Hatchetfish
Carnegiella myersi
Carnegiella strigata strigata
Gasteropelecus levis
Gasteropelecus sternicla
Angelfish-Pterophyllum scalare makes a fine choice if your discus can stand their ground very well otherwise if bullied, the angelfish will be able to outcompete them for food and harass them. Pterophyllum altum is another and is more suitable if money and time are not an issue. These are wild-caught so it is expected they will react too quickly if they do not like your water conditions.
Corydoras-Check planetcatfish.com for more information on these little catfish. Do make sure the species you get are tolerant of the warm temperature. Corydoras sterbai is one of the few I can mention that might be able to tolerate the temperature above 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Otocinclus catfish-Be a little observant when getting them from your lfs. If they were not given sufficient food diet, then there is a tendency they'll suck the slime coat of your discus.
Plecos-A few I can mention that are suitable are Ancistrus, small Panaques, Rineloricaria and Sturisoma. Provide them plenty of driftwoods to hide and most especially the Ancistrus. The Ancistrus is mildly territorial and if given insufficient number of hiding places, they have a tendency to "slash" through the discus in their efforts to defend their territory. That was my problem before.
Rasboras-Though not purely South American, they nevertheless make fine choices. The best you can get is the Trigonostigma heteromorpha.
thx 4 the help lupin i'm not sure how big the tanks gonna b i'm gonna get the tank 2morrow so i'll let u know and 1 of my friends want 2 get some discus but he has 2 rosy barbs and 2 tinfoil barbs in hes tank can he add discus 2 the tank :?:
thx 4 the help lupin i'm not sure how big the tanks gonna b i'm gonna get the tank 2morrow so i'll let u know and 1 of my friends want 2 get some discus but he has 2 rosy barbs and 2 tinfoil barbs in hes tank can he add discus 2 the tank :?:
Is that all he has in his tank? What size is it? Perhaps he should remove those barbs. Rosy barbs, despite not being habitual fin nippers, might nip the discus if given the opportunity. Tinfoil barbs can reach 12 inches max in size and will greatly stress the discus with their constant pecking order and boisterous swimming activity.
If he wants discus, I'd suggest he buy from a local breeder and ask for tips on how to keep them. The breeder should know his stuff anyway. As for tankmates, you can follow what I posted above. If the discus are juveniles, they must be kept in a barebottom tank operated with a heater set at 84 degrees Celsius and frequent water changes. The lighting must be subdued and the tank can be stuffed with plants for refuge. The reason why I suggested barebottom is maintenance will be easier. Feed the juveniles four times a day and keep a watch on water parameters regularly. This will ensure they will grow quickly without risk of stunting.
EDIT:
Jay, I forgot to add that you can keep apistogrammas, keyholes, bolivian rams and blue rams with discus.
The tank is too small for the tinfoil barbs, let alone the combo with discus. But tinfoils and discus don't mix anyway. The rosy barbs will be fine in that tank however the tinfoil barbs must be rehomed unfortunately.
For 4 discus, I'd recommend 55g as the minimum tank size. A pair or single will not work at all and if you get a trio, you end up having the third one bullied once two pair up. Would he obliged if he upgrade his tank? If not, will he go with the community setup which will include angelfish? Let him take a look into the sticky thread of angelfish photos so he will decide what will be the final stocklist for his tank. You can invite him here as well and we'll try to help him along the way.:mrgreen:
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