Setting Up A Discuc Tank!!

Hey everyone
I'm planning on setting up a discus tank.
It's supposed to be a grow-out tank for 10-12 discus (size : 2.5-3" max )

As I have no previous experience with discus, I have a few questions which you experienced folks will hopefully help me with :

1)Would a tank ( 3.5ft long × 1.5ft wide × 2ft high) (or 78 gallons) be sufficient for growing 10-12 juvenile discus optimally? (Of course considering other optimal conditions -feeding, water changes etc are being provided )

2)would a 20-30 % water change every day or 50% change every other day work ? if yes, then which would be better?

3)would a good sponge filter only be enough filtration?

4)would I need a heater if the temperature throughout the day remains from 25-28°C but at night varies from 18-24°C?

5) would sump filtration be compulsory if I were to later convert the same tank to a community tank with dirt plus sand substrate? OR would an internal filter which does 800 gallon/hour plus the original sponge filter be sufficient?

6) should I keep any bottom feeder such as plecos or corydoras in the grow out tank to help keep it 'clean' during water changes ?

I REALLY AM LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR REPLIES AND TO KEEPING DISCUS SO PLEASE DO HELP ME OUT HERE!!

P.S : much appreciated if you guys answer in the same sequence that I asked the questions. I'm a bit ocd about it plus it really does make things simpler

Thanks I'm advance

 

I would recommend you refer to this site and do some reading as you are new to discus. I see some issues with your plan, but I am not at all OCD and will never be able to follow your sequence of questions before going off in a tangent.

 

I'll go through that for sure but what do you think is wrong with my plan ?

 

Discus require much more care than other fish relatively speaking. there's a reason they're so expensive. I can't answer a lot of these questions as I don't own discus, but you do need a heater I believe most people keep their discus at 82 if not higher. are you growing them out to be 2.5-3" inches or full grown size. and why are you just simply having it as a grow out tank?

 

If you aren't concerned with optimum growth, sure, the water change volume and frequency that you plan on doing will be fine. Others do 50-75% daily for optimum growth. I would recommend you read Disc61's sticky on water changes in the discus section.
The amount of discus and aquarium size for grow out is fine, but you will need to relocate to a 90 gallon for (10) or 125 for (12) when approach 4 inches.
A sump is not necessary for a discus tank, but popular with some people who have discus.
The biggest problem you will find is having a dirted tank and discus. You will find a handful of very experienced aquarists ( in discus and plant care) are successful at this and a majority of those who attempted simply lost fish to disease or plants because of needs of fish. In other words, what is good for plants is bad for fish and vice versa.
No need for bottom feeders- they produce more waste than benefits for discus tank.

 

If you aren't concerned with optimum growth, sure, the water change volume and frequency that you plan on doing will be fine. Others do 50-75% daily for optimum growth. I would recommend you read Disc61's sticky on water changes in the discus section.
The amount of discus and aquarium size for grow out is fine, but you will need to relocate to a 90 gallon for (10) or 125 for (12) when approach 4 inches.
A sump is not necessary for a discus tank, but popular with some people who have discus.
The biggest problem you will find is having a dirted tank and discus. You will find a handful of very experienced aquarists ( in discus and plant care) are successful at this and a majority of those who attempted simply lost fish to disease or plants because of needs of fish. In other words, what is good for plants is bad for fish and vice versa.
No need for bottom feeders- they produce more waste than benefits for discus tank.

Thanks it was pretty helpful

Discus require much more care than other fish relatively speaking. there's a reason they're so expensive. I can't answer a lot of these questions as I don't own discus, but you do need a heater I believe most people keep their discus at 82 if not higher. are you growing them out to be 2.5-3" inches or full grown size. and why are you just simply having it as a grow out tank?

Umm I plan to get them when they're 2.5 - 3 " in size and grow them (hopefully) to full adult size

And what do you mean why I'm using it only as a grow out tank?

 

Thanks it was pretty helpful

Your welcome, another detail I forgot, if you do large (50-75%) daily water changes in the grow out tank... then two sponge filters will be adequate for filtration in this size tank. Breeders often add Seachem's Stability to water after water-changes 2-3x a week to aid the biological filtration.