50cm high tall enough for dicus?

[theresag]

Hi, I was told by my LFS that 50cm was high enough for Discus when I bought the tank. But when I entered the info on AQadvisor it said it wasn't high enough. Its 50cm high and 120cm long.
Thanks, Theresa
PS Also how many Discus would you recommend 4 or 5? And is a queen arabesque pleco ok for the tank- not sure where I'll get that from..

[swampy1972]

Plan your numbers based on 40-50L per fish after you take into acount the amount of volume taken by substrate, rocks etc.

You don't require a tall tank for Discus, standard dimensions are sufficient, but adequate volume and filtration is essential.

Some people have found pleco's and bristlenoses tend hassle Discus for their slime coat - never kept them together myself though.

[theresag]

Thanks for the advice Swampy. :)

[swifto]

Hi,the more filtration the better.I have a Eheim 2080 on a standard 5ft (275ltr) money well spent,rob

[theresag]

Thanks for the advice Rob, I've got a Aquis Cf1000, is that ok? Dumb question- how can I tell if my filter is sufficient, besides checking my readings on PH, GH, Ammonia and Nitrate/ Nitrite? They're good at the moment, but there's hardly any fish in there! I'm thinking of getting 5 discus. Should I upgrade to a bigger filter like yours? Or should I just get 4 discus? Also if I bought a new filter would I have to wait for it have to cycle to get in the good bacteria again before the fish? Or is a cycled tank enough? I've just cycled this new tank, but if a bigger filter is better I'd definitely think about it. How much was the Eheim2080? I want everything to be perfect before I get them. I'm actually too scared to buy them yet in case I kill them. The more I read, the more I think I've bitten off more than I can chew! I'm so glad I found this website. I can't really trust my LFS. The guy told me I could probably fit in 8 or 9! And now I know the discus they had were bad- stunted and black. So I've picked up most info here. Sorry about all the questions.... :)

[swifto]

If u dont trust your lfs then go else where,a good rule of thumb allow 40-50ltr per discus.Ive sent u a pm also.

[swampy1972]

Hi,the more filtration the better.I have a Eheim 2080 on a standard 5ft (275ltr) money well spent,rob

:shock: What are ya keepin'?? :P

You don't need to go that big on the filter - if you stick with 4 Discus like you say you should be ok. Also, be careful about how many other 'dither fish' you have - they all add to the bioload.

Just keep an eye on the Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate as you mentioned. That's the filters job so if it's not coping then the ammonia and nitrite level will soon start to rise as an indicator that it's working beyond it's capacity.

If you do decide to get a larger filter then simply tranfer as much of your mature media in to the new filter as possible. The bacteria will quickly colonise the rest of the new media.

[swifto]

Hi Swampy,the filter is big and is more than adequate or over kill,but when I go to a 680ltr tank if I stay with the c/f monster I won't have to up grade the filter :lol:

[swifto]

Forgot to say I only have 4 discus,1 bn,2 Cory's with that 2080 :lol:

[swampy1972]

Hi Swampy,the filter is big and is more than adequate or over kill,but when I go to a 680ltr tank if I stay with the c/f monster I won't have to up grade the filter :lol:

They're an excellent filter. I have one cycling at the moment for my planned 5x2x2 that will go back on to the front burner in 3wks when I move.

I shouldn't laugh at you about the overkill. Mine's currently running on a 4x1.5x1.5 with only a handful of small fish :lol:

[ILLUSN]

50cm is plenty tall enough, discus benifit from a larger tank foot print as they swim side to side and back to front not so much up and down.