Single Discus in Heavily Planted Tank

[Kuhli]

So I have a 23 gallon aquarium (17h-28l-12w) that has been running for 1 year or so .
I added :
8 Cardinal Tetras
3 Guppies
3 Kuhli Loach
5 Marbled Hatchetfish
1 Hillstream Loach
3 Amano Shrimp
3 Ramshorn Snails
3 Malaysian Trumpet Snails
1 Mexican Dwarf Crawfish
50 Ghost Shrimp
My friend has a rowdy male pidgeon blood that pecks at discus but leaves non discus fish alone
I was wondering I could add that discus to my tank.

My Tank is heavily planted with
Anubias Barteri Nana
Java fern
Dwarf Hairgrass
Wisteria
Java Moss
Marimo moss
Amazon frog bit
Tiger lotus
Cryptcoryne Wendtii
Vallesnira nana

[brewmaster15]

That sounds like a pretty tightly packed tank for a 23 Gal. How large is the discus in question and how warm is the tank,.?

sounds like an interesting tank but I think its probably not going to be a great home for your friends discus though as you also mentioned its heavily planted.... small tanks.. lots of plants wont leave much room for a discus.

Can you post a pic of the tank

[Kuhli]

If I removed the Marbled Hatchet fish would it be a less tightly packed aquarium.

[Kuhli]

What else can I remove

[Kuhli]

I have a single line of vallesnira along the back.
On the some driftwood I have the Java moss, Java fern, Anubias
I have a Carpet of dwarf Hair grass built around the driftwood tiger Lotus and wisiteria .
The crypt and marimo moss ball are in the corner

[gimaal]

My concern, aside from the heavy bioload for 23 gallons, is that the small fish--the cardinals, hatchets and guppies--will be visibly unhappy about so big a fish being in such close quarters. There isn't enough room for them to get away from him and feel safe. I wager the cardinals will hide and the hatchets will jump. Take a look at youtube videos of Discus tanks that have schools of small fish in with them--cardinals, rummy noses, Nannostomus etc. When the Discus move, the tetras go in the opposite direction. But there's enough room for them to do so. You will also notice the tanks are all much larger than yours.

[Kuhli]

I have removed the Hatchetfish.
Gimaal, that is some good advise but my cardinals are very boisterous they were not afraid of 12+ inch altums angels

[danotaylor]

I’m hoping the cardinals were not in a 23 gallon tank with the 12” altums LOL. Aarons point was that in a larger tank smaller fish have an opportunity to escape predation. In a 23 gal tank not so.
It seems you’re pretty intent on just doing it Kuhli. You most likely won’t find anyone here that will affirm that choice.
Maybe this could be the exception, certainly not the norm. Let us know how it turns out.

[jwcarlson]

I'm most curious as to how you have only three of each type of snail. Bravo if you've somehow pulled that off. I didn't even know I had Malaysian trumpet snails until I accidentally look at my tank at night for the first time and there were 300 of them on the glass.

The discus in that tank is a poor choice. But you already know that if you have 12" Altums.

[Willie]

My discus and altum angelfishes love cardinals. Yum.