How many discus can i keep in a 46 gallon bowfront

[stevejr]

Hi all i have a 46 gallon bowfront barebottom tank with a wet dry filter and a cannister filter for filtration, with the water in the wet dry i probably have about 52 gallon capacity. My question is with daily water changes how many discus should i keep? I want to have 6 is that pushing it? Thanks much to all that answer!

[DIY]

IMO with bare-bottom, no tank mates and daily water changes you should be ok. With daily water changes you can keep the tank clear of waste and looking good.

6 discus is a good number to keep, a larger tank would be better as it would allow you to miss a few water changes with a bit of a safety margin though.

[stevejr]

So should i just go for 5 instead then? I really don't want to take too many risks.

[samir]

i'd go 4 :?

[DIY]

As samir suggested, start with 4, and be prepared for a case of upgrade-itis once you get hooked...

I started with a 55gallon, now I have a 150 and a 40, and considering a 3rd :lol:

[mcloughlin2]

I say 4 aswell .. You "May" be able to fit 5 providing there are no tankmates and you do 2 - 30% water changes a week ...

Discus are not the sort of fish you crowd, they are an expensive fish and you don't want to subject them to poor conditions caused by overcrowding .. Its best tp understock a tank then overstock IMO ..

And plus the reward you get from watching 4 healthy discus swimming together will be far greater then watching 6 discus of not great health ..

In saying this, yes it can be done but the benefits of not overcrowding far outnumber those of overcrowding ..

HTH

Sam

[stevejr]

I plan on doing daily wc's not 2-3 times a week. Will this make a difference?