discus or not

Question
Hello i was wondering if i could keep discus. I have a 250l fish tank with two sponge filters and a large heater and have a bout 1.5 years of experience with mbunas. If i can what should i put in the tank to keep it clean.

Answer
Hi Luke,
I would recommend you just research as much as you can about discus care and find a good supplier around your area, find out what your discus supplier's water conditions are like and try to match that as close you can. Be sure to cycle the tank first of course, you already know that. What I would do also before risking expensive discus is to keep a school or two of Cardinals or Rummynose Tetras. They are your "guinea pigs" to make sure that the water is good and healthy. If all with well with them for several weeks then I would try adding a few discus. Make sure to test your water frequently for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and pH, hardness and alkalinity frequently to make sure all is well and healthy for your discus. And nothing is more important to discus than frequent water changes. Water changes every to every other day of 30% or more do wonders for discus, it keeps them so healthy and thriving.

As for something to keep the tank clean in the form of algae eaters or bottom dwellers. Otocinclus catfish which are tiny little algae eaters that won't harm anybody and enjoy being in groups are perfect. They are tiny enough to clean even small plant leaves without damaging them and they do a rather efficient job at keeping the tank clean. You'll need a large enough group of them for them to be at their best. Something like 6 for starters would be good. If you find you need more than that you can add more later. But with lots of water changes you won't be having any kind of bad algae problems anyway. A good bottom dweller species would be Corydoras catfish. Any species would work well and they are all completely peaceful, they'd do an efficient job at cleaning your tank bottom but remember that with as frequent water changes as you will/should be doing both algae and detritus buildup won't become much of a problem in your discus tank.

I really hope this helps, If you have anymore questions, feel free to let me know!
Karen~