My First Discus Aquarium!

[Ole_Fishy]

So Im starting my thread for my first ever discus aquarium. Been wanting one for ages and im now finally biting the bullet. Done a lot of research all over including SD and have come up with a design and setup that i feel will work for me. ]

Going to be doing a 250 litre barebottom discus aqaurium. this will have a 45 litre sump with an algae scrubber, but will probably use moss on the algae scrubber. alongside the sump will be an 80 litre reservior to hold water and pre-heat before water changes. in the tank will be 3 decent size pieces of driftwood with java fern and anubius attached ( i already have these waiting in a tank ).

im planning on using around 5-6 litres of k1 fluidized media in the sump with a small amount of mechanical filtration ( a filter sock and some sponge)

sump is already built, just need to drill a return hole for the ATS and it will be ready.

To do still:
-Build steel stand (already have the steel)
-Clad the stand ( already have the supawood)
-Drill the tank
-Plumb the tank
-build lighting unit box (already have the lights im going to use)

Equipment for the tank that i have as of now:
-3500lph sebo pump for return and algae scrubber
-100w heater for reservior
-200w heater for aquarium (might need another)
-1200lph pump to fill tank during water changes
- standard old circulation pump for aging reservoir
-2 temperature controllers
-extension leads
-3ft dual oddysea lights( without mounts)
- 1 wavemaker in case
-air pump for fluidized media

On its way is 2 geyser timers to run the lights for the algae scrubber and tank and will get some switches for all the pumps etc.

The tank is 122cm x 45cm x 45cm with 10mm glass and euro braced.

Will post photos of everything when i have time!

[Jenene]

Welcome Dane! You have found a great community of discus keepers here to hang out with, ask questions and share your tank. One thing I tell everyone new (because I never did and have always regretted it) start a journal in the Journal section. You can post as you go along and it is really fun to look back on after some time has passed. Everyone loves following a new start up along.

It sounds like you have everything planned out. I don't know anything about algae scrubbers. Hoping someone else will chime in on that one.

You are making the right decision going bare bottom. It will save you a lot of time and grief. I thought about putting in a thin layer of sand but just love the ease of cleaning the bare bottom tank.

So it looks like you have everything except for discus. What are your plans for stocking? What varieties, how big, how many? Do you have a supplier in mind yet?

Yes, please post pics when you are ready. We love pics!

Good luck! - :D Jenene

[Debow]

Welcome aboard ! I assume the discus bug as already bit you by now, if not it soon will!

[Ole_Fishy]

So finally here are some photos of what is going on so far.
The sump has its divisions done and ive cut and welded some of the steel. Just a few pics i have managed to snap.

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I will post more photos and give more info as there are more developments.

Another forum member named Edgar has kindly added me to a South African Whatsapp group for discus so I can now source better quality locally bred discus!!

[fishbubbles]

I love how you incorporated your initials into the division.

[Jenene]

That is very cool. You guys and your sump builds! That is amazing...nicely done. Can't wait to see the next step.

[AquaWoman]

So Im starting my thread for my first ever discus aquarium. Been wanting one for ages and im now finally biting the bullet. Done a lot of research all over including SD and have come up with a design and setup that i feel will work for me. ]

Going to be doing a 250 litre barebottom discus aqaurium. this will have a 45 litre sump with an algae scrubber, but will probably use moss on the algae scrubber. alongside the sump will be an 80 litre reservior to hold water and pre-heat before water changes. in the tank will be 3 decent size pieces of driftwood with java fern and anubius attached ( i already have these waiting in a tank ).

im planning on using around 5-6 litres of k1 fluidized media in the sump with a small amount of mechanical filtration ( a filter sock and some sponge)

sump is already built, just need to drill a return hole for the ATS and it will be ready.

To do still:
-Build steel stand (already have the steel)
-Clad the stand ( already have the supawood)
-Drill the tank
-Plumb the tank
-build lighting unit box (already have the lights im going to use)

Equipment for the tank that i have as of now:
-3500lph sebo pump for return and algae scrubber
-100w heater for reservior
-200w heater for aquarium (might need another)
-1200lph pump to fill tank during water changes
- standard old circulation pump for aging reservoir
-2 temperature controllers
-extension leads
-3ft dual oddysea lights( without mounts)
- 1 wavemaker in case
-air pump for fluidized media

On its way is 2 geyser timers to run the lights for the algae scrubber and tank and will get some switches for all the pumps etc.

The tank is 122cm x 45cm x 45cm with 10mm glass and euro braced.

Will post photos of everything when i have time!

Sounds like it's going to be nice! Look forward to seeing it progress.

[Neptune]

What is going on with the cube stacked on top? Part of the sump?

[Ole_Fishy]

my plan is to incorporate an algae scrubber into the system.
if it doesnt work out,i turn it into a wet dry

[Ole_Fishy]

did some work on the stand yesterday. the frame has been built and painted. need to put a wood top on and clad. Also had the two holes for the tank drilled. 52mm drain hole for the sump and a 40mm hole for water changing. weir was also installed around the drain hole

just some photos of what it looks like so far. as you can see its a bit cramped under the stand
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[Neptune]

Looking fantastic!
You should consider a roller mat filter in that top box on the sump. I love mine!

[Ole_Fishy]

Looking fantastic!
You should consider a roller mat filter in that top box on the sump. I love mine!

Going to be having filter socks on the aquarium, so no need for the roller mat. The purpose of that top box will be for nitrate reduction, hence an algae scrubber

[Neptune]

You will learn to hate filter socks very quickly! LOL..

[Ole_Fishy]

You will learn to hate filter socks very quickly! LOL..

Ive heard this lol

[Ryan925]

Ive heard this lol

Exactly why I designed my sump to avoid them. Sump is supposed to be for ease of maintenance. Why have something in it that needs to be cleaned daily or every other day

[Ole_Fishy]

Exactly why I designed my sump to avoid them. Sump is supposed to be for ease of maintenance. Why have something in it that needs to be cleaned daily or every other day

Unfortunately as space is an issue its what i can fit in at the moment and dont have the time to build my own roller mat or money to buy one

[Ole_Fishy]

Did some more work on the stand yesterday. opted to just put foam under the tank between the metal frame and tank. cut the wood for the cladding and welded up the frame for lights. stand will have 4 doors, 2 in front and each side will be a door so i have full access to the sump and reservior.

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[Ole_Fishy]

Had some more time to finally complete the stand. now its time for plumbing this coming weekend!! Need to hurry the build up a bit as i already have the fish on order and the setup needs to be fully cycled and ready when the fish are ready which should be in about 5-6 weeks. some quick photos.

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there are a few things im still not happy with but i can fix them pretty easily and they are miner. lemme know what you guys think

[Ryan925]

Unfortunately as space is an issue its what i can fit in at the moment and dont have the time to build my own roller mat or money to buy one

Don't have to go as involved as roller mat. Can easily use poret foam

[Phillydubs]

Looks really nice...

What are you getting and from where?

[Ole_Fishy]

Looks really nice...

What are you getting and from where?

Im getting some turqoise discus from a local breeder named Marco here in South Africa. He managed to breed some parasite free discus and is raising them really well so he was the obvious choice for my stock.

[Ole_Fishy]

Finished up the basic drainage for the tank and its at a point where i will be able to fill and begin cycling as soon as the silicon on the bulkheads is dry. Have the sump drainage installed and water change drainage installed. also built the led lights for the algae scrubber. i just have a direct pipe back into the tank so i can circulate water through the system and cycle the media but will add hard plumbing for the returns in the near future when i have time.

Some pics
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[BestGermandiscus]

Realy good,just add water and wish and then only work work work.

[Ole_Fishy]

So the tank has been filled and ammonia added. Everything is working as planned, sump is a little noisy but not more than the fridge in the lounge lol.
Decided im no longer going to hard plumb the returns as the flexi tubing may be better and easier in the long run. Still need to setup the algae scrubber but that isnt needed at this exact moment.
Some more photos...

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[Ole_Fishy]

Been really busy but a lot has been done. Been getting the electronics wired up and installing the various systems. cycle is essentially complete on the aquarium and algae scrubber is installed and running.

will be getting fish in the next 2 weeks or so. bought an ro filter as my tap water is sitting at around 270 tds, so i will be mixing to reduce that.

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i do realise that some of the plug points are sitting in a dangerous position and that the temp controllers are exposed, but that will all be sorted once i get the timers for the lights installed.

[Jenene]

Wow! That looks amazing Dane! Very clean and high tech. It reminds me of the sump in my reef. Kind of jet engine like. Can't wait to see the fish. The driftwood looks amazing as well.

Not sure if I missed it but what ware you thinking for stock? Ooops! Never mind just scrolled up and saw turquoise. Nice! Can't wait to see them in there.

[Ole_Fishy]

Wow! That looks amazing Dane! Very clean and high tech. It reminds me of the sump in my reef. Kind of jet engine like. Can't wait to see the fish. The driftwood looks amazing as well.

Not sure if I missed it but what ware you thinking for stock? Ooops! Never mind just scrolled up and saw turquoise. Nice! Can't wait to see them in there.

Thanks Jenene, the whole idea behind the aquarium is for it to be able to handle anything and also due to me being away for most of the day i cannot worry about anything running, so it needs to be easy to look after. I also wanted to be able to convert it to a salty one day if there was a change in circumstance. lets hope the fish like it!

[Phillydubs]

The wood and scape look stunning. Can't wait to see the Turks. What size fish will you be getting?

[Ole_Fishy]

They are around 2 inches or 5 cm at the moment

[Ole_Fishy]

So I finally got the discus and all I can say is wow!!!

I got from a quality local breeder who bred some Turks parasite free.

I got myself two red Turks and 4 brilliant Turks. They ate ravenously from the start and had no issues adjusting to my setup. I'm feeding as much as possible and vacuuming whenever I can and as a result changing the water for each vacuuming. Trying to feed 5 times a day with beefheart as they have been from the breeder. I will post photos when I can but all I can say is wow!

All my other aquariums seem pointless all of a sudden...

[Ole_Fishy]

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Just a few photos for everyone

[Filip]

They look great Dane .
Your tank and your water cleanness looks like you are on the right track for growing amazing looking and big discus fish .
What's your current WC and feeding regime and how old are they ?

[Ole_Fishy]

They look great Dane .
Your tank and your water cleanness looks like you are on the right track for growing amazing looking and big discus fish .
What's your current WC and feeding regime and how old are they ?

Currently I do just a 30litre water change per day to suck out excess food and waste and every 3rd day I do a 50% water change. Nitrate sits at max 10ppm so not worried. Feed about 4 times a day with beefheart and 1 time with frozen brine shrimp.

They are about 65 days old.

[Ole_Fishy]

So I've upped the feeding to 6 times a day and am trying to do a 50litre water change everyday when possible. Getting decent growth and their colours are really starting to show!!!

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[nycman]

How is the algae scrubber working on freshwater. I have a large one on a reef tank and once a month it has a ton of algae on the screen. Love it, and am considering one on my new discus tank.

[Ole_Fishy]

How is the algae scrubber working on freshwater. I have a large one on a reef tank and once a month it has a ton of algae on the screen. Love it, and am considering one on my new discus tank.

I actually ended up seeding mine with moss and it seems to be helping, it also has a layer of brown algae growing on it which is probably doing a bit. There are also Amazonian frogbit in the tank which are probably also helping reduce nitrates a lot, but I do believe the moss scrubber is helping a lot

[Ole_Fishy]

Update time:
Got 2 hydra 26 lights with director for the setup and I'm loving them so far!! Fish still all good. Keeping water crystal clean as best I can.
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[Filip]

I find the look and appearance of your discus with the previous light more realistic than with this new Red/Blue light source Dane.
Do you have white LEDs on your new lights ?
Your tank looks pristine and your discus seems to thrive in there .
I just realised how small they were looking at the full tank shot :) . They seemed much more grown up on your close up shots .

[Ole_Fishy]

I can add more white yes, I have set up a photo preset for taking photos with more white in it. It looks a lot different in person. Yes they are still juveniles. Only about 7 cm at the moment. About 80 days old.

[Ole_Fishy]

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[Filip]

Nice progression Dane.
The bigger ones have already started to show some colour and patterns .

[Ryan925]

Nice looking fish. They appear to have really nice shape for the size and starting to display color and markings

[two utes]

Thanks for sharing your photos Dane.

Enjoy growing out your batch...you certainly are doing a great job!

[Ole_Fishy]

Quick photo before I go on holiday for two weeks!

Hopefully they're okay when I return.

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[Willie]

What are your plans for water changes? That's the most critical piece of this hobby.

Willie

[Ole_Fishy]

I reduced temp to 28C, fed only twice daily by my grandmother and she was kind enough to do 4 water changes spaced evenly over the two weeks. Every second day she would also replace a filter sock for me.

Came back yesterday and fish were fine!

[Ole_Fishy]

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Just a quick pic of one of my discus. Turning into real beauties I believe.

[Ole_Fishy]

Got myself 6 Electric Blue rams for the setup. Has helped quite a bit with skittishness so far and they eat the smaller food particles that the other discus do not.
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Added a pot for the discus too
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And then just another photo for fun!
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[Ole_Fishy]

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Just some more pics.

Rams also layed eggs last night, but as expected all eggs were gone by this morning. Otherwise nothing to report really

[HappyFace]

Very beautiful! I love the lights too. They bring out the blue on your discus.

[tolgayaman]

Any updates of those lovely Discus?

[Leandrahwarren]

Hi Dane
I see you are in SA, whereabouts did you get your Discus? I am in Durban and i was wondering if your contact sends them here? Please PM message me details. Its so hard finding decent Discus here. I have posted some pictures of my guys :) 114373114374114375114372114376

[Ole_Fishy]

Things plodding along I guess. Really hasn't been a tough journey for my first time so far...touchwood. fish are not growing as quick as someone else who got from the same supplier, however I don't believe they are stunted so I'm still happy. Have two runts among the lot. One battles to get the food and rather swims into it so it's difficult to help it.

Some pics
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[Ole_Fishy]

Hi Dane
I see you are in SA, whereabouts did you get your Discus? I am in Durban and i was wondering if your contact sends them here? Please PM message me details. Its so hard finding decent Discus here. I have posted some pictures of my guys :) 114373114374114375114372114376

Pm incoming

[Ole_Fishy]

So all my discus are gone. Needed more time to concentrate on studies and needed cash for my new setup. We are getting a wild import next year and I need to begin setting up a tank for the fish. I want large water volume, huge sump and low stocking so water changes will be down to a minimum.

For now I have a ram tank. Got my electric blues and Dark Knight Rams in the meantime to look at
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[lastflea]

Hi Dane. That was a lovely tank. Shame you had to let the discus go. If you're looking for ideas on less water changes then read this thread below, and research "anoxic filter" on Google from Dr Novak. The thread shows a fair few examples of this type of filtration, that reduces water changes drastically. I'm just in the process of setting up my first discus tank, and definitely trying out the anoxic method. You don't need a huge sump either, nor a scrubber. Scrubbers are way more difficult to grow algae on anyway for fresh water. Great build on the tank.

Rob

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?130047-DIY-quot-Anoxic-Filtration-System-quot-eliminates-nitrates-Anyone-tried-this

[Ole_Fishy]

Hi Dane. That was a lovely tank. Shame you had to let the discus go. If you're looking for ideas on less water changes then read this thread below, and research "anoxic filter" on Google from Dr Novak. The thread shows a fair few examples of this type of filtration, that reduces water changes drastically. I'm just in the process of setting up my first discus tank, and definitely trying out the anoxic method. You don't need a huge sump either, nor a scrubber. Scrubbers are way more difficult to grow algae on anyway for fresh water. Great build on the tank.

Rob

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?130047-DIY-quot-Anoxic-Filtration-System-quot-eliminates-nitrates-Anyone-tried-this

I have been following that thread yes and would just like to see how others find it over the long term before I decide to go that route.

My algae scrubber worked quite well.

I was planning on getting some wilds but I don't think I'm going to be doing it as my studies are becoming quite a burden and don't want anything to jeopardize them.

I am definitely interested in creating one of these anoxic filters in the future though