Whenever people decide to get a brand new home, whether it is a house, an apartment, a condo, or a tent, there are plenty of decisions involved. You want the finest and most comfy place you can potentially get.
The same is true when you are getting ready to set up house keeping for your soon-to-be-acquired discus fish. A proper discus fish tank is essential to the success of your new fish community.
With some fish almost any aquarium or tank will be adequate, but this is not the case with discus. They are some of the prima donnas of the fish universe. They require 'high class' or difficulties will result. They may even 'check out' on you if conditions are not correct. You know what I mean?
Your first decision is how many inhabitants will be residing in this discus fish tank. This is a very important factor in figuring out how large your fish home should be. The guideline is that you will need about 10 gallons per discus.
Here's an additional little tip - six discus is a great number to start with. Mysteriously, this works really well, much better than 3, 4 or 5.
If you do the math here, a 60 gallon tank will house six of your new beauties.
An additional tip - don't get a smaller tank simply because you are starting with young, small fish. Yes, fish that are only 2' can live in a more compact space, but get the right size to start with. Updating your discus home after a couple of months is not your ideal option.
Next decision: decide which material your new tank will be made from.
Your alternatives are glass or acrylic.
Glass is the most widely used material. It has advantages and disadvantages.
The first advantage is the price. Glass is a cheaper option for a fish tank than acrylic, and when you are considering cost for your discus fish tank, this is one place you may choose to save some cash, the reason being that discus fish are not inexpensive.
Another advantage of glass is the availability. You can find a glass aquarium to fit your needs at just about any place that stocks aquariums.
One disadvantage of glass is that it can be scratched. And once that happens, you are stuck. It can't be 'erased' by buffing, which is possible with an acrylic material.
Glass is also challenging to drill through. Not impossible, but if you need a hole for your filter setup, this could be an issue.
Acrylic has some significant advantages.
The first benefit of acrylic is the flexibility in design. You can have your tank just about any shape you can imagine.
Acrylic is also safer than glass (and lighter, too). It does not shatter, and this is a major consideration if your 5 year old will be practicing t-ball in the vicinity of the fish tank.
The key drawback of acrylic is the price. It is much more than glass, particularly if you are going for a unique design.
Tip - avoid plastic if at all possible. Plastic will cloud over time.
These choices need to be made before you acquire your discus fish... way before. The reason is that you should have your tank water at the right settings, and this can take time, weeks even.
And good quality water is essential, but that is a subject for the next article.
Wayne Rasku is the host of www.livediscusfish.com.
There is much more to know about setting up your discus fish tank.
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