Aqua Jon
01-20-2014, 02:13 PM
Hello Simply Discus. I'm Jon and I've always wanted to show off a pair or tank of discus! (Who hasn't...) I have been keeping fish for about 6-7 years now. I've learned a lot in that time, but hardly anything as it seems at times. My dad got me into the hobby with a salt water FOWLR tank that I helped him with. The world within the tank was magical to me. I took on the hobby myself with a 30G freshwater, I liked the idea of plants. I started with mollies, swordtails, neons, otos, and cherry barbs - which began to breed for me for several generations. My success in plants was algae and crypts. I then discovered aquascaping and high tech tanks. I pushed in this direction from that point on. It was an art outlet for my brain. From what I've read it may be my downfall with discus, more on that later. Algae took the 30G, so I went to a 10G with otos, zebra danio, and a beautiful red betta. I even tried my very own micro 2.5G seiyru that was cursed by algae and may it rest on shelf peacefully, for now.
I now have a 50 that a coworker wanted to get rid of. Elbow grease - and it was new. I started from scratch and made a beautiful display tank. I wont lie here, I have had more fish die in this tank than I have kept to date. There has been no sign of ammonia poisoning or nitrate or anything - I've debated with myself and others online for the past 6 months if I should even keep fish anymore. It has come down to the quality of fish you buy. A hard lesson learned 6 years into the hobby. I had such good luck with the corporate chain stores in my 30 & 10 gallon that I figured everything else they sold was now up to par. Pure luck. It took me 6 angelfish, 4 german blue rams, 15 neon tetras, and 3 guppies (really... THE hardy fish... dead in a week, where I began to question myself...) to figure it out. But yet the danios, RCS, Amano, SAE, and CAE all thrived. That's because they were from a higher quality LFS. I also found the danios to be aggressive from all their time in a species tank so back to their 10 they went.
Today that 50 has an SAE, CAE, 11 neon tetra, 1 guppy (my wifes favorite), and some shrimp and an apocalyptic army of MTS. I want to add to the tank. I want it to be discus. But it may not be the right time. I've read through all the stickies and small bits of information on forums and books here and there. It sounds like planted tanks are not the best way to house discus for beginners. My discus resume includes: Reading about them, staring at them for hours, and deep desire to see and show them everyday in my own tank. I have no real experience. I dont have the time to dedicate to 90% daily water changes either. At best, right now, I could to 10% every other day with a 25% each weekend. But I'm here to learn for the future when I have room and money for the proper set up where the water changes are done by plumbing instead of buckets.
I'd consider a pair of discus in my current 50 as a striking display, one would be great honestly. So I turn to you experts for you opinion on housing 1-2 in my 50.
50 Gallons. 48"L x 12"W x 20"H. Display. 7 months running.
Black substrate bottom from AP.com. Heavily planted with hygro, blyxa, reinickii, java, crypts, sprite and of course algae. Hardscape is red lava rock and manzanita tree.
Current WC is 25% each week. Use prime on RO and let sit for 24-48 hours.
Fluval 405, low-moderate flow. Intake wrapped in old fish net for a weak prefilter - this gets cleaned weekly with WC. Temp is 80-84. 216 Watts of T5 HO, various temps.
Hagen DIY CO2, currently not running, but I have 2 of these which keep the drop checker green when running. Run O2 pump at night for about 4 hours which maintains the O2/CO2 balance at or just below green.
- temp 80-84
- tank ph ~6.4
- Ph of the water straight out of your tap ~6.6
- ammonia reading 0
- nitrite reading 0
- nitrate reading 0
- municipal water 7.8
Stocking is an SAE, CAE, 11 neon tetra, 1 guppy (my wifes favorite), and some shrimp and an apocalyptic army of MTS. I'd like to have 2-4 GBRs too and my wife would like more guppies. I've heard to get them from Kenny. If I can house 1-2 now, probably kenny or other decent (more affordable?) stock.
Algae wafers 2x/ week, plus algae in tank. 2 types dry food -a "color" flake that i grind and a optimum tropical micro. Morning and evening, enough so they are full (1-2 pinches). 10% hits bottom and they pick/hunt for it after or MTS zombies swarm.
Ideally I'd like to keep the discus in my 50 planted community. Here is a (old) picture of it with the danio still in there. I'll get a new one soon, its much more grown out now.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v446/j43/photo4.jpg
I now have a 50 that a coworker wanted to get rid of. Elbow grease - and it was new. I started from scratch and made a beautiful display tank. I wont lie here, I have had more fish die in this tank than I have kept to date. There has been no sign of ammonia poisoning or nitrate or anything - I've debated with myself and others online for the past 6 months if I should even keep fish anymore. It has come down to the quality of fish you buy. A hard lesson learned 6 years into the hobby. I had such good luck with the corporate chain stores in my 30 & 10 gallon that I figured everything else they sold was now up to par. Pure luck. It took me 6 angelfish, 4 german blue rams, 15 neon tetras, and 3 guppies (really... THE hardy fish... dead in a week, where I began to question myself...) to figure it out. But yet the danios, RCS, Amano, SAE, and CAE all thrived. That's because they were from a higher quality LFS. I also found the danios to be aggressive from all their time in a species tank so back to their 10 they went.
Today that 50 has an SAE, CAE, 11 neon tetra, 1 guppy (my wifes favorite), and some shrimp and an apocalyptic army of MTS. I want to add to the tank. I want it to be discus. But it may not be the right time. I've read through all the stickies and small bits of information on forums and books here and there. It sounds like planted tanks are not the best way to house discus for beginners. My discus resume includes: Reading about them, staring at them for hours, and deep desire to see and show them everyday in my own tank. I have no real experience. I dont have the time to dedicate to 90% daily water changes either. At best, right now, I could to 10% every other day with a 25% each weekend. But I'm here to learn for the future when I have room and money for the proper set up where the water changes are done by plumbing instead of buckets.
I'd consider a pair of discus in my current 50 as a striking display, one would be great honestly. So I turn to you experts for you opinion on housing 1-2 in my 50.
50 Gallons. 48"L x 12"W x 20"H. Display. 7 months running.
Black substrate bottom from AP.com. Heavily planted with hygro, blyxa, reinickii, java, crypts, sprite and of course algae. Hardscape is red lava rock and manzanita tree.
Current WC is 25% each week. Use prime on RO and let sit for 24-48 hours.
Fluval 405, low-moderate flow. Intake wrapped in old fish net for a weak prefilter - this gets cleaned weekly with WC. Temp is 80-84. 216 Watts of T5 HO, various temps.
Hagen DIY CO2, currently not running, but I have 2 of these which keep the drop checker green when running. Run O2 pump at night for about 4 hours which maintains the O2/CO2 balance at or just below green.
- temp 80-84
- tank ph ~6.4
- Ph of the water straight out of your tap ~6.6
- ammonia reading 0
- nitrite reading 0
- nitrate reading 0
- municipal water 7.8
Stocking is an SAE, CAE, 11 neon tetra, 1 guppy (my wifes favorite), and some shrimp and an apocalyptic army of MTS. I'd like to have 2-4 GBRs too and my wife would like more guppies. I've heard to get them from Kenny. If I can house 1-2 now, probably kenny or other decent (more affordable?) stock.
Algae wafers 2x/ week, plus algae in tank. 2 types dry food -a "color" flake that i grind and a optimum tropical micro. Morning and evening, enough so they are full (1-2 pinches). 10% hits bottom and they pick/hunt for it after or MTS zombies swarm.
Ideally I'd like to keep the discus in my 50 planted community. Here is a (old) picture of it with the danio still in there. I'll get a new one soon, its much more grown out now.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v446/j43/photo4.jpg