rather than in the substrate. I just hated bare bottom for looks and poo on the bottom hhehe, I felt I'd clean it that much more due to funk showing visibly. And to be honest I only have to vacuum every week or even two. I never overfeed, thats the first mistake I made in the beginning and I cleaned it constantly. Plus I switched to RO water and thats made all the difference inthe world. 
And whats weird is everyone always told me to have even numbers so they can pair, and dangit out of my 10 only 2 have ever really paired, the rest do their own things. If anything they are more like a pack or doing their own thing.


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