here_fishy_fishy24

I just got a 55 gal, and I was wondering if a Discus would get along with JD's and a Yellow Lab?

AlyeskaGirl

I would say no. Discus are peaceful and delicate. Cichlids are aggressive.

http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-Discus.htm

here_fishy_fishy24

OK, thanks. I just thought they would get along because Discus are of the Cichlid species. There just so cool looking and I would love to have one. Oh well, maybe I'll try a Tiger Oscar instead. I LOVE having a bigger tank, so many choices.....

AlyeskaGirl

Just to let you know that a 55 gal is the minimum to house a single Oscar. That means NO other fish. lol They get huge and are messy!!

here_fishy_fishy24

Alright. I heard they can be really aggressive to, depends on the fish. Decisions, decisions..

AlyeskaGirl

I know, so many choices!! Just research fish is all I say. Decide if you want peaceful community, semi-aggresive or aggresive.

http://www.elmersaquarium.com/c106co...y6severums.htm

http://www.elmersaquarium.com/c106community1.htm

http://www.elmersaquarium.com/c106community2.htm

aquarist48

I'd say no on the Discus as well.

agabr123

the thing with cichlids is that it's not recommended to mix the different types of cichlids. there's south american, central american, malawi, etc. and they have very different requirements, and some can get extremely aggressive, and almost all cichlids get aggressive during spawning. discus are generally best in species only tanks, since they need temperatures of between 82-84 and most other freshwater species need 78-80, and they're pretty sensitive to water conditions.

Angela_96

The discus needs perfect water conditions, requiring some fishkeepers to do daily waterchanges to keep the ammonia,nitrates, nitrites down.
They also require a higher water temp, so you need to house them with fish that can handle the higher temps.

I will also say, they are not a fish for the aquariums that are less than a few months old, (they require very mature tanks) and very experienced fishkeepers.

btate617

A jack would pick at the discus and like said already discus need a pretty high temp in the tank. Also a 55 would be pretty small for discus. Another thing the yellow lab is an African cichlid, totally different water requirements. Look at some of the smaller cichlids for a 55 gal. Here's a few you could look at to get you started in the right direction.

Herotilapia multispinosa "Rainbow Cichlid"
Keyhole cichlid
Aequidens pulcher "blue acara"
There are lots of Apistogramma's to pick from
Cichlasoma salvini
Cryptoheros sajica "T-Bar cichlid"


There's lots you could do with a 55gallon but look around, the ones you mentioned won't really do well in there long term.

Brian