In February this year, 2022, my partner suffered a heart attack that resulted in him needing a triple bypass. This was a massive shock as he is only 55, and had been otherwise fit and healthy. This shock meant that my fishkeeping and this website took a bit of a back seat while we adjusted to the new normal. The fish took so much of a back seat that actually, I had to close down my Marine tank. It wasn’t getting the care it required, so I donated all the fish to a school for children with additional needs, and the tank was sold to a man who needed a new home for his enormous Pleco.
For the first time in 4 years, I was tankless, I hated it.
The Tank
In July, I came across someone selling a beautiful AquaOak Tank, that I just couldn’t say no to. My brother came with me to collect it as my partner was on a strict no-lifting order from the doctor, and the tank then sat empty for another 6 weeks while I planned what I wanted to do with it.
The tank has a volume of 330L, with dimensions of 149.5cm x 40cm x 61cm
Although the tank came with a light, it was missing the main power cable, and the replacement price for that was more than a new set of LED lights was going to cost me. So, I now have a useless light unit sitting at home on the “I will sell it one day pile”.
The stand and lid are both solid oak, and I have to say, it’s beautiful. Everything works as it should, the drawers and cabinets are smooth and not clunky at all, and it actually looks like a piece of furniture.
The Decision
So why Discus? I had everything I needed for salt-water fish, I was really enjoying them before my partner got sick, and I haven’t kept Discus for 12 years before now… so why the sudden change to Discus?
Honestly there’s a bit of a list:
- They are just as beautifully coloured as the salties.
- They are not quite as difficult to keep as saltwater fish.
- I’m not afraid my hand is going to be bitten, poisoned or spiked by anything hideous in a freshwater tank, the same cannot be said for the saltwater tank.
- I missed the colour and progress you get from having a planted tank. It’s lovely to see plants actually growing, corals can be so slow and frustrating to get going.
- It’s cheaper than a saltwater tank. Not just setting up, but ongoing running costs.
Discus are known as king of the aquarium, and honestly, I don’t disagree with that statement. They are beautiful fish once they are grown, and the satisfaction you get from seeing them grow and progress is the best feeling in the world.
Discus only Vs Discus community Tank
So my next big decision, species only or mixed community.
The benefits of species only was that I could do a bare bottom tank, make it all about the fish and potentially see some pairs developing. I could also make sure my tank was ideally suited to the fish, if it was just discus, I didn’t need to worry about the other fish not tolerating the higher temperatures that discus like.
But… The beauty and interest I find in a community tank was too much to resist. I love watching different fish going about their daily lives, doing what they are meant to do. So, the community tank won out, and the research began.
For now, I will leave it at that and update you on the chosen discus and their tank-mates in the next few weeks
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