I've got a 55 gallon tank, now what?

[dax29]

Okay, I posted earlier (actually in Dec of 05) that I was planning on keeping discus in a 75 gallon tank. Well, that isn't going to happen, I got a 55 instead. I'm thinkingof keeping about 5-6 discus in this tank. I've got an Emporer 400, and AC 70(300), and a Whisper 30 on this tank right now. I think the gph is around 700 with the media and all in the filters. I'm using the tank to grow out juvenile Malawi cichlids and the tank is bare except for 2 terra cotta pots that I plan on taking out when I put in discus. I have a Rena Cal Basic 300 watt heater in there now and I've got a Stealth 250 still in the box for a backup if I need it. I have a 29 gallon tank right beside the 55 gallon tank that could use for a water aging tank. This 29 gallon "aging tank" has 2 AC 200s and a Penguin 100 Bio-Wheel on it which could be used to aerate and circulate the water while it is aging. It also has a 200 watt heater in there to bring the temp up to what the temp is in the main tank. I may put a submersible pump in it for water changes. My questions are these:

1. Do I need to "sterilize" the tank after I get the Malawis out? Can this be done by changing some of the filter media (but not killing off the bacteria on sponges and all) and running a fishless cycle with NH3 for a week or 2? If not, how should I prepare for the discus.

2. My water is 7.6-7.8 pH and has a general hardness of 120 ppm. I do not plan to raise fry or breed fish so I am not planning on trying to modify the water. Is this okay?

3. I plan on getting fish that are adult or near-adult in size. I plan on getting these fish (5-6 of them) all at once. I'm doing this b/c I don't want to try to feed juvenile fish 3X a day or more and changing water everyday.
Is this a good strategy?

4. I do plan on changing the water 2-3 times a week for the sub-adults. Probably about 40-50% out of my 29 gallon tank which I will aerate and circulate with the filters I mentioned. Is this adequate?

5. I am planning on feeding my fish a variety of flake and pelleted food. And once and a while giving them some beefheart as a treat. Is this okay? Can you recommend some dry or pelleted food?

6. Out of 5-6 fish that I plan on getting, to get as much variety as possible, which color varieties would be good to choose?

7. Are some varieties of discus more hardy than others?

I have access to a good breeder/retailer and I have talked to him a great deal and he know of my set up and my needs.

What have I left out or where have I made mistakes in my planning?

[pcsb23]

Okay, I posted earlier (actually in Dec of 05) that I was planning on keeping discus in a 75 gallon tank. Well, that isn't going to happen, I got a 55 instead. I'm thinkingof keeping about 5-6 discus in this tank. I've got an Emporer 400, and AC 70(300), and a Whisper 30 on this tank right now. I think the gph is around 700 with the media and all in the filters. I'm using the tank to grow out juvenile Malawi cichlids and the tank is bare except for 2 terra cotta pots that I plan on taking out when I put in discus. I have a Rena Cal Basic 300 watt heater in there now and I've got a Stealth 250 still in the box for a backup if I need it. I have a 29 gallon tank right beside the 55 gallon tank that could use for a water aging tank. This 29 gallon "aging tank" has 2 AC 200s and a Penguin 100 Bio-Wheel on it which could be used to aerate and circulate the water while it is aging. It also has a 200 watt heater in there to bring the temp up to what the temp is in the main tank. I may put a submersible pump in it for water changes. My questions are these:

1. Do I need to "sterilize" the tank after I get the Malawis out? Can this be done by changing some of the filter media (but not killing off the bacteria on sponges and all) and running a fishless cycle with NH3 for a week or 2? If not, how should I prepare for the discus.


I would sterilise it and the media and all teh equipment, you can use pp or bleach or hydrogen peroxide (I use hydrogen peroxide). This means you will have to restart the filter cycle 4 to 6 weeks! JMO though.



2. My water is 7.6-7.8 pH and has a general hardness of 120 ppm. I do not plan to raise fry or breed fish so I am not planning on trying to modify the water. Is this okay?

Absolutely fine.



3. I plan on getting fish that are adult or near-adult in size. I plan on getting these fish (5-6 of them) all at once. I'm doing this b/c I don't want to try to feed juvenile fish 3X a day or more and changing water everyday.
Is this a good strategy?

provided you bio filter is up to the task then yes its fine.



4. I do plan on changing the water 2-3 times a week for the sub-adults. Probably about 40-50% out of my 29 gallon tank which I will aerate and circulate with the filters I mentioned. Is this adequate?

3 times a week at 50% of the 55gal tank will be ok, many on here will suggest daily and of course that would be ideal but 3 x a week is ok.



5. I am planning on feeding my fish a variety of flake and pelleted food. And once and a while giving them some beefheart as a treat. Is this okay? Can you recommend some dry or pelleted food?

Yes, tetra do a good range, formula 1 pellet is good, its sold as a marine food but my discus love it! Also try frozen bloodworm and frozen mysis or brine shrimp too!



6. Out of 5-6 fish that I plan on getting, to get as much variety as possible, which color varieties would be good to choose?

too subjective!!! but if it were me I'd go for some blue snakeskins and some leopard snakeskins



7. Are some varieties of discus more hardy than others?

ime they are all about the same.



I have access to a good breeder/retailer and I have talked to him a great deal and he know of my set up and my needs.

What have I left out or where have I made mistakes in my planning?

You should have a test kit and some basic meds, certainly have salt (non iodised) on hand, and also if your water contains chlorine/chloramine some water conditioner like prime.

You will need to ensure you biofilter is as strong as poss and as you intend to use fishless method do a large 90% w/c before adding fish. I'd go for 6 as well.

I'm sure with the planning and prep you are doing it will go well, keep us posted.

Paul.

[dax29]

What I've generally done to sterilize a tank is to use 10% Clorox in the tank and run the filters on the tank. All the media will be useless after this, which disappoints me as I HATE doing a fishless cycle as I've done many. I may use some BioSpira and NH3 to get it all going quicker, if this acceptible.

I have a good reagent kit for testing water and I use Prime already with my Africans. Someone said that New Life Spectrum was good for discus too.

Are frozen and fresh foods necessary for discus health? It just seems that it is a pain to keep.

Also, I assume it absolutely essential to get the leftover food off of the bottom after each feeding. If not I'd like to know.

Did you say I needed to go for 6 fish?

[hexed]

What I would like to know is what is the ph of your tap water and what is the ph of it when you put some in a glass and with an airstone overnight? You might not need aged water.
Frank

[Alight]

All sounds fine. If it were me, it would be a toss up whether to sterilize and recycle, or just treat the filters for known parasites, and bacteria, which will decrease, but not kill the filters, then use fishless cycling to beef them back up.

If you spring for some biospira, I'd do the big kill thing with chlorox, and bring the filters back quickly with ammonia and biospira. This shouldn't take more than 2 weeks, probably less than 10 days. But don't count on it.

Tetra Color bits can be used as the only food, but I'd recommend frozen blood worms, mysis shrimp (if they'll eat them), and I through in a slice of zucchini, from time to time (some of my fish just love some vegies).

[pcsb23]

ime 6 fish settle better than 5. It spreads the aggression around. You can successfully rear and breed discus on dried food alone. Variety though is the spice of life as they say. If you feed beefheart and other softer foods, those that break up quickly, then you should remove uneaten food after 30 mins or so, its not quite as critical with other types of food, but I wouldn't leave it overnight.

Paul.

[dax29]

Sounds great. I'll probably save the messy stuff for feeding just before I do a water change.