[NotCousteau]

I'm thinking of getting into discus and am wondering what discus keepers think is the best number to keep, and what gender ratio. I know the common recommendation is at least 5, but I'm wondering if you all think there's a magic/better number, or, a minimum and a maximum number.

How many juveniles would you initially buy to eventually get to your perfect number?

I want to ask about the number first and find a tank that fits that. I'm thinking of something in the 120-125 gallon range.

Thank you.

 

[Leeatl]

I am going to mention Discusluv and she will see this thread . No better source of Discus knowledge that I know of on here . DiscusPaul was on here too, but I haven't seen him in a while.

 

[NotCousteau]

I am going to mention Discusluv and she will see this thread . No better source of Discus knowledge that I know of on here . DiscusPaul was on here too, but I haven't seen him in a while.

Thank you!

 

[saltdiscus]

I had discus for 5 years and it’s a lot of work if you buy juvenile to grow up. I would start from the bigger size if possible and these fish success depends on water change and good source of food like homemade beef heart to seafood mix.I had 12 on 120g but I changed water every day with prime.Most of them went up to 7 plus size.Goto simplydiscus for more information.

 

[NotCousteau]

I had discus for 5 years and it’s a lot of work if you buy juvenile to grow up. I would start from the bigger size if possible and these fish success depends on water change and good source of food like homemade beef heart to seafood mix.I had 12 on 120g but I changed water every day with prime.Most of them went up to 7 plus size.Goto simplydiscus for more information.

Did you stop keeping them because of the work?

Was 12 a good number for the 120?

 

[Discusluv]

What are your plans eventually when the discus become full grown? Do you imagine a tank with discus and some bottom dwellers like corydoras? Or, do you want to have a mixed aquarium with the discus, some schoolers, some bottom zone fish? The set-up you plan to have will determine the number of juveniles to raise to fit your tank specs.

Even if it was all discus in a 120 with no other fish I would only do 10. Healthy, full grown discus are big fish.

 

[discuspaul]

I'm thinking of getting into discus and am wondering what discus keepers think is the best number to keep, and what gender ratio. I know the common recommendation is at least 5, but I'm wondering if you all think there's a magic/better number, or, a minimum and a maximum number.

How many juveniles would you initially buy to eventually get to your perfect number?

I want to ask about the number first and find a tank that fits that. I'm thinking of something in the 120-125 gallon range.

Thank you.

As has been mentioned, going the juvenile grow out route is indeed a lot of work requiring significant attention to the stringent needs of the juvies, and the risk of problems developing during that phase can be quite high.

I suggest the best approach for doing what you want is to acquire properly developed & healthy adult-sized discus (around 5") from an experienced reliable supplier, and start your 125 gallon tank setup in a bare-bottom manner (at least for several months until you gain good knowledge of discus traits & behaviors & avoiding risks).
A 120 gallon tank will readily accommodate up to a dozen or so adult discus - but you can go with as few as 6 say, if your wallet doesn't permit purchasing more - keeping in mind that more is better than fewer for better socializing purposes.

 

[NotCousteau]

What are your plans eventually when the discus become full grown? Do you imagine a tank with discus and some bottom dwellers like corydoras? Or, do you want to have a mixed aquarium with the discus, some schoolers, some bottom zone fish? The set-up you plan to have will determine the number of juveniles to raise to fit your tank specs.

Even if it was all discus in a 120 with no other fish I would only do 10. Healthy, full grown discus are big fish.

I envision the classic discus community tank -- a school of discus as the centerpiece with a large school of tetras and a school of cories at the bottom.

Thank you for the great advice!

 

[NotCousteau]

As has been mentioned, going the juvenile grow out route is indeed a lot of work requiring significant attention to the stringent needs of the juvies, and the risk of problems developing during that phase can be quite high.

I suggest the best approach for doing what you want is to acquire properly developed & healthy adult-sized discus (around 5") from an experienced reliable supplier, and start your 125 gallon tank setup in a bare-bottom manner (at least for several months until you gain good knowledge of discus traits & behaviors & avoiding risks).
A 120 gallon tank will readily accommodate up to a dozen or so adult discus - but you can go with as few as 6 say, if your wallet doesn't permit purchasing more - keeping in mind that more is better than fewer for better socializing purposes.

Thank you for the great advice!

 

[Phihun]

I kept some discus a while back and someone once suggested 1 discus per 10 gallon. They do get a bit big.