Mac's Discus/ Emperor400 setup

[halo_demo]

Hi! This is a two part question. First has anyone dealt with mac's discus? If so, how were the discus and would you recommend them? Next, I am still having trouble with my emperor setup. I am using the blue filters that came with it, and at the moment, I have the Grey plastic things filled with ammocarb. Should I change what is in it, or perhaps replace the grey things entirely? My water was tested and everything seems fine currently, but I also do not have discus yet. I just want to make sure that when I order them, they come from a good place, and they have a good setup here.
Thanks
Mike.

[David Rose]

Hi! This is a two part question. First has anyone dealt with mac's discus? If so, how were the discus and would you recommend them? Next, I am still having trouble with my emperor setup. I am using the blue filters that came with it, and at the moment, I have the Grey plastic things filled with ammocarb. Should I change what is in it, or perhaps replace the grey things entirely? My water was tested and everything seems fine currently, but I also do not have discus yet. I just want to make sure that when I order them, they come from a good place, and they have a good setup here.
Thanks
Mike.


Doesn't sound like your filter is cycled?

I use to use two Emperor 400s and I would suggest replacing the ammoncarb with Eheim Substrate Pro. This will give you plenty of breading surface for your bacterial colony. You can use the blue floss filter cartridges, but I don't think the carbon used in them is needed nor is it the best quality. In short, they will need to be replaced every few weeks. But rather than do that you don't even need the carbon at all, so you could cut along the floss edge and remove it (the carbon) and rinse the floss every few weeks until they will finally ware out. When they do...throw them away and be ready to replace them with some low density foam or Matala like media that will last for years and only need rinsed.

Between the foam/Matala media sheets and the grey cartridges with ESP, you're good to go with low cost and higher efficiency. :p

[Sivasama]

I did this to my 400. Get media in the grey filters and cut your own pads. I have 4 pads so I can clean 2 while the other 2 are in use.

[machine77]

Why go with Mac's fish when you have so many sponsers on here with amazingly healthy fish and way more strains. Although he's a nice guy your chances of getting a fish anywhere near what you will find on here are pretty slim my friend!

Nolan

[mjs020294]

These work well will the 400:

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13375&N=2004+113804

[David Rose]

These work well will the 400:

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13375&N=2004+113804


These look great! Much less costly than Eheim Substrate Pro to replace the grey fillable cartridge.

[fishyj]

I use a 400 filter. You can go to a walmart-kmart and buy poly-fil. You get it in the craft area. Its used for stuffing pillows and animals. Its the same as filter floss but a whole lot cheaper.

[mathao]

ha, never thought of going to those places, i guess you do learn something new everyday:D

[yikesjason]

I have heard good things about Mac's discus quality. He used to be a breeder, but now is an importer. His prices are a bit higher that a lot of others, but not terrible.

[April]

go to the products and livestock feedback section and read some reveiws on them.
bear in mind..the pics you see on his website are pics from many years ago..and pics of some fish in asia. not his actual fish.
on the sponsor section..you see actual pics of the fish the seller has in his place. the sponsors are also there for any help you need and they have feedback and pics of happy buyers etc posting on their sites and photo gallery. have a look around.

[Wahter]

Just type in "Mac's Discus" in the search field and found these posts/ reviews:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=40731
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=48056
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=74532
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=63483
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=63455
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=63198
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=42139



Walter

[halo_demo]

Thanks everyone! I will continue to shop around for my first discus purchase. I will also get my filter reconfigured asap. One other question.. should I get a second filter and if so, what kind? I was considering another hob filter, but I am open to suggestions.

[David Rose]

Thanks everyone! I will continue to shop around for my first discus purchase. I will also get my filter reconfigured asap. One other question.. should I get a second filter and if so, what kind? I was considering another hob filter, but I am open to suggestions.

Depends on what size tank you have? As for filter brand...it's a matter of preference.

Filstar XP 3 & 4 are good and economical
Eheim series and Fluval FX5s canisters are very good as well, but a little more pricey
Various Wet/Dry sumps are excellent and some use these in combination with Canisters and or HOBs.

My preferred HOB is the AquaClear given the simplicity, the size of sponge and biomax media that come with them. Easy to clean as well and last forever. Well almost.

[ltd]

Mike (halo_demo),

I would go for a sponsor here. Check the sponsor section. Watch their shipment pictures, their different strains, the people's posts, and so on. You won't regrete it.

Good luck!

[April]

get a backup hydro sponge that sits in the tank. they are good if you ever have to move a fish to a hospital tank. you already have a cycled sponge you can move. but aquaclears are the best for hang on backs..lots of room for sponges and you dont need to go buy inserts . you can run double sponges in it. alternate the rinsing of both filters so your not rinsing too much all at one time.

[Jhhnn]

I'll second April's recommendation of sponge filters w/ air pump. I like the ATI #3 models w/ small airstones, others prefer the larger models.

Mac's discus? Dunno... The one thing I'm sure of is that Kenny Cheung is a top tier provider, and that it's a pleasure doing business with him... I can recommend him with no reservations whatsoever...

[halo_demo]

Ok, sponge filter it is.. Should I also buy an aquaclear? I have a 60g tank and just want to make sure there is enough filtration.. biological and otherwise. I was wondering if I should use two hob's and a small sponge.I'd keep my emperor setup as is, an aquaclear with just bio meda and the hydro sponge (3 possibly since I'm mainly using it for the bacteria. Is that an unnessacary overkill? Also, I don't know if it's just my testing kit, but apparently I'm having trouble stabilizing my Ph. I get it to 6.8, then test it the next day and it's back to 7.6. I don't have a handheld ph tester yet, but I was thinkin g of possibly getting peat media for the filters. Any advice as to what I should do?

[Scribbles]

What do you mean by you are getting your PH to 6.8? Are you adding chemicals to lower it? What is your PH out of the tap? What is your PH after 24 hours in a bucket with aeration?

As far as Mac's Discus goes, I bought discus from him years ago. They were better than I could get at the local lfs but not as good as what I've gotten from a SD sponsor. Feel free to pm me if you want more details.

Chris

[halo_demo]

I am getting the ph to 6.8 using Seachem Discus Buffer. Fresh outta the tap, I think it's about 7.6. I haven't done the bucket with aeration yet.. I will do this and let you know.

[David Rose]

What is your water source...well water? If so, you're pH may climb after 24-48 hours from the tap with aeration. Testing it is a great idea! :thumbsup:

In general, your 7.6 out of the tap is fine for discus when brought to matching tank temp and dechlorinated if needed. Do you know what your TDS (total dissolved solids) is?

[Jhhnn]

It's not necessary to fuss with the pH for the purposes of keeping and rearing, particularly not with domestic discus.

Denver water pH runs 7.5-8.0, KH 85ppm, GH 135ppm, TDS 175, and my fish thrive in it.

Anything that interferes with large and frequent water changes is to be avoided, imo... water with much hardness at all can be extremely stubborn and will bounce back to very near the original pH... don't fight it unless you have to...

I keep more sponges working than really necessary- they're great for seeding new tanks, and the extra aeration is good, too. I'm using a central airpump, but several members report good results with the inexpensive Fusion pumps...

[Foxfire]

These look great! Much less costly than Eheim Substrate Pro to replace the grey fillable cartridge.

The design is very good but carbon? No way - don't buy this - every single month (at the latest) you will have to replace it to keep the carbon fresh and not putting toxins back into your tank.

See if they have any units without carbon, then just rinse every few weeks.

pH of 7.6 is fine for tank breed discus - don't waste your $ on buffers.

[AquaJeff]

Emperor filters have biowheels. Your bacteria colony will live on the biowheel - that's the point of the design. Due to the design and rotation of the wheel, the bacteria get much more aeration. Marineland claims that the biowheel bacterial colony will be dozens of times bigger than what grows in fully submersed media.

My point - you don't need additional biomedia in the emperor. The grey plastic container is to hold options for chemical filtration, like the ammo-lock (zeolite) stuff you had in there or carbon. You shouldn't need either. Carbon is helpful once in a while if you need to remove medication, but the ammonia stuff actually draws out ammonia and locks it in, but then slowly releases it back into the water. Stay away from that stuff.

Just use the space inside the emperor for mechanical filtration - floss, pads, etc. I also use the poly fill from Walmart in several styles of HOBs and cannisters. You can also get their quilt batting - it's the same material but comes in rolls. You can easily cut out squares to fit your filter pad size. I like the thickest stuff. Polyfill is just like pillow stuffing - it works great, just a little more challenging to use.

J.

[halo_demo]

Thanks everyone for all the help/ advice! Got the filters squared away, and Have Decided to Go with Gulf Coast for my discus needs.