# Discus planted... tankmates??



## f1ea (Jul 7, 2009)

Hey folks,

I'm just about started a tank that I'm planning to house Discus in. The idea is: 

- Tank 50 Gal 36" x 18" x 18"
- 3x Discus
- 6x Corydoras Panda or Julii

- And a 10x school of something... 
Not sure which fish, but I am certain i DO NOT want Cardinal nor Neons (it's way too common). 

So what could be suitable tankmates??? I am thinking either Penguin tetra or Red Phantom tetras; maybe Harlequin rasboras, but i'd prefer to keep it Amazon... 

Anyone's had experience with the Penguin tetras?? how nippy are they?? if anyone's kept them with angels, then they should be ok with Discus...

Also, how about using peat granules in the canister filter?? My water's about 6 dKH, would like to keep it around 2-3 dKH.... are Fluval peat granules ok or are they rubbish? i wouldn't mind a little bit of tannin staining.

Other suggestions and comments welcome!


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

I have a 65 gallon tank with 4 big discus, tons of swords and crypts. This tank is 4' long and it is too small for the discus.

With them I keep a dozen Ember tetras + about 10 Rummynoses. I got to say that when and Ember tetra is intensely colored it is one of the most beautiful small schooling fish you can have with discus. Find some and you will not be disappointed.

Make sure that the seller convinces you he's not selling you H. georgiae. That is a tetra that is an absolute copy of the real Ember, but it is not as intensely colored. It exibits mother of pearl colors but they are very subtle and the fish needs to be in a school by itself to be appreciated. True Embers simply "pop" with their color. A seller should know if their "embers" are a little on the faded side. If they are that's H. georgiae and should not be sold as the true Ember.

--Nikolay


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## Gumbie (Apr 18, 2011)

I had Penguin Tetras. They grew to a chubby 3” very fast. Nice schooling fish that presented a pretty glow. Never bothered the angels or other fish in a 46 gal bow front, but tended to hide out in the plants a lot.

I’ve got a box of Fluval peat granules that the lfs talked me into buying. I haven’t used them yet. I just ordered some almond leaves to try first.


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## f1ea (Jul 7, 2009)

Yes the Ember is beautiful, its not so easy to come by, so that's why i'm thinking Red Phantom... 

The Penguin its lovely, and there's a whole bunch at the LFS that they seem to be having trouble selling (people simply prefer more colorful); but i like it a lot... problem is i dont know how nippy it is. But if you've had it successfully with Angels, it would seem they are not nippy, because Angels are #1 target for nippy fish. 

About the tank itself... hmm maybe i'll put just 2 Discus in........ i have a big 200G (4' x 20" x 24"H) that could definitely house Discus, but i wouldnt be able to afford filling it up with Discus. I mean, i'd rather buy a car  

Thanks for the replies !!


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## 21windowsamba (Nov 8, 2006)

I would get a larger tank for discus and they sure like plenty of space to swim. Most tetras are great for company for Discus. All the best


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## f1ea (Jul 7, 2009)

Yeah.. Discus do grow big. I'd say 2x in this 50G is still a bit too small for them, but i'm sure if i notice them being cramped as they grow, i'll definitely get a bigger tank for them. But then i'll want more discus..........

There's no Red Phantoms around my shops, but they do have Glass catfish and Congo tetras.... i'm thinking a school of 8x of either.

So:
2x Discus
8x Congo tetra or Glass catfish
5x Julii cories

I've seen a few tanks with Discus + Congos so they seem to get along ok. Never seen any Discus with Glass catfish, but they'd seem peaceful and a good match as the glass cats are pretty docile. My wife says Congo. I am undecided because although i love the Congos, they seem too busy for discus.......


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## dclangford3 (Jun 1, 2011)

Congos are too busy for discus, especially when they are full grown. Discus water is too warm for glass cats. I would recommend rummynose tetras or flame tetras. However, keep in mind discus are shoaling fish and are more comfortable in groups of at least 4. So ideally 4 discus and 6 Julii cories would be your best bet, but you would most likely have to upgrade to a bigger tank in the future.

You say you have a 200G? I would use that as your discus tank, and put 4-6 discus in it then add some schools of tetras and a school of cories. While you could fit several more discus in this tank 4-6 discus would keep you from spending too much money.


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## pepetj (Oct 2, 2008)

Planted tank with Discus fish. All my Discus tanks are set up that way (8 tanks); even my quarantine tanks are planted.

28C (82F) is a perfectly healthy temperature for both Discus and most plants. That temperature opens the door for suitable tankmates. Fin nipping fish should be left out of the equation.

That temperature was suggested by Jack Watley in TFH magazine (and he doesn't keep planted Discus tanks).

When juveniles they can certainly grow in smaller tanks; as adults 15 gals per fish is likely a sound guideline (I like this one better than the 10gal guideline).

Following are my actual juvenile Discus in planted tanks with tankmates (I'm not listing the ones kept without tankmates)

56gal Column 
7 Red Discus (4 Marlboro Red, 2 Red Melon, 1 Red Turquoise)
School of 8 Rose Barbs
Shoal of 6 Green/Bronze Corydoras

37gal Column 
6 Blue wild Discus (arrived two days ago, quarantine/treatment tank)
Shoal of 6 Farlowella Catfish

Osaka 155l (42gal)
6 Blue Discus (4 Blue Diamond, 2 Blue Snakeskin)
2 Whiptail Catfish
6 Bronze/Green Corydoras

Resun CM-630 (28gals)
2 Turquoise Discus
Shoal of 6 Fat Sleeper (one adult, five juveniles)
Shaol of 5 Bronze Corydoras

20galH
2 Red Snakeskin Discus
4 Bolivian Rams (1 male, 3 females)
School of 7 Neon Tetras

Some of them are going to tanks for themselves once they pair up yet others are going to larger display tanks (4 and 6 footers) once they reach the 4.5 to 5" TL mark.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo


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## f1ea (Jul 7, 2009)

Wow!! That's a lot of discus....... how do you get them, locally or imported??

I suppose i could put some discus in the 200G, but right now its loaded with wild P. Scalare and generous schools of Neon, Serpae and Lemon tetras; yes, its a beautiful sight to watch at feeding time with the 3 schools together following my lead around the 8ft tank.

In any case, if i notice the Discus not at ease on the 50G, once they're grown, i guess i can do a bigger tank for them.


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## pepetj (Oct 2, 2008)

f1ea said:


> Wow!! That's a lot of discus....... how do you get them, locally or imported?


There's not a single Discus breeder in Dominican Republic that I am aware of. All specimens I have are imported and most are of poor quality; in rare occasions "fairly acceptable" specimens made it to the LFS.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo


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