New setup with discus and frontosa????

[saltwaterpepsi]

I'm a long time african cichlid hobbiest. Currently have 6 striped frontosa (6") mixed with gold severum and have no problems.
starting my first discus tank with the following fish (all under 2"):
4 - discus
4 - blue rams
6 - glow-lite tetra
5 - 7 stripe frontosa
2 - bandit cory
1- 4" pleco
the tank is a 55 gal hex, with gravel base, large piece driftwood, live plants and 304 fluval filter.
as these fish grow will they co-exist as the severums and frontosa do???
can seperate them as they get larger.

please advise..

[Robdog]

can seperate them as they get larger.

:shock: I think the Frontosa and Severum will seperate the discus for you. Probably fin from fin.
If the discus temperature doesn't cook the frontosa then the ph 8+ will kill the discus or at least make it very uncomfortable.

I would say no to them being tankmates.

[k9outfit]

Welcome to another African cichlid fan!

I'll only answer your question in reference to the Frontosas, since that's what I'm most familiar with. Tanganyikans need a pH of 8.7-9.4, with hardness 200+ ppm. Discus require soft, acidic water. Temperature requirements are also widely different, Africans needing around 78 degree water, Discus around 86-88. There are other incompatibilities besides these most obvious ones; they're both extremes in their own right, therefore definitely not compatible.

In reference to your hex tank, for a few Discus, I believe your tank dimentions and size would be adequate. But, I definitely wouldn't keep any African Cichlids in a tank that wasn't long, since they are territorial, and they need to be able to get away from the more dominant ones. For Frontosas I doubt anything less than a 6 ft, 180 gallon tank would be acceptable, since they do grow to around 16 inches - which would only be possibly 6-8 inches less than the diameter of your hex tank?

As for the tetras, etc. being compatible with the Frontosa, the Fronts will snack on any fish that fit in their mouths; therefore a moot point. :wink:

[gfindura]

saltwaterpepsi,

Everything you list there will work in that tank besides the C. frontosa's. Your list made me sing, "which one of these is not like the other, which one of these is not the same...".

I doubt it will work. All the other fish on your list will survive in 84 deg F, 6.0-6.5 pH besides the frontosas. I have a feeling they will stop eating and drop like flies. But then again, nature can have a way of proving "big-brained" humans wrong. However, they are expensive and probably not worth the risk.

If you do put that tank together, keep us posted as to how all the fish are doing. Word.

-Greg