New to the forum but not new to discus

[Opie984]

Hello all. I decided to join this forum for the collective advice as I'm in the process of setting up a 250 gallon discus tank. My wife and I first tried a 75 gallon planted tank with tank mates...that I'm sure you can guess didn't go well. We ended up losing all our fish.

We then set up a tall 55 gallon tank with a simple sand bottom and a couple pieces of driftwood with no other tank mates. However, after placing our newly bought fish it was clear they were diseased and 3 of the 4 died. The 4th survived (who we named Bear Gills) and has been going strong all alone for over a year now as we researched a better place to buy more stock.

We recently inherited the 250 gallon tank from my wife's parents and have it set up and it is currently cycling. I have 2 big concerns moving to this big of a tank for discus.
1. The sump that came with the tank seems overly simple to me for filtration and I'm not sure if I need to add some additional filtration or change it altogether. It's essentially sponge filter foam and bio balls.
2. That is a lot of water to try and heat and I'm not sure that a couple of aquarium heaters in the sump will be sufficient.

I've already been reading as much here as I can and look forward to reading through more to learn from the collective experience of all the forum members here.

[coralbandit]

Welcome !
I would be more concerned with how much water percentage wise to a 250g you can change then the filter .With clean fresh water filters are moot .
With the best filters made water changes are still very important .
Foam is one of the better filter medias IMO,the bio balls could go in a bag to the attic IMO..
They make large titanium heaters that should be able to handle the volume no problem .
Just me ...

[LizStreithorst]

I totally agree with Tom.

[above design]

Agreed. All I have in my sump is some poret foam. Works great but the key is large water changes.

Mark

[LizStreithorst]

I once put 5 adult show quality Discus in a 30 gallon with an uncycled filter for QT. I was prepared to do 2 flopping on the bottom WCs twice daily but I watched the fish and found I only had to do it daily. Slowly the filter caught up and after 3 weeks I was able to cut down to 50 percent daily. Watch the fish with a hard eye. They'll let you know if they need more good clean water. Once they're happy, then it's time to modify your filtration. And sponges are the best. Matten filters are excellent but they're a pain to clean.

[Opie984]

I have been looking at an RO system for that very reason. I also homebrew so it would do double duty for me.

[LizStreithorst]

I have been looking at an RO system for that very reason. I also homebrew so it would do double duty for me.

I don't see why you want an RO system for the Discus. In what way do you think that lower TDS water will help them?

[coralbandit]

Before you go RO get a TDS meter and learn about your water .
Under 100 TDS is wonderful and unless you are hard set on breeding you won't need RO.
You should get a couple good sized barrels to age and get water to proper temperature to make large ( 50% ) water changes a couple times a week.
I use the HM3 TDS meter which is easily found on any search for aprox. $20. It requires no calibration and is my most important water tool I own after 30+ years of fish keeping .
Good deal here [I just order 2 for back up !] ; https://www.amazon.com/HM-Digital-TDS-3-Handheld-Carrying/dp/B000VTQM70

[peewee1]

Before you go RO get a TDS meter and learn about your water .
Under 100 TDS is wonderful and unless you are hard set on breeding you won't need RO.
You should get a couple good sized barrels to age and get water to proper temperature to make large ( 50% ) water changes a couple times a week.
I use the HM3 TDS meter which is easily found on any search for aprox. $20. It requires no calibration and is my most important water tool I own after 30+ years of fish keeping .
Good deal here [I just order 2 for back up !] ; https://www.amazon.com/HM-Digital-TDS-3-Handheld-Carrying/dp/B000VTQM70

Thanks, Tom. I hope to order one today. The past two weeks of forum reading is changing the way I do business. I bought my first KH test ever two weeks ago and increased my water change from 100% per week to 120% per week. So after years of Discus keeping I got curious what the TDS (don't know what that stands for) of the water is. What happened to the old days when I could have 3 or 4 breeding pairs going without water changes, knowing the ph, KH, or TDS? Either these fish of today are different from the wild fish I raised 40 years ago or are we making this more complicated than this needs to be?

[bluelagoon]

Thanks, Tom. I hope to order one today. The past two weeks of forum reading is changing the way I do business. I bought my first KH test ever two weeks ago and increased my water change from 100% per week to 120% per week. So after years of Discus keeping I got curious what the TDS (don't know what that stands for) of the water is. What happened to the old days when I could have 3 or 4 breeding pairs going without water changes, knowing the ph, KH, or TDS? Either these fish of today are different from the wild fish I raised 40 years ago or are we making this more complicated than this needs to be?

TDS stands for=Total Dissolved Solids

[captainandy]

you also might want to think about why the previous discus tanks didn't do so well. A tank that size comes along with a hefty price tag with all the accessories, fish etc.
What do you think went wrong and why?
Did you pay attention to temperature and pH?
Where did the fish come from. How big were they?

[peewee1]

TDS stands for=Total Dissolved Solids


Thanks, Mervin. I will get the TDS machine next week from Amazon and I notice that there is a temp button on it. So I will find out what the TDS and the temperature of the water in my tanks are all in one fell swoop. I had been using my finger to gauge the temp so far. If it feels warm enough it must be warm enough for the fish. The forum is bringing me out of the dark ages of fish keeping. Then, Mervin, when I get the TDS number I will come back to you and find out what it means.

[Opie984]

you also might want to think about why the previous discus tanks didn't do so well. A tank that size comes along with a hefty price tag with all the accessories, fish etc.
What do you think went wrong and why?
Did you pay attention to temperature and pH?
Where did the fish come from. How big were they?

Our first tank was mostly that we were experienced with aquariums and thought discus would be easy. We had bright lights because it was planted. We had some other tank mates that were out competing the discus for food. By the time we realized several of our mistakes it was too late.

The second time was definitely stock. The fish came from a LFS in Tampa, Fl and the one that survived was the only one that would eat. Once they were in our tank, we could immediately tell something wasn't right. She then explained that the guy kept saying, "I just fed them." She didn't understand why he kept emphasizing that until I explained you want to see them eat as unhealthy fish often wont eat.

[Opie984]

I was thinking RO because of volume. Hauling enough buckets for water changes on that size tank is not an exciting prospect :) Barrels are also daunting. I'll either have to figure a pump system to move the water from the barrel to the tank or still be hauling water in buckets from the barrels to the tank.

[Opie984]

Welcome !
I would be more concerned with how much water percentage wise to a 250g you can change then the filter .With clean fresh water filters are moot .
With the best filters made water changes are still very important .
Foam is one of the better filter medias IMO,the bio balls could go in a bag to the attic IMO..
They make large titanium heaters that should be able to handle the volume no problem .
Just me ...

A heater like this?
https://www.amazon.com/Submersible-Heater-Waterproof-Thermostat-Overheating/dp/B07SYP8X8Q/ref=asc_df_B07SYP8X8Q/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=&hvpos=&hvnetw=o&hvrand=&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583520387379273&psc=1

[peewee1]

Opie, I was thinking that the 55 gallon would be a good start. Bare, with your sand, and wood. A simple filter hanging on the back of the tank. Temp at around 84 degrees and water change with tap water and Prime would make life easy and the fish are forgiving on this approach. Next buy 5 4 inch fish from a forum sponsor. Supply good food in variety. Freeze dry black worms, flakes or pellets work well for Discus. Forget the lfs fish because the forum sponsors have reputation and their prices with shipping are good.

[above design]

I was thinking RO because of volume. Hauling enough buckets for water changes on that size tank is not an exciting prospect :) Barrels are also daunting. I'll either have to figure a pump system to move the water from the barrel to the tank or still be hauling water in buckets from the barrels to the tank.

I've got a couple brute garbage can from Lowe's along with some plastic tubing. Just pump the water from the garbage cans right into your aquarium. I use the same pumps to aerate the water overnight.

-Mark

[LizStreithorst]

I've got a couple brute garbage can from Lowe's along with some plastic tubing. Just pump the water from the garbage cans right into your aquarium. I use the same pumps to aerate the water overnight.

-Mark

And doing that stabilizes the pH which is very important. Nobody who keeps Discus uses buckets and few have stable pH straight from the tap.

[Iminit]

Lol I beg to differ:bounce: I do use buckets and water change from the tap :). For the closer tank I go direct from the tap through a under counter filter into the tank. But yes I do live on Long Island :).

[bluelagoon]

Thanks, Mervin. I will get the TDS machine next week from Amazon and I notice that there is a temp button on it. So I will find out what the TDS and the temperature of the water in my tanks are all in one fell swoop. I had been using my finger to gauge the temp so far. If it feels warm enough it must be warm enough for the fish. The forum is bringing me out of the dark ages of fish keeping. Then, Mervin, when I get the TDS number I will come back to you and find out what it means.

It measures the electrical conductivity in a solution (salts and minerals). It is very low in the Amazon where wild discus live.