Stradius011

Can discus thrive in a planted tank with guppies, neon tetras, angelfish, corydoras, a BN pleco and a pair of rams?

lew2000

I have two Blue Turquoise Discus in a community tank - except i don't have angle fish. Discus are fairly shy and require high water quality, usually frozen beefheart, or bloodworms, (they don't take to flake food very well), as well as benign community fish that won't chase them. With angle fish - i don't know if the angles will nip or chase them - Discus get stressed easily. If the angles are of a small species and don't chase other tankmates, and the discus larger it may work. Ask your LFS if they will take the Discus back for return or credit if from the start they are chase or nipped.

capekate

Hi Stradius
I have had my Discus with many community fish. The only one on your list that I had a problem with my Discus are the Angel fish. They just would not leave each other alone and chased each other around. They were just so mean to each other. I have had my Discus with rams, and pleco, they were fine. No neons, but have cardinal tetras, no problems either. Im thinking that the corycats preferred the water a little bit cooler than what you need for the Discus, so I never kept them in the Discus tank. I may be wrong about that, but I thought I had read that somewhere. Ive never kept guppies, so cant say about that. But normally, the Discus do not bother community fish. It was just those Angel fish that I had the problems with.

lew2000

The LFS that i buy from gets them from the breeder in typical 76-78 degree water. From what i have read and been told, to get them to breed definitly requires specific water conditions (pH) and 81-82 degree water. Most every LFS that i have gone to seems to keep fish at 77-79 degress unless it is a costly specific species.

capekate

Are you talking about the Discus or the Cories? Discus need a higher temperature and the water should be kept no cooler than 82-84* Im not sure how the cories like their water temp tho?

lew2000

sorry about that - i was talking about the discus. I got mine from an LFS which keeps the tanks at about 78, the breeder also raises them at this temp (didn't say what the breeding pairs were kept at). I watched these two in particular for about 8 weeks before i bought them. The cory's; panda, julii, skunk, etc., are also in 78/79 degree tanks which works for me since i keep my tank at 79 degrees. So yeah, when i read the literature about habitat, temp and all that, then i go a few LFS's around here and look at thier temps and pH, ask them what water parameters their suppliers have for raising fish species and the answer i get back is that these human bred fish are raised to be in generaly 7-7.6 pH, 77-80 degree water. As to breeding wter parameters, i assume those at least at this point have to be specific to natural water conditions to each species or maybe not given how much farm breeding is taking place.

capekate

Most LFS keep all their tanks at a mid range temperature regardless of the fish. Discus do best at a higher temp whether they are being bred or not. In my experience there are few places and breeders who will tell me differently. A lower temperature and they run the risk of disease due to stress. The low end being the 80* that was suggested to you by your LFS, is most likely do-able.
I personally would not keep my Discus in a 77* tank. But you are right, if breeding them, you strive for the best conditions possible, such as the low PH, and higher temps.

dvc_r

Hi capekate, I am new to Discus as a matter of fact, I just bought two today. I found your profile with your discus and tried to write you a message but I'm unable to. Would you mind if I asked you some questions. Please feel free to go on my profile, I've been also talking to Jess but as you know the more the merrier.

capekate

Congrats on your new Discus dvc_r,
I would suggest starting a new thread with your Discus questions as there are a lot of folks here with them and as you said, more the merrier and more folks that can offer their input. Jess is a great Discus keeper and I am sure you are getting the best advice from him as well.