is this Aquarium good for discus?

ReefTrooper

Hi everyone
.I have a 33g long aquarium with 4 black skirt tetras,9 black neon,5 golden rams and 2 Discus. I keep reading that one should keep at least 5 in a group so i was thinking of getting 2 more and then later a third. the tank is densely planted and decorated with lots of bog wood. PH is about 7 and is stable
ammonia:0
nitrite:0

the temp is around 29 degrees Celsius. I already have one brown Discus and one pigeon blood.
could i get 2 more Discus? or is my tank already overstocked? also will their growth be stunted? by their i mean the ones which i already have.is this enough space for them to grow? also i feed them live bloodworm once a week and pieces of frozen shrimp along with flake food.So would anyone recommend getting 2 more?
the Discus which i currently have are still juvenile and i plan on getting 2 more juvenile Discus one blue diamond and im not sure about the other yet.
Thanks for any help and advice ,you can see pictures of my tank in my aquarium log

Tazman

They need a 75g or bigger tank.,,so the ones you have now are not suitable long term for a 33g.

Discus need pristine water conditions and may not be happy in a small tank like that, your tank is way overstocked!

Byron

Agree. And, the Black Widow Tetra (aka Black Skirt) are not good with Discus, as these tetra are prone to nip fins, and with so few (4) in such a small space (to them 33g is small), this is even more likely to occur. Even if no physical contact is made, their very presence will bother the Discus.

ReefTrooper

Yeah ive read about that before too but my Discus seem to be chasing them away when it is feeding time and they usually never disturb the Discus the Discus swim around with them too sometimes so i thought id leave them with the Discus.Does one of you know if their growth will be stunted if i leave them in the aquarium they currently are in? also i have heard that they will be fertile even if they are stunted is this true?
thanks

Tazman

They will be fine in your tank once the Discus are moved to a larger tank. They are just not good with the Discus in such a small tank.

It is the Discus which need the larger tank.

Byron

This is an example of what happens when the environment (in this case, tank size, fish species and numbers) is not good.

There are now scientific studies that confirm what many of us have long been saying, that too many fish in too small a space, or the wrong mix of fish, or the wrong numbers of a given species, will cause issues. Sometimes it is increased aggression, sometimes the opposite--fish not behaving normally. The Discus are already stressed by the low numbers (they are a shoaling fish, unless you just happen by chance to have a mated pair) that need the group to interact and feel "safe" and in larger quarters.

The behaviour of the tetra may well change. They are too few in number so they are not acting "normally." But the time will come I can all but guarantee when they will turn nasty because of this, or alternatively they will weaken from the stress and be sick or die early. Either way, it is the environment that is causing it.

We cannot force fish to abandon their natural inherent traits just to suit our needs. The fact that doing so may seem to work now is no guarantee that the fish are truly healthy.

Last comment on stunting. This is when the fish is in too small a space (physical space for its needs and water conditions because of this) and the internal organs grow, or attempt to grow, while the external cannot. Stunting produces a weakened immune system and leads to health issues the fish would otherwise not have, and usually a premature death. This is simply not fair to the fish.

ReefTrooper

Thanks a lot Byron! i will move the Discus as soon as i can as i do not have another larger aquarium at my house My Discus are still very young just 1-2 inches wide how long would i be able to keep the Discus in there so i know how fast to arrange something for them to be put into another aquarium? im sorry to have to get rid of these beauties is there no way i can leave them in my aquarium?

1077

I would be looking now for a larger tank if I intended to keep the fish.
These fish can grow fairly quickly with three or four small feeding's per day and subsequent daily to every other day water changes to keep excess food ,waste, from fouling the water.
Might have three or four weeks in present tank, with good care, before fishes health becomes compromised.

ReefTrooper

Thanks i removed the black skirt tetras from the tank and they are now in a smaller one but will be shifted again in 2 or 3 days.