Oldcabin's 110

[Oldcabin]

Hi all,
I have previously kept saltwater aquariums, but recently moved and decided to try something new.
My plan to is to keep 5-6 discus and a handful of tetras/rams in a "semi-planted" tank.
I've done my reading and research and understand planted tanks with discus can be difficult, but my intention is to purchase full grown when the time comes and keep a strict WC schedule. As of now, the tank newly setup and cycling. Plants seem to be doing okay, although not rooting as quickly as expected. I'll have to play with the lighting (re-used from my reef and turned WAY down). The water is still slightly cloudy as well, but I'm trying to patient and have lots to learn.
For filtration, I'm running a sump with foam pads, filter socks and a large BCB for now.
Look forward to providing updates and getting the communities insights as I go along!
Thanks.

Excuse the terrible IPhone pics:

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x110/oldcabin/IMG_13941_zpssxdqhr3o.jpg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/oldcabin/media/IMG_13941_zpssxdqhr3o.jpg.html)

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x110/oldcabin/IMG_13931_zps0cijfao5.jpg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/oldcabin/media/IMG_13931_zps0cijfao5.jpg.html)

[Altum Nut]

Welcome to Simply Discus Oldcabin.
Very pristine and classy set-up. Perfect biotope to display Discus and sure they will do well under your care.
Just a thought...I have a friend with a familiar planted set-up and what he has done is install a power-head at one end only used prior to w/c to clear debris that may accumulate around base of driftwood/ground cover planted area that would be difficult to siphon otherwise.
Keep us updated on what Discus you decide on but will advise you first go through our Sponsor venders page for reputable quality Discus.

...Ralph

[Oldcabin]

Thanks Ralph!
Using a power head is great idea prior to a WC, I’ll give it a try.
Can’t wait to start discus shopping, but probably a month or more out as I ensure the tank is ready.
I’ll be sure to update as I go along.

[tacks]

Nice tank Ed T

[pastry]

I like that a lot! Very nice setup

[LizStreithorst]

I'm impressed as well.

[fishbubbles]

Beautiful tank Oldcabin, I love the look of rimless tanks but I'm always nervous about jumpers. The lighting is a nice touch.

[pastry]

I like that a lot! Very nice setup

[Oldcabin]

Thanks for the compliments everyone!

[harper]

Tank looks great! Looking forward too seeing it develop

[RogueDiscus]

Very nice. It needs some fish, but would be another nice entry for our current biotope photo contest in the current affairs section :)

[Oldcabin]

Hi all, just a quick update! I've finally added some fish as my cycle has fully completed. I'm testing zero on the big 3 and PH is staying steady between 7.5 - 8.0.
I added 20 cardinal tetras, 10 sterbai cories and some cherry shrimp (thanks Adam!) to start. Over the last 8-9 days I've lost 4 cardinals, but otherwise everyone seems happy and eating well. I'll try not to over react and adjust anything at this point, but losing fish is never fun. I'm not planning any further changes for awhile to be sure the system settles in before adding more fish.

A few terrible pics, because updates are no fun without pics!

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x110/oldcabin/IMG_14111_zps3biza306.jpg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/oldcabin/media/IMG_14111_zps3biza306.jpg.html)

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x110/oldcabin/IMG_14101_zps3tacgizl.jpg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/oldcabin/media/IMG_14101_zps3tacgizl.jpg.html)

And a few of the sump -- Still some tidying up to do, but coming along. I am also running a bit of carbon to clear up the tannins right now, but not sure if I'll run it consistently in the future.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x110/oldcabin/IMG_14161_zpsahtna4ec.jpg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/oldcabin/media/IMG_14161_zpsahtna4ec.jpg.html)

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x110/oldcabin/IMG_14151_zps1tdvzl2x.jpg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/oldcabin/media/IMG_14151_zps1tdvzl2x.jpg.html)

[Pices]

Your tank is absolutely awesome! Are those the BCB’s I’ve been reading about in water works? I love the plant arrangement and that wood piece!

[Oldcabin]

Thanks Pices, much appreciated!
Yes, it’s a large BCB that I thought I’d try based on that thread. Hoping the plants hold up in the warm low tech environment. Growth has been slow thus far, but just happy they’re holding strong.

[jmf3460]

beautiful tank OP, is that buce attached to the wood?

[Pices]

I started 9 BCB’s in my 125. I’m 3 weeks in and counting. Did you put a plenum in your tank too? I hope your plants do well. I think you chose the ones with the best chance of success. Keep posting pics for us please as that tank is SWEET!

[Oldcabin]

Yes, buce on the wood, which I love! I may add some more in the future.

I didn't use a plenum in the tank....not sure why, just figured I'd try to keep it simple.
Good luck with your BCB's, I'll follow along in the water works thread!

[Kfactor]

Amazing setup !

[Oldcabin]

All has been running smoothly lately. I ended up losing more cardinals than I would have liked, but I'm blaming it on bad stock from Live Aquaria (for no other reason than to keep from blaming myself:)
I now have 8 cardinals and 10 sterbai's, but the exciting news is that I added 4 GBR's from Joe Gargas on 5/8 and today I unexpectedly have a batch of eggs!
I've never kept Rams before and didn't expect them to breed this early as it appears they're fairly young and haven't really colored up just yet.
I had no intention of breeding them, but it has been exciting to watch and the kids love it!
So.......what do I do now? If they do hatch, I'm sure they'll end up in the overflow in short order and I doubt I can find screen small enough to avoid it. Short of relocating fry into a grow out tank, do I just let nature take it's course? I do have tiny brine shrimp fry that I can try feeding them if need be.

Also, I have 4 more Gold Rams on order from Joe, but now I'm considering cancelling -- already some minor aggression between the 4, not sure 8 would be a smart move? Any advice?

Thanks all!

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x110/oldcabin/IMG_14871_zpswyneomrz.jpg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/oldcabin/media/IMG_14871_zpswyneomrz.jpg.html)

[lastflea]

I think most fish become less aggressive, the more of them there are. I never kept rams though. Sorry about the cardinals :(

Lovely, lovely tank. Great set up!! Just cycling mine with BCB's too so watching your thread with interest.

[Hidan]

Rams are generally peaceful fish and usually crowding works, however that backfires when they start breeding as the pairs aggression goes up as they defend their eggs and the young one's.

That being said, since its a 110 gal tank, I don't see any issue with 4 more rams as these fish usually pick a corner to nest at and don't claim too large an area when breeding. So 8 rams in a 110 shouldn't be a problem.

You have a beautiful tank. Hard luck with the cardinals. Is your tank fully cycled? Coz I noticed there was only a week between you filling the tank and adding the fish (going by the date of your posts), which usually isn't enough to cycle. Though off course you may have already had cycled media, so just checking.

[Oldcabin]

Thanks Hidan. Yes, the tank had been fully cycled. Just timing lags between real life and forum posts!
I added the rams for a total of 8 and all has been going well!
I'm happy with progress thus far and will be adding discus soon - hopefully!

[gunnerschh2]

I have 8 gbr in a 210 & no problem. Caves & a lot of wood helps letting them get out of each others way. Harry

[Oldcabin]

Placed an order with Kenny (July shipment) for 6 discus.
I'm beyond excited!
Should receive them on Friday the 27th --- stay tuned for pics.

[Second Hand Pat]

Great tank and thread oldcabin :D Bet you are super excited about getting discus from Kenny. Are you going to QT them prior to adding them to your display tank?
Pat

[snxtif]

Great tank! ;)
Hope your discus would do well in there.

However, do you still lose your cardinals here and there?
I'm a bit worried after reading you lost 12 out of 20, that's plenty.
Maybe it might do some good to your discus in the future if you really know the root cause of those deaths?
(like, water parameter? any disease?)

[Oldcabin]

Thanks guys. Yes, I have an old 55 setup ready for QT upon arrival.
As for the cardinals - while I can't say for certain why I had the losses (haven't lost one in months), I have be diligent in checking water parameters and performing my water changes.
The rams and sterbai's are happy and healthy (rams are breeding) so I thought it was time to take my shot with the discus.

[Oldcabin]

Hi all,
I've had a lot of action with the tank lately and have an exciting update! Sorry if this is too long.
I received 3 Blue Snakeskins, 2 Blue Diamonds and 1 Spotted Leopard from Kenny two weeks ago. They are gorgeous!
I put them in QT for only about a week (I know it should have been longer, but I got impatient and they settled in and look great very quickly).
Once in the display, the two largest Snakeskins began laying eggs within 2 days and were quite aggressive toward the group......so I had an excuse for a project!
Over the weekend I built a rack and set up two breeder tanks and just moved the pair about 4 days ago. They are now polishing their new cone so I'm hopeful for another batch of eggs soon (running ~80TDS in the breeder tank so hopefully the eggs will be valid).
In the meantime (yesterday) the remaining Snakeskin and a Blue Diamond have paired in the display and laid eggs as well! The BD promptly ate them.
I'm not sure whether to move them over to a breeder as well (and leave only two in the display) but I'm not in a rush to decide.

I'm excited to try my hand a breeding and have researched a fair bit, but also understand that it can be difficult and labor intensive. I'm approaching this as a fun project for myself and kids, but also want to succeed, so any help is appreciated!

First pair (in display)
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x110/oldcabin/AF7A18BD-FE57-44B5-AA34-A5F84D6E7033_zps259sjxe0.jpeg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/oldcabin/media/AF7A18BD-FE57-44B5-AA34-A5F84D6E7033_zps259sjxe0.jpeg.html)

First pair (breeder)
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x110/oldcabin/B110675B-5640-4CE7-B11B-E0ABD2B36886_zpsnfkcmwyz.jpeg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/oldcabin/media/B110675B-5640-4CE7-B11B-E0ABD2B36886_zpsnfkcmwyz.jpeg.html)

Second pair (display)
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x110/oldcabin/72664088-9E9C-4F15-8F94-E8016E5FDA46_zpsyin7flni.jpeg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/oldcabin/media/72664088-9E9C-4F15-8F94-E8016E5FDA46_zpsyin7flni.jpeg.html)

Remaining two (not paired)
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x110/oldcabin/268A1622-8CB3-4120-9549-C3FB15EBF553_zpsl8elvob0.jpeg (http://s180.photobucket.com/user/oldcabin/media/268A1622-8CB3-4120-9549-C3FB15EBF553_zpsl8elvob0.jpeg.html)

[lastflea]

Great thread Oldcabin, and those discus are beautiful. I also had eggs from my rams within a week or so, and no real experience with them. They're just in the process of digging a little pit again for some more. The rummies made short work of the others one night :(

How are you getting on with the BCB filtration? Did you run with that in the end?

[danotaylor]

Great looking tank. Excuse my ignorance but what is BCB filtration?

[Pices]

Daniel,
Go to water works section and check out thread titled: DIY anoxic filtration system. Dr Kevin Novak has videos on you tube that started the long (38,000 views) conversation. Wish we could do a poll of people who have tried it and check success rates. The goal is less wc’s through anoxic filtration. It’s an interesting read.
Patty

[Filip]

Sorry for noticing this thread just now , but I saw your tank in another thread and I must say that it looks very simplistic and classy . Starting from the scape look , and through the rimless open top , lights and the look of the stand , everything fits in perfectly .
Great job Daniel .

Edit :
I was referring to the OP - Oldcabin .Sorry about mixing the names Daniel and Oldcabin .

[Pices]

Sorry for noticing this thread just now , but I saw your tank in another thread and I must say that it looks very simplistic and classy . Starting from the scape look , and through the rimless open top , lights and the look of the stand , everything fits in perfectly .
Great job Daniel .

I agree. Seeing this tank makes me want to take everything out of my planted tank and start from scratch from substrate on up. Mine looks so ho hum to me now.
Patty

[danotaylor]

Thank you Patty, and btw your tank set up is far from ho hum...I love a good planted tank as much as the next person, but the simplicity and cleanliness of a BB with a classy piece of manzanita (such as yours) is also very pleasing to the eye!

[Oldcabin]

Thanks all for the kind words! Much appreciated!

Patty -- appreciate the sentiment but your tank is gorgeous as well! It's funny, I was just thinking to myself that I should setup a larger tank and go bare-bottom!

It's hard to say how well the BCB is working -- I've been running it since Day 1 and my nitrates have never been over 5ppm once the cycle was finished - so nothing to complain about.
I've never had to mess with the filtration, but I'm also running filter socks, some additional sponges and a little matrix in the sump.
I do weekly water changes of about 50-60%.

The Snakeskins laid eggs in the breeder tank, but they didn't hatch. I've since noticed that there is about 0.25 ppm of ammonia in the tank -- so I commenced to panic! It could be the reason the eggs didn't make it, but the adults are showing no signs of stress. I seeded the tank with some matrix from the display and it has a sponge filter, but it must still need to cycle? What's the best next step? I could put the adults back in the display and start over with a fishless cycle, or I was considering adding some Bio-Spira to potentially help remove the ammonia?

The remaining four discus in the display are doing well, but there is some aggression between them -- still debating on whether to separate the second pair. My original plan was not to breed them, but I have to admit I didn't expect this much bickering amongst them.

[JamesW]

If you are running a sump I'd recommend having a your sponges for the small tank filters in there until needed. In theory they should be seeded and ready to use at a moment's notice.

With only four discus many experience bickering. More fish will spread the aggression. Why only 6 discus in a 110 gallon, that could house 10 or 12 adults!

[Pices]

[QUOTE=Oldcabin;1294533]Thanks all for the kind words! Much appreciated!

Patty -- appreciate the sentiment but your tank is gorgeous as well! It's funny, I was just thinking to myself that I should setup a larger tank and go bare-bottom!

Thanks Oldcabin and Daniel, but I was talking about my other tank with substrate, plants, a small piece of wood and angels. I do like my the minimalist feel of my discus tank, but have to have a planted tank somewhere. Maybe I’ll do a before and after shot. It won’t be as cool as yours but I am copying the center focal point/plants with sand all around for sure. It will hide my filter tubes. I want that wow factor in my tank!
Patty