AJanzen Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 Hey everyone, recently picked up a 30G Hex tank off of Kijiji. Thinking about going with Discus. Just wondering if the tank would be large enough for them. I would only put in 3. Also, would they be happy in such a small group and would I want them to all be the same type or would it be ok to mix different types? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damtrees Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 that would work for a pair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonNeko Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 (edited) I don't know much about Discus, but I'm pretty sure that's too small. I've seen them in 100g's usually. They require very clean tanks, which includes larger water changes than you would normally do (2-3 a week). A lot of leftover food is left on the bottom. I only know one member here with Discus, and his are in a 150g I think. There are about 5-10 in there, but still. I think their minimum tank size is 50g. Edited July 27, 2012 by DragonNeko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomuhs Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 Usually 1 discus per 10 gallons but depends if you put in substrate etc because that will effectively lower your amount of G you have in the tank. Discus feel comfortable in groups of 4+ but you should be ok with 3. It's ok to mix them up, just make sure you get them from a reputable source. Check out simplydiscus.com for more information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 You could probably stack them in a hex and don't they pack flat to ship..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJanzen Posted July 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 You could probably stack them in a hex and don't they pack flat to ship..... I heard they ship them in old pringles containers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 (edited) You could probably stack them in a hex and don't they pack flat to ship..... I heard they ship them in old pringles containers Who told you that as that's so wrong!! Everyone knows they use the tubes they make burgers in and put wax paper in between pattiies... I mean fish. Edited July 28, 2012 by fishclubgirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJanzen Posted July 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 All jokes aside, sounds like 3 discus could be happy in this tank. Not gonna happen for at least a month as I've been given strict instructions on our fish budget but when I do go all out I'll post pics. Thanks everyone, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevolutionBoas Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 3 discus will not be happy in this tabk. You will have a run that will get the crap beat out of him and a pair if your lucky. Otherwise you will have one really nice one and 2 that are beat nearly to death. If you want discus spend the money and invest in a pair. I am waiting for Rick at Canadian Aquafarm Discus hatchery to get in some adult ARSGs for myself. I had a member on here pm me and slag rick pretty hard then offered to send me pictures of his fish instead. Fish were never sent and it left a bad taste for this member. Rick went out of his way to pair 2 discus for me, how many people would do that for a customer 1000km away without even a deposit down? Hos next shipment comes in aug september we could do a joint prder and split shipping if you want. This will gove you time to get set up as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprucegruve Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 3 discus will not be happy in this tabk. You will have a runt that will get the crap beat out of him and a pair if your lucky. Otherwise you will have one really nice one and 2 that are beat nearly to death. If you want discus spend the money and invest in a pair. I agree with this statement,Glad someone said it. This would be a perfect tank for breeding a pair,but this is not a good tank to try to get a pair in. Feeding discus can be messy and easy to over feed so you will need to do large water changes on this tank(all discus appreciate w/c) Also discus appreciate being in groups of 6 or more,unless you have a breeding pair. They look like very peaceful fish,but when in spawning they will defend their territory,not to mention when first introduced into your tank they will initially "peck" at each other to establish who is the dominant one of the group. There is not much room to hide/swim/claim territory in a 30 gallon hex.If your going for a school of discus I would recommend a 4ft long tank minimum just so they have room to swim and school Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quetzalcoatl Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 I keep discus, and I think your tank is too small. Discus look cute but they are aggressive and grow large 6 to 8 inches. I keep mine in a 230 gallon tank, and there is a dominant guy who picks fights with the others and chases them around. They also love hiding, so you need tall hiding spaces and plants in the tank. In addition discus are extremely picky with respect to water conditions. A larger tank with excellent filtration ensures the chemistry of the water is more stable and big spikes in the tank parameters, that can kill your discus, are less likely to occur. Finally discus are more likely to survive in a home aquarium if you buy them close to full adult size, adult specimens are expensive, and you don't want an expensive fish to die a few days after you got it :cry: To be honest I think a 30 gallon is better suited for very small cute fish like danios, tetras, shrimp, guppies etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJanzen Posted July 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 Thanks for all the info folks. Sounds like I better hold off on discus until one of my larger tanks frees up. I try to be a responsible fish keeper and definitely don't want to try and cram fish into an unsuitable environment just because I want them. Any other suggestions for the hex that would be more suitable? I have a 75G tropical planted right now with platy's, guppies, corys, hatchetfish, etc... a 90G cichlid tank with strawberry peacocks, malawi blue dolphins, and a nimbochromis livingstonii (possibly the future discus tank as these guys will be outgrowing the 90 in the next year probably), a 10G cherry shrimp farm, and a 20G barb tank. I wanted to do something a little different for the hex. Not really interested in the peaceful tropicals as I've done enough of that. Looking for something interesting and a little more unique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevolutionBoas Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 Movie your plants into the hext and put 6 or 7 discus into the 75. Discus dont need the pristine water to survive they need it for proper growth. Its thought discus mucus has a growth inhibitor in it to stunt other discus. So when growing they need daily water changes. As adults you can easily get away with 2 or 3 times a week. Put in a big sponge filter, AC500 with the sponges and a sponge pre filter is all you need for that tank. If your starting out id skip putting anything in the tank other than a heater and the filter(s). This will help you and be easier to get out all the waste. Personally this is my 2nd venture into discus. I have a 50 gallon and will put 4 or 5 adults in there. Water changes 2x a week with ro and tap mix. Im shooting for a 75ppm TDS. Water is at 84 and a sponge filter. Next year I may upgrade or just start splitting pairs i to individual 20g "High" tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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