Discus Beginner

[Vinny]

Hi, I am Vinny, and I am new to this forum. :D

After lots research, I have decided on getting discus as my next fish!
I plan on setting up a 55 gallon tank come November or December, and am very excited for this setup. :p

I understand that it is best to raise juveniles in a bare bottom tank, and so I will do just that. I am wondering where exactly one could find a cheap 55 gallon tank, for roughly 100-150 dollars? I think I will buy a canister filter separatley, and am wondering if anyone recommends one? Then, I would need a heater, and I think that would cover the tank set up. (I am on a budget, he he, I am a student).

In the tank, would it be wise to maybe put in a piece of driftwood, and then leave the rest of it bare while raising the young discus?

Also, how many discus could fit comfortably in a 55 gal? I would like to keep the WC's to roughly every other day, if that limits the amount of discus I could keep.

Also, is it best to cycle the tank with ammonia, or with fish, for a discus tank?

Heh, last question... as to where I should buy the discus from, I am a beginner to discus (hehe), so is there a species one would recommend? Also, I would rather stay away from the prices of discus that are 40 dollars and above... are there any breeders you recommend that I could buy from online? I don't trust my local fish store lol, to be honest.

I'm sorry to ask so many questions.. I just want to plan ahead. :D

Thank you for your time.

[troyclark]

Vinny, I am no real expert but heres my two cents worth.

I buy most of my tanks used and don't like to pay over a dollar per gallon for a used tank. If you have a Petsmart or Petco in your area look for some specials especially around the Christmas season. For a bare 55 gallon tank without anything my local Petsmart has them for around $99.00. You will need at least a 250 watt heater. I would not put any driftwood in the tank as it will get in the way when you do your regular water changes and that is important for growing out good Discus. I also wouldn't use a canister filter as they are expensive and really move the water around a bit much for juvenile Discus. Instead, get a good air pump and put a couple of sponge filters in the tank, one at each end of the tank. A 55 gallon tank could hold around 20 or so growing Discus but really should only have 5-6 adults with everyother day water changes. I don't cycle my tank with ammonia but when you first get set up with fish really hammer the water changes so the filters can build naturally. As for getting good quality fish, goto the sponser section here. You can't really go wrong with the sponsers here and when you contact them ask plenty of questions. I am sure they won't mind answering any question you might have.

Like I said, I am no expert and if anyone would like to correct me on anything I wrote, please do so. I am still learning as well.

HTH

Troy

[troyclark]

I forgot to add.

As far as heaters go, don't go cheap. Get a good reliable heater and that will save you $ on fish in the long run. Many people have had fish die because of a faulty cheap heater. In my opinion, stay away from Won Brothers and ViaAqua titanium heaters. I have learned the hard way about both of these. Ebo's and Visitherm Stealths are pretty good for the money.

Troy

[AADiscus]

Welcome to Simply Vinny, Troy gave you very good advice. I would recommend the sponge filters also. They are alot easier to maintain (IMO) cleaning of once a week. Check the classified ads in your area, sometimes you can pick up a tank pretty cheap. Have you checked your water parameters to see what you are working with? This is very important to know what you need to do once you get some discus. You are on the right track by starting out with a bb tank. I wouldn't put anything in there except the filtration and heater(s). Depending on what interests you as far as color, etc will determine what strain of fish you purchase. Check in the sponsor section like Troy already mentioned. Al, is very picky on sponsors so you know if they are a sponsor here then they are very good and reputable. I would not do more than 7 fish in the tank. That is even pushing a little bit but if you are able to do wc's every other day (large ones) you will be ok. Check your water parameters first though like I already mentioned though. You can cycle a tank with large wc's but make sure you feed the tank. (like there was fish in there, clean food though, flakes work good) It will tank approx. 6 weeks +- for it to completely cycle. You don't want to through a lfs cheap fish in there to cycle. They might bring something into the tank and later on you might have issues.

HTH

[Vinny]

You both have gave me some really great info on discus, and I apprecaite it!

Alright, So don't go cheap on the heater... gotcha. What would be an example of a good heater to buy?

And, as for the sponge filters.. So, then one air pump could be used to have two sponge filters working properly? I've seen many types of sponge filters, never actually used one before though. What is a good sized shape to get, and then.. you reccomend and specific types of sponge filters?

Thank you for all the information, I figure getting this information before actually setting up the tank will save some time, money, and fish lives later on. ;)

[Don Trinko]

If you have a "Jacks Aquarium" near they always have some tanks on sale. They have 55's for$100 with the hood, they also have 75's and others on sale this month. Don T.

[KJoFan]

I would check these out for a heater...pretty popular, only downside is no indicator light to let you know when the heater is running:

heater (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3743+12060&pcatid=12060)

Sponge filters...I'd go with some hydros. Size 4 or 5 should do fine.

Hydro #4 (http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp19170/si1379359/cl0/lustarhydrospongefilter4)

Hydro #5 (http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp19170/si1379360/cl0/lustarhydrospongefilter5)

I'd pick up an air pump with two outlets, that way you can run both your sponges easily. Something like these:

Whisper air pump (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3669+12738&pcatid=12738)

Rena air pump (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3669+3724&pcatid=3724)

hth

[fvang]

For a tank, I would look around. I bought mine from an indoor swap meet. It was a 50 gal new for about $80.

[2sybs]

I got my 55gal at a garage sale for $6.
I've since moved up to a 75 that wasn't so cheap but that 55 got me started and back into this wonderful hobby after over 20 years.

[Vinny]

Thank you all for your time and help, this is been very fun planning out a tank :p.

I have decided on a sponge filter, for I happened to come across a great website while researching:
http://www.jehmco.com/html/hydro-sponge_filters.html

Its called a Hydro-Flo Sponge Filter DOUBLE HEIGHT SPONGE
w/ Quiet One 1200, 296 gph powerhead. Heh, it even comes with a power head, and is basically a filtering system all in one. Sponge filters are awesome, and so cheap! :D

Also, while browsing the Petsmart website, I found a great heater thanks to your suggestions:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754055&cp=2767036.2769132&fbn=Taxonomy%7CHeating&f=Taxonomy%2FPET%2F2769132&fbc=1&parentPage=family&keepsr=1
Its called a Marineland® Visi-Therm® Stealth Submersible Aquarium Heater, and comes in 250 watts, perfect for my 55 gallon tank.

I am getting close to having everything figured out, and it seems all I would need to think of next is where I'm going to get the tank (hehe), what type of lighting/hood to use, and where I should get my discus. ;)

[AADiscus]

Jehmco is a great place to purchase items. Alot of Simply members purchase from them. They are very helpful. You might consider purchasing your heater from them to. That is where we get ours. They have great prices on food also. ;)

[Vinny]

Heh, actually. that sounds like a great idea AA. I checked out their heaters... they look pretty nice. :D

How does the Pro-Heat Titanium Heater with IC Controller: Titanium submersible heater with seperate IC Chip Controller look? Would the added "IC Controller" benefit a 55 gallon Discus tank setup? That would mean I would get the 300 - watt version of that heater off the Jehmco Website:
http://www.jehmco.com/html/heaters.html

I am wondering if, once my discus mature and reach adulthood, I could make the 55 gallon tank that they will be in into a planted tank? Would this change the number of discus I could keep in the tank?

Also, is their any recommendations on the diet I should feed my future Discus? For example, on the Jehmco website, is their any products that one would recommend buying? Should I feed the discus a quality flake food (from Jehmco) every day, and every other day feed them black worms, for example? Thank you, I'm glad to here your advice. ;)

[kaceyo]

Vinny,
You've made some great choices and are getting the best advice possible. The sponge filters are the way to go for simple easy to keep clean systems. I'd recommend tho that you get two #5 sponge filters but without the powerheads. Using air driven sponges is plenty and,as always, keeping it simple is best here.
As for heaters, the general rule is 3 to 5 watts p/gal so a 250w would work fine. If the tanks at room temp of 68F or above a 200w might be better as it won't cook your fish so quickly if it sticks "on". Many people use two lower watt heaters( say two 150w in your case) to insure the tank can't over heat and kill your fish if one stick ON. A controler is also a good way to go but I have no experience there so can't recommend one.
Good luck with you discus project. Your doing great so far.

Kacey

[2sybs]

Check this thread on the Proheats...
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=57736
There was another one that I can't find at the moment. I will post the other one if I can find it.
I have a digital Pro Heat that was working fine except that the readout was off. When I first set it up It read about 5 deg higher than my 2 corallife digitals. wasn't sure which to believe and a couple weeks ago I noticed it had gone up to over a 10/ 11 deg difference
Replaced it with a Ott control, I really miss that digital readout but but with that kind of accuracy what good is it?
I may take someone elses advice in the future and go with the Hydor in line.

[Vinny]

Yes, I am getting some great information from many people on this forum, and I really appreciate it. ;)

Kaceyo, I hear that power heads provide the tank with more water movement... has anyone had any experience with power heads? Hmm, lol, now I'm not sure if I should go with the two #5 Sponge filters, and an air pump, or the power head and a sponge he he.

2sybs, that thread you posted scared me! Now I'm sure I won't try the Pro-Heat Titanium Heater :shocked:. On that same Jehmco website, http://www.jehmco.com/html/heaters.html, would it be alright to go with the Jager Submersible Heaters - Model TSUL on the top of that website? The 250 - Watt version? Also, what exactly is a Hydor in line heater?

Thank you for your help.

[alpine]

" I am getting close to having everything figured out.... "

Vinny, sorry, I really got a kick of that part of your post .
Hope you have the best Luck and Enjoyment out of the hobby,you are doing the right thing with your homework,

roberto.

[2sybs]

The Hydor would go on the return line from an external canister filter.
I've read nothing but good things about them.
btw, I do like the separate heater control over just a submersible.
I've had probs with a couple of different submersibles that stuck and my tank got a bit warm before I caught it.

[Vinny]

Oh, I see. Well, I'm going to have a sponge filter, I think, instead of a canister. Hehe.

I am wondering about the advantages of a power head connected to a sponge filter, instead of an air pump. If one only has a sponge filter in a 55 gallon tank, should they get attatch a power head to the sponge in order to provide some water movement? Or, would it work best to have like, for example, an HOB filter, with two air-powered sponge filters? Lol, I am trying to find the best option for my tank. Any advice/experience would be great!

[kaceyo]

I run each of my 55's on 1 AquaClear 110 hob filter and 1 or 2 air driven Hydro V sponge filters. I know many people use some form of the above but I don't know anyone that uses powerhead driven sponges. That doesn't mean it's not a good way to go, just not what most do.

Kacey