Discus Tank Checklist

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Setting up a Discus tank is one of the most important aspects of Discus care, however it does not need to be an ordeal. In fact with a little planning it can be quite an enjoyable experience. Before you even think about buying a Discus tank you need to consider three things; firstly what size tank will I need? Discus need plenty of room, therefore a 55 gallon tank is the minimum size that you will need (see my Discus aquarium article for more details). Second do I have a place to put the discus tank? Discus don’t like bright lights or loud noises, so the tank needs to be in a suitable place, while still remaining in full view so you can enjoy your fish. Then thirdly what is the purpose of the Discus tank? Is it going to be a display tank or a breeding tank, this will effect things like the size of the tank and whether you want plants in there or not (see Discus breeding for more details).

Once you have taken all that into consideration and decided what tank you want to buy, then the most important thing to remember is; almost all “problems” with discus health can be traced back to one thing:

IMPROPER TANK CONDITIONS

Discus fish are very sensitive creatures. Their immune system just isn’t equipped to handle poor living conditions. So when setting up a discus tank what we are trying to do is simulate, as closely as possible, their natural habitat in the Amazon. Now that doesn’t mean you have to invite a bunch of Amazonian tribe’s men around for dinner every night, it is simple about planning and setting up the aquarium properly.

So let’s start at the very beginning of proper discus tank set-up and talk about the equipment you’ll need for your discus tank. Here is a list of the basics:

- A tank (for discus, larger is better)

-Aquarium lid

- Tank stand

- Heater (two is better)

- A thermometer

- Filters

- Lights

- Air pump

- Stand for your tank

- Bucket

- Net

- Test kits

- Cleaning tools

- Decorations

-A reference book (I personally recommend Discus Fish Secrets)

Buying Your Discus Tank

I highly recommend buying an aquarium from a specialist fish store, there are 2 main reasons for this

1. The staff will tend to be more knowledgeable than in a more general pet store

2. Hair and feathers from other animals can contaminate you fish tank at a normal pet store.

Next you will have to decide whether you want a glass or acrylic tank, This is really a personal choice and I wouldn’t recommend one over the other.

All The Tips and Secrets to Setting Up The Perfect Discus Aquarium Are Right Here!!!

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Discus Tank Size

This is probably the most important thing to think about when buying a fish tank, for the simple reason that you can’t change your mind later. A larger, longer tank is best for discus, they need room to move around and, because they are social fish, you should have multiple discus in your tank so you will need plenty of room for all those fish!

Make sure you have a suitable place for your discus tank before buying one, see aquarium location for more details. You don’t want to buy a 55 gallon tank, only to get it home and have nowhere to put it.

Filters

I would recommend biological filters for your discus tank, discus don’t do so well with chemical filters. Poor water quality is the number one reason that discus get sick, so choosing the right filter is very important. You will also want the filter to be running for at least a week with some starter fish before introducing your discus.

Heaters

Discus like their water to be between 80 and 86°F (27-30°C), this is extremely important, Discus are tropical fish and if the water gets too cold,  they will get sick. Therefore having two heaters is good, they will heat the water in a large tank more evenly and if one were to break then you don’t have a major panic on your hands.

Test kits

Regular water testing is one of the most important (and often overlooked) aspects of Discus care. You will need to test your water for pH, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and alkalinity, so ensure you get a kit that enable you do all of these tests. Testing the water is pretty straight forward but if you have never done it before you’ll find a short video on how to do it here at Discus videos

Decorations

Decoration for your tank is a personal preference, my only advice is don’t go too crazy, but remember that although discus fish are quite friendly, they are quite shy sand sometimes need a place to hide.

That’s about it for the discus tank check list, however if you are at the point when you are ready to put a discus tank in your home, then I recommend taking a look at my recommended reading ebook. There is a lot of great information in there about aquarium set-up, it is not cheap to install a discus tank and therefore you need to get it right the first time.

Available for Immediate Download

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Check out this great planted discus tank