Pruss 79g (Eventually) Planted Discus Tank Journal

[Pruss]

So this journal is going to be a story in multiple parts...

Please share your thoughts, ideas, inspiration and swearing with me here as I make mistakes and build something beautiful.

This will be my first run at keeping Discus and I've been scouring the web, forums, books and the brains of many hobbyists and breeders to form a basis for this tank.

The Tank - 79g Rimless Starfire Tank - 48"X19.6"X19.6"
Special thanks to Jiinx for selling me her old tank. I love it.
http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a629/pruss74/39A62181-FEDB-4286-87FB-A486498A6883_zpsgjde8zwq.jpg (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/pruss74/media/39A62181-FEDB-4286-87FB-A486498A6883_zpsgjde8zwq.jpg.html)

Water Filtration, Cleaning & Polishing
Canister 1 - Biological - Eheim Pro 2229 Wet/Dry
Canister 2 - Mechanical - Eheim Pro3 2075
Coralife 9w Ultraviolet Sterilizer
Eheim Surface Skimmer

I'm looking forward to learning the ins and outs of the wet/dry filter, the increased O2 due to the wet/dry interface and the extra biological filtration will be welcome.

I'm also going to replace all of the soylent green Eheim tubing with clear, and replace all the input and output piping with glass lily pipes.

Lighting - Kessil - a160we Tuna Sun
I'm going to mortgage my house and add Kessils to this tank. I love the look, the directional capability of the lights, and the programming capability of the lights with the controller. I can't wait to dial these in.

http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a629/pruss74/235D4998-532C-4F79-A387-E22F02430C9E_zpsmllyaghg.jpg (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/pruss74/media/235D4998-532C-4F79-A387-E22F02430C9E_zpsmllyaghg.jpg.html)

http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a629/pruss74/56EE23A3-1B62-47B0-BECA-7B19D4C44B40_zpstdipdb1a.jpg (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/pruss74/media/56EE23A3-1B62-47B0-BECA-7B19D4C44B40_zpstdipdb1a.jpg.html)

Aquarium Backround
I'm not going to have one. I am going to try and go minimalist with my scape and as such will have a clear line of site to the wall behind the tank similar to what some folks do with nature aquariums

Substrate
I am initially going to go without substrate. I had planned to go with well washed pool sand (sugar crystal coarseness), which is a lovely white with sporadic black flecking. But I've been talked out of this as I'll likely be getting young discus and I want to make sure that I'm able to efficiently clean the detritus from the bottom of the tank.

Decor
I'm going to start simply with driftwood only, and then as the Discus mature I'll add simple plantings of high temp, low light, plants starting with plantings on the driftwood, and then followed by some swords in low plant trays. I'll also condition the water by adding tannins from Indian Almond Leaf.

Flora
Once I get the Discus grown out beyond 4" I will add plants. I'd love plant recommendations if anyone has thoughts.

Fauna
At startup I'm going to go with seven Discus. I am still determining where I am going to buy them, but I'm leaning heavily towards picking them up from Vern Archer or Bob Garside. I spent some time with Vern in his fishroom last Saturday and liked his fish, and the cut of his jib. Alternatively, I quite like the look of the F1 Cuipeua that Bob Garside has. Regardless, I'm going to be buying hardy stock, raised in tap water, with good genetics.

Once the Discus are grown out past 4" I'll add some of the following:
- Plecos (L144/L081)
- Emperor Tetras
- Lemon Tetras
- Blue Rams

I'll update the thread as I add new pieces and bring the tank to life.

Cheers,

-- Pat

[Loosir]

Once I get the Discus grown out beyond 4" I will add plants.
I thought the same thing, but after my guys hit 5.5" I'm not sure any more....Might put in substrate once they're 8"+ ;);)
Looks like it will be a great looking tank. Good Luck

[Frankr409]

Pat, welcome to the world of Discus, when you experience firsthand the bonding between yourself and these extremely social fish, you will be glad that you planned for success. I for one am going to be excited to see your plans roll out and will be subscribed to this thread as you have a great plan.

[rickztahone]

Pat, I like seeing newer members putting in some leg work for research :).

Great looking tank and good plan all around. My only concern would be the lighting. With BB tank and no plants, the lights would be wasted on lighting the tank, and it may be too bright for the discus. Discus tend to be a lot more shy when there is a lot of light, and not a lot of places to hide.

One thing you should consider is adding a background. It doesn't have to be super fancy either, but you will more than likely want to put a background on after the fact because clear tubing gets dirty QUICK and you will be able to see them. My suggestion would be to add the vinyl backing they sell at Home Depot or Lowes in the window section and get some of their frosted variety. It is still very clear, it is a great color for discus, and it hides the wall/clutter in the back well. It is somewhat transparent though.

Just my 2 cents. Sub'd

[Pruss]

Thanks for the comments and feedback folks.

Ricardo, I like the idea of the frosted vinyl backing for the tank. It means I can stick with the bilious green Eheim tubing and spend money on the backing. I hear you on the cost of the kessils. I am hoping that tied into the controller I can dial in the output to deliver exactly the look at output levels I want. I also subscribe to the, "Buy the best tech you can afford that can outlive the current tank."

I am spending some time with a friend next week looking at his kessil setup and playing with the controller to really get a handle on whether they are the right option for me.

Picked up both filters and my manzanita this week. I'll update with photos soon.

-- Pat

[Frankr409]

Pat,

Went through the same sort of calibration with my Aquaray LED's. It takes a while to dial in the intensity. I'm not sure every responder here understands technology. A kings ransom for sure, but you get what you pay for.

"Buy the best tech you can afford that can outlive the current tank." --- could not agree more.

[Pruss]

Pat,

Went through the same sort of calibration with my Aquaray LED's. It takes a while to dial in the intensity. I'm not sure every responder here understands technology. A kings ransom for sure, but you get what you pay for.

"Buy the best tech you can afford that can outlive the current tank." --- could not agree more.

Frank, thanks for the comments. I'm really looking forward to programming the sunrise to sunset an moonlight cycles on the kessils. I hope to really be able to deliver varied lighting levels and intensities right in the comfort zone of the discus and some hardy low light plants.

-- Pat

[Pruss]

Is it impolite to necrobump one's own build thread?

What a difference twenty months makes... I've changed jobs, relocated to a new home in a new city and have moved in enough that it's time to restart the tank setup.

Here is where the tank is at today. I need to replace some suction cups and find some sponge pre-filters for the canister intakes. If anyone has insight as to an off the shelf or diy solution I'd love to hear it.

http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a629/pruss74/6B4C04C7-5105-4875-8712-8AF5DE74E492_zpsebzsdjfz.jpg (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/pruss74/media/6B4C04C7-5105-4875-8712-8AF5DE74E492_zpsebzsdjfz.jpg.html)

So changes:
Lighting - The lights I wanted are off the market and are prohibitively expensive. I'm going to go with a simple LED strip light.

Canopy - I need one. I've reached out to a local acrylic shop to have a cover made that will accommodate the drift wood and plumbing.

Substrate - I've decided to go with a very thin layer of pool sand for visual interest. As a result I intend to buy larger sized stock.

Anyway, it's nice to be back on the move with this. I look forward to your comments.

Cycling begins this weekend.

-- Pat

[Altum Nut]

Pat...I DIY pre-filters using 3" poret form i have on hand. I guess any aqua-clear sponge will also work by trimming to your desired size and cutting inside until it snugly fits. Off the shelf pre-filter mail-order since I think your still in Ontario...http://angelfins.ca/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1995

...Ralph

[Ryan925]

I use the eheim prefilter

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s?k=Eheim.+Pre+filter

[Pruss]

Thanks Ralph, and thank you Ryan. I'll look at both.

I have an email in to AngelFins on another topic, so I'll touch base with them on these pre-filter sleeves. Looks highly doable.

Off to Home Depot to pick up the vinyl cling film I'll be applying to the exterior of the back wall of the tank. (Thanks Ricardo for the idea) Tonight we add water.

-- Pat

[Phillydubs]

Pruss...

Looks great! I may be getting a similar tank to yours... I am assuming discus are going in there? Are you leaving it lidless?

[Pruss]

Hey Phil,

I'm looking for sources for stock right now. I'm in Ontario, just west of Toronto. So I'm reaching out to the usual suspects for both local(ish) breeders and online retailers.

I am not going to leave it lidless. I've reached out to a couple of local acrylic manufacturers about having a cover produced. One of whom does pretty nice things for rimless tanks. The clear acrylic drops beneath the top walls of the tank by about 1/4" and he runs a clear mesh to allow the tank to breath.

-- Pat

[Ryan925]

Hey Phil,

I'm looking for sources for stock right now. I'm in Ontario, just west of Toronto. So I'm reaching out to the usual suspects for both local(ish) breeders and online retailers.

I am not going to leave it lidless. I've reached out to a couple of local acrylic manufacturers about having a cover produced. One of whom does pretty nice things for rimless tanks. The clear acrylic drops beneath the top walls of the tank by about 1/4" and he runs a clear mesh to allow the tank to breath.

-- Pat

Have you looked at the sponsors page here for the canada suppliers?

[Pruss]

Have you looked at the sponsors page here for the canada suppliers?

Yep.

Looks like there is one sponsor in Canada that still ships to Ontario.

-- Pat

[Pruss]

Mini Update

Tank is filled, cycling started and canister charging is under way.

Really liking the wet-dry filter and the intermittent surface agitation it provides in addition to the extra cleaning.

I placed a deposit with site sponsor Rick from Canadian Aqua Farm, who will be shipping out my new friends once the tank has cycled and stabilized.

Exciting times!

Now to make and freeze BH mix, rig the cover and lighting, and add a UV sterilizer (if I can find one).

Cheers,

-- Pat

[Phillydubs]

Pat,

Very ok news. Good luck w the cycle.

What did you decide to go with as far as your group.

I know you were thinking wilds?

[Pruss]

Heya Phil.

I couldn't find wilds that were readily available, and which I could afford. So I went with pretty much the opposite...

I'm buying a group of eight Penang Eruptions from Rick at Canadian Aqua Farm.

I'll upload tank pictures later today.

-- Pat

[Phillydubs]

Oh wow very cool. One of my fave strains. What size ?