Best Canister Filter for Discus Fish Tanks

Raising Discus fish comes with many requirements, it can change drastically when keeping them in a show tank, breeding or grow out tanks. For the purpose of this article, let's assume you are keeping one tank and not a fish room with several tanks. Keeping several tanks requires different filtration options. Let's focus on hobbyist keeping a single tank and the best canister filters for each of those specific instances.

Best Canister Filter for Discus Show Tank

For the home or office, when you have a discus show tank, you need something quiet and that won't spill or require too much maintenance. Canister filters are great because they hide under the cabinet or fish tank stand. Fluval has been a trusted and reliable maker of canister filters that perform great for the discus show tank. Offering multi-stage mechanical and biological filtration all in one unit really makes Fluval and industry leader in canister filtration.

Fluval Canister Filter - Best for Discus Show Tank

Providing quiet filtration with minimal maintenance required, you will be hard pressed to find a canister filter for your discus tank that can beat Fluval.

Best Canister Filter for Discus Breeding Tank

When breeding discus you really want to minimize water turbulence to help improve fertilization of the eggs. With that being said, the best canister filter for a discus breeding tank would allow for flow deviation or flow adjustment. The Fluval Nano canister filter comes with an adjustable flow dial to help slow down water turbulence as well as a spray bar to help distribute the return flow of water.

Note: It is more often recommended to use a sponge filter in a discus breeding tank that also allows for air flow adjustment to reduce water turbulence. But if you have your heart set on a small canister filter, try the Fluval Nano.

Fluval Nano Canister Filter - Best for Breeding Discus

The Fluval Nano is a great canister filter in a small package. Adjustable water flow and compact size enable you to benefit from mechanical filtration without taking too much room in the tank.

Best Canister Filter for Discus Growout Tank

Growing out discus fry to adult size requires a larger tank with space to grow. Mechanical and biological filtration is extremely important to prevent ammonia spikes and water parameter fluctuation. With all the extra food and waste created by the discus fish, you will need a powerful canister filter to keep your discus water clean and polished.

Fluval FX6 Canister Filter - Best for Discus Growout

The Fluval FX6 has the ability to filter up to 563 gallons per hour, so if you had a 100-gallon tank, you essentially clean the entire tank water five times over in an hour. You could use the Fluval FX6 on tanks up to 400 gallons in size. Unless you had a mega-sized discus grow out tank, the Fluval FX6 should be all you need to keep your water clean.

Final Thoughts

Discus require specific attention to water quality, if you keep discus you know they are not as delicate as everyone makes them out to be. That being said, in order for your discus fish to thrive, water quality must be consistent in cleanliness and stable. At every stage, keeping discus fish is a great experience and they are a pleasure to own. If you are keeping a show tank of your prized discus fish in your living room, or perhaps you have a pair of discus who are raising their fry on their backs. Nothing quite compares to owning discus fish. Take some time and pick the best canister filter for your discus fish tanks, they are worth it.