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i just want to get some general ideas for discus like what would be an appropriate size tank and how many i could put in there and with wat other fish and how much aeration those sort of things if anyone can help me out please do thanks

The number of fish, depends directly on the size of the tank. Minimum, a pair need a 40 gal, though they are bred in 20 gal tanks. But these bred in 20 gal tanks get daily water changes. For just keeping them as pets, a 40 gal is min, for 2-4.

Other fish, well one of the biggest factors is fish that are not overly agressive, or overly active. As discus are gentle giants, agressiv and highly active fish may cause them to hide and hide in the corners and such, and not eat. Though this is not always the case, it is not worth the chance to take at the price of the fish. Some additions that go nicely are, but not limited to; cardinal tetras, rainbowfish, rams, gouramis, live bearers (swords and such), geophagus, apistos, cory cats, plecos, and many more. Just keep in mind the agressive nature, and agressive activities of the fish you are looking at when purchasing them.

HTH....

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There is always a bigger fish...

Discus will die if they are not kept in superior water, with regular water changes. They need a very clean environment to thrive, and do best with experienced aquarists.
Small tetras and cories are some of the best companions for discus, as they are mild-mannered, and don't produce a lot of waste.
Discus don't need a lot of aeration, as they live in relatively oxygen-deprived waters in the wild.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

For breeding, yes they need prime water conditions, however, for just keeping them, they require the same water conditions as most all other fish, which can be said to be prime conditions as well. But they will do great in "normal" water conditions. As for the experts only keeping them, no, anyone can keep them. The hardest thing is getting them to be established in a tank. Once they are established and eating, they are very easy to keep. They are not any harder to keep than other fish are. But they are extremely harder when it comes to breeding. Although many are being bred in extremely hard and high ph water these days.

On a side note; Wild discus are extremely hard to keep (require specific water conditions), establish, and breed in the aquariua. However, there are only 3 types of wild discus, all the other hundred types are crosses, and selectively bred discus. These fish are fairly easy to acclimate to most tanks. As they not only know no other life except the aquaria, but for years and years up their genetic line, they have not known any other life. Thus, they are aquaria fish only.

HTH....

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There is always a bigger fish...

oh i always knew discus were hard to keep but i never thought they were this hard im just gonna put the idea of getting discus aside until i feel im experienced enough to handle them thank you any way

Chizunk,

I have found discus very easy to keep if you remember that they like a clean environment. Adults should have about 10 gallons per fish and you should try to have a minimum of five fish as these aare school fish and they are cichlids. The greater the number of fish that you have, the more diffuse will be the "bullying" cichlid behavior.

Because the fish are expensive when they are adults, many people start with juvenile fish about 2 inch to 2.5 inch in size. If you decide to go this route, assume that you will cull or sell half of the fish that you puchase. That is, if you want 6 adult fish start with 12 juvenile fish.

Feeding for young fish is 3 to 5 times a day with daily water changes in a bare bottom tank. A bare bottom tank allows you to clean up after the little poop machines. When the fish grow to 4 inches, you can shift to a biotope tank or planted tank.

Having said all that, I keep 5 discus in a 30 gallon planted tank and 6 in a 36 planted gallon tank. Filtration provides a minimum 6 time water turnover per hour. Water changes are generally 50% every other day.

See this thread for info on what I am doing:
http://discusasahobby.com/forum/index.php?topic=1142.0

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

Bob,
I know what a planted tank is, but what is a biotope? This is a word I have heard of sparingly.

Thanks.

A biotype means a tank setup like their normal envrionment in the wild, or as close as you can make. In other words, you would use the same kind of substrate, plants, decor (rocks, driftwood, ect), and especially the same kind of water conditions. In other words, if you went down to your local lake or river, and caught some fish, then in the tank you placed dirt or gravel from the lake, a few rocks you found in the lake, and some plants from the lake, as well as the exact water from the lake, it would be a biotype tank for those fish.

HTH.....

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There is always a bigger fish...

Thank you very much for the quick reply!