Saying Hello

[banks2]

Hello everyone,
I'm Dave from Western Massachusetts. I've been soaking in all the knowledge and information here at Simply for awhile now, and I think I'm ready to start my a discus tank. I have smaller freshwater tanks and really enjoy them, but the discus have a personality that no smaller fish could have( just my opinion). I finally got the O.K. from my wife to set up a 75 gallon discus tank in the living room:D I'll have my aging barrel is in the basement and I'll pump it up to the tank, same for draining it. I've read that you need to drill the tank to do this, is drilling just for draining the tank or also for filling ?? I'm also planning at some point running a refugium and a Beananimal, but not until I get everything up and running, unless it makes more sense to get it going prior to getting the discus. What do you think ?? It'll be BB with 2 bubble filters and a HOB, unless I do the refugium. I fully understand about water changes and keeping the filters clean and the debris out of the tank, I'm totally committed to my future discus.
Can someone give me some suggestions where I can go and visit a breeder that is within a few hundred miles or who sells that you trust ?? I don't mind traveling to see and talk. There's a LFS in Southhampton that has discus but I'm not sure of his experience. Anyway I'll have many questions so be easy on me.
Thanks Dave

[joanstone]

Welcome. If you are referring to Exotic Fish in Southampton, I think they might get their fish from Hans. Mmorris on this site is close to you and often has fry for sale. I have some of her fish and they are very nice. I think it would be worth a visit. There are also people in the area that might share shipping if you decide to order fish from a sponsor at some point, myself included. You do not need to have a drilled tank to drain and fill it for water changes, just a pump and appropriate hose. If you want a sump you would most likely want it drilled and you would need to do that prior to filling. Glass-holes.com is a good place to learn about drilling your tank. The other option is an overflow box and you could add that at any time.

[White Worm]

Keep it simple at first because discus care will surprise you no matter how much you prepare. Contact a local breeder or someone here in the sponsor section for your discus. There are too many dangerous factors when dealing with a LFS no matter where they get their discus. Drilling the tank is for drainage. You should have a separate line for fill.

[BODYDUB]

I agree with keeping it simple. The two most important things to successful discus keeping are clean water and a good diet.......I don't ever remember seeing a discus tank with a refugium, but i may be wrong. I've never heard of a beananimal, so to me it has no use on a discus tank. Also, it will take a pretty strong pump to transfer your water from your basement upwards to your tank. I have my aging barrel right next to my tank, it does look a bit out of place there and the wife has gotten use to it lol. But it was the most ideal place to sit it. If you are willing to drive a couple of hundred miles for then I would seriously look into just paying for shipping for a group of fish. It would be cheaper and the fish show up right at your doorstep. Look into kenny discus from Cali in the sponsor section on here for some awesome fish. I would recommend you start off with 4" or bigger fish. They a bit more harder than smaller fish and a beginner has a less likely chance of screwing them up. There's no need to drill your tank for anything................I do have a question for you though. Are you a saltwater guy? It kinda sounds to me like you've been a SW keeper and making the switch to FW. Either way GL and welcome to the forum.

[banks2]

Thanks for the advice I'll keep it simple. A beananimal is just a overflow system that runs supposedly silent, looks like it'd be fun to build. I was thinking about the refugium and it's not a good idea to start out with because of having the plants in it.
Bodydub, the wife would kill me if I had my aging barrel next to the tank !!!! I had saltwater a long time ago, but it didn't work with my life at the time..
Is Al (brewmaster15) still selling discus? CT. is just around the corner..
Thank Dave