lgherb
08-25-2013, 03:13 PM
1) Please Introduce your self and tell us what your experience is with fishkeeping, give us as much information as possible as to how long in the hobby, what you have kept in the past and what you currently are working with.
I've had a couple of marine aquariums in the past: a 55 gallon and a 75 gallon. For the past 3 years I have been keeping a small 15 gallon freshwater tank that has an African dwarf frog, some tetras, and a couple of pepper cories. Also keeping a few potted live plants in that tank. If I had to put a cumulative amount of experience, I'd have to say it has been about 10 years total of fishkeeping, but (not counting the last few years with an impossibly small teaser tank) I've been out of the hobby in a serious way for about 10 years. Recently purchased a 72 gallon bow front from Craigslist and am planning on setting this up as a lightly planted discus tank.
2) If you have no previous experience with keeping discus, have you done any research to properly prepare yourself, e.g. have you read any Stickies in this section of SimplyDiscus, or other material?
Voraciously reading everything I can, including the stickies (was hoping to see more than 'coming soon' in the book sub forum :confused:). Not planning on adding any discus to this tank for several months AFTER establishing everything, so I think I have enough time to get educated enough to have a comfortable liklihood of success with discus.
3) Describe your tank, its size and dimensions, breeding or display. Include how long it has been setup or if it is still being cycled.
72 gallon bowfront (48" x 12"-18" x 21"). Initially will be using a wet dry filter in conjunction with a canister. Eventually the wet dry will be swapped out for a refugium (prior to acquiring any discus). I don't even have water in it yet (just painted the pine stand to make it more congruent with the decor).
4) Describe the décor for the tank; type of substrate or bare bottom (BB), whether the tank will be planted or a biotope.
The plan is to have roughly a 1" layer of pool filter sand, a nice piece of driftwood or two, and be lightly to moderately planted.
5) Describe your water changes planned or practiced, percentage and how often. Include if you age your water and use of tap/RO or mix.
I have a 5 stage RO filter that is currently trickling up an unused 40 gallon garbage can dedicated to be used only for the tank and water changes. I am intentionally going to do overkill on filtration (my current wet-dry is rated for a 150 gallon tank and the canister filter will be rated for a minimum of a 100 gallon tank). While the tank is cycling, inhabitants will be tetras, cories, and other hardy specimens. Water changes will be weekly 20% - 25% changes. That frequency will increase in weeks leading up to the initial discus purchases. Once discus are introduced, I plan on doing smaller daily changes.
6) Describe the type of filtration planned/used for the tank; sponge, HOB and/or sump. Also include the other equipment you are, or will be, using in your tank, e.g. heater, lighting, etc.
See above on filtration.
I have 2 Visitherm 250 watt heaters. One will be in the sump, one will be in the tank (horizontally). Lighting will initially be a 3 bulb T5 shop light from HD/Lowes that will have some combo of trichromatic/daylight/50-50/floral bulb...still researching what others have had success with. The long term plan is to replace that with a hot rodded led setup (the T5s allow for that budget to be shifted back a bit).
7) If the tank is already setup and running, include the water parameters;
- temp will be ~84 degrees
- tank ph target will be 6.2-6.5
- Ph of the water straight out of your tap: good question....should be getting a Ph meter this week, so I'll let you know what the output of my RO is.
- ammonia reading N/A
- nitrite reading N/A
- nitrate reading N/A
- well water: source is well water that is RO filtered, though.
- municipal water: nope
8) Describe your current or planned stocking levels; number/size of discus and number/type of dither fish. Where did you get your discus from or do you have a proposed source for getting your discus?
Proposed source for discus will be a couple of well respected discus breeders within a very driveable distance of my area (Discus Paul, Gwynnbrook Farm).
9) Describe your planned or existing feeding regimen. Include what and how often you are feeding on a daily basis.
Planning on 2-3 feedings per day (which means 2-3 vacuums per day to get any food sucked out that has not been eaten).
10) What are your goals in this hobby? For example are you looking to keep discus in a planted community tank, or do you hope to become a hobby breeder of Discus? Do you want to raise Discus with the hopes of competing in shows?
My goals are to simply enjoy my tank and keep my fish and plants not only alive but thriving. I take any pet ownership seriously - my last 2 dogs were 14 & 16 years old, my cat is currently 16 and her companion cat was put down at 19 years old.
To me, fish husbandry should be no different. I don't see why I shouldn't be able to keep individual specimens alive for 7+ years.
I've had a couple of marine aquariums in the past: a 55 gallon and a 75 gallon. For the past 3 years I have been keeping a small 15 gallon freshwater tank that has an African dwarf frog, some tetras, and a couple of pepper cories. Also keeping a few potted live plants in that tank. If I had to put a cumulative amount of experience, I'd have to say it has been about 10 years total of fishkeeping, but (not counting the last few years with an impossibly small teaser tank) I've been out of the hobby in a serious way for about 10 years. Recently purchased a 72 gallon bow front from Craigslist and am planning on setting this up as a lightly planted discus tank.
2) If you have no previous experience with keeping discus, have you done any research to properly prepare yourself, e.g. have you read any Stickies in this section of SimplyDiscus, or other material?
Voraciously reading everything I can, including the stickies (was hoping to see more than 'coming soon' in the book sub forum :confused:). Not planning on adding any discus to this tank for several months AFTER establishing everything, so I think I have enough time to get educated enough to have a comfortable liklihood of success with discus.
3) Describe your tank, its size and dimensions, breeding or display. Include how long it has been setup or if it is still being cycled.
72 gallon bowfront (48" x 12"-18" x 21"). Initially will be using a wet dry filter in conjunction with a canister. Eventually the wet dry will be swapped out for a refugium (prior to acquiring any discus). I don't even have water in it yet (just painted the pine stand to make it more congruent with the decor).
4) Describe the décor for the tank; type of substrate or bare bottom (BB), whether the tank will be planted or a biotope.
The plan is to have roughly a 1" layer of pool filter sand, a nice piece of driftwood or two, and be lightly to moderately planted.
5) Describe your water changes planned or practiced, percentage and how often. Include if you age your water and use of tap/RO or mix.
I have a 5 stage RO filter that is currently trickling up an unused 40 gallon garbage can dedicated to be used only for the tank and water changes. I am intentionally going to do overkill on filtration (my current wet-dry is rated for a 150 gallon tank and the canister filter will be rated for a minimum of a 100 gallon tank). While the tank is cycling, inhabitants will be tetras, cories, and other hardy specimens. Water changes will be weekly 20% - 25% changes. That frequency will increase in weeks leading up to the initial discus purchases. Once discus are introduced, I plan on doing smaller daily changes.
6) Describe the type of filtration planned/used for the tank; sponge, HOB and/or sump. Also include the other equipment you are, or will be, using in your tank, e.g. heater, lighting, etc.
See above on filtration.
I have 2 Visitherm 250 watt heaters. One will be in the sump, one will be in the tank (horizontally). Lighting will initially be a 3 bulb T5 shop light from HD/Lowes that will have some combo of trichromatic/daylight/50-50/floral bulb...still researching what others have had success with. The long term plan is to replace that with a hot rodded led setup (the T5s allow for that budget to be shifted back a bit).
7) If the tank is already setup and running, include the water parameters;
- temp will be ~84 degrees
- tank ph target will be 6.2-6.5
- Ph of the water straight out of your tap: good question....should be getting a Ph meter this week, so I'll let you know what the output of my RO is.
- ammonia reading N/A
- nitrite reading N/A
- nitrate reading N/A
- well water: source is well water that is RO filtered, though.
- municipal water: nope
8) Describe your current or planned stocking levels; number/size of discus and number/type of dither fish. Where did you get your discus from or do you have a proposed source for getting your discus?
Proposed source for discus will be a couple of well respected discus breeders within a very driveable distance of my area (Discus Paul, Gwynnbrook Farm).
9) Describe your planned or existing feeding regimen. Include what and how often you are feeding on a daily basis.
Planning on 2-3 feedings per day (which means 2-3 vacuums per day to get any food sucked out that has not been eaten).
10) What are your goals in this hobby? For example are you looking to keep discus in a planted community tank, or do you hope to become a hobby breeder of Discus? Do you want to raise Discus with the hopes of competing in shows?
My goals are to simply enjoy my tank and keep my fish and plants not only alive but thriving. I take any pet ownership seriously - my last 2 dogs were 14 & 16 years old, my cat is currently 16 and her companion cat was put down at 19 years old.
To me, fish husbandry should be no different. I don't see why I shouldn't be able to keep individual specimens alive for 7+ years.