first time user! new tank

[jeff_cieslak]

hello everyone this is my first time on this site looks like there are some very nice people and they also really know what they are talking about when it comes to discus. anyway i just changed my tank over from cichlids to just discus. it is a 135 gallon tank i have 2 candy apple red discus Marlboro red discus rosey red discus and a blue dimond discus there are also two plecos in the tank.i have an ehiem 2229 wet/dry filter and two power heads one with a spounge filter on it and one just for water movement. looking for any tips or hints on care for my discus or filteration tips should i change my system to a sump tank set up or get another filter to much water current in my tank?? again any help will be much welcomed thanks alot jeff

[Carol_Roberts]

Hi Jeff, welcome to SimplyDiscus :wave:

I have a 135 with africans in it right now. Let me tell you discus are a whole 'nuther ball game.

Discus need a much cleaner enviornment than africans.

Do you have 5 discus and 2 plecos in your tank? How old are discus? How much gravel, etc.?

If only 5 discus and 2 plecos in a 135 gallon are fed clean food like tetrabits and flakes ( no messy beefheart or brineshrimp) You could get by with two or three 25% water changes per week.

You will need to thoroughly vacuum the gravel and wipe down the inside walls of the tank weekly.

Your filtration is probably fine - discus need clean new water rather than lots of filter-power. You probably don't need the second power head.

Most all of us recommend bare bottom tanks to grow out juvenile discus. Adult discus do fine in show tanks.

[Smokey]

Howdey Jeff; welcome to S/D!!!
First off, I would suggest losing the pleco's. IME - they seem to pollute the tank more than discus. lol.
It sounds like you have a good filter system. As for the water current movement - discus prefer slightly calmer water. I might suggest - if possible - setting one of the powerheads so it ''flows'' water towards the Ehiem p/u tube. this will help removing ''debre''.

As far as water parameters - the reason for water changes - to maintain ''clean water'' One of the best tests YOU SHOULD DO IS A ''NITRATE'', test. It is widely acceptted that Nitrates should be kept ''BELOW'' - 10 ppm.

Water changes are the best way of lowering Nitrates.

Since I set up a new system, I constantly keep track of the Nitrate numbers. After a heavy feeding, a couple of hours, I test and I can actually see the NO3 increase. I try to keep my water at under 5ppm, which sometime means water changes every day and every day and every day ... LOL.

Your particular feeding/food/fish load will determine just how often water changes may be necessary.

Discus deffinetaly like fresh water ... just ask them.
HTH

Smokey

[DarkDiscus]

Like what they said!

;)

Welcome to the site. Clean, warm water, lots of w/c, good quality food and preferably a bare bottom tank!

Filtration is secondary.

Good luck!

John

[Monette]

First off, I would suggest losing the pleco's.

DITTO to that!
IME Plecos try (and will) to feed off the sides of Discus! >:(

Now we use papertowel to wipe sides of tank for algae control.

[Smokey]

The golden Pleco is a beautiful fish ... to say the least.

Let me share a customers expierence: She purchase a lovely Gar ... ~16". took it home ... put it her tank ... a couple of days later I received a distressed call form her .... The Gar was laying on it's side and would not swim !

She was sure something was wrong with the Gar's health; even her pleco was feeding off the side of the Gar. :idea: - not that the Gar was in ill health ---- the 10'' pleco had been feeding on the Gar. And was literaly ''SUCKING'' the life out of the Gar.

I know this to be true; from past expierences.
Plecos are, as they mature, conivours .... beware!

Hickies on a fish are not ''LOVE PECKS''.

Smokey
[ could you give the goldern pleco her own tank ?]

[Very Fishy]

I converted my community tank over to Discus in March. I had a common pleco among other community fish but traded all of them away prior to getting my first discus. I also got rid of my substrate and went with a bare bottom. I would highly recommend this otherwise cleaning the dirt out of the subtrate is a major task. Let me tell you, Discus create alot of waste. With a bare bottom, it is very easy to siphon the waste off the bottom of the tank and the tank will stay so much cleaner.

[FrankLuvsDiscus]

;D BB absolutely and lose the pleco , they only bothered my discus and tried to attatch to their sides... weird..... powerheads i'd lose too unless you can redirect the flow of water so's not to bother you new found buds!

Carol i've been reading your threads about Pre-filter sponges :book: I'd like to add them to my tank.... does the sponge setup lessen the GPH your filters would normally do?

Franko

[Carol_Roberts]

It may lessen the gallons per hour through your filter, but that is more than made up by less solids inside the filter box. I rely more on water changes than large filtering capacity.

[Smokey]

So true, Carol.
The longer a person can keep the main filter clean, the better it will work. and lesson maintance.

Franko - so true. I sell a lot of the regular plecos. Everybody believe the are the greatest for cleaning their tanks. YUCK - THEY ARE JUST BIG ''POOP'' FISH. MPO !

Carol - water changes are so important, Yes. However, one must also have an adequite BIO LOGICAL colony for the full and complete removal of the NH3'S; NO2'S ; FIRST . >MPO<

Smokey

[Carol_Roberts]

Yes Smokey, I agree completely. . . . adequate filter media is very important. I personally love sponges (either inside an Aqua Clear or airdriven) and cell pore slabs.

I like to use an Aqua Clear 500 with two internal sponges on a 55 gallon tank.

[Smokey]

Howdey Carol. Nice too see you again.

Yes, the A/C's are certanily the ''work horse'' in the fish hobby! Great filters !

In conversation with simplydiscus people, do you find a ''pattern'' of inquirers ?
Just curious.

Smokey

[Carol_Roberts]

HI Smokey,
By pattern do you mean the type of questions asked or the type of people asking questions?

[thebaglady]

Hi all...I thought the bristlenose ansistrus-type plecos were OK??

Thanks in advance for any response on this. Jen K.

[Smokey]

carol - interested in the type of questions asked. Like when I first started out, years ago; I never knew about biological, water hardness, pH. Nothing. lol ...
I had to rely on books and club members[ who were helpful][pre-internet days].
Not like today !!!!

Smokey