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How to Keep Healthy Discus
4) Space
Bernd Degen, discus breeder extraordinaire, recommends a tank at least four feet long. This is not, of course, a breeding tank, which should be no more than forty gallons, but a show or "grow" tank. Try to get a moderately deep tank, too - discus are tall fish and if you're lucky and skilled enough to get them to grow 7 inches high, they'll appreciate a tank at least 2 feet deep. My current tank is 30 inches high. This may have been overkill, but the fish and I really like it.
One well-known breeder says the rule of thumb is at least five gallons of water for each discus. Personally, I would not recommend that unless you have a filtration system to rival the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Another keeper I know has said ten discus in a 90 gallon aquarium seems to work well. These are also people who do 50-75% water changes at least two times a week, and some of them do water changes every day. I applaud that much devotion to keeping fish, but personally a two-hour water change routine is not something I want to be doing every three days, much less every day. If you stock fewer fish, you'll have less illness, less maintenance and less fighting amongst the fish. My current setup has five fairly large discus, 20 cardinal tetras and a few algae eaters in a planted 150 gallon tank filtered by an Ehiem 2250 and an Eheim 2260 canister filter. I do water changes every three to four weeks. All tank inhabitants thrive and water quality is superb.
I heard most keepers saying 12 gallons per discus is fine. Its very, very, very hard to do, but if you could limit yourself to one discus to 15 or 20 gallons each, you'll have an easier time later on. New fish are exciting and gorgeous and hard to resist, but dead fish are really depressing.
5) Filtration
Water quality and filtration go hand in hand, but filtration is a bit different, and it is something you have complete control over. There are many choices for filtration - wet/dry, canister, bio-wheel and other filters can all do the job. I highly recommend you "round up" with your filtration - buy at least one size up from what the filter model says it can handle. For example, a Penguin biowheel 200 is for a maximum tank size of 50 gallons. Even if you have a 40 gallon tank, get the Penguin biowheel 300, which is for tanks up to 70-75 gallons.
Why? Because discus are kind of messy fish. If you want them to grow, you'll need to feed them, and that makes for debris in the tank. The more powerful a filter you have the cleaner the water will be. This becomes essential if your stocking levels become anything more than light capacity.
The primary problem with filters for me is the noise. Eheim canister filters have a good reputation for being quiet, but in my experience they still need extra measures if you're going to have them in a bedroom or office, or anywhere that you value silence. The best bet for complete silence is to keep the filter in a different room, and run the hoses for the water through the wall. An extreme measure, but its the surest solution. If you don't want to go that far, see the article on soundproofing aquariums.
6) Oxygen
This is another quasi-water quality factor. Discus become big fish, and they need good levels of oxygen. This will be harder in a discus tank than in a normal fish tank because the water temperature is so much higher. The warmer water is, the less gas (oxygen) it can hold. A tank kept at 88 degrees will need much more surface agitation or air/water exchange than a goldfish tank kept at 76 degrees.
The filtration system you pick can help a lot with oxygen levels. Wet/dry filters and biowheels are good for this, but even canister filters can use spray bars to effectively get the water oxygenated. And, of course, you can always add an air pump and an air stone for an extra boost
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