how many discus

[pepp76]

Hello all..

I own a 4ft 260l tank which i have wanted to introduce blue discus into,i have been told by my LFS that the only way to do this by adding at least 6 at once!
I have two problem's with this...firstly i already have 2 peppermint bristlenose catfish,9 harlequin's and 4 small blue ram's in my tank and secondly the price!!
I would be grateful for any advice anyone could give.

pepp76

[Merrilyn]

Welcome to the forum pepp76, and welcome to the wonderful world of discus.

Your LFS is right in that it is ideal if you can add all the discus at once. That way then tend to settle in better and you won't see as much aggression between them.

The other way you can do it, is to add three fish to your tank at once, then later on, when you are ready, add the second three.

Discus form a pecking order in a tank, and adding one new fish at a time means that the new guy will get picked on by all the others.

Two fish in a tank will always fight for dominance, by adding three, they settle much better. Adding the second batch in three will give them all a better chance of being accepted without one fish becoming the underdog.

Discus are essentially a schooling fish, and like the company of their own kind. They won't bother the other fish in your tank, and you won't be overloading the tank with 6 discus.

Ask the LFS if he can get you smaller discus, which should be cheaper to buy if you decide to get them all at once.

[pepp76]

hi ladyred.

Thankyou for your reply,i must say this is is an excellant forum.
Your advice confirm"s what i have been told although i wasn't sure if i still had the space for these lovely fish.
I also wonderd if you could tell me if my tank mate's are safe with the higher water temp that discus require?also is 28c the lowest you can go?

pepp76..