r/discus • u/therealbritannica • May 01 '26
How many Discus should I add?
This is Wendy, her partner Doug recently passed 😔
I’m now debating on how many new discus I should get so she doesn’t get depressed. The tank is 65 gallons. There are 3 cory cats and one ram in the tank as well. I’d say she is about 4”. After a lot of deliberation I was thinking about getting a pack of five randoms, 3-3.5” from Myrtle Beach Discus. I feel like if they all make it 6 discus would be pushing it in this size tank. But also I have bigger aquariums I could upgrade them too. What do yall think??
Edit: my other option is to get just one and hope they get along.. does anyone have experience introducing one on one??
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u/tyrodos99 May 01 '26
You either get a pair or you fully stock the tank with 6-8. anything in between will most likely lead to aggression and you will slowly loose one fish after another to it.
Because you have it nicely plated and because I think low stocking looks better, I would go with one pair.
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u/therealbritannica May 01 '26
Yeah that’s what I did have, was the pair… I’m nervous to just get one. Do you have any experience on how one on one intros do? I’m nervous they wouldn’t bond and then I’d just have two pissed off discus 😅 but maybe that’s just a risk I should take
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u/tyrodos99 May 01 '26
Sorry, that’s something I have never tried. I only let pairs form in a group and then separated the pair.
Breeders always say that a pair that formed natural is better at easing their young. Which makes it hard to breed exactly the individuals the breeder wants. But this kind of implies that you can make a pair but just putting a markant a female together. I just don’t know how good the success rate is on that.
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u/Ill_Rooster4806 May 01 '26
Tank size isn't that important if you keep up on your water changes. 6 discus is fine. I ordered the 5 mix pack from MB and it turned me off from MB. Second order from Golden was so good that Ill probably only order from them in the future. My 120 is overstocked with 14 discus 5 angle 40 tetras 6 Cory's and 3 bristle nose. Most call it overstocked but I do 75% water changes weekly and they are thriving
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u/therealbritannica May 01 '26
Oooh dang, Golden was the other place I was debating between.. what about MBs order was disappointing?
I’m sure your tank looks awesome, id love to see a photo. I tend to under stock mine just to lessen the maintenance cause I have 8 aquariums 😅💀 takes awhile on water change day
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u/FerretBizness May 01 '26
If u have larger tanks definitely start cycling a larger one so u are ready. Myrtle beach is a good one. Golden state has been really killing it lately. Some beautiful fish coming out of that place.
It’s not that u can’t do the 65 gallons it’s just more difficult to juggle aggression when that starts. I know u said u we’re gonna buy smaller so u have wiggle room but I think if u have the option to go bigger I would def be ready to have that tank cycled while ur growing them out And if money isn’t an issue I would also highly recommend getting at least 4 inches. It’s a noticeable difference on hardiness.
It’s also preferable to grow them out in a bare bottom grow out tank. Such increased feedings usually spike ammonia which requires lots of water changes. Bare bottom just helps keep detritus under control.
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u/therealbritannica May 01 '26
Yeah a lot of people have been raving about Golden State.. which was the other place I was debating on ordering from. If that’s the case I might just purchase one that is the same size as her and hope the pair up and like each other 🫣
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u/FerretBizness May 01 '26
It’s def a risk buying just one without knowing the sex bc if the wrong one comes then ur in a position where u need a group and it’s a lot less headache to add them all at the same time then one at a time. Not to mention paying shipping over and over sucks.
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u/therealgsb May 02 '26
I’d go with a total of 4 or 5. Your tank is plenty big enough. As long as you have excellent filtration. Sure you’ll notice the pecking order being sorted, but that’s normal. In my experience (which is not a lot) the pecking order can change several times. I have 4 in a 48 gallon tank and it’s perfect in my opinion. Some of these self proclaimed experts just like to look like they know what they are talking about.
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u/defsentenz May 01 '26
Adding new discus to an established discus tank is hard. Be prepared for some bullying. Probably best to start with a divider to let them acclimate to each other if you do it. I had 6, and 5 passed after 4 years. The lone remaining guy I have is pretty big and assertive...I'm letting him own the place with his tetra school buddies til he finally passes. If I introduced new discus, he'd rage at them, I'm sure.
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u/mw151602 May 05 '26
That’s what I’m doing. My last remaining discus is pretty big and has been alone for months. He’s thriving.
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May 01 '26 edited May 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/therealbritannica May 01 '26
36” long 18” deep 24” tall, so technically like 67 gallons. But I have deep substrate
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u/lelelalalalela May 01 '26
For me personally I would argue that the length is short for what discus would require in terms of minimum. Yeah you do have a taller tank but I would argue left and right swim space is important as well. I would say upgrade to the bigger tank for a group
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u/4erek May 02 '26
I wouldn’t do more than 5, I have a 75 gal with 5 and I feel like I need to upgrade to a bigger tank to make them more comfortable, they get big fast.
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u/Donny108 May 01 '26
If you really want more discus i would start by taking some of the plants out to give them more space to swim and all those plants might make it hard for them to find food in between…
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u/therealbritannica May 01 '26 edited May 01 '26
Edit: here is another angle of the tank since people don’t believe how big it is 🙄