Grow-out tanks

[Abercrombie6202]

lets say eventually i have a few discus that breed, what is a good size tank for grow-out tanks, is it okay to seperate the babies, half in one tank, half in the other?

I was thinking about getting a stand that could hold 2 55 gallons and then eventually when i have enough money get 2 55 gallons, would an average Iron stand support 2 tanks

[richgrenfell]

Just my personal opinion but I don't really trust the iron stands on the market these days. I have a 90 gallon tank, and I went to a welding shop and had it made.

You can use 55's as grow outs, but i'd suggest that you either cull the batches way back or be prepared to do 2 50% water changes per day if you want to stock it heavy.

again, just my opinion, i'm no expert....

Rich

[Willie]

I used to have all my 55's on wrought iron double stands. As Rich says, the new ones are really cheaply made. I've switched out of most of them, primarily because it was hard to clean the lower one. Never had a double stand go on me. I've even done 75's on double stands. If you're on a budget, you can usually find stands real cheap at the local fish club or in the classified ads.

55's are the most cost efficient tanks you can buy, but stay away from used ones. Once the top cross brace goes (and they usually go within 6 months in a used 55), the whole tank will bow out. Unless you're prepared to do the repairs yourself, stay away from the old ones.

When you raise young, the toughest part is to give them enough water to maintain quality conditions while keeping them in a small space so they can find the food. You can do this buy not filling the 55 immediately. If you get one good batch, say ~100 frys, then you'll need two 55's to grow them to saleable size.

Good luck, Willie

[richgrenfell]

I used to use wrought iron too, and i still do on my small tanks. When I got the 90 I just wasn't risking it, especially because at the time I was on the 2nd floor and my mother lived below me. Believe me, the last thing you want to have happen is to ruin moms ceilings with 90 gallons of water! mOst people are worried about the floor holding. I think more about the stands the tanks are on.

Rich

[RyanH]

I recently bought a 55 and a 45 tall for growing out fry and I at first, put them on one of those metal stands. Sheesh, talk about nerve-wracking! Everytime I would walk into the room that damn stand would sway like it was at the epicenter of an earthquake. My fish weren't too happy with the situation either. I ended up returning the stand and I bought some two-by-fours with the money I got back and I built my own stand. The cost was exactly the same but now I have an aquarium stand that I could park a mack truck on instead of that flimsy piece of crap that I returned. Plus, since I built it myself, it is the exact dimensions that I wanted. This has made doing maintenence on my tanks much easier. I'm sold on wooden stands. They may not look as nice but if they are built right they are much sturdier.

[Carol_Roberts]

To answer part one of your question . . . .yes, you can grow babies out in more than one tank. I suggest a couple of tanks 55 gallon or larger . . . .

[Tkuemmet]

ive had really good grow out with 120's for other cichlids, like severums. They just seem to explode with growth

[korbi_doc]

:bounce2: :bounce: Hey guys, are the newer w. iron stands made differently?? I have an old one that base measured 12.5"X30" & probably held a 20gL. Was able to put a 37g on it for discus QT & an 18g underneath for storage water & these are next to the pc & seem very stable, been there for a yr. There is no bend apparent & you'd have to stomp hard on the floor to see anything moving. Sure hope I don't have to worry 'bout this, lol, Dottie ::) ::) ::)
p.s. wish I had room for another 125g, getting carried away!

[Luca]

I too like Ryan have a very strong wooden stand. I bought it second hand though so maybe you could post some designs of how to build them in the DIY section Ryan?

I cover my wooden stand with a black table cloth so it looks nice :)

[Nightowl]

Hello all, I've never had a problem w/ iron stands, even for 75 g. tanks. I've found that I had to put a smaller size tank below, though.
I like 40 breeder tanks for growing out small discus....even sometimes 30 breeders.(36x18x16 & 36 x18 x12). Must say I have yet to grow out too many of my own fry, but have grown out many 2cm. fish from a breeder I know. I like the tanks that are 18" front to back, and they actually can hold several adults (the 40g.) if you manage them properly.
I think it is wise to split a large spawn between 2 tanks if you're trying to grow them all out.....some grow faster than others usually unless you're really on the ball w/ feeding.
Also, FYI I've found that pvc cement will repair the broken middle brace of a tank if there is some area left to apply it & re-attach the two parts.
Take care.........J.T. :vanish:

[outlawpc]

I suppose like everything else it depends on who manufactured the stand. You can see the same issue of quality in tanks. . . not all are created equal :)

My 55 gal wrought iron stand is heavily built, however there is no indicatation of who manufactured it.

I do agree with an earlier post that putting a second tank on the bottom is kind of inconvenient. I've done it, but would only consider it in an emergency situation (just don't like having to get on my knees to service the tank :)