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Hey i know that a pair of discus can be stocked in a tank as small as 20g. My question is, Can i stock a 20g with 2 discus with 6 corys already present if i have a good amount of plants and carbon filtration?

The rules for success with discus are:
o Great water conditions with nitrates as close to zero as possible
o Minimum temperature of 82F or 28C with higher temps to 86F or 30C being fine
o Adults should have 10 gallons per fish
o Minimum grouping of five fish

Wild discus come from low pH waters with very little hardness and no nitrates. However, domestic discus have become acclimated to higher levels of pH and hardness but they remain very sensitive to nitrates. As a result you can keep them in hard alkaline water if you keep the tank nitrates low. Plants help in this process but most discus keepers do large, regular water changes to minimize nitrates. Remember that these are large carnivorous fish that give off a significant amount of waste.

Corydoras are fine with discus as long as they can take the heat. Many of the species prefer lower temperatures. Corydoras sterbai is a good match with discus. Realize that you may want to bump the tank temps into the 90s if the fish are sick.

Adult fish need 10 gallons per fish to dilute waste products and to give them "breathing" space. Less room and you trigger aggression between the fish and threaten to overwhelm the bio-capacity of your filter.

Did you know that discus are found in schools or loose shoals? The fish do better with a minimum of five fish. If you have less than five fish, the fish feel insecure and you will see natural cichlid aggression take a toll on your fish. By having five or more fish, it is more difficult for the top fish to selectively harass the bottom fish and kill it.

I guess this was the long way to say, "Bad idea."



__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Thanks for the insight, I learned a lot from your post. My corys are comfertable with the 84 F waters i have them in now, and i'm fine with doing 40% water changes weekly, asside from a pair of discus not being the optimal number to keep, do you think with a well planted aquarium like mine the 6 corys would occupy too much bioload for the discus to be healthy?

The tank could theoretically support two adult discus, 5+ inches in length sans tail. With water changes of 40% twice a week and great housekeeping on vacuuming and filter maintenance, you should have no problem. In fact, I raised seven small discus to maturity in a 30 gallon planted with 50% water changes every other day.

So, should you plunk two discus into your twenty? The answer is still "NO" because of the rule of 5 - No fewer than 5 discus in a tank. That is the short form. The long form of the rule is:

If you have five discus, the aggression is divided among the fish and every fish gets along after a fashion.
If you have four discus, the strongest discus allies with another discus to harass and kill the weakest discus, then you have three discus.
If you have three discus, the strongest discus allies with another discus to kill the weakest discus, then you have two discus.
If you have two discus, the stronger kills the weaker.
If you have one discus, he decides not to eat for no apparent reason and then he dies.

The fish are not inexpensive, I would shop the rummage sales to find a 55 gallon tank and then buy your discus!




__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Hey there,
Personally no, I do not think adult discus of any number can be kept in a 20g tank. These fish can literally reach the size of a dinner plate. Take one out and hold it in front of the tank and see what you think.
55 gallons would be the absolute minimum tank size for any Discus, as they really do need lots of room, and good water conditions.
Heavily planted tanks are also essential for their well being.
I can totally agree with Bobs rules on Discus groupings, except for the 1 lone fish. I had 2 and first the bigger one tried to kill the little one, just about ripping its eye right out. I saved it, and put it back in the tank, and the weaker littler one actually just got really cheesed off one day and killed the bigger one.

Now the lone Discus is very content and happy all by itself, with its best friend the Angelfish.
They stick together like glue.
Anyway yeah, I agree, its best to keep in a group of at least 5-6 individuals, and 55g is a must for these fish.



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I think waiting until you can get a larger tank is a good idea as well. They feel comfortable in a planted tank and you'd lose valuable space with plants in a 20g. I think they do well with a group of dither fish to make them feel comfortable, and you don't have the space for that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

First of all thanks for all the helpfull responses. I'm looking into getting a 55 gallon tank for myself. If all goes well and I get this tank with a nice eheim cannister filter, would you guys reccomend 5 discus? Also can i keep a school of neons in the same tank? (I plan on planting it heavily.)
-Thanks

Hi,
five discus in 55 gallon should be fine provided you are committed to the water changes. Considering that these fish have quite an appetite (especially when they are young!) and are carnivorous I suggest to use two filters to run the tank. A big one and a smaller one that is stocked with a nitrate remover, eg Pura Nitrate-Lock (I am having one myself and am extremely happy and successful with it). Dither fish like neons are highly recommended and they can stand the temperatures of a discus tank. Another very nice option are rummy nose tetras and they are very good indicators of water conditions: poor water and the noses are a pale pink, while they are bright red in good water conditions.

Otherwise: don't be too scared - discus are not difficult to keep if you stick with a routine schedule of controlling water conditions and water changes!
Hope this helps

Yes! thanks for the helpfull response. I never knew that about rummynose tetras, I might just have to go with those. I couldnt get my hands on the 55, but tommorow I'm picking up a 75 gal for myself (6 discus). The tank might be drilled so i'm thinking about using a wet/dry sump. Any experience with this? What would be reccomended, a cannister filter? biowheel? let me know! thanks