60gal discus focus

are you buying adult discus? just an fyi discus usually do better in groups of 5 or more... if you do not buy a proven pair or a group of at least 5 you may be setting yourself up for problems

Yes I'm buying adult but they are sexed but will be one sex so there is no problems lol

i dont quite understand your last post...

do you mean "so there is no problems" as in they will not be able to breed so you wont end up with babies in the tank?

or are you saying that by buying all one sex the pecking order will not matter?

also you may want to check your stocking capatabilities... the tetras you want will not do well in the temp that discus need

something similar to the red blue tetras could be rummynose tetras?? kinda sorta? those work well

Get ready for constant pecking if you get 2-3 same-sex discus.

I think the columbian tetras will be fine with the discus. You don't need to keep the tank at 84+ degrees if the discus are adult. I keep mine at 80 and everybody's happy.

I'd also let the new tank cycle with the plants before putting any fish in....especially expensive discus.

Post some pics when you're up and running!

80 degrees seems lower than the low range these fish can healthy in. Usually all of the information regarding discus states they need to be kept between 82-86 degrees...

the reason the pecking order is an issue is that the fish can literally bully each other to death(not very common) but more likely an issue is that the bullying will cause great stress with these fish and that is how diseases take over. Once this happens it would be very hard and expensive to fight any illness the fish is experiencing on top of trying to get it back into a stress free environment in order to boost its health...

also the pecking order can make it so the fish on the bottom of the hierarchy will not get much food..leading to stunting and contributing to the above statements about illness

We will see how many discus I get....I'm not for certain what's going on in this tank just yet.

Don't worry about the tetras in 86F they will be fine, just acclimate them with a very slow drip. VERY slow. As far as the discus, be ready for some aggression, that's just part of keeping cichlids (I hope you have a qt tank setup in case somebody needs to move) other thank that the hople cats get a pretty decent size. Why not go for cory cats?

The hoplos only get 5 inches and I have had both them for over a year and they are done growing and are maybe a pinch over 4.which then leads me to believe they are both boys...no big deal.

I plan to have a qt tank on hand.

The tetras I'm not worried bout sincethey have been living in 80 degree water since I bought them...over a year ago.all my fish are in 80 degree water.

big setup problems if you only get 2-3 discus. they need to be in groups... my opinion, don't mix discus and plants till you mastered both. and the smallest tank I would do for a planted discus tank would be 100 gallons so they still have room... nothing smaller then 4 inches or there growth will be stunted.. you will also need to do lots of water changes.

forum.simplydiscus.com will help you with all your discus questions.

I'm on simply as of a few weeks ago.thr fish are 5 inches minimum.i have had plants all my aquarium days and I have had discus in a planted tank a long time ago with no problem.these plants are going to be simple. Bolbitis, java ferns, moss, and anubias and some crypts.maybe not even all that.

I loved my discus they are a heavy investment up front because buying them later on after there are already a few in the tank is not a good idea. They are beautiful fish and look awesome in planted tanks. So if you think you can meet there maintance and price tag they are awsome but there are other fish out there that will look great even you dont think discus are worth it

Discus are worth it but I'm just a pizza boy...i don't make much lol

Made my mind up.after talking to the hub we are going to make this the rainbow tank and go get a 75 this weekend for the discus.i will be happier with that tank for them any way.do it looks like I will be getting babies of the eruptions in the pic and possibly an albino or two as well.I'm looking at 3-4 eruptions....to be determined and the albino for sure!