Your Opinons Good/Bad are needed

[angel12]

Hello People your Opinions Good/Bad are welcomed my intention is to setup this tank to the best of my ability given the resources I have to hand

Tank size is 55 Gallon (Jewel)
Local water supply is Ph 7.0 Kh 1 Gh 3 Nitrate 0 ppm
This tank is in the process of cycling and has 12 Cardinal tetras who are very happy so far in it . it is also lightly planted and contains bogwood and fine Gravel substrate...

Questions
1. I am thinking of adding some Bristlenose in order to help to keep the substrate and algae in check ... also it is my intention due to working shifts to place 4 5" discus in the tank .. is this a good idea also how many if any bristlenose would you suggest and what time frame would you suggest for placing each group in ( in other words how many weeks should I leave before adding say the bristlenose and then the Discus)

2. Due to limited space I dont have the ability to have a holding tank to let the water stand overnight is there another option?

3. Also I read that it is advisable to bring the temp of the replacement water up to the temp of the Tank water before adding it how is this done

I value your opinions and input and am looking to hopefully uploading some images to my website to give more information on the progress of this tank


:)

[Ardan]

Hi,

1. I think bristlenose are ok, but I have never had any in my discus tanks.
2. If the ph is stable than you can use tap water minus any chlorine , chloramines. (use at same temp as tank water)To check ph stability, put some tap water in a bucket with good aeration. check the ph initially and then 24 hrs later. If it stays the same it is stable, if it changes much, then aged water is best or the fish will not have stability.
3. if aging water in a barrel, use a heater.
iF doing wc from tap water, fill the bucket with hot and cold water and use a thermometer to get the temp the same as the tank temp.

hth

[discusnovice]

A large discus keeper that I know has Bristlenose plecos in all of his tanks and says they are great. I am planning on adding a few and get rid of the common plecos that I have as they are getting too large. I will add them to my Koi pond and watch them grow.

I would add the plecos and wait at least 4 weeks before adding the discus.

Be sure and add a chlorine & chloramine water conditioner and adjust your water temp via the hot and cold. I only have one tank and keep a 5 gallon storage container under the tank hidden with heat and air and change 10% of my water daily. I also use a Marineland Canister filter that filters 350 gallon per hour and my wter is CLEAR.

Hope this helps as I am a novice as my name implies however I did keep discus some 25 years ago and I have slept in a Holiday Express from time to time. :D :D

[Aquatic_Design]

Angel 12,
I have bristlenose in with my discus and have no problems.

Discusnovice,
Check your koi on a regular basis for any wounds. The common plecos may try to eat slime off the koi.

JMO
Donna :)

[discusnovice]

THANKS !! Renegade I will watch them carefully. My Koi are all between 24" and 30" and would think my 5" common pleco would be taught a lesson. I will have to pull him out and give him to a friend before the winter sets in because I am sure that he can not survive with water temps down in the high 30's or low 40's.

He has started paying some attention to my discus now which is why I am moving him before it becomes a problem.

[angel12]

Thanks Guys Your input is much appreciated what would a safe stocking level of bristlenose be would you say 2 would be adequate or would more be required :)

Your local water looks good. Since you don't have a holding tank. I'm about to suggest only pertinent to your circumstances. A trial and error method with caution should be applied.

1. The more Bristlenoses the better depending on the size. You can hold 2 breeding males in a 55 without trouble. More for the smaller size. With the Bristlenose, you never have to wipe the glass clean. Just the water line from the top. Discus like to eat the algea poo from them. The Albino seems a lot better looking and more active on the side glass. The black one just stay at the bottom.I've never seen one single glass worms in any of my tanks with them around.

2. Without a holding tank. Changing 20% straight from the tap with a mix of cold and hot water is fine depending on the local water quality. I suggest using trial and error method with a cheap goldfish before applying on your discus. It should be fine if under 25% change. I personally do not like to add anything with the water. With a good aeration and filter. They should feel right at home as long as no adjustment of water parameters needed.

3. Adjust the water temperature by mixing the cold and hot water. With a 55 gal tank. 20% plus or minus 5 degree is negligible when add into a big tank.HTH
Jimmy.

[angel12]

Jimmy L Thank you for your comments I will go down the route of adding say 3 or 4 Bristlenose plecs and also take your advice and trial the Mixing of the Hot and Cold water the only thing that concerns me is the risk of copper or other chemicals besides the choloramine leeching into the tap water via the hot water tap ,

it is my intention to go down the Ro Water route but at the moment it is a question of economics my first priority is the well being of inhabitants already (Caridnals) and the full cycling of the tank..


;D
Once again Thanks to the above people for there replies

[fredox]

hi angel12

Don't do it myself but i have seen people run the output from a CBR unit through a shower unit to heat it up to temp before adding it to thier tank. The CBR unit would also remove nasties and could be upgraded to a RO unit with the addition of a RO membrane ( feel free to shout at me if i'm wrong )

byron

[jeep]

If you're not breeding I wouldn't be to concerned about buying an RO unit. Your water is fine. With a Kh of 1, I may be just a little concerned about a ph crash if regular water changes can not be maintained. A small amount of baking soda can raise Kh and help buffer the ph...

I wish I had that good of water :)

Good luck!

[Tony]

hi angel 12

a) bristle nose: make sure there is a piece of drift wood for the bristle nose to munch on and put in a small piece of zuchinnie or some green for the bristle nose every other week or so.
I do keep bristle nose in 1 discus tank but the casualty rate is high mainly because of the high temp. The one that surive at that temp seems to live extremely long life. I have start with 3 and down to 1 now. (18 months)
The gold pleco are huge now, and 2 out of 2 surival rate. But I would say stay with bristle nose. (14months)
BTW otto , 5 out of 5 died in 3 months

b) matching temp is very important.
2 tricks:
1) change only small amount of water each time but frequently, (depend on your heater) say your goal is no more than 1degree C temp swing. You would figure out how much to change by trial and error. e.g. I do not add any dechlorination stuff, if it is a 5-10% wc
2) mix cold and hot water to match temp at tap. (add dechlorination stuff before topping up the tank)
in emergency, I have used my kettle to boil water to match water temp.

Good luck.

[angel12]

Thank You Tony For your advice my tank has Bogwood in it as i know that the plecs need i think it is called lichtien in order to digest and I have deciede from the feedback above to put Bristlenose in my tank ...

Once again Many thanks oh yes p.s I tried the above mixing Tap water with My Hotwater from the mains and it worked sucessfully the Cardinals are doing fine and seem to be ravenous(darting about the tank in there shoal pecking at the leaves and searching all the nooks and cranies)... but bearing in mind the tank is still cycling am resisting the temptation to over feed ...

:)

Just limited to 25% W/C without going over it. A freind of mine has been using tap water for all his water change in London for a long time. Your water is fine.
Jimmy.