55 Gallon Tank Too small for discus?

I have decided that I finally want to take the plunge and get discus. I was debating putting them in my 125 or my 55. I am really wanting to get some larger fish for my 125 so I'm tossing around the idea of putting them in my 55 gallon. What do you think?

I will have a few other fish in there with them but the main thing is making sure they will be okay in the 55 gallon or if I should just forget about getting large fish in the 125 and just put them in there.

What would you do?

 

Personally I would do Discus in the 55g. See if you like them a lot and if you do then you can expand into the 125g if you wanted to.

 

That's a tough choice. a 125 gl Discus tank would be nice though. but myself I would probably go with the 55 gl. you can still put 5-6 in a 55 and you have less water to deal with, as much more water changes are headed your way.

 

I have a 55 gal discus tank.....they are doing awesome in there.....interested to see what everyone says.....good luck either way!!!!!

 

Lorabell how many do you have in your 55gl?

 

That's a tough choice. a 125 gl Discus tank would be nice though. but myself I would probably go with the 55 gl. you can still put 5-6 in a 55 and you have less water to deal with, as much more water changes are headed your way.

I do once a week water changes, I'm pretty religious about my water changes on my tanks.

I have a 55 gal discus tank.....they are doing awesome in there.....interested to see what everyone says.....good luck either way!!!!!

What kind do you have? Any photos?

 

I would start with a 55 gallon discus tank and move them into the 125g if you really like them (you probably will).

I do water changes every week too, I think it's a bit cruel to leave a fish in the same water for more than a few weeks. I would get discus, but, as a kid, I don't have the budget (or permission from mom and dad)

 

I do once a week water changes, I'm pretty religious about my water changes on my tanks.

I am sure you do, its just with Discus, they require more than once a week. and depending on what size you get will depend on how much. for instance juvies require once a day water changes. I am sure you'll do great for them.

 

I am sure you do, its just with Discus, they require more than once a week. and depending on what size you get will depend on how much. for instance juvies require once a day water changes. I am sure you'll do great for them.

Weird I didn't know this, everyone I know with discuss do maybe every other week 20% water changes with no issues. I'm pretty sure as long as my tank is cycled and my levels stay consistent I shouldn't have any issues. I mean I could be wrong but I know they aren't harder to keep than the seahorses or my reef tank, I personally think people talk them up too much.

 

I didn't do daily waterchanges on all my juvis. The ones that got two waterchanges a week did just as well as the ones with daily waterchanges did. Growth rate, color display, and general health was basically the same.

 

e_watson09, if you do get discus, be sure to post picture for us!

 

e_watson09, if you do get discus, be sure to post picture for us!

Yes, I agree, we love pictures!

 

From what I've read, discus are extremely sensitive to poor water quality and need extra water changes and higher filtration. One day I will have an awesome discus tank...unfortunately I can't justify paying $80-$120 per fish right now....(also I've heard that they're definitely not fish for beginners.)

 

Funny thing happened yesterday. I was offered a 55 gallon complete set up at a price I cannot passs up. And was thinking of doing discus. How about a undergravel/driven by two powerheads & a external power filter. (do not have the gph or sizes yet). Never attempted discus & I am seeking ANY info that I can get. Thanks!

 

50-60 gallon square tank is common for breeding paired discus.
People that talk about how hard Discus are to keep typically have hard water from a turbulent source high in disolved minerals. If you are keeping Sea Horses etc. with little difficulty, jump in feet first! Start with a small group in the 55, do your learning there. Then move up to the big one, they do well in a discus community or a community of smaller passive or semI aggressive fish. Keep that 55 ready in case they pair off or one gets sick. The biggest challenge if your water is reasonable is finding a good reliable source for healthy Discus with good genetics. A variety of current strengths is appreciated by Discus, temperature variations are not well tolerated.

A hard water source is a whole different chemistry challenge for Discus, but the reward is well worth the effort. I wouldn't attempt Discus in extremely hard water without first establishing a reliable softening method (not straight R/O water) and abundance of live plants. They can tolerate the hardness to a great degree if all other conditions are as close as possible to ideal and not prone to fluctuation. Discus do not like change (but are often manipulated to encourage breeding). If your local water conditions are poor, good luck finding a reliable local source of good Discus; consider ordering online or travelling to a store that mixes R/O water or has a better water source for their Discus.

 

Weird I didn't know this, everyone I know with discuss do maybe every other week 20% water changes with no issues. I'm pretty sure as long as my tank is cycled and my levels stay consistent I shouldn't have any issues. I mean I could be wrong but I know they aren't harder to keep than the seahorses or my reef tank, I personally think people talk them up too much.

They talk them up way to much. And most that do it don't even keep them. It all just depends on your feeding habits, how many fish are in the tank, and how large the tank is.

People take discus to be so sensitive that they will drop dead at the slightest change or problem. This is NOT true. A discus is a great canary for your coal mine. If you watch it, it will clearly show you there are problems. I'm not saying wait until you see the signs to fix the issues or do WCs, but if you aren't doing enough WCs and such.....the fish will let you know, not keel over and die.

Funny thing happened yesterday. I was offered a 55 gallon complete set up at a price I cannot passs up. And was thinking of doing discus. How about a undergravel/driven by two powerheads & a external power filter. (do not have the gph or sizes yet). Never attempted discus & I am seeking ANY info that I can get. Thanks!

Don't do under gravel filtration, traps WAY to much wastes. Go bare bottom or with sand substrate

Hard water is also played on to much. I know people that keep their fish in water with pH of 8 or so, and all the way down to 5. The key to water is to acclimate properly and keep it CONSISTENT. Don't go messing with your water to get it to 5 or whatever like you read in a book, you are probably just setting yourself up for failure when the pH crashes or swings to much. Consistency is the key, even if your water is a bit harder.

 

With you on the undergravel opinion! I like thin sand but sand requires slightly taller surfaces suitable for eggs. If the preferred surface is too close to the sand it gets disturbed when they fan the eggs.

 

Hats off to Slug!!!!!!!!! I totally agree......I have 7 of them in my 55(way overstocked)...they are doing awesome. I do weekly water changes(on all my tanks). I really think that if I were wanting to breed them I may do some things differantly. I do give them a well varried diet. My tank has pool filter sand, silk and plastic plants, monapI wood(sorry for spelling),and I do use 2 HOB filters(one rated for 60 gal and the other I believe for over 120 gal) that's the only thing Ive gone overboard with(but I over filter all my tanks)....I also keep their temp higher than other tanks......Was very proud some of the employees from my LFS were over just the other day and couldnt believe how georgeous and healthy looking they were

 

Any one of you here are able to hit 5.5 inches in 6-8 months from 1 inch juv?

 

I think that's a bit overkill for most hobbyist situations. First considering most would buy them larger to start (at least 2-3") and not wanting to get trophy or trophy breeder discus. That's a great growth rate for someone going for such high standards, and high standards are what most should shoot for....but its just not feasible for the normal working person. At least six feedings a day and multiple WCs per day, most people cannot afford to do that, not even myself. Great for someone more then a hobbyist (Like a breeder going for top quality stock for resale), impractical otherwise IMO.

 

Stunting is bad for the fish. Does anyone know if growing them too fast has negative consequences?

 

None that I know of has ever been recorded. Surely it can't be totally bad and widespread, as I know for a fact many breeders use the power grow method and people that have received their fish still breed them. I don't know, interesting question though.