# what kind of fish can go with discus?



## dht (Dec 25, 2011)

hello all,i was wonder what type of fish i could put in a 180 gallon discus tank.thanks for your comments.


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## mike87 (Jan 28, 2012)

*w2 i know that discus co-exist well with cardinal tetras, neon tetras and rummy nose tetras. how many fish you can add depends on how many discus you have already got in the tank


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## pinkcupid765 (Feb 4, 2012)

Small non-agressive schooling fish seem to do fine


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## dht (Dec 25, 2011)

could i put african cichlids with discus since discus are cichlids themselvs,but then again the african cichlids wouldnt get along with the tetras would they?by the way this tank is empty im just getting ideas , i hope to add 5 discus to the 180 gallon tank and im still asking questions on what else to add as u can see,thanks u all for your help.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

The only cichlids I would consider putting in with discus would be either Rams, angelfish, or any other dwarf cichlids.


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## williemcd (Jun 23, 2011)

You can add Kribensis, from Africa is one of the few African's that should be mixed with Discus. I'd not keep Angels with Discus as Angels are aggressive feeders and Discus would prefer to graze. My fav to keep with Discus are black neons and Cardinal tetras. Both great schooling fish. Discus DO APPRECIATE other mild tempered fish in the tank. Another *great *choice of tank mates are German Blue Rams. These guys and Discus both love the water temps in the low to mid 80's. The GBR is the only ram that likes temps that high I think. Bill in Va.


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## tmfish (Sep 9, 2011)

a few good choices would be.

Cardinal tetras, nice school of 25
lemon tetras
German Blue rams
Corydoras either Pandas or Sterbia
Bushynose plecos

I would stay away from angelfish, they tend to be agressive towards Discus sometimes. It has worked for me a few times having angels and discus but be prepared to move the angels out if you have too.


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## ArtyG (Jun 29, 2011)

tmfish said:


> a few good choices would be.
> 
> Cardinal tetras, nice school of 25
> lemon tetras
> ...


This is an excellent post, I would add you need to be prepared to devote a lot of your time to frequent water changes and chemistry checks. But they are worth it!


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## SuckMyCichlids (Nov 5, 2011)

From what I've read your definetly going to have awsome water quality to keep them happy, most african cichlids prefer harder/ higher ph water than a discus, I think the best choice would either be kribs or rams as others have stated


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Discus and East African lake cichlids are all cichlids, but you have to ask yourself why one group's in Africa and the other's in South America. It took a long time for those continents to drift apart, and a lot of that time involved radical evolutionary changes in the fish.
Discus come from mineral poor river water that floods a great rainforest. The water is soft and stained with tannins. Discus move through roots and reeds, and are peaceful, delicate sociable fish. They are adapted to an extreme environment - warm extremely soft acid water.
East Africans live in huge lakes full of extremely hard water, They fight for every inch of their limited, really crowded territory. They have a number of adaptations to mineral loaded water, and can't survive in soft or acid water. Their equally extreme natural environment is extremely stable, and their lifestyle is one of pure aggression and battle for territory. They live in huge flocks and constantly battle for dominance.
So no, don't even think about putting them together. There are a dozen cichlid books in the library close to you, or in any good bookstore. Check a couple out. A little time will save you lots of disappointment, and save more than that for your fish.
Kribs are from soft, mineral poor water, but in breeding times are much too aggressive for discus. Their water needs are cooler than those of discus, but the chemistry is about the same. Behavior's the problem.
I never liked keeping other cichlids with discus, although rams would be a possibility. Rummy noses and fully grown cardinals look good with them, and come from the same part of the world.


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## Rod4Rodger (Jan 2, 2012)

I have loaches and a placo but keep the water too hot for neons. I have a friend that has angelfish with them but I think she is crazy. I would never put an angelfish in with my precious babies, still she has good sucess.


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## whitetiger61 (Aug 2, 2011)

jccaclimber said:


> They co-exist with all of those fish, but the adult discus may eat one of any of those fish every now and then. Discus seem lazy, but the "If it fits in their mouth" rule still applies.


*i/a* 100% i would go for the german blue rams, electric blue rams, or apistogramma species..

Rick


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## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

enneacanthus chaetodon would work. they come from colder regions, but i have collected them in waters around 90 degrees before, so i know they can handle higher temps. i have also managed to keep them for years in temps around 78 degrees. never did get them to spawn though, probably because i never gave them a seasonal cooling.

they are extremely peacuful fish that generaly arent suited for a typical community tank because they always get outcompeted for food. even discus are more enthusiastic about chasing food down than these guys are. that said, i have gotten them to eat frozen blood worms when there are other fish present that eat them as well. they just seem to pick up on it faster if another fish shows them how to eat it. not a problem if they come from a tank raised source. 

they come from soft acidic tannin stained waters, much like discus.


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## fishguy2727 (Sep 5, 2011)

Cardinal tetra, rummynose, serpae, many other tetras, roseline sharks, bristlenose pleco, gold nugget pleco, some other fancy plecos, sterbai cories, some other cories, clown loaches, many other loaches, rams, angels, dwarf cichlids, Siamese algae eaters, twig catfish, and many others. The biggest issues are the temp you keep your discus at, 82F gives you many more options than 88F. 

No African cichlids, get a separate tank. Nothing nippy, aggressive, nothing that loves hard water, nothing small enough to be eaten by discus (neon tetras tend to be a little too small). Some plecoes can suck on discus.


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