Dicus - do they need the company of other discuss

[TW]

Hi there. Will 1 discus be happy in a community tank that doesn't contain any other discus? Or should a discus always have another discus friend for company?

thanks in advance.

[fish_r]

yes discus are a schooling fish, u will need 3 or more at least...

[discus lover01]

they dont have to have but if you want the best from your discus dont leave them alone in a tank give them friends to swim with

[eykw]

Definitely if you can. I ve noticed they settle in a lot quicker if there are other discus around. it took them a lot lot longer if by themselves. they also tend to eat better i ve noticed. they are quite sociable. but it really depends on the size of your tank. if that is not a concern then you should have as many as you can afford!!!

[fish_r]

the person asked if it would be happy and IMO it wont be "happy" alone. sure u can have one but will it last and thrive, i dont think so...

[ILLUSN]

Discus live best in groups, the more the better, the fish wil be happer and with 4 or 5 aggression shouldnt be an issue

[Robdog]

the person asked if it would be happy and IMO it wont be "happy" alone. sure u can have one but will it last and thrive, i dont think so...

Sure you can have a single discus. What does a happy fish look like?
Will it last? Probably. If you feed it and do required WC's it'll grow big and fat. Will it thrive? I associate thriving with breeding so in my language it won't thrive. But if you don't care about breeding then there is nothing wrong with a solitary discus if that's how you want your tank to look TW.

[TW]

Wow, so many repliies early on a Sunday morning. Thanks.

I made a silly impulse buy whilst traveling (I know, don't yell please). Never previously been a discus fan (sorry, I don't know why) but really loved the look of this fellow & after assurance from LFS he would survive the trip back to Sydney and that it would be fine with the tank mates, I bought him/her. I'm concerned for the fish happiness & not in regards to successful breeding, which is unlikely in a community setting anyway. He/she seems big in my heavily planted 43G (165L) tank. A new tank is ready for delivery, which is 70G (270L), but I'm having trouble finding someone to strengthen my existing cabinet to hold the larger setup, & this is delaying me. I can't just go out & buy a new cabinet, as it is more or less a built in feature of the room - but I do think it needs strengthening.

Anyone know a cabinet maker or joinery type handyperson, looking for some work?

The LFS had one other identical discus & he has told me he comes to Sydney regularly & could meet me to exchange fish for cash.

I want a happy fish & don't want him lonely, so should I buy the 2nd discus now, even though I think my tank is a bit too small for 2 discus. Will 1 friend not be enough anyway, if he needs a minimum of 2 buddies. I prefer not to have a mix of different discus, but LFS only has the 1 matching. Current tank mates are 2 rainbows, 1 platy, 7 harley rasbora, 4 or 5 otos. He's meant to be a Marlborough Red, but he doesn't look like pictures I've seen. He is more yellow, with some red (but I like him anyway).

If my tank is too small to house the additional discus for a couple of months, while I try to find someone who will fix my cabinet (having trouble with this) would it be better for my solitary discus to try & find a LFS to take him back (though I hate to think of him going back to a bare glass tank & not sure if I could do it).

But what's best for him? Thanks for any furthre advice.

[the german]

discus are schooling fish.i dont agree with anybody who says 1 discus in a tank is ok,its wrong,its like a isolationroom in a jail for humans,they can survive but its not good.
3 is absolute minimum,so bigger the group so better for the fish.


michael

[TW]

Thanks for the response Michael

Yours & earlier replies already let me know I need more than one, but the bigger question is, do I have room for extra?

So, taking into account my longer reply (just above yours), can I fit 3 (or even 2). Or am I better to find my solitary discus a home at LFS?

Cheers,

[fish_r]

the general rule is 40-50ltrs per adult discus tankwatcher
u could always add a cpl more then transfer them to ur 70g when it's cycled and up and running then add more fish...

[TW]

Hi fish_r

Are you saying I can add 2 more now to my current tank 40G (165L), transferring them to my 70G when it's ready. That might still be a couple of months away.

I have the tank ready for delivery, the filter & substrate are in my garage waiting - but it's going to be a matter of how quickly I can find someone who can reinforce my cupboard, as well as make alterations to the shelf so the larger filter will fit in.

If I need another 2 discus , I hope the LFS can source another match, as my preference would be for 3 of a kind.

I've sent LFS a email already, reconfirming if he can bring me the fish to Sydney. If you think I can temporarily house 3, I'll ask him to source a 3rd for me.

I currently water change 50% weekly - will this suit the Discus. I'm not sure my hubby will agree to me making additional changes. What do you think?

[fish_r]

Hi tankwatcher
i would say u could add a cpl more as u dont really have many other fish in there.
50% water change should be ok, but if u add another 2 discus just keep an eye on ur nitrate levels and if they rise much over 15-20 u might have to up ur water changes...
u might be better off just buying a new tank stand as u can get them pretty cheap now days and id'e imagine getting someone out to ur house to reinforce ur other stand and make the shelf bigger will more than likely cost around the same as a new basic pine stand.
depending on who u can get to do it.
how big is ur current discus ?

[TW]

Thanks for quick reply.

Guessing his size, I'd say around 5cm diameter. He looks big to me, as his is the biggest fish I have ever owned.
u might be better off just buying a new tank stand as u can get them pretty cheap I can't do this. My cabinet is part of a custom built bank of cabinets that form a U shape, around 3 walls of the room. I have absolutely no space for a free standing fish stand. This was all custom built, a couple of years before I joined the fish hobby. The mob that built it have moved away & I have no idea how to contact them.

Tried a carpenter/building who's add in the local rag said "no job too small" who said it was too fiddly for him. Said I need a cabinet maker or joinery person. I will try one of those "hire a hubby" handy man type firms as well. Also put an add in classifieds forum here, in case we have someone looking for a small job on the side. I know it will not be cheap, but unfortunately, I have to work with what I have in the room already - even though it will not be the most cost effective option for me.

Anyway, I will ask LFS to save the other discus for me & try to source a 3rd. Thanks for the advice.

[the german]

fish_r is right 40-50l per adult discus but with 5 cm your ok with your tank,i would say even 4 wouldnt be a prob.

[TW]

The one has already been sold, but LFS is going to try to get me another 2 from the breeder. It will be about 10 days till I can bring them home (if he can get them).

Thanks for the advice.

[fish_r]

u can get some nice looking fish from a cpl of the forum sponsers here too if u didnt know ? they are in Syd too...

[TW]

Hi fish_r

I know. This purchase of discus was an impulse. For some reason I previously wasn't keen on discus at all, but fell in love with the looks of this guy. I'm sure this is the beginning of a long lasting love affair. I'd like his 2 friends to be an exact match (colourwise) so, thought best chance is from the same breeder. Otherwise, I would definitely buy them from our sponser, as I'm a regular customer.

Tank is upgrading to larger size soon. If I am successfull in looking after my new friends, I will get 3 more of a different variety. I will definitely try to buy these from sponsor.

[djceri_g]

I think 20% water change every other day is better than 50% every week.

Ive had one discus with congo tetras on its own for 4 months now. I know its cruel but Im waiting for me new tank to cycle(seems forever! 3 months!) Considering she is alone, shes looking very healthy and happy. Feeds from my hands, very bright. I know that she isn't 100% happy but will do for the time being. Its wiers aswell though, sonce adding more bogwood to the tank she has been hiding more, the more shelter she gets she hides!? she usually follows me round the tank.

Anyways, good luck with your fish and I hope it works for you

[fish_r]

Hey tankwatcher
all the same discus do look good in a tank i gotta admit :) have seen some nice tanks with all one kind of discus.
look forward to seeing some pics when u can manage it and hope u get someone to do ur stand soon.
good luck with it all
Rob...

[TW]

LFS already sold the matching discus, but agreed to go the breeders & pic the closest match & then drop them in to me at work (saves me a trip from Sydney to Newcastle to collect them). He delivered my 3 choices to me yesterday & I picked 2 out of the 3. Being stressed out in their individual LFS plastic bags of water, their colour was really down & it was not easy to choose. Was disappointed as all looked more red than my original & wanting a close match, I choose the 2 with the least red. After seeing them colour up - I regret that. Within moments of them being in the tank (in fact even during acclimatisation) I watched as their red increased. After release, I left the light off for several hours, before turning on briefly for some pics. One was hiding, so no pics of him. The below are pics of the same fish. I had no idea how pretty they'd be if the red was more dominant. This one is definitely my favourite.

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l128/TankWatcher/165L/000_1307.jpghttp://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l128/TankWatcher/165L/000_1309.jpg

There was a little aggression between the original discus and the one pictured, but the new one didn't seem bothered & wasn't running away. Sort of slowly turning away, was all.

Anyway, I hope you like him & thanks for all the good advice. I will need plenty with my new adventure. :D

[scott bowler]

hey tankwatcher thats a nice melon well done hope they are good for you hehe. it dose look good though

[fish_r]

great looking fish TW well done :)

[TW]

Thanks Scott & fish_r

Scott - you called him a melon. Is that what he is? LFS told me he (& the other 2) are Marlborough Red's ????

Here are another couple of pics for a 2nd opinion. There are more in the Amazon Planted tank forum.

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l128/TankWatcher/165L/000_1328.jpg http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l128/TankWatcher/165L/000_1327.jpg

[scott bowler]

they are all melons the redder one at the end on the rightin the left pic is a awesome fish. Great shape very nice fish they all are melons .Marlborough dont have white faces they have colour all over them .IMO Bt you have done well for you fist fish very nice

[TW]

they are all melons the redder one at the end on the right in the left pic is a awesome fish. Thanks - yes, he's my favourite. And to think I actually asked LFS to pick out & bring me the "less red" ones (he delivered them to me straight from the breeder & I fist saw them all bagged up ready to take home). I didn't realise how pretty the red would be. Wish I could re-do the choices & I would have picked the 2nd fish more red as well (as there was one even more red than my red one, that I could have picked).

There faces aren't white (just my rubbish camera & poor skills). Their faces are yellow, but that still doesn't make any difference.

Thanks for letting me know they're melons, as I like to know what I have.

Cheers, TW

[samir]

not my kind of melons, I prefer the ones that come in identical pairs 8-)

[TW]

hahahah

[scott bowler]

hehe samir keep it clean tankwatcher is a nice lady mister hehe

[Andy123]

i hav a discus in a planted comm. tank by himself cause his mates died a lil while ago and they had parasites so i needde to fix it before i could get more and then he got a problem because he was by himself but i needed to get him all well first before i get more...i am looking for more atm but he is better now and they arnt good with out friends...ime atleast