Looking to do it right.

[mattg]

I have a 65 Gallon (48"x18") planted tank that i would like to introduce discus into. im looking to get a cople large adult discus and uppercanada discus looks like its going to be where i will get them from :).

in my tank i have 9 rummy nose tetras, 6 german blue rams 5 bushynose pelcos and 9 julii corys.

my water is : nitrite 0 ammonia 0 ph 7.5 kh 80mg/l gh 100mg/l
temp 82F

what i want to know is :

i'm doing two 50% water changes per week will this be enough for as many as four adult discus?

what specific foods should i get?

for filtration i have a fluval 405 and an emperor 280 stuffed with biomax and an airstone at the bottom to maximize oxygen. Is this appropriate?

the tank also has pressurized Co2 on it.

[David Rose]

My two cents....

* You should be good with your water changes given you have a planted tank depending on your current substrate.

* Your filtration sounds sufficient, but I would recommend pre-filter sponges that can be rinsed every few days/weekly.

* Check out our sponsors first, but a variety of foods are best such as, Hikari Frozen Blood Worms, Frozen Brine Shrimp, Ocean Nutrition Flake, Frozen Beef Heart that usually has seafood in it as well, Tetra color bits or similar. AngelsPlus.com, 4fishstuff.com, jehmco.com are good resources for regular as well as medicated foods.

If you've been reading on SD awhile, I'm sure you'll see that most will recommend a minimum of five discus for better social dynamics and spread out the aggression. With five discus, it may be a bit crowded in your tank with all that you have.

hth

[mattg]

excellent im sure i could manage removing some of the current inhabitants to make room for another. thanks.

just curious but what will the function of the sponge prefilter be, just as an extra biofilter?

[frenchie100]

The prefilter sponge is just to prevent solid waste, or uneaten food, from entering your filters. Makes maintenance of the filters a lot easier.

Good luck,

Sounds like you have a good plan ;)

Julie

[David Rose]

Here's more about the use of prefilters:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=27064&highlight=prefilter

Discus require much better water quality more so than most fresh water fish such as your tetras or other common tropical fish that can be purchased at your local LFS.

Keep in mind that water changes alone are not sufficient with discus. Good filter and tank maintenance are important as well. Such as:

* Vacuuming your BB tank or substrate with each water change to remove all waste and decaying debris.

* Discus create more slime build up on the inside of your tank and equipment. Wiping the tank walls with paper towels during water changes at least a couple of times a week to remove slime build up.

* Similar for your filters as above. Removing your filter media and wiping out the inside chambers and/or periodically disinfecting with PP or mild bleach solution 1 part bleach to 20 parts water including your intake tube. Rinse thoroughly and replace your media. On your Emperor, If you use floss before your Biomax media, alternate rinsing the filter pad and media a couple of weeks apart with drained tank water or non-chlorinated water. I would recommend doing this monthly depending on your stocking levels and feeding schedule. Some will do this more or less frequently.

* Using prefilters and rinsing with drained tank water or non-chlorinated water at least weekly IMO.

As mentioned discus create more slime build up. This along with waste and decaying plants will enable "bad" bacteria to develop and cause fish disease.

Let me know if you have any questons.

[mattg]

thanks soo much for the advice everyone

[mattg]

just a quick question about tank side wipe down, does it still work if you wipe the sides and equipment down while they're underwater?

[tcyiu]

* Similar for your filters as above. Removing your filter media and wiping out the inside chambers and/or periodically disinfecting with PP or mild bleach solution 1 part bleach to 20 parts water including your intake tube. Rinse thoroughly and replace your media.

Umm. David, why are you disinfecting the filters?

When doing maintenance on my filters, I do rinse the canisters with a jet of tap water to dislodge any detritus, and clean out the tubes to improve water flow.

But I don't go out of my way to kill the bacteria on the walls. I mean, the bacteria on the walls of the canister and on the walls of the tubes are the same ones on the filter media. So why take the extra effort to sterilize the walls when they are living in the millions in the media?

Tim

[tcyiu]

just a quick question about tank side wipe down, does it still work if you wipe the sides and equipment down while they're underwater?

Yes. Wipe down when the water level is normal. As you drain the water, muc of the slime goes out with the waste water.

Tim

[mattg]

Yes. Wipe down when the water level is normal. As you drain the water, muc of the slime goes out with the waste water.

Tim

excellent thank you.

[mattg]

okay so heres the plan so far:

right now i have

9 black phantom tetras, 5 german rams, 2 bushynose plecos, and 6 botia striata

2 50% water changes + gravel vaccumm, tank wipedowns weekly,

same filters + prefilters now (tetra biobags with carbon removed) these are working well with no buildup in the filters :)

tank 84F

feedings twice daily.

foods:

ON Prime, tetra colour bits, hikari discus, Frozen; blood worms, brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, beefheart, sfb cichlid delight. i also have live whiteworms.


The plan is to get 5 adult discus, ideally 6"+.

with that my stocking would look like:

9 black phantom tetras, 5 german rams, 2 bushynose plecos, and 6 botia striata , 5 discus.


i'd appreciate if you could tell me if im on the right track as far as stocking goes.
or anything else you think would help.

thanks matt.

[Jhhnn]

I'd watch the water parameters closely, plan on increased water changes/ substrate cleaning. If you're on the bucket brigade or using a python to drain, you'll want to upgrade, anyway.

Might consider a discus pair. Leaves room for more of a community, and lower populations make for easier/less maintenance.

It's best to quarantine new arrivals for 4-6 weeks.

[April]

id start with a bare bottom tank and only discus till you get them settled..established..learn their behaviours..then add other small fish if need be. one little 2.00 cardinal can introduce parasites to your expensive discus. if you want the tropicals..go with the rams, cardinals, rummynoses,,maybe a bushynose and some sterbai cories. the loaches are upsetting to discus. too lively at night.

[tcyiu]

Matt,
I know the received wisdom is to get 5+ discus. That is very true for juveniles. But every situation is different. In your case, you already have a nice planted community tank in a 75gal. My sense is that 5 or 6 discus would be a bit "heavy" given that you have other community fish.

If you were already planning to spend big money on 5 adults, I'd recommend looking at paying a slight premium for a proven pair instead. I doubt that they will have much more prime breeding left (let's face it, that's why they're being sold). But that's not the goal. The objective is to get a pair that will not kill each other.

Then I think you would have a stunning show aquarium that will not require as much maintenance. i.e. your maintenance and feeding routine would be just fine.

Food for thought.

Tim

[mattg]

interesting ideas, i like the idea of the pair it would make them stand out more in the tank i think.

not to mention that it would be much easier to take care of.

[AngryBird]

post some pictures :)

[mattg]

i made another thread asking for suggestions of strains.
here it is:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=75158

[David Rose]

Umm. David, why are you disinfecting the filters?

When doing maintenance on my filters, I do rinse the canisters with a jet of tap water to dislodge any detritus, and clean out the tubes to improve water flow.

But I don't go out of my way to kill the bacteria on the walls. I mean, the bacteria on the walls of the canister and on the walls of the tubes are the same ones on the filter media. So why take the extra effort to sterilize the walls when they are living in the millions in the media?

Tim


Sorry, I missed this question having not been online too much. I only rinse the media; however, given our filters can have slime build up and or debris that can promote a home for "bad" bacteria, I periodically take apart my filters and/or sump to disinfect the inside filter chambers. i.e. HOB types would include intake tube and inside chambers for instance including impeller, tubing etc.

As I said earlier, regular wipe downs, but periodic disinfecting with PP preferrably will be a good preventative for bactierial diseases.