my first attempt at discus

[rubinsteinnyc]

hello :) and thanks for stopping by!
So I am finally able to take on discus after long months of reading this forum, asking questions and watching tons of videos. Graduated college, got myself a job. Now it's time to get my feet wet :D!
I am planning to have a DIY, 3/8" all glass, rimless fish tank. 40x20x20 inch. (about 66 gallons) maybe a bit bigger and push it to 75 gallons.
I will be making a rack for this aquarium with a spot for another tank of sane size and 3-4 breeders if anything shall happen ;).

So this is what i am planning to do to start my adventure with discus after having read this forum:

1) fish tank 66-75 gallons, bare bottom, side+back covered in insulation, walls and bottom painted in babyblue color. a nice driftwood piece or a manzanita piece for the fish to be able to hide if they want to
2) 2x300watts jager heaters (1 for the aging barrel, 1 for the fish tank)
3) 55 gallon Brute rubbermaid barrel which will be wrapped in insulation to prevent heat loss( it will be holding water with an airstone, heater and a pump to transfer the water into the tank that is 20 ft away from the barrel)
4) 1x 110 aquaclear filter
5) some kind of LED lightning
6) to treat my water i was thinking of cloram-x ( i live in nyc, manhattan)
7) the tank will be drilled on the side with a bulkhead on the bottom and in the middle of the height, (to quickly drain it and for a 50% W/C)
8) FISH, i am debating between 8 (3.5-4" or 5") discus, obviously the smaller would be a bit cheaper and i'd be able to get more of them, do not want to make too of an expensive learning errors :) i would also like to have a few corries to pick up w/e is left on the bottom
9) feeding 4x a day, BH, blood worms and SERA.
10) I was thinking of this pump to transfer the water to my tank http://www.kensfish.com/moreinfo/eco-633-water-pump.html

has anyone owned one of these? would it work? the top edge of the tank will be at 50" from the floor. will it generate enough power?

I would greatly appreciate all and any input from experienced hobbyists, kept freshwater fish here and there in the past, never kept discus.

Thanks for your time! :)

[a volar]

Reading for 2 years and 402 posts before own discus!! That’s what I call doing your home work!!

According to my book.... I'll get two 200 watts heathers, fed only 2 or 3 times a day to a discus size 4 or 5 in. Get a better pump, maybe a magdrive 12, I’m not familiar with cloram-x but I’ll use prime instead.
Everything else look good to me

[rubinsteinnyc]

Hey thank for answering, saw 40+ people just viewing and was afraid nobody would chime in.
Is magdrive12 quiet? it's a small apt and i don't want any noises that could be eliminated in the first place.
can you recommend a website?

[lipadj46]

Hey thank for answering, saw 40+ people just viewing and was afraid nobody would chime in.
Is magdrive12 quiet? it's a small apt and i don't want any noises that could be eliminated in the first place.
can you recommend a website?

Any mag drive pump is quiet. They don't self prime so you have to use it submerged. Seachem safe is a great dechlor and way way cheaper than prime. Kensfish is the place to buy from.

[rubinsteinnyc]

but how about cloram-x, can you guys tell me anything about it?

[rubinsteinnyc]

http://www.kensfish.com/moreinfo/mag-drive-3-water-pump.html i suppose this one will be more than enough? the highest the hose would have to go would be 8 feet.

[lipadj46]

http://www.kensfish.com/moreinfo/mag-drive-3-water-pump.html i suppose this one will be more than enough? the highest the hose would have to go would be 8 feet.

That will have a tough time pushing water up 8ft with much flow. If you want a more budget conscious pump look at the deep blue pumps.

sent from an undisclosed location using morse code

[rubinsteinnyc]

http://www.kensfish.com/moreinfo/deep-blue-triton-5-water-pump.html so this one would do the trick???

[lipadj46]

http://www.kensfish.com/moreinfo/deep-blue-triton-5-water-pump.html so this one would do the trick???

Yes I have the smaller model for my 75g but the most I pump up is a few feet. Just remember you have to use these pumps sumbersed like a sump pump. They can be used inline but they must be primed.

sent from an undisclosed location using morse code

[rubinsteinnyc]

thats the plan, for it to sit on the bottom of the 55gallon and just start it up to pump some water up to my tank. thx for the tip. what size hose do i use on it?
and i didnt find SAFE on ken's website

[lipadj46]

http://www.kensfish.com/moreinfo/seachem-safe.html

A kg will last nearly a year with daily water changes in a 75g. I use 3/4" clear vinyl tubing from the hardware store.

[rubinsteinnyc]

how long do you think it would take for this pump to empty out a 55 gallon barrel?

[lipadj46]

how long do you think it would take for this pump to empty out a 55 gallon barrel?

5 mins give or take

sent from an undisclosed location using morse code

[rubinsteinnyc]

pretty good. thx

which air pump would you recommend for sponge filters in the breeders??
http://www.swisstropicals.com/Poret%20Filter%20Foam.html anyne using this foam in their tanks?

[lipadj46]

I get my poret foam from angelsplus but Swiss tropicals is good from what I hear. For a small setup I like the small alita pumps from ken (jehmco sells a version that is on sale many times).

sent from an undisclosed location using morse code

[rubinsteinnyc]

http://www.kensfish.com/moreinfo/ecoplus-4-air-pump.html

i was thinking of this one, 3 for breeder and 4th for the community tank. any thoughts?

[lipadj46]

http://www.kensfish.com/moreinfo/ecoplus-4-air-pump.html

i was thinking of this one, 3 for breeder and 4th for the community tank. any thoughts?

Never used those so not sure. I like the alita type as they are dead quite as easy to replace the diaphragms. Mine is running 10 stones at the moment and is about maxed out though one is at the bottom of a 3 ft barrel

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[rubinsteinnyc]

http://www.kensfish.com/moreinfo/ecoplus-4-air-pump.html

i was thinking of this one, 3 for breeder and 4th for the community tank. any thoughts?

[rubinsteinnyc]

nobody else has thoughts on this?

[rubinsteinnyc]

i am facing a dilemma... which filter to use. i live in manhattan and during last storm SANDY the power was out for 5 or 6 days... http://www.kensfish.com/aquarium-supplies/air-pumps/hurricane-category-5-air-pump.html has anyone used this thing before? i would run it on a 66-75 gallon sponge filters and 2-3 25 gallon breeders. I was also thinking of just getting a 110 aquaclear for the big tank but if there's next power outage i would be screwed.

[strawberryblonde]

It's a good backup for power outages! The main purpose is to keep the tank aerated during the outage and it works really well with sponge filters. I use the interval mode to extend the life of the battery pack (which means that I don't have to use as many D cell batteries once the battery pack dies).

But, since you'd be using it on more tanks than I do, you might want to run it on normal mode and then just start subbing in the D cells when the battery pack gives out.

I have HOB's too, but I just pull the media out, put it into a plastic bag with some tank water and then toss the whole thing into the fridge during a long outage. When the power comes back on I give them a really good rinse in tank water and then start up the HOB's again. I had a mini-cycle once that lasted for 4 days, but other than that, they seem to retain enough BB in the cold media to survive and get right back to business as soon as they hit the tank.

[rcomeau]

Consider a filter with UV in it if you are really considering the cost of a 110 aquaclear. You will get into UV if/when you get too much algae or the fish get sick from something that you wonder if the UV would have killed.

I'm not sure that I have a good plan for power outages. I could run the sponge air stone on a power inverter (http://www.walmart.com/ip/XO-Vision-DC-to-AC-300W-Power-Inverter/17057038) connected to a battery yanked out of a car and put it on a timer to avoid full time batery drain. Keeping the water at 82 deg F would be tough.

[rubinsteinnyc]

It's a good backup for power outages! The main purpose is to keep the tank aerated during the outage and it works really well with sponge filters. I use the interval mode to extend the life of the battery pack (which means that I don't have to use as many D cell batteries once the battery pack dies).

But, since you'd be using it on more tanks than I do, you might want to run it on normal mode and then just start subbing in the D cells when the battery pack gives out.

I have HOB's too, but I just pull the media out, put it into a plastic bag with some tank water and then toss the whole thing into the fridge during a long outage. When the power comes back on I give them a really good rinse in tank water and then start up the HOB's again. I had a mini-cycle once that lasted for 4 days, but other than that, they seem to retain enough BB in the cold media to survive and get right back to business as soon as they hit the tank.are you using that model tho?
is it loud?

[rubinsteinnyc]

Consider a filter with UV in it if you are really considering the cost of a 110 aquaclear. You will get into UV if/when you get too much algae or the fish get sick from something that you wonder if the UV would have killed.

I'm not sure that I have a good plan for power outages. I could run the sponge air stone on a power inverter (http://www.walmart.com/ip/XO-Vision-DC-to-AC-300W-Power-Inverter/17057038) connected to a battery yanked out of a car and put it on a timer to avoid full time batery drain. Keeping the water at 82 deg F would be tough.

any recommendations of such filter?

[strawberryblonde]

are you using that model tho?
is it loud?

Yup yup, that's my model and it is a bit louder than standard air pumps, but I only use it during power outages. I charge the battery, remove it from the housing and just store it on my equipment shelf in my fish closet. Recharge it once a month to be safe and I'm good to go.

Oh and I had a power outage yesterday! I think you jinxed me. LOL

[rubinsteinnyc]

and what HOB do you use?

[sandy]

If you want to better filtration can consider canister also I am using it with no problem and my whole system is connected with my inverter so no problem on power cut


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[rubinsteinnyc]

idk about canister, pain the the butt to clean it, got one eheim and too much of a hassle.

[rubinsteinnyc]

due to space limitations in my apt i think i will be using the foam internal filters with an airpump, any recommendations fellow hobbyists?
also, which air pump would be recommended (most quiet possible) for a 66gallon tank, and 2-3 20-29 gallon breeders?

[Elliots]

Whisper brand pumps, they come in many sizes and are quiet

[rubinsteinnyc]

my tank will be 20inch high, i will have 3-4 of those, don't think the whisper will manage, any suggestions anyone?
Most output for lowest wattage. Thx