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OK, Well I bought two beautiful discus adn they are a Christmas present for my dad. They will eventually be going into his 40gallon tank, but i need to make sure the current occupants will not be a problem first. He has a bala shark, two silver dollars, two pictus cats, and a common pleco. I also wanted to give him a handful of my endlers to feed the other fish a littl ebit of fry and add a bit of depth to the tank.

What do you think?

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

I think it is pushig the limits on the 40 gallon tank gonna be alittle over stocked. The bala needs to be in a group of atleast 3 and they eally need a longer tank for swimming room. I think the silver dollars might be alittle agressivew for the discus but probably be fine. I think if you tank the common pleco and the bala out of the mix you could probably swing it. Maybe replace the Common Pleco with a smalle species like the BN?

hmmm what about the pictus?

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

if the 40 gall is a 40 breeder u could get rid of all the fish and have disscus and 2 stingrays cuz ur gona need to keep the water perfect for both. they both look cool. the thing is eventualy u will nee a 2 foot wide tank and about 4 feet long but thats in like a year or 2. teacup sting rays are the ones u want.

the sharks get to some obnoxious length but i dont see an issue with agression. the pleco can get almost 2 feet or some foolishness. wish they would stop selling these fish in shops. from what i hear bala sharks will be banned from fish shops soon.

anyway discus are fragil tempermental fish that require clean water. the pleco might be an issue because all they do is poop like cows. in one end out the other.wont help to keep the water clean.

the sharks are very active and the silver dollars are also i think. discuss are like old men they just kind float in a area till they get bored every so often then move 6 inches.

discuss need very warm water also. i forget how warm but i think its up around 86ºF not sure. other fish that like this type of envirment are blue rams and cardinal tetras. nice warm low ph water thats really clean goes a long way for these types of fish.

sorry dont mean to stomp all over your gift. just trying to inform you the best i can about each fish.

I really have only used angel fish with discus. Really the best set up would be a discus only tank with many tall plants for them to hide in. They are such expensive and tempermental fish, you really don't want to take chances with any tank mates upsetting them.

________________________________________
The calming qualities of a good aquarium are irrefutable

I think what would be best is if I hold onto the fish in my tank for the time being ( it took out the obnoxious barbs and mosquito fish and put them in a temporary tank...)
then in a month or two we could start building a larger tank. I think that would be a good bonding opportunity and provide ample space for the discuss and time to save ip after the holidays fiasco... and allow for some good solid planning (he's a contractor/carpenter so we'll probably be able to get some things done a bit cheaper).

would some sort of rainbow be able to go with them?
what types of fish actually do well with discus other than angels or cardinal tetras?

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

None of those fish are suitable for Discus. All too active, and require different water qualities.
You should be aiming for around pH of 6.0 for your discus..and have more than 2, too.

Hmmmm, as far as rainbowfish I think featherfin rainbows might work. They're slow-moving, small, and don't need brackish conditions like Celebes rainbows. I don't know if they like it up to 80 degrees, though. Plus, they're not South American.

Sterbai corys apparently like it warmer; I've heard people keeping them with discus as well. Plus, they're attractive little fish themselves. IMO, though, on a discus tank you want to understock. More peaceful that way, appropriate for the discus.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

ok ok.. so on the list:

acquire large tank
acquire appropriate lighting for tank
acquire appropriate filtration for that tank
acquire appropriate planting
and cycle/stock the tank.

hmm not to mush to do its a work in progress i think...

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

aquire more discus.
Good tankmates include:
Cardinal Tetras
Corydoras sp
Ottocinclus
and if you want to be real fancy and cross over borders, arrowana.

With Discus you can also add some Rummynose Tetras.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

Thanks for the great information guys! I just got a new camera for christmas so pretty soon you will all be overtaken by my poor photography skills \but pictures of some beautiful fish. Last night I came home (after spending two days at my cousins house) and my discus looked pale and their eyes were no longer red... i stuck my finger in the water (my thermometer isnt working...) and the water was really hot... the odd thing is I dont have a proper aquarium heater in the tank, but I have a bed warmer (little heating pad) stuck to the side of the glass where the outflow of the filter is. back to the story: my cat had turned the heating pad up while playing with the cords... the water was like 92... i turned the pad down to a medium range (not to shock the discus too much and allow for some cooling).... low and behold in the morning they look as stunning as ever!

Now comes the time to save up the money to build the new tank...

A few questions:
1. Is it possible to build your own glass tanks so long as you get a proper glass cutter and glass thickness?
2. How would Endlers do with the Discus?
3. How would one go about building a proper light fixture for a tank?

I'm going to try to keep this tank a DIY as possible. I know it seems like it may cost more in the long run, but if I do it in small phases I think I could save a bit of money and bui;ld a much more custom and original tank...

Thanks,
-Brandon

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

Oh and a quick thank you for all the replies!
those are great tank mates that I will definitely keep in mind when the time comes to stock the tank and get it started... as for now it seems I will have to hold off on any livestock purchases (except maybe plants or shrimp...)

also another quick question:
How would discus and say yellow or cherry shrimp co-habituate?

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

1. Is it possible to build your own glass tanks so long as you get a proper glass cutter and glass thickness?

Yes it's possible & most of my tanks where built by my friend.

2. How would Endlers do with the Discus?

I think that the Endlers might finish as food, if the tank is not well planted.

How would discus and say yellow or cherry shrimp co-habituate?

Cherries are very small & they also might finish up as food.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

hmmm i didn't think the discus were fast enough or well had enough in them to chase around live foods that large... there is currently one endler hybrid male in the tank with them and I see him about with the discus and have not seen them attempt to much on him...

DISCUS QUESTION:
is it normal for one to chase around or nip at the other? the blue one frequently nips at the gold/orange/idk one...

ANOTHER DISCUS QUESTION:
it seems the yellowish one has a fin would on the top/back of its fin. should i add a little melafix or should i just hope it heals in due time? the wounded area has an opaque looking line around it it like a bit was taken out, not a large bite, but a bite nonetheless... it doesn't appear to have an infection or be cause by violence...

ALSO:
bad news, the new camera wont recharge, so it looks like I'll have to return it and buy a different one. sad... i really liked the one my parents got for me... stupid technology and weird/dumb glitches and malfunctions!

Yes it's possible & most of my tanks where built by my friend.

do you know how he made them? it would be very informative/interesting to discover how to save some dough by making my own tank!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

do you know how he made them? it would be very informative/interesting to discover how to save some dough by making my own tank!

I am sending you a link & you can see the process yourself. http://maltaaquarist.com/forum/forums/t/695.aspx

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

little confused by that tank build. shows no frame work at all to hold the glass together. tell me the only thing preventing a wet rug is a thin layer of silicone.

Do a google search on plywood tanks. there are some really nice builds. anything 55g or less is more then likely cheaper to buy in a store. the larger tanks you deffinetly see a cost saveings.

Building your own stand and lighting canopy can save you HUNDREADS. It has to be the best DIY money saver you can do. My stands cost me $50-$100 with the cost of stain, poly and screws. They are made from plywood and 2x4s and even trimmed and have doors. The fiber board store bought comparisons would have cost me over $300.

Canopy cost me about $75 with everything. wood,stain,poly,paint, and the lighting ballast for 4x 4ft bulbs. obviously the ballast was the major cost sending me back about $50. A canopy in a store this size would cost me about the same withOUT lighting. with lighting it woulda been more then $250.


My 75g tank cabinet. total cost $100 and a weekend.
http://pets.webshots.com/album/122237551ifJEHJ?vhost=pets

very i9nteresting ideed. I sould like to see if it is possible to do a corner, hex or somewhat shaped aquarium like this... I shoudl have a word with my dad (the contractor) as he would love the challenge of the project as well as we have much of the required materials laying arround and necessary tools at the ready! hmm maybe instead of a bedroom for myself i could have a fish room... fish are more important than my own sleep right

looks like a great cheap way to make tanks and I think I could do it easily... although I should start by trying to make a 20 gallon instead of a 60-150 gallon tank!

Thanks for the valuable information! Would you mind telling me (or asking your friend for me) how exactly he built your tank? how big is your tank and how long has it been set up? how has it withstood the fish and stress of maintaining such an environment? how do you filter/light it? sorry for the bombarding of questions!

Thanks,
-Brandon

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

From reading the last few posts by the poster of this thread..Im thinking that you really should have had your setup ready and stable BEFORE any discus went in what ever tank you have..
- trying so hard to find tank mates...let your Discus settle in for a while, seems you dont even know thier swimming routines yet, feeding scheduals..how they act towards one another, new fish should NOT be added right now.
- thermomater dont work??!! ... heating pad on the side of tank??!!.. wont say anymore..
- do you own any test kits.. a must for discus keeping
- gone for 2 days??!! who feed the fish 3-4 times that day..??!!
- your looking to treat a Discus tank with meds??..
-cat changed the heating dail on the pad..??!!
this is MOST definatly not even close to a Discus tank set up..
my advise take the discus back to the store..