Would my 55 gallon tank support a pair of Discus, with the other fish I have?

[PattersM]

Hi I'm new to the idea of keeping Discus but have had a reef tank for about four years (torn down due to power cut issues in my local area - couldn't stand keep loosing corals)

I'm currently setting up a 55 gallon for freshwater use and have two quarantene tanks populated with 6 Sterbei cats, 3 Bristlenose plecs, 11 penguins, two Rams (possibly a pair?) and 15 Rummynose tetras that have been happy for a month and are being kept in good water via two Fluval 306 filters.

Once they are all in the 55 gallon what room do i have left for Discus? I was thinking of trying to get a small pair and see how I got on with keeping them (after I have my back up electrical generator installed in the next few weeks)

If I can keep everything happy I have room to build an in-wall tanks of about 200 g size, so could get more discus in that.

Would an established pair bully a new set of smaller discus fish in a bigger tank? What is a territory size for a pair?

Also does any of my reef equipement help with keeping discus? I have a sump that i could switch to a refugium on a reverse daylight timer for plant but what use/plant would I use for nutrient export? Is there a freshwater equivalent to Chaeto or Calurpa algae ?

Thanks, Mike (Mattawan, MI)

[DiscusLoverJeff]

Hi I'm new to the idea of keeping Discus but have had a reef tank for about four years (torn down due to power cut issues in my local area - couldn't stand keep loosing corals)

Welcome to Simply Discus!

I'm currently setting up a 55 gallon for freshwater use and have two quarantene tanks populated with 6 Sterbei cats, 3 Bristlenose plecs, 11 penguins, two Rams (possibly a pair?) and 15 Rummynose tetras that have been happy for a month and are being kept in good water via two Fluval 306 filters.

You have a somewhat crowded tank already. You could get by with about 6 juvies about 3" or so but you would have to go with a bigger tank once they gowout a bit more. You 2 Fluval 305's are fine as long as you have no carbon in them. Just bio media and polishing pads is all you need.

Once they are all in the 55 gallon what room do i have left for Discus? I was thinking of trying to get a small pair and see how I got on with keeping them (after I have my back up electrical generator installed in the next few weeks)

If I can keep everything happy I have room to build an in-wall tanks of about 200 g size, so could get more discus in that.

If you could wait until you can get this tank running then you would be able to get some nice adults. The 55 gal you would have to do daily water changes for the juvies to get optimal growth.

Would an established pair bully a new set of smaller discus fish in a bigger tank? What is a territory size for a pair?

A mated pair would not be a good idea if you never had discus before.

Also does any of my reef equipement help with keeping discus? I have a sump that i could switch to a refugium on a reverse daylight timer for plant but what use/plant would I use for nutrient export? Is there a freshwater equivalent to Chaeto or Calurpa algae ?

A sump and refugium are pointless for this setup as again, it would require daily water changes and its a lot of work to stop and start sumps in my opinion.

Thanks, Mike (Mattawan, MI)

Personal advice would be to wait and get your 200 gal running. What is your water like? Do you age your water?

[PattersM]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll just set up the 55 G with the fish I have, possibly get some cardinals as well, and see how I go with water quality checks. I have well water that is full of iron but was planning on mixing this with RO water from the RO unit I had from my reef keeping days.

Should I have any concerns in using water in my house that has gone through a water softener? I can take the water pre or post the house water softener, whichever works best.

Looks like I'll have to get a six foot poster of Discus pinned to the wall in my basement and hope the wife takes the hint!!!! Also is there any preference that people have for Acrylic over glass tanks? Reef tanks often are acrylic but I'd be concerned with gravel scratches if I went that route, but a big glass tank will be no fun carrying down stairs to my basement!!

Mike