My 75g Discus Tank Build

[du3ce]

Got a cheap 75g off of CL for $60 it was previously used for a saltwater setup, a little elbow grease and it cleaned right up. I couldnt find a stand any where and didnt feel like paying mad amount of money for a stand so i made one myself. Heres what it looks like right now:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130806_160840_zps6f30cd3c.jpg
my DIY stand first time i ever made something from scratch, not perfect but it will do, dont mind the stain i was testing it out to see what it looks like everything will be stained cherry wood to match my wood floors and furniture.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130806_161853_zps7eae2656.jpg
This is the tank, i added a 3d background and just bought a piece of driftwood for it, I will be creating a biotopish set up with some low light plants. Looking to add more driftwood and will be using medium sized gravel for the substrate.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130806_161056_zpsbf88cfa3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130806_161048_zps3b624142.jpg

As for equipment i will be running 2 canister filters, Odyssea CFS500 and a Sun sun, and a aquaclear 50 for surface agitation, do u guys think that is too much current in the tank?
lighting will be dual t8's and a led light strip on top of it
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130806_161649_zps43a2d373.jpg

on a side note my 55g planted tank
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130806_161830_zpsed82d3f9.jpg

[LEDZEP687]

Good luck with the new tank! The setup looks great so far. What kind of carpeting plants did you use in the 55?

[du3ce]

thanks and i used pearlweed and yes it does grow like a weed!

[joanstone]

Very nice. The planted tank looks great and the new one is looking good so far too.

[camuth8]

Very nice. The planted tank looks great and the new one is looking good so far too.

+1
Good luck.

[SejRamkas]

Looks good du3ce. If you need some inspiration you can check out my 75 I'm working on ;). I am doing a very similar setup to yours with the 3D background and driftwood for a biotope feel. That planted tank looks great it makes me miss my little 20 gallon planted as I used a lot of the same plants like rotala indica and sunset hygro and blyxa japonica. Looked like a little mini tropical forest like yours. I think you have good taste and I cant wait to see what the tank looks like.

[du3ce]

where did you get your branches at?

[SejRamkas]

manzanita burlworks. manzanita.com. Rich is very helpful. I used the AP1 package in the aquarium wood section and it was more than enough to fill my 75 for a really great price. I have tried to spread the word as much as I can on here about this place. Also, if you are going for a biotope you might want to use some pool filter sand. It really looks great with this style setup.

[du3ce]

cool thanks, im leaning towards gravel because i want to add some plants in it also

[du3ce]

quick question this tank is by a window so can I get away with 2 200w heater on both sides of the tank? im gonna scrap the hob filter and just have 2 canister filter running on the tank I made a 3 ft spray bar so that should be good for surface agitation.

[du3ce]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130808_232036_zps2377dde4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130808_225122_zpsb33e1ddf.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130808_225100_zpsefd3c33c.jpg

[camuth8]

Looking good! Keep us updated!:)

[du3ce]

anyone know what i can use to stop leaks from pvc pipes besides rubber or pvc cement?

[lipadj46]

Why is it leaking?

sent from an undisclosed location using morse code

[du3ce]

probably didnt seal it good

[du3ce]

so I transferred all my discus in my 75g couldnt wait anymore they are all doing good. Im thinking about adding some tank mates for the discus was thinking about gbr and some cory cats how many of each can I stock before being overstocked?

[JEden8]

Looking good! Can't wait to see the pics of the Discus in there!

[du3ce]

super excited that they arent stressed and eating after less than 6 hours of putting them in a new tank
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130816_203751_zpsa0369ecd.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130816_203757_zps9644cd2d.jpg
sorry not the greatest pics

[du3ce]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130818_083046_zpsf3c2124f.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130818_083036_zps60637bf7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130818_083011_zpsb3278619.jpg

[musicmarn1]

Love it ! My latest planted having a lot of issues yours is lovely, not sure what I'm doing wrong this time but nice to see happy discus

[du3ce]

thanks im running diy co2 and root tabs not sure how the plants are going to grow in pfs, i got some stems of ludwgia cuba in its emersed form wondering if i can grow it in my tank with 4 bulbs 2 t5ho and 2 t8's. Noticed youre in colorado too, did you purchase your discus at a lfs or vendor?

[camuth8]

Fabulous tank!

[Arjunpun]

Did u use blue primer and green cement from oatley.when u sealed u sud make a 90 degree and hold it for few minutes.i follow this menthod and I never get leak in my life.
Beautiful tank where did u buy your 3d background. Is it easy to glue in my running tank.

[du3ce]

bought the background from yourfishstuff.com you prob need to drain all the water in your tank to.install it I have silicone holding it in place

[du3ce]

added 2 cory cats and 2 gbr
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130823_171349_zps0e7f66f2.jpg

[du3ce]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130903_164844_zps2e1cce75.jpg
rescaped the tank today thinking about adding 2 more discus to the tank as you can see the l. cuba is starting to transform from emersed to submersed form.

[strawberryblonde]

Absolutely gorgeous!

[kompakt]

Man you turned that CL find around into a very nice planted discus tank.

Great looking aquascape too!

[du3ce]

thank you

[du3ce]

I will be receiving 2 tony tan discus on tuesday they are a red scarlet and a snow white

[musicmarn1]

beautiful !!

[du3ce]

thanks I have a question though, I will be setting up a quarantine tank for the 2 new discus should I treat them with anything or do I just observe them? how long should I have them in the quarantine tank for?

[du3ce]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20131007_173453_zpsbeba9e1f.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20131007_173522_HDR_zps4a87ece6.jpg
Just a update I added 3 more discus to the tank, a wild green discus from peru a snow white and a red scarlett, all are doing well and eating like pigs.

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk 4

[Kal-El]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20131007_173453_zpsbeba9e1f.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20131007_173522_HDR_zps4a87ece6.jpg
Just a update I added 3 more discus to the tank, a wild green discus from peru a snow white and a red scarlett, all are doing well and eating like pigs.

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk 4

Very nice... those Discus are the right size for your 75. My fish all grow to 6.75"-7" now and it makes my 75 gal look small. Anyway great scape and thanks for sharing...

[du3ce]

Ill just take out the plants and make it a biotope when they get to 5-6 -inches

samsung galaxy s3

[du3ce]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/10/juqyda6u.jpg

samsung galaxy s3

[du3ce]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/10/tamegatu.jpg

samsung galaxy s3

[discuspaul]

You've done a real nice job, du3ce, congrats.

[du3ce]

Thanks

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk 4

[discuspaul]

thanks I have a question though, I will be setting up a quarantine tank for the 2 new discus should I treat them with anything or do I just observe them? how long should I have them in the quarantine tank for?

When you're quarantining new discus before adding them to a main tank that already contains discus - no, you don't treat them with anything - no medicating. Just observe them for around 3 weeks to satisfy yourself they're healthy, eating well, and not experiencing any problems. Then add one of your existing discus from the main tank to the quarantine tank (your least desirable one). Observe for several more weeks, and if all is well, then all the fish in the QT tank can be placed in the main tank. If a problem does surface you can then medicate in accord with the diagnosed problem, depending on which fish has cross-contaminated the other(s).
If you obtain the new discus from the same source as the discus you already have in your main tank, the risks of any problem surfacing are very low - so some, perhaps many, would dispense with QT'ing in that case, but it's a risk nonetheless, albeit calculated.

[du3ce]

Decided to change the scape up it is now a biotope
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/16/ugasu2a4.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/16/eda7yqyp.jpg
My geo el norte male

samsung galaxy s3

[plecocicho]

Little cloudy but it looks nice. Wilds would feel right at home.

[du3ce]

I just did a wc so thats why its cloudy I have one wild green in there

samsung galaxy s3

[du3ce]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/23/ne8y7a2u.jpg

samsung galaxy s3

[OC Discus]

Is the wild green your avatar? Nice. I like the vertical bars.


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/23/ne8y7a2u.jpg

samsung galaxy s3

[du3ce]

Yea sometimes u cant even see any bars on him depending on its temper ment

samsung galaxy s3

[ngarci13]

it looks good. can't wait to see a finished product

[SortSay2003]

Wow, very nice set up du3ce!! From design to finished. That stand looks like it can even hold a tank (vehicular type:)) Impressive. Great job on that all the way around!

[du3ce]

Thanks havent updated this thread in a while, so my pb pair laid eggs for the first time a couple weeks ago, and I lost one discus to parasites. Heres what the tank looks like nowhttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/19/u2y6a6a2.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/19/ybydunaz.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/19/py6uneqa.jpg

samsung galaxy s3

[musicmarn1]

Wow. Your my hero! A lot of work indeed

[du3ce]

thanks its been pretty easy going now 2x wc a week, I feed them flakes, fdbw, and frozen bloodworms

[Nick Klimkowski]

Looks nice.

[redman1221]

nice tank can't wait until my plants grow out

[du3ce]

Laid eggs again 8175181752

samsung galaxy s3

[du3ce]

81796

samsung galaxy s3

[du3ce]

I took out my led light and went with 1 t8 bulb to make the tank look like a biotope feel to it.
Before:
81851
After:
81852
Playing with settings
81853

samsung galaxy s3

[du3ce]

Some of the changes my tank went through:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130818_083046_zpsf3c2124f.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130823_171349_zps0e7f66f2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20130903_164844_zps2e1cce75.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/10/original/juqyda6u.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/23/thumbnail/uqusa9a2.jpg
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=268857&thumb=1&d=1391373543
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=280802&thumb=1&d=1393464862
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20140327_194645_zps5b55f141.jpg
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=305714&thumb=1&d=1397528528
current
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v52/du3ce/20140423_092459_zpsc0de5a36.jpg

[du3ce]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/18/hypu7eba.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/18/jynedety.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/18/yba4aqy6.jpg
8250582506

samsung galaxy s3

[fugu_88]

Very solid stand to hold the tank :)

[du3ce]

Some updates
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/18/dyqebyju.jpg

samsung galaxy s3

[Mikemeets]

This is very nice all the desiigns, im sure your Discus is loving having changes the whole time aswell haha it must be boring anyways being stuck in the same tank with the same design their whole life so nice of u changing things up.

[Ripplingfire]

What kind of lighting do you have on the 55. Plan to do a planted 75, discus are not big enough for the tank yet. Want to get the plants establish before i put them in

[du3ce]

2 leds beamswork

some new pics http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/19/original/agedysyb.jpg

[du3ce]

plants growing in
https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t1.0-9/10301507_10102409464914893_6352707824217450902_n.j pg

[rickztahone]

Beautiful tank

[du3ce]

well its been a crappy month for me, gf of almost 3 years broke up with me, then one day i come home from work and see all of my discus and angels laying on the bottom dead. Not exactly sure what happened then that started the bacterial bloom. I finally got it under control with some big wc. No livestocks survived except for my 4 cory cats they are some tough buggers i had them from the begining when i started the tank. I think im gonna retire from keeping discus until next year when i get my tax refund money. Thinking about keeping some rainbows or something along those lines.

[Frankr409]

Hopefully things will improve from here. Are you feeding c02 by any chance?

[du3ce]

Yes diy co2 but I made sure there areplenty of surface agitation

[Frankr409]

Sorry for your loss again. I'm not a fan of DIY C02 as the output is not entirely predictable.

[du3ce]

Update time the tank was briefly a African cichlid tank I just started planting the tank again here's what it looks like. Just waiting for my tax refund money so I can order some discus probably going for a single strain what waiting old u guys recommend? I'm leaning towards blue diamond or a lender

[rickztahone]

Update time the tank was briefly a African cichlid tank I just started planting the tank again here's what it looks like. Just waiting for my tax refund money so I can order some discus probably going for a single strain what waiting old u guys recommend? I'm leaning towards blue diamond or a lender

Not sure but I absolutely love single strain tanks. Let us know what you decide.

[du3ce]

forgot to post a pic https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10891762_10102820253601073_8433051289738828084_n.j pg?oh=8499ed8a0465c2d0950e241be0e9ce42&oe=5540C76D&__gda__=1429085704_065e575bd5d5b8d13b6a47e66b4381a e

[ayobreezie]

Nice.. I love the driftwood sticking out. That's how I have mine set up.

[du3ce]

I decided on some leopards currently have 4 juvies in a 29g grow out right now.