TomTom
02-25-2016, 03:52 PM
Hi!
I'm thinking about setting up my first discus tank soon. I've read and researched a lot and I just have some small questions about various things. If I should post this in separate threads, I certainly will, but it seems more like a whole to begin properly. Also, if you have any suggestions or remarks on things I'm (planning to) do wrong, please tell me so I can get it right from the start!
I have some experience with fish tanks, from scalare to African cichlids but it seems like discus are a whole other level. I have an empty tank of 125 gallon and I like to start a planted discus tank in it. I like the look of a nice aquascaped (heavily) planted tank with nice schooling fish and 6 discus. I know that some websites say up to 12 discus in such a tank but I don't want to overstock or put too much pressure on the water. I have two canister filters ready that combined are recommended for 250 gallon (so double). I also have a UV steriliser on hand.
I've read a lot about doing daily water changes but that's something I know I won't be able to keep up. Doing weekly water changes is something I can commit to. I plan on doing 50% or more water changes a week, depending on the amount of nitrites in the water. I don't want to grow out juviniles nor do I want to create discus of the largest size possible, so I don't think I need the daily water changes. However, I do want to guarantee the health and comfort of the fish. I plan on buying 4-5 inch ones as they don't require the massive amount of feeding and cleaning. About this water, it is pretty hard. Ph 7-8 depending on the test kit and Kh: 6°dh Gh: 14°dh. I've read that discus nowadays can tolerate hard and non-acidic water as long as there are no fluctuations. Would I be alright with this water? I also have a source of rainwater which is acidic and soft but during the summer it empties quickly so I can't guarantee to always have it on hand. Should I use rainwater as long as possible and only switch to tap when necessary (and it will be necessary for sure) or do I just go with tap directly?
I also see there are lots of different products available to treat the water. I plan on using Tetra SafeStart to cycle the tank, and Tetra AquaSafe to dechlorinate the water. (I know a lot of people recommend Seahem but I can't get hold of it where I live). Furthermore, I'm thinking about using Seahem Flourish Excel (which they do sell at my LFS) to feed the plants. Would this plant feed interfere with the health of the discus in any way? I also see a lot of different other products available such as discus trace elements and such. Do you recommend the use of any other product for the water?
Talking about products, I see that discus are very vulnerable to diseases. As my LFS is actually not that local but a long drive away, I think it would be best to have some emergency medicine at hand. What do you recommend each discus keeper have as medicine? I always have Exit and ESHA2000 on hand for the other fish but these are not discus specific.
As already mentioned, I plan on putting some schooling fish (such as e.g. Rummy nose or Cardinalis tetra) in there with the discus. Obviously, I'll put the small ones in first for a couple of months. Do you recommend quarantining this group of fish first or as they are the first fish is it not necessary? After a while and if the tank is doing good, I plan on adding the first couple of discus. Do I quarantine these first discus or pre-medicate them with anything? If that works out, I plan on adding the rest of the discus. How long can I wait before the original discus will get too territorial towards the new ones?
If all goes well, I'll have a nice looking tank with happy and healthy fish :) My plan is to feed the discus some specialised discus pellets as a base food and augment it a couple of times a week with frozen stuff such as beefheart. How do I make sure the other small fish get food too? Do I feed all the fish at once and hope the discus don't eat the food for the rummy nose and cardinalis? Or should these small fish just eat from the discus food as well?
The first step will be to plant the tank. Do I require some fertiliser sub-gravel as food for the plants or would this negatively impact the discus? I also already have a really nice batch of fine (but not sandy) black gravel. It's a delight to vacuum. However, I've read some stuff about black gravel and peppering in discus. Would this peppering be much of an issue when I buy healthy adults? If it's just some small spots, I can live with that (if it doesn't impact the fish), I'm not planning on breeding them or doing competitions, however I do want the fish to be healthy. If I need to buy new gravel, then that's what I'll do.
Finally, I have some spare powerheads on hand to get some flow in the tank (the filters alone don't create that much flow). Is this okay with discus or would this negatively impact them? I've read conflicting things online. And should I get a nightlight? I read that they are easily spooked in the dark and it's to be put near a bedroom (so lights going on sometimes and people in the distance). Might the nightlight calm them down?
That's it for now, with my long list of questions. I'm sure I'll think of others if I don't stop typing. I really hope you could answer some of them so I'm confident that I can keep them (or if I'm doing it entirely wrong that I shouldn't buy them). If you have any other suggestions please also mention them!
Thank you!
I'm thinking about setting up my first discus tank soon. I've read and researched a lot and I just have some small questions about various things. If I should post this in separate threads, I certainly will, but it seems more like a whole to begin properly. Also, if you have any suggestions or remarks on things I'm (planning to) do wrong, please tell me so I can get it right from the start!
I have some experience with fish tanks, from scalare to African cichlids but it seems like discus are a whole other level. I have an empty tank of 125 gallon and I like to start a planted discus tank in it. I like the look of a nice aquascaped (heavily) planted tank with nice schooling fish and 6 discus. I know that some websites say up to 12 discus in such a tank but I don't want to overstock or put too much pressure on the water. I have two canister filters ready that combined are recommended for 250 gallon (so double). I also have a UV steriliser on hand.
I've read a lot about doing daily water changes but that's something I know I won't be able to keep up. Doing weekly water changes is something I can commit to. I plan on doing 50% or more water changes a week, depending on the amount of nitrites in the water. I don't want to grow out juviniles nor do I want to create discus of the largest size possible, so I don't think I need the daily water changes. However, I do want to guarantee the health and comfort of the fish. I plan on buying 4-5 inch ones as they don't require the massive amount of feeding and cleaning. About this water, it is pretty hard. Ph 7-8 depending on the test kit and Kh: 6°dh Gh: 14°dh. I've read that discus nowadays can tolerate hard and non-acidic water as long as there are no fluctuations. Would I be alright with this water? I also have a source of rainwater which is acidic and soft but during the summer it empties quickly so I can't guarantee to always have it on hand. Should I use rainwater as long as possible and only switch to tap when necessary (and it will be necessary for sure) or do I just go with tap directly?
I also see there are lots of different products available to treat the water. I plan on using Tetra SafeStart to cycle the tank, and Tetra AquaSafe to dechlorinate the water. (I know a lot of people recommend Seahem but I can't get hold of it where I live). Furthermore, I'm thinking about using Seahem Flourish Excel (which they do sell at my LFS) to feed the plants. Would this plant feed interfere with the health of the discus in any way? I also see a lot of different other products available such as discus trace elements and such. Do you recommend the use of any other product for the water?
Talking about products, I see that discus are very vulnerable to diseases. As my LFS is actually not that local but a long drive away, I think it would be best to have some emergency medicine at hand. What do you recommend each discus keeper have as medicine? I always have Exit and ESHA2000 on hand for the other fish but these are not discus specific.
As already mentioned, I plan on putting some schooling fish (such as e.g. Rummy nose or Cardinalis tetra) in there with the discus. Obviously, I'll put the small ones in first for a couple of months. Do you recommend quarantining this group of fish first or as they are the first fish is it not necessary? After a while and if the tank is doing good, I plan on adding the first couple of discus. Do I quarantine these first discus or pre-medicate them with anything? If that works out, I plan on adding the rest of the discus. How long can I wait before the original discus will get too territorial towards the new ones?
If all goes well, I'll have a nice looking tank with happy and healthy fish :) My plan is to feed the discus some specialised discus pellets as a base food and augment it a couple of times a week with frozen stuff such as beefheart. How do I make sure the other small fish get food too? Do I feed all the fish at once and hope the discus don't eat the food for the rummy nose and cardinalis? Or should these small fish just eat from the discus food as well?
The first step will be to plant the tank. Do I require some fertiliser sub-gravel as food for the plants or would this negatively impact the discus? I also already have a really nice batch of fine (but not sandy) black gravel. It's a delight to vacuum. However, I've read some stuff about black gravel and peppering in discus. Would this peppering be much of an issue when I buy healthy adults? If it's just some small spots, I can live with that (if it doesn't impact the fish), I'm not planning on breeding them or doing competitions, however I do want the fish to be healthy. If I need to buy new gravel, then that's what I'll do.
Finally, I have some spare powerheads on hand to get some flow in the tank (the filters alone don't create that much flow). Is this okay with discus or would this negatively impact them? I've read conflicting things online. And should I get a nightlight? I read that they are easily spooked in the dark and it's to be put near a bedroom (so lights going on sometimes and people in the distance). Might the nightlight calm them down?
That's it for now, with my long list of questions. I'm sure I'll think of others if I don't stop typing. I really hope you could answer some of them so I'm confident that I can keep them (or if I'm doing it entirely wrong that I shouldn't buy them). If you have any other suggestions please also mention them!
Thank you!