Discus Tank Startup

[BGK2]

Hey all,

I'm planning to start a Discus tank from scratch. I have just sold off all my fish and am left with an empty tank.

The equipment that I have:
55gal tank
2x canister filter (fluval 406 & eheim 2222)
1x 300w heater
1x blueplanet 20w UV filter

My plan:
To have a bare bottom tank with blue background and painted white bottom (on the outside).
I want to have about 6-8 juve discus.
I will be doing about 70% water changes daily.

Questions:
1) how do I go about cycling my tank? We don't sell pure ammonia here where i live.
2) I plan to purchase all 6-8 discus from the same supplier when my tank is cycled. Do I purchase them all at once? Would this create a mini cycle?
3) I notice most people here use sponge filters. Will be canisters be ok? (Is it better to use canisters or sponge?)
4) is there anything else that I need to worry about?

Thanks :)

[Willie]

1. I prefer sponge filters, which offer much better biological filtration. Canister filters do a good job with mechanical filtration, but the lack of oxygen limits their biological capacity. If you're making big water changes, there's really nothing mechanical to filter out.
2. Buying all your discus from one supplier at the same time is the best way to ensure no disease. Doing anything else means you'll need to set up a quarantine tank for new fish. I can recommend the sponsors on this site with no hesitation.
3. You can always get some dithers, e.g. Corydoras, rams or tetras, to start the biological cycle. Around here, I usually give cycled sponges to any newbies starting their tanks. Check with your local fish club.
4. Water changes are the biggest determinant in your success. You should think about how to simplify this process for yourself. For example, buying a second Python can significantly cut down the time it takes to do W/C's.

Good luck, Willie

[DJW]

1) how do I go about cycling my tank? We don't sell pure ammonia here where i live.
Thanks :)

If you can't find clear, detergent-free cleaning ammonia in your area, which is ammonium hydroxide, you can instead use ammonium chloride. Here are some sources:

http://store.drtimsaquatics.com/Ammonium-Chloride-Solution-for-Fishless-Cycling_p_190.html

https://www.amazon.com/DrTims-Aquatics-Ammonium-chloride-bottle/dp/B006MP4QG6

Dr Tim's website has cycling instructions:

http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling


2) I plan to purchase all 6-8 discus from the same supplier when my tank is cycled. Do I purchase them all at once? Would this create a mini cycle?

You can build up the strength of the biofilter with fishless cycling so that it will handle the load of all your discus on the first day.

If you add the fish before the biofilter has enough capacity, and there is a mini-cycle, you just change lots of water until the filter catches up. You may have to do two WCs per day for a week or more... it depends on how far behind the filter is.

[BGK2]

I've read that you can use raw shrimp or fish food to cycle a tank.
Would that work?

[DJW]

If you have an Ace hardware, they usually have the right kind of ammonia.

You can also see if the seller of the discus can send a cycled sponge filter with the fish. This will give you a head start... there might be a mini-cycle with this method.

The rotting protein method can work but will probably take a week longer because the ammonia isn't released until the food decomposes. Flake food will also work and should be less smelly.

Another drawback to using food is that its hard to know the quantity of ammonia. One way to get the right amount is, after the cycle is working build up to adding to the tank the same amount of food every day that you would be feeding to the group of discus you plan to get... this should result in about the right amount of nitrogen being cycled.