155g Discus aquarium with AquaTerra 3D background (picture heavy).

[Herbicidal]

Hello everyone! What a fantastic forum! I thought I would share my Discus “project” with anyone that would care to take a look. I took a leave of absence from the hobby for almost 15 years. Previously I had both salt and fresh water tanks, but never any Discus. My wife, daughter and son encouraged me to get back into it and wow! So much has changed over the years!

In July of this of this year I found a used tank and stand on Craigslist and decided this was it. My wife thought I would start back into the hobby with maybe a 55g tank. Surprise! I cleaned it all up, touched up the stand and started planning on what to do with it. I went back and forth between an African Cichlid tank or a Discus tank with live plants. Since I’m here, I guess you know my decision. ;)

Here’s the basics on my setup:
Aquarium, filtration and lighting:
155 gallons with black 4-door stand and matching black 4-door canopy.
Lights installed within each of the four under tank cabinets so I can see!
AquaTerra Tanganyika rock 3D background.
1 – Rena XP3 canister filter (filled with peat, pads, and various bio-media).
1 – Rena XP4 canister filter (filled with peat, pads, and various bio-media).
2- 300 watt heaters.
2 - Koralia water circulation pump mounted behind the background.
160 lbs of Eco-Complete.
Catalina T-5 HO retrofits: 2 units, each with 2 – 6500k, 39 watt bulbs set for 8 hours.
Temperature: varies slightly from 84-86 degrees.
pH: ~ 7.4.
Fish:
8 – Discus, all different kinds
5 – German Blue Rams
4 – Clown loaches
3 – Yoyo loaches
2 – Upside down butterfly catfish
3 – Ottos
12 – Rummy Nose Tetra’s
5 - algae eating shrimp
1 - Red Tail shark
Driftwood:
Several pieces of Malaysian driftwood to help maintain the pH.
Plants:
Work in progress, some Anubias to start.

The aquarium is now fully up and running, but here’s a pictorial review of how it all started before the fish and plants:
********************
The background has arrived! Just sitting on top for the picture. Now to get it into the aquarium.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2414

Angle view to try and show a little more detail. We are very happy with this background. It is quite stout and very detailed.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2413

Sitting on the floor to show the undulations:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2412

Had to cut it into 1/3's to get it to fit. THAT was a bit nerve racking! The pink high-density foam on the bottom will lift up the background so that it is snug against the glass supports at the top of the aquarium. Obviously the pink foam will get covered by substrate.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2417

Reassembled the three pieces into the tank successfully! Whew!!! I thought long and hard about how to "glue" the pieces and then hold them in place. I used black silicone sealant, T-pins and rubber bands. I stuck the T-pins in at about a 45 degree angle before gluing up and down each section. Then siliconed the two pieces together and then strung the rubber bands across the seam to the T-pins, thus holding it all together! Waalaah! Waited 24 hours and repeated on the remaining section.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2415

Prior to that I cut a rectangular opening that allows water to pass from the front to rear and covered it with some included plastic mesh, glued from the backside. That black blob looking thing is where the mesh is.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2420

Front view of the 'port' that goes through the background. This is the primary pass through for the water to go from front to back where all the filter intakes are. I had to place it high enough to allow for 3 inches of substrate.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2419

It took awhile to figure out where to place all the equipment. Two filter intakes and returns, two heaters and two circulation pumps to move the water around behind the background. My goal was to have as little equipment showing as possible. Facing the back of the aquarium, this is to the right.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2421

This is the view to the left, again when facing the back of the aquarium. The 'looping' return line has an opening through the "rock" wall out to the front. The return line at the top of the picture is for the 2nd filter and I had to run the return to a spray bar that sits in the upper right hand corner and streams water out right to left down the entire length of the aquarium.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2426

This is a top view looking straight down on how I routed the return line from filter #2.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2423

This picture shows the spray bar return and the black circle (to the right of that flash flare) is the return end of filter #1. The spray bar is the only piece of equipment in front of the background. Since it's tucked way up and to the right, it's barely noticeable especially with the canopy in place. Trying to maintain that "clean" look.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2418

Done with the background and hardware! My daughter found pictures of the fish we want to put in the aquarium from the internet, printed them out and taped them to the inside. Hint, hint! Get busy Dad and get it done!
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2424

Length-wise shot showing the equipment behind the background.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2425

All ready for the Eco-Complete.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2429

Eco-Complete is in.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2428

Eco-Complete and the pass through port to the back. Looks like I got the height in the right position. :thumbsup:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2427

Layout in the aquarium stand. Rena XP3 on the left and a Rena XP4 on the right. I used battery powered LED lights for the two center compartments as I don't electricity there. The outer two each have a 13" light velcro'd to the top.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2430

That's it for the moment. I need to upload more pictures of the Discus and plants, then get them posted into this thread. Thanks for looking! :)

[vera]

Nice and neat!! cant wait to c it all set
just a side note on tank mates for Discus , i definitely woudnt put


– Clown loaches
- Red Tail shark

it seems they stress Discuss too much with their constant movement and greedy eating

Best of luck with the project :)

[RudeDogg1]

I agree with above I personally realy like clone loaches but after reading what everyone says I'll prob get yoyo's instead. Nice background I picked up a back to nature slimline background for my project yesterday. Keep us updated with your progress

[RudeDogg1]

I like the substrate but everyone says stay away from dark ones because it shows up peppering and makes the discus turn dark

[Pardal]

Looking Nice! Neat looking set up.
just another side note, I seeing in your pics, you are planning to get some red and royal pigeon looking fishes, They more likely will get some peppering with the black sand or gravel you have. if you don't might the peppering is ok, just be advise they will change their clean looking as the week progress.
The background will not influence as much, but the substrate will definately affect them.
If you care try to get some white sand like pool filter sand, or brand names like crystal river, or torpedo beach from caribsea. after all the amazon bottom is for the most white sand.

[inmisawa]

Hi. Great job so far! I had a question about your filteration though. I've been looking at the Rena filters and from what I understand of them, the Rena XP3 should be able to handle your tank on its own. Why did you choose two powerful filters? Also, did you condisder using something like the Fluval FX5? I'm going to be getting a 180 here soon and I'm trying to figure out what type of filter to get so your thoughts may help me out. Thanks!

[Herbicidal]

Nice and neat!! cant wait to c it all set
just a side note on tank mates for Discus , i definitely woudnt put


– Clown loaches
- Red Tail shark

it seems they stress Discuss too much with their constant movement and greedy eating

Best of luck with the project :)
Thank you for the compliment! As I mentioned way back near the top, I'm already up and running with the fish and plants. So far (6+ weeks for the Clown loaches and 1 week for the Red Tail shark) everyone is getting along famously! The Clowns tend to stay at the bottom, moving through the plants and around the driftwood. Sometimes they explore the background and rest on a ledge. The Red Tail shark is a tiny little guy and he is all over the place! Last night I watched him scatter the Rummy Nose tetras and seemed to actually enjoy it! He too explores the entire aquarium, nibbling on the driftwood, swimming through the plants and seems to care less about the Discus.


I agree with above I personally realy like clone loaches but after reading what everyone says I'll prob get yoyo's instead. Nice background I picked up a back to nature slimline background for my project yesterday. Keep us updated with your progress Thank you! I look forward to seeing your progress too! Regarding the Clowns and the Yoyo's, I've found the Yoyo's, one in particular, to be far more active than the Clowns. That one in particular, is a PIG!!! I think I'm going to have a pot-bellied Yoyo loach! The other two don't eat nearly as much as this one fish! He is something else! In my tank, the Clowns seem to be a better 'fit'. Just my observations anyway.


I like the substrate but everyone says stay away from dark ones because it shows up peppering and makes the discus turn darkHmmmm. I hadn't read any comments about the dark substrate and it's potential effects on the Discus. Honestly, I haven't noticed it having an effect on the coloring of my Discus (a slight darkening perhaps on one). Initially, in the early planning stages, I was going first and foremost for a planted aquarium and the black Eco-Complete fit my requirements perfectly. Plus at the time, one of the main pet store suppliers had it on sale PLUS free shipping! That saved me a ton of money since I bought around 160 lbs of the stuff. Now, I'm trying to walk the line between a planted tank and a Discus tank. Ensuring that all inhabitants needs are met or exceeded.


Looking Nice! Neat looking set up.
just another side note, I seeing in your pics, you are planning to get some red and royal pigeon looking fishes, They more likely will get some peppering with the black sand or gravel you have. if you don't might the peppering is ok, just be advise they will change their clean looking as the week progress.
The background will not influence as much, but the substrate will definately affect them.
If you care try to get some white sand like pool filter sand, or brand names like crystal river, or torpedo beach from caribsea. after all the amazon bottom is for the most white sand.Thank you Pardal! Regarding my choice of substrate, please see my comments above to RudeDogg's second post. The pictures on the aquarium just happened to be what my daughter found. As it turns out, I think I do have two Pigeon's. One already had some peppering on 'him' and the other with a similar orange color has darkened somewhat, but no peppering that I see at this time. In fact, those two seem to be generating a bond of some kind and hang around together.


Hi. Great job so far! I had a question about your filtration though. I've been looking at the Rena filters and from what I understand of them, the Rena XP3 should be able to handle your tank on its own. Why did you choose two powerful filters? Also, did you condisder using something like the Fluval FX5? I'm going to be getting a 180 here soon and I'm trying to figure out what type of filter to get so your thoughts may help me out. Thanks!Thank you too! A Rena XP3 came with the aquarium, but after spending a whole bunch of time reading posts on the Planted Tank forum, I believed it was not going to be enough for the fish load I wanted to keep. Since I already had a Rena, along with a variety of parts and so forth, I bought an XP4. A friend of mine showed me his FX5 (looked like a small wet/dry vac!), but I don't think it would have fit inside my tank stand. Also, since I have two canister filters, I can clean them on alternating schedules to minimize disruption to the biological filtration that they are providing. For the investment I've made so far, I like having the redundancy of two filters, just in case something was to happen to one of them.

Thanks all for your comments, feedback and suggestions! Now I need to post some pictures that are more recent. :)

[RudeDogg1]

Quote:
Originally Posted by RudeDogg1
I like the substrate but everyone says stay away from dark ones because it shows up peppering and makes the discus turn dark

Hmmmm. I hadn't read any comments about the dark substrate and it's potential effects on the Discus. Honestly, I haven't noticed it having an effect on the coloring of my Discus (a slight darkening perhaps on one). Initially, in the early planning stages, I was going first and foremost for a planted aquarium and the black Eco-Complete fit my requirements perfectly. Plus at the time, one of the main pet store suppliers had it on sale PLUS free shipping! That saved me a ton of money since I bought around 160 lbs of the stuff. Now, I'm trying to walk the line between a planted tank and a Discus tank. Ensuring that all inhabitants needs are met or exceeded.

its something to do with them trying to blend in with there surroundings im sure someone will pipe in and confirm it. I bought my tank today so wont be long till ill be setting up to

[aXio]

Sorry for not taking the time to read the posts above...

But your setup is looking good. I will warn you that some discus will probably pepper with your dark gravel. I use semi-dark Flourite in my tank and my Fire Reds have already peppered up a bit. The fish will try to blend into it's surroundings. Also would recommend not using clown loaches, they like strong current, tend to be feisty eaters, and grow to be quite big. Discus like slow currents, and are often scared by big fast moving fish. to Good luck with the setup!

[deepflyball]

Everything looks nice in the pictures,but i think your way over stalked.

Jerry

[vera]

Thank you for the compliment! As I mentioned way back near the top, I'm already up and running with the fish and plants. So far (6+ weeks for the Clown loaches and 1 week for the Red Tail shark) everyone is getting along famously! The Clowns tend to stay at the bottom, moving through the plants and around the driftwood. Sometimes they explore the background and rest on a ledge. The Red Tail shark is a tiny little guy and he is all over the place! Last night I watched him scatter the Rummy Nose tetras and seemed to actually enjoy it! He too explores the entire aquarium, nibbling on the driftwood, swimming through the plants and seems to care less about the Discus.

Oh, thats great!! please share with us yr observation on them , it might be different to their usual behaviour especially when they grow
keep lid tight tho' they r excellent jumpers
best of luck

[Herbicidal]

Sorry for not taking the time to read the posts above...

But your setup is looking good. I will warn you that some discus will probably pepper with your dark gravel. I use semi-dark Flourite in my tank and my Fire Reds have already peppered up a bit. The fish will try to blend into it's surroundings. Also would recommend not using clown loaches, they like strong current, tend to be feisty eaters, and grow to be quite big. Discus like slow currents, and are often scared by big fast moving fish. to Good luck with the setup!That's OK, there is a lot of information there! Thank you for the compliment and the feedback. Makes sense about wanting to blend. In my tank, the Yoyo loaches tend to be the feisty eaters and rather pushy. At least one in particular is that way. ;) The Clowns are pretty docile. The Discus are pretty assertive at mealtime and are holding their own. No fights, they are just going after the food and not being timid. Regarding water flow, I have the return line from the first filter about 2/3 up from the bottom (coming through the background wall itself) and the other is the spray bar directing water across the surface. There is some current up near the top, but overall it's enough to move the water around and not cause issues. Thanks again! So far, so good! :thumbsup:


Everything looks nice in the pictures,but i think your way over stalked.

JerryThanks for the comments Jerry. :) I'm doing weekly water changes equaling 60 gallons. All the "normal" water parameters are well within the "safe" zones. All inhabitants are eating well and eagerly at feeding time. It's becoming an evening ritual to feed the fish and relax in front of them for a little while.


Oh, thats great!! please share with us yr observation on them , it might be different to their usual behaviour especially when they grow
keep lid tight tho' they r excellent jumpers
best of luckAbsolutely! The glass lids are on tight, thanks for the warning. :)

[Kingdom Come Discus]

It looks as if you have really done your homework and the end result is nice.
Good job placing everything.

Thanks for sharing,

[inmisawa]

A Rena XP3 came with the aquarium, but after spending a whole bunch of time reading posts on the Planted Tank forum, I believed it was not going to be enough for the fish load I wanted to keep. Since I already had a Rena, along with a variety of parts and so forth, I bought an XP4. A friend of mine showed me his FX5 (looked like a small wet/dry vac!), but I don't think it would have fit inside my tank stand. Also, since I have two canister filters, I can clean them on alternating schedules to minimize disruption to the biological filtration that they are providing. For the investment I've made so far, I like having the redundancy of two filters, just in case something was to happen to one of them.

Good thoughts. Thanks for your explaination!

[Herbicidal]

It looks as if you have really done your homework and the end result is nice.
Good job placing everything.

Thanks for sharing,Thank you and you're welcome. :)


Good thoughts. Thanks for your explaination!Certainly!
*************************
I uploaded a few more pictures this evening. Again, these are from about a month and a half ago to about 2 weeks ago. Just showing the progression of the aquarium.

Finally filled with water! Sorry, the picture is a little overexposed, but you get the idea. Newly acquired black canopy on top with some very basic shop lights mounted to the inside, top. They have since been replaced with some Catalina fixtures.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2437

The right hand side before adding any Discus. I believe I had the Clowns and the Yoyo's.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2438

Angled view of the whole aquarium. Still trying to figure out placement of the driftwood and the plants. Yes, it's a little too bare. Still working on it.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2439

I ended up buying another piece of driftwood for the right hand side and moved things around on the left and added more plants. I was trying to create an unobstructed space for some of the plants. The long exposure time gave me blurry fish! Oh well. My camera has a hard time with low light and moving objects. :p
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2443

A semi-closeup of some of the plants and a blurry fish!
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2440

Left side, a little closer view and more blurry fish. Darn things won't hold still! :D
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2441

Right side, a little closer and those blurry fish again! I asked a friend to come over with his better camera to take some pictures of the Discus. I'll upload some of his pictures a little later.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2442

[inmisawa]

Sweet set up! Come over to my place an help me when it's time!

[Herbicidal]

Sweet set up! Come over to my place an help me when it's time!Thanks! According to Google maps, you're only about 6 hours away. Sure, I'll just drop on by! :D

[R1_Ridah]

Super Nice...great job.

[inmisawa]

Thanks! According to Google maps, you're only about 6 hours away. Sure, I'll just drop on by! :D

Haha, you live about 5 mins away from a really good friend of mine. Maybe I should visit her and stop by to check out your setup:D

[Herbicidal]

Super Nice...great job.Thanks for the kind words. :)


Haha, you live about 5 mins away from a really good friend of mine. Maybe I should visit her and stop by to check out your setup:DAbsolutely! Let me know when you're up here next. :thumbsup:

[Herbicidal]

Here's some of the better pictures that my friend took with his camera. I acquired three more Discus since these pictures were taken. I'll try to get a few shots of the new guys with my camera.

Five of eight, with a Clown and a Yoyo visible too.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2446

Is this one a "pigeon"? This is the first Discus I bought and 'he' owns the tank! :D My daughter named 'him' Zeus. :p
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2445

My wife fell in love with this one. My daughter is convinced this one is a "she". She tends to hang around Zeus.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2444

A Leopard skin:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2449

A Cobalt blue and just, the top of a Snake skin. I just realized I don't have a clear closeup picture of the Snake skin.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2448

[inmisawa]

Sweet selection! Where did you get your discus?

[Chef]

Very nice tank. keep up the good work

[Herbicidal]

Sweet selection! Where did you get your discus?Two different local fish stores in Sacramento. The majority from Jojo Aquarium. It is a small store but they are starting work on expanding into available space next door. Andy is very passionate about 'his' Discus! He has nets that are only used to catch the Discus, along with other pieces of equipment that never touch the other aquariums or fish. And the others from Aqua Workz.


Very nice tank. keep up the good workThank you Chef! I will do my best. :thumbsup:

[RudeDogg1]

I hope for yours and your fishes sake you have been Quarentining new fish ;0)

[Herbicidal]

I hope for yours and your fishes sake you have been Quarentining new fish ;0)
Got a 20 gallon for the task. :fish:

[RudeDogg1]

Good lad

[khaled]

oh my god, wonderful Tank, god pless you

[Harriett]

Hi. Great job so far! I had a question about your filteration though. I've been looking at the Rena filters and from what I understand of them, the Rena XP3 should be able to handle your tank on its own. Why did you choose two powerful filters? Also, did you condisder using something like the Fluval FX5? I'm going to be getting a 180 here soon and I'm trying to figure out what type of filter to get so your thoughts may help me out. Thanks!

I have a 180g and started with just an FX5 in my planted tank as soon as the FX5 was available in the US. Eventually it seemed it was just not quite handling the load for my tastes and I ended up putting a cascade 1200 canister filter down there also--the 2 of them together are giving me what I need. I do believe in overfiltering when you are running significant plant and fish load. I have been running it this way for years and it works nicely. Hope that helps.
Best regards,
Harriett

[Herbicidal]

oh my god, wonderful Tank, god pless youThank you Khaled. :)


I do believe in overfiltering when you are running significant plant and fish load.Ditto! :thumbsup:

[Second Hand Pat]

The pink high-density foam on the bottom will lift up the background so that it is snug against the glass supports at the top of the aquarium. Obviously the pink foam will get covered by substrate.


Did the pink form come with the background?

[Herbicidal]

Did the pink form come with the background?No, it did not. I exchanged some e-mails with the seller and they recommended it. It's made by Owens-Corning. I found it at a local Home Depot.

[Second Hand Pat]

No, it did not. I exchanged some e-mails with the seller and they recommended it. It's made by Owens-Corning. I found it at a local Home Depot.

Is there a product name for it? Thanks

[Herbicidal]

Is there a product name for it? ThanksI did some searching for it and came up with this. (http://insulation.owenscorning.com/homeowners/insulation-products/propink.aspx) I bought a sheet that was 1/2" thick. I couldn't find it listed on Home Depot's web site, but that is where I bought it from. It was fairly inexpensive, like under $20 if I recall correctly.

[Second Hand Pat]

I did some searching for it and came up with this. (http://insulation.owenscorning.com/homeowners/insulation-products/propink.aspx) I bought a sheet that was 1/2" thick. I couldn't find it listed on Home Depot's web site, but that is where I bought it from. It was fairly inexpensive, like under $20 if I recall correctly.

Thanks, sorry you needed to research it. You have been a big help.

[Herbicidal]

Thanks, sorry you needed to research it. You have been a big help.Not a problem, happy to help. :)

[BABYJIZAY]

Hi there. Your tank looks awesome!! I am looking to do the same to my future 125 gallon tank... where did you buy the 3d background?

[Herbicidal]

Hi there. Your tank looks awesome!! I am looking to do the same to my future 125 gallon tank... where did you buy the 3d background?Thanks for the kind words! Here is a link (http://www.aquaterra-intl.com/index.html) to where I bought mine from. This place is in Oregon, I think east of Portland. Good luck with your project! Hopefully some of my methods for installing the background will work for you too!

One thing you really want to pay attention to is the fit of the background where it touches the left and right sides of the aquarium. My cuts were not exactly vertical and there are some spaces where the smaller fish like the Yoyo's and my little Red Tail shark managed to sneak behind. I was able to wedge (with a plastic knife) some brown weather stripping between the glass and the background to keep them out. Realistically, silicone sealant should be used on the sides to prevent that from happening. However, you would have to put a length of clear tubing on the tip of the silicone tube to be able to reach into that narrow of a space. That is a step I did not do and in hindsight, I should have. :rolleyes: Oh well. Hopefully someone can learn from my mistake. If you have larger fish right from the start, then this would probably be a non-issue.

[RudeDogg1]

Looks awsome the 3d backgrounds realy do finish a tank off hope mine ends up looking as good

[Herbicidal]

Looks awsome the 3d backgrounds realy do finish a tank off hope mine ends up looking as good
Where are you in your project? Looking forward to seeing your 'build' too! :)

[RudeDogg1]

still buying my tank and water butt arive tomoz and im awaiting a few more bits. Ill do the background friday after ive done a leak test. Then hopefully next payday ill order me plants and set up

[Herbicidal]

Nice! What size aquarium and what background did you buy? Are you going to start a build journal?

[RudeDogg1]

its an ehiem scubaline 240l 48 x 16 x 22. I got the aquaterra slimline red genisis. Yeah i was thinking of doing a build diary

[Herbicidal]

Excellent! I hope you decide to do a build diary. :thumbsup: I think it's cool to see the progress. Then a year from now you can look back at how much it has changed. :)

[inmisawa]

Thanks Harriett! That's pretty helpful actually. Unfortunately for me, my 12 year old daughter (who is doing this "project" with dad) and I have decided we're going to have to scale back to a 135 gal. But I still may look at additional filtering anyway as I've read a lot of people are using dual filters. I have an older fluval 304 on my 47 gal tank that is too powerful for it. I'll probably swap it out with something smaller and use that as the second. Thanks again!

[Harriett]

inmisawa:
Good idea! The FX5 doesn't come with a spray bar but they are easy to build and a good way to dissipate the return water***--discus can't take the force of the filter return as they sell it--it would just blow them against the wall, literally. Also, a 135 would be very well served by just an FX5, though I understand the idea of the back up filter--this filter has proven to be a real workhorse, and I have had it since they were first available in the US, as said--so it's been a few years now.

***I run my return pipe down the back tank wall to the bottom and have a lateral spray bar that sends the water up the back wall and across the surface of the tank--good for gas exchange to keep the surface moving, as you probably know.

Best regards,
Harriett

[inmisawa]

Hey, I can use all the help I can get. I may ppick your brain on how to build that spraybar!

[victor_r]

i like the backgroung i never see people use them i acually built my own it looks great but i do like the detail in the boughten one

[Herbicidal]

i like the backgroung i never see people use them i acually built my own it looks great but i do like the detail in the boughten oneThank you! I'm quite impressed with the detail as well. It's hard to capture that in a picture. Apparenty, a mold is created and they are able to make 6-8 backgrounds from it before the mold is unusable. So it's also kind of a unique piece of artwork! I should have gotton it signed! :D I see the Clown loaches resting on it's ledges all the time and my little Red Tail shark is all over the face of it, looks like he is grazing. Some algae is forming on it too, which helps give it a more realistic look in my opinion.

[pcsb23]

Nice tank :)

As to your questions, yes it is a pigeon blood based fish and it "Looks" male, the one your wife fell in love with and your daughter thinks is female most probably is :)

Did I say Nice tank? :D

[Herbicidal]

Nice tank :)

As to your questions, yes it is a pigeon blood based fish and it "Looks" male, the one your wife fell in love with and your daughter thinks is female most probably is :)

Did I say Nice tank? :DThanks my friend! Ahhh, OK, thanks for the 'identification' of the fish. We'll see what develops over time.

Thanks again. ;)

[zypher]

Thank you and you're welcome. :)

Certainly!
*************************
I uploaded a few more pictures this evening. Again, these are from about a month and a half ago to about 2 weeks ago. Just showing the progression of the aquarium.

Finally filled with water! Sorry, the picture is a little overexposed, but you get the idea. Newly acquired black canopy on top with some very basic shop lights mounted to the inside, top. They have since been replaced with some Catalina fixtures.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2437

The right hand side before adding any Discus. I believe I had the Clowns and the Yoyo's.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2438

Angled view of the whole aquarium. Still trying to figure out placement of the driftwood and the plants. Yes, it's a little too bare. Still working on it.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2439

I ended up buying another piece of driftwood for the right hand side and moved things around on the left and added more plants. I was trying to create an unobstructed space for some of the plants. The long exposure time gave me blurry fish! Oh well. My camera has a hard time with low light and moving objects. :p
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2443

A semi-closeup of some of the plants and a blurry fish!
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2440

Left side, a little closer view and more blurry fish. Darn things won't hold still! :D
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2441

Right side, a little closer and those blurry fish again! I asked a friend to come over with his better camera to take some pictures of the Discus. I'll upload some of his pictures a little later.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2442

damn!..super nice setup!..

[Herbicidal]

damn!..super nice setup!..Thanks a bunch zypher! It all came together pretty well. But I need to get more plants! I'm debating about removing a piece of two of the driftwood (from the left side) to create more planting space. Regardless, the inhabitants seem quite happy and are voracious eaters at feeding time. The Discus eat flake food (two different kinds), and Hikari Discus pellets (I give this to them first to take the edge off their appetite), then about 10 minutes later, I thaw out (in a rotating schedule) blood worms, mysis shrimp, beef heart and brine shrimp. Sometimes I'll mix n' match the frozen foods for a little more variety. No picky eaters in my tank! They are all a bunch of chow hounds. :)

[target]

Very nice looking set up. i love the clean look with no visible equipment. Going for the same look with my new 90, but I drilled the tank to get everything outside of the box. More room for the fishes :D

[Herbicidal]

Very nice looking set up. i love the clean look with no visible equipment. Going for the same look with my new 90, but I drilled the tank to get everything outside of the box. More room for the fishes :DThanks Target! I too like the look of virtually no equipment. Folks with heavily planted tanks and careful placement of other objects can "hide" the equipment as well, I just wanted something different. I hear you about more room. I bought the tank before I knew 3D backgrounds existed! If I was to do this over again, I would get a 180 so I have more room front to back. ;)

[Yboat]

Thanks a bunch zypher! It all came together pretty well. But I need to get more plants! I'm debating about removing a piece of two of the driftwood (from the left side) to create more planting space. Regardless, the inhabitants seem quite happy and are voracious eaters at feeding time. The Discus eat flake food (two different kinds), and Hikari Discus pellets (I give this to them first to take the edge off their appetite), then about 10 minutes later, I thaw out (in a rotating schedule) blood worms, mysis shrimp, beef heart and brine shrimp. Sometimes I'll mix n' match the frozen foods for a little more variety. No picky eaters in my tank! They are all a bunch of chow hounds. :)



What are you looking for in plants?

I've got tons of diffrent stems and I'm in fair oaks.

[target]

Thanks Target! I too like the look of virtually no equipment. Folks with heavily planted tanks and careful placement of other objects can "hide" the equipment as well, I just wanted something different. I hear you about more room. I bought the tank before I knew 3D backgrounds existed! If I was to do this over again, I would get a 180 so I have more room front to back. ;)

A nice deep tank would be nice. My 90 is 18" deep. Next upgrade, once this oneis done and I can convince the wife we need a bigger one ;) will be a 180 or bigger. Maybe 24" deep if i can find it.

[Herbicidal]

What are you looking for in plants?

I've got tons of diffrent stems and I'm in fair oaks.Hi Yboat! Well you're nice and close and thanks for the offer. :) I'm not sure if I can grow stem plants in a low-light aquarium without CO2. Plus the warmer water temps. My tank is pretty steady at 85 degrees. How does your aquarium compare? High or low light? CO2?


A nice deep tank would be nice. My 90 is 18" deep. Next upgrade, once this oneis done and I can convince the wife we need a bigger one ;) will be a 180 or bigger. Maybe 24" deep if i can find it.Sweet! Good luck with the convincing! :D

[Yboat]

High light( halides), ferts and co2. My tanks stays at about 83
I do have a few plants that like low light, but not many ( mainly Hygros)

If you would like to try some, I'll do a quick clip and pull off some plantlets for you. I need to do a trim anyways.

[Herbicidal]

High light( halides), ferts and co2. My tanks stays at about 83
I do have a few plants that like low light, but not many ( mainly Hygros)

If you would like to try some, I'll do a quick clip and pull off some plantlets for you. I need to do a trim anyways.I'm not as up to speed on all the different varieties of plants as I would like to be, still learning! Would it be possible to post up a picture or two of your Hygros? And if a picture or two of your Discus slip in there, that would be OK too! ;) Thanks!

[John_Nicholson]

Nice loking tank!

-john

[Yboat]

No current pics of my tanks, broke the digital camera awhile back and never got around to buying another.

but here are some links to some of the hygros I give away, ( monthly lol)

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=62

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=147

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=244

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=35

All of those are very easy to grow, but will not turn red unless you give them lots of light

I've got lots of other stuff, every thing from bocta's to rotalas and just about every thing inbetween. Most of which really need to given the right conditions if they are going to survie, let alone grow.

I'm always happy to give away plants.

[Herbicidal]

Nice loking tank!

-johnThanks John!


No current pics of my tanks, broke the digital camera awhile back and never got around to buying another.

but here are some links to some of the hygros I give away, ( monthly lol)

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=62

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=147

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=244

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=35

All of those are very easy to grow, but will not turn red unless you give them lots of light

I've got lots of other stuff, every thing from bocta's to rotalas and just about every thing inbetween. Most of which really need to given the right conditions if they are going to survie, let alone grow.

I'm always happy to give away plants.Thanks for the links Yboat! I'll keep your offer in mind. I need to borrow a PAR meter from the Sacramento Aquatic Plants Society. They meet the first Tuesday of every month, typically at a Round Table Pizza somewhere in Sacramento. There is a meeting (it will be my first) on Tuesday, Novemember 2nd (7pm) at the Round Table Pizza on Howe Ave., near the Howe and Arden shopping center. Two of the most knowledgable plant guys I've heard of will probably be attending; Tom Barr and Vaughn Hopkins, known as "Hoppy" over on PlantedTank.net. Once I've figured out my lighting, I'll hit you up. My wife has a new 90g with a 48" Black Solar 4 bulb setup we bought her from Catalina, she'll be looking for plants real soon. I'll show her your links and see if anything strikes her interest.

[Yboat]

I though SAPS was disbaneded awhile back, thats intresting that they are back.

[Herbicidal]

I sat down with my camera and a tripod determined to get some decent pictures of my Albino Leopard skin, Valentine (aka: Red/White) and Checkerboard Discus. These are the only three I haven't posted pictures of yet. So, after messing with F stops, shutter speed, etc and after taking some 40 odd pictures, I have a few that are OK. So, here they are, I hope you enjoy them! :)

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2487

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2484

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2485

And one Pigeon Blood you've already seen before:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/picture.php?albumid=341&pictureid=2486

[BABYJIZAY]

Thank you for the link!! Which background do you have?

[Herbicidal]

Thank you for the link!! Which background do you have?You're welcome! I have the Tanganyika Rock wall. Not exactly accurate for Discus, but hey, I like it and they don't seem to be complaining! :D

[Harriett]

Hey, I can use all the help I can get. I may ppick your brain on how to build that spraybar!

Sure, not a problem--send me a msg!
best regards,
Harriett

[Herbicidal]

Awhile back I bought 3 LED blue moonlights and FINALLY made time to mount them inside the canopy. Here's some pictures of the install and final result. Enjoy!

The moonlights are mounted to the right of the Catalina retro-fits:
http://www.forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=63433

Light test, hey! They work!
http://www.forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=63432

After the main lights have turned off for the night, this is the entire aquarium. You can just make out some Discus in the center and to the left of center:
http://www.forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=63431

Medium close-up of the left hand side:
http://www.forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=63430

Medium close-up of the right hand side. There is a Checkerboard Discus just below dead center in this picture:
http://www.forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=63429

I'm happy with how they turned out. I have them turn on via a timer a few minutes before the first bank of main lights turn off. Then the second bank of main lights turn off about 10 minutes later. The moonlights stay on for 45 minutes, then go off. With the rest of the house dark and once my eyes have accustomed to moonlights, you can see quite well except in the shadows. Even the Clown pleco's venture out and I'll drop in a food tablet or two for them. It's just a different viewing experience. :smiley:

[2wheelsx2]

It looks great. Did you get those off Ebay? I got something very similar to those on Ebay and unfortunately, they didn't last more than 6 months for me. Hopefully you have better results.

[Herbicidal]

Thanks! No, these I bought from a local aquarium store. Time will tell! Hopefully they will last awhile.

[leeishom]

before i viewed the outcome of your design, which is very niice workmanship...worried about those heaters being too close to the foam layer. i see, they are marineland visi-therm units; i just had 2 300 watt units fail on me the other week. have you considered in-line units?

[Herbicidal]

Thanks for the compliment. No worries about being too close, there are two Koralia circulation pumps behind the background placed there specifically for moving the water. They are both aimed at their respective heaters. Additionally, the background is what I would consider "heavy duty". I believe for anything to happen, the heaters would have to be in direct contact with the background. If you are referring to the in-line heaters for the Rena canister filters, I barely looked at them.

[2wheelsx2]

I believe he's referring to the Hydor ETH's.

[Tito]

I believe he's referring to the Hydor ETH's.

That's the way to go.

[leeishom]

yea, Hydor units.
well...in any case, niice work!

[MikeF]

Just saw this thread. Nice tank, and I really like the moonlights.

[Herbicidal]

yea, Hydor units.
well...in any case, niice work!Ahhhh! I have not even heard of them! Very interesting. When the time comes for new heaters, I will give those some serious consideration. Thanks!


Just saw this thread. Nice tank, and I really like the moonlights.Thank you! Yeah, I do too. I sit back about 6' from the tank and don't move. Then I just sit and watch the inhabitants do their thing. :p

[West1]

Thats one nice set up!

[Herbicidal]

Thank you West1! :)

[R1_Ridah]

Great looking tank... love the background. I was close to purchasing the exact same one.

[Herbicidal]

Thanks R1_Ridah! I'm very impressed with how detailed the background is and how sturdy. It is a well engineered piece. :thumbsup:

[R1_Ridah]

Thanks R1_Ridah! I'm very impressed with how detailed the background is and how sturdy. It is a well engineered piece. :thumbsup:

When people see my tank in person the first thing they compliment is the background...lol

[Herbicidal]

What background did you get? Do you have a build journal or pictures posted somewhere? I'd love to see it!

[2wheelsx2]

Doh, never mind, misread the whole thing. :p

[Brevcom]

Very nice set-up, good luck!

[Herbicidal]

Thank you Brevcom! So far, so good! Plants are growing, the Discus are growing. I can almost hear the oinking sounds when I open the top to feed the little Discus piggies! :p I'm starting to learn about dry fertilizers and dosing. I recently bought some dry ferts, mixing/dosing bottles and a digital scale. I'm a member of an aquatic plants club in my area and we have a meeting tomorrow night. I hope to learn more about how to dose ferts from the master himself, Tom Barr. :thumbsup: I think I'm going to stay with the "low tech" version of a planted tank and adjust fert dosing to meet those requirements.

Thanks for the well wishes!

[discuspaul]

That is really developing into some awesome tank ! Great work - it will look breath-taking when you get it fully completed. Can't wait to see finished pics with some more discus ! Love it!

[noved]

beautiful setup.

[Herbicidal]

That is really developing into some awesome tank ! Great work - it will look breath-taking when you get it fully completed. Can't wait to see finished pics with some more discus ! Love it!Thanks DiscusPaul! It's coming along, slowly but surely. The plants are growing and I've joined an aquatic plant club whereby I'm getting free clippings of this and that. What grows I keep, what doesn't, goes away. I hope to get several more Discus in the next month or two.


beautiful setup.Thank you!

[Yboat]

Speaking of that... check your pms...

[jcardona1]

So I made it over here Herb, now I just need 10 posts to be able to show some pics :)

[brothers2]

We have 5ea 3 to 4" loaches in a 55 gal tank with 8 discus. The loaches have made excellant tank mates for the discus and do not bother
them what soever. They have made excellant tank mates with the discus and have given them no trouble.

[Herbicidal]

Speaking of that... check your pms...Got it. Hit you back. Thanks.


So I made it over here Herb, now I just need 10 posts to be able to show some pics :)Excellent Jose! And I see you made your 10 posts! :p With your mad photography skills I can hardly wait to see some pics of your new Discus!


We have 5ea 3 to 4" loaches in a 55 gal tank with 8 discus. The loaches have made excellant tank mates for the discus and do not bother
them what soever. They have made excellant tank mates with the discus and have given them no trouble.Awesome! Nice that they all play well together. :block:

[rickztahone]

haven't seen anything on TPT. any updates?

[Herbicidal]

haven't seen anything on TPT. any updates?Hit there, last thing I posted was some pictures showing (before and after) what a difference my clean up crew has done on an Anubias. I have some new plants that I got from the last meeting of my local aquatic plant club, no pics yet. Need to potentially shift some things around to make room for them. Trying to balance the plant load against swimming room and allowing for future growth! Thanks for asking!

[Herbicidal]

Since I'm doing weekly water changes on my my 155g and my wife's 90g, and every couple of weeks on my kids tanks (10g, 29g and 32g) I decided to buy a digital pH/temp meter. My tap water is a pH of 8.3 and the aquariums have stablized @ a pH of 6.8. I don't want to 'shock' the inhabitants with the tap water, so I "age" it first. I found that the liquid pH test bottles and the colors in the glass vials is rather a pain and I can never quite match up the colors to get what I consider to be an accurate reading. With the meter I can check all the water quickly and easily. It's also nice to have the temp display at the same time as the pH. I 'clean' the sensor with distilled water after every use and keep the tip moist while in storage using the supplied foam in the cap. Here's the unit I purchased from Amazon: HM Digital Meters Waterproof pH/Temperature Meter. I'm very happy with this unit. :)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41jwoCblgCL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[Herbicidal]

I was going through some photos over the weekend and found this one I took last month of an electric blue (just kidding!) Singapore shrimp sitting on the highest point on this piece of driftwood. It's right in the flow coming from the XP4 spray bar and all his 'fans' are waving in the water catching whatever he can. The main lights have gone out and he is illuminated by the blue, LED moonlights. The little tracers are just bubbles blowing by.

http://www.forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=63841

[willbldrco]

I love that pic of your shrimp! It's got a surreal mood to it that would be really cool to see in motion.

Will

[Herbicidal]

Thanks Will! I thought it was a cool picture too. That was the only one I've ever seen up on top, so I got real lucky with that photo. Didn't even think about taking a little video. :(

[BABYJIZAY]

Hey Herb.... Question for ya... Do you run your koralia pumps 24hrs?

[Herbicidal]

Yes, they are always on except for water changes when they are high and dry. Then I unplug the heaters, koralia's and the canister filters. Once the water level is back up to normal, then I plug in everything again. Some of my ghost and Singapore shrimp made it behind the background and have done a great job of cleaning up the algae that was growing back there. :p

[BABYJIZAY]

I just checked mine and they were stalled... I got them back up though. Weird. I also discovered two tetras back there but can't get to them. Ugh :(

[Herbicidal]

I have a couple of Rummy Nose back there too. Ah well. Somehow they found a way. Beats me.

[BABYJIZAY]

I couldn't leave them there.... after three hours and 10 attempts I got the tetras out. But I am now intrigued that you let the shrimop stay back there... excellent idea. I think I'll get a couple snails and shrimp... there is so much build up back there. I'm so disappointed in those pumps.... it hasn't even been two months!!! How could they die? If I shale them up they work for a while but then die again. Ugh

[Herbicidal]

Cool! Sounds like you need to take them completely apart for a thorough cleaning. I wonder if you got a couple of "bad" pumps or they sucked up some sand? Maybe take one and place it in a bucket with water and let it run for awhile, see what happens.

[Melissa]

To get some stuck fish behind the background... Maybe use a thick syphon hose and a bucket?

[Herbicidal]

That could work. With a net to herd them into the suction zone! Since they are Rummy Nose Tetra's, their shape is right to go down easy. :p

[BABYJIZAY]

I was going to use my python to suck them up then hold them while they were in there... But I was able to just herd them with the net. Save them!!!!

[Herbicidal]

I'll give it another try this weekend. :)

[fastfishin]

absolutely beautiful!

[Herbicidal]

Thank you! I need to take some update pictures and get them posted. I'll try to do that this weekend.

[sergioya72]

beautiful tank! very good design

[Herbicidal]

Thanks!
*********
Thought I would post an update since this is a journal after all. Over the last couple of weeks I've noticed the pH dropping from where it had been in the 7's to a low of 5.4! Even with large and frequent water changes using 'aged' water that was showing a stable pH of 7.2, the level would drop back into the 5's, literally overnight! Everyone in the tank seemed fine, but it was quite worrisome to me to have the water becoming so acidic. All the water parameters I can test were fine, with the exception of phosphates which were around 10ppm. I dose with liquid ferts twice a week and one of the ingredients contains some phosphate so that probably explains the elevated levels.

Long story short, I pulled the activated charcoal out of the XP4 and replaced it with approximately 2 lbs of medium size crushed coral. This appears to have done the trick! After my last two water changes (120 gallons total) the pH was at 5.6. That same day, I added the crushed coral and by the next morning the pH was up to 6.7. That same evening: 6.8. Yesterday morning: 7.0 Last night: 7.1. This morning: 7.2. I'm thinking of pulling out about a pound of the crushed coral and see if I can land the pH back in the mid to upper 6's. Anyway, I feel much better that the water is no longer so acidic.

Sorry, no new pictures. Too much time spent on trying to resolve the pH issue. However, I now have two plants that have just about reached the surface! Nice to finally have some tall plants in the tank. Oh, I also picked up some Frogbit about two weekends ago and already it is starting to spread! First there was a small clump with several leaves spread out on the surface and all the roots floating below, then one day I noticed a 'stem' that went straight out from the side and produced some new leaves with tiny roots below it. Pretty cool! With the current generated by the spray bar, they float from one end of the tank to other and back in a slowly rotating ellipse. Kind of mesmerizing!

I will try to get some new pictures posted soon.

[Herbicidal]

Last night I picked up a new turquoise Ring Leopard Discus from my buddy Jcardona1, he's going with mostly 'wilds' for his aquarium. Thanks Jose! :thumbsup: I'm confident the new guy will fit it well with the others. Now I need to get busy and give Kenny's Discus a call to schedule a visit to his facility in Daly City, CA. ;)

[Herbicidal]

Well I may have just purchased my way right out of getting any Discus from Kenny! :p Over the weekend I found and bought 4 more from two LFS's. Jojo Aquarium in Sacramento has the LARGEST supply of Discus that I have ever seen in a LFS! They have a entire top row of tanks dedicated to them! I've been going to them for Discus since I started my tank last August. :thumbsup: They are also 95% done with an expansion to the store, great news for us! Soooo....here's some pictures of the new Discus!

Four of them in my 20 gal QT. They are being shy. Middle and to the right is a Golden Yellow and an all white one. To the left, I'm not sure what they are. The one next to the Golden Yellow will be the largest Discus I've had to date. Behind the large one is I think a Leopard Skin, but with an orange tinge to his colors.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=7500&pictureid=6162

3 of the 4 new guys. Hiding behind those 3 is the Golden Yellow.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=7500&pictureid=6164

Full tank shot. If you look closely, there are several Discus at the bottom center looking for Discus pellets. In the far upper left is an upside down Amazon sword, haven't planted it yet.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=7500&pictureid=6163

[jcardona1]

Looking great Herb! The new guys are very nice. So does that mean no more road trip to Kenny's like we talked about?? :D

[Herbicidal]

Thanks Jose! Man, I still want to go to Kenny's but I may not be able to bring any more home. We'll see.... These were too beautiful to pass up! :)

[Herbicidal]

Well I have a bit of a rough time since I last posted in this thread. It all started a couple of weeks ago when I bought four new Discus from two different LFS's. I put all four in my 20 gallon quarantine tank and it seemed all was good. After about four days, one of them was showing signs of stress and was getting bullied by some of the others. I attributed this to four fish in a 20 gallon tank, not a lot of room. They all looked fine, nothing obviously wrong. So I decided to acclimate them to the 155. The next day they appeared OK, a couple were still hiding which I figured was normal. The next day things started to change. Several of the blue Discus started turning very dark. I thought something with the water conditions may have gone south. I checked everything I could test. The ammonia was very slightly elevated and the nitrates were a little higher than I would have like. I changed out about 50% of the water and re-checked the water, this time it looked good.

Then the next day the Discus took a turn for the worst. By the end of the day I lost several and more were looking bad. Very dark in color, fins clamped, not eating, eyes starting to cloud and so forth. Several of the Discus looked absolutely fine! I carefully observed the other fish, like the Rummy Nose Tetra's, Clown Loaches and all of these fish looked fine. Still eating and acting normal. To make a long story shorter, I ended up with all the remaining Discus back in the 20 gallon QT and picked up some medication from the LFS that I had bought most of the fish from. I do not know what the medicine is as the writing is all in Japanese (I think) and it's what he uses to treat his Discus tanks. I lost a couple of more Discus that were too far gone to save. I now have five left. From the symptoms, apparently it was a bacterial infection that spread like wildfire and ONLY affected the Discus! I did not lose any of my other fish.

Needless to say, this was a rather large setback and I feel like crap that I didn't keep those four in QT for two weeks. It would have been much better to have lost one or two in QT than have affected the rest of my population. This was a hard lesson to learn. So I'm passing on my experience in the hopes that for those of you that are not doing a quarantine before introducing new fish into your main tank that at the very least, you think long and hard before you do and is it worth the risk? I would strongly suggest picking up a used 20 gallon or larger tank for this purpose and resist the temptation to move them into your main tank until you are absolutely sure they are OK. I should have stuck to my two week rule, but I did not and the fish suffered as a result of my mistake.

So as of this post, I have five Discus in QT and everyone else in the 155. About three nights ago I noticed the temp in the 155 had climbed up to about 86 degrees, which is about 4 degrees higher than normal since the whole bacterial infection thing. We had warmer weather than usual so I thought perhaps this was why the tank was warmer as our house was warmer too. Two nights ago, the temp in the tank had dropped down to 79 degrees. In hindsight, I think one of the two heaters failed. It probably failed in the 'on' position (thus the higher tank temp), then burned itself out (thus the lower tank temp as only one heater was now running). Yesterday, I did some research and contacted a friend about titanium heaters. I ended up ordering two 500 watt units with a controller that will handle both heaters from http://jehmco.com/html/heaters.html. I come home last night after work and check the temp of the 155 and it was down to 73 degrees!!! I pulled both heaters from behind the 3D background and moved them to the front of the tank to check whether they were even working at all. The lights came on, but ZERO heat! They had both burned out. Thank goodness the remaining Discus were NOT in the main tank! Now I think when the first heater burned out, there was too much of a load on the second heater and it burned out too. I did a 70% water change using warmer water and brought the temp up to about 80 degrees over the course of 30 minutes. Then I ran out to PetSmart and bought a 300 watt heater (highest wattage they had) and put it in the tank along with a smaller spare heater. This morning the 155 was holding steady at 81 degrees. Hopefully these heaters will last until the new titanium's arrive. In the meantime, the Discus will stay in QT until I get the 155 stabilized.

Man, what a last couple of weeks it's been! Hopefully no more drama for awhile.

[2wheelsx2]

Boy, I'm sorry to hear that, but thanks for sharing that with us so that we can learn from your experience and hopefully not make the same mistake.

[Herbicidal]

Here's the latest update:

The five remaining Discus are back in the main tank. This past Saturday I did a major reset on the 155 before moving the Discus back. I pulled out every plant and piece of driftwood, then gently vacuumed the gravel, cleaned the glass and did about a 70% water change. Oh, and the heater (another Visi-Therm) in my wife's 90 gallon tank failed. The temp dropped to 73 degrees before she realized it. Fortunately, the titanium heaters and controller I ordered last week arrived on Friday. So I moved my 300 watt Fluval 'emergency' heater to her tank and hooked up my new heaters. They work like a charm! And her tank is now back up to 78 degrees. Whew! No fish were lost. To say I'm disappointed in the Visi-Therms is an understatement. They did not even last 9 months! I will not buy any more of those heaters, that's for sure!

Then I put back only a few select plants that were doing well and added a couple of rectangular shaped rocks to create a small 'shelf' for an elevation change. Then I attempted to slope the substrate up toward the back so that it is lower in the front. I only put back two pieces of driftwood. One was an original piece and the other one I picked up about two months ago. Overall I'm happy with the new look. The Discus seem happy to be in a larger tank now and to have some swimming room once again.

I also bought two more Discus to slowly start rebuilding my school. A young Leopard skin and a Blue Turquoise, I believe. They are currently in the 20 gallon QT. I picked up another Amazon sword and a pair of Anubias Minima. About 6 weeks ago I picked up some Frogbit (Limnobium spongia), maybe four plants worth and it has taken off like gangbusters! There is easily 80 or more plants floating around now. I pulled about 1/3 out and moved them to my wife's tank. My African Butterfly fish loves hanging out in 'stealth mode' within or between the plants, then darts out when the food hits the water.

Sorry, no new pictures yet.

[jarret8x]

I love your tank wish it was mine. Is the 3d background worth the work and the money? When I get my 120 gallon I was thinking of doing a 3d background.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[Herbicidal]

I love your tank wish it was mine. Is the 3d background worth the work and the money? When I get my 120 gallon I was thinking of doing a 3d background.Thanks jarret8x! Well I think that is a question only you can answer. :) For me, it was worth the work and money. The goal was have what we (my wife and I) consider a show tank and to us the 3d background took it to the next level. I really like the "clean" look of having all the equipment hidden behind the background and enjoyed the project work of figuring out how to make it all fit and remain functional. Would I do it this way again? In a heart beat!

[Herbicidal]

Hi everyone! Well it's been a little while since my last update. I've started to rebuild my flock. I picked up a Blue Turquoise and a Leopard skin first from a LFS, then a couple of weeks later, I bought four more Discus from Kenny's Discus in Daly City, CA. They are a: Blue Diamond, Virgin Red, Red Turquoise and a Super Eruption. They all went through quarantine and I added them to the main tank last week. All are doing very well! I'm happy to have a decent sized group in the tank once again!

On a different front, I have decided to replace the Eco-Complete with sand. After several weeks of research, I went to a local landscaping supply place and bought two, 100 lb bags of Monterey sand that is 16 mesh. I know it's too much, but for basically $10 per bag, what the heck. I really like the look of a sand bottom and I want to create a better home for the Cory's. The Eco-Complete is a little rough on their barbels. Also, I believe any waste will stay more on the surface of the sand and make it easier to vacuum. I'll use more root tabs for the plants and continue using liquid ferts twice a week. Hopefully, with the lighter sand, my Discus will lighten up a little too. My Golden Yellow is now showing signs of peppering. Anyway, here some of my latest pictures. The pictures are OK, a little grainy perhaps and I realized that my glass is not perfectly clean, so any spots or white lines you see are NOT on the fish. Plus some pics have a little background reflection too. Obviously I have not yet changed the substrate to sand. That's a project for another day.

Enjoy!


http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6710

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6711

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6707

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6708

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6709

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6704

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6705

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6706

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6701

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6702

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6703

[Cuchulainn]

Killer tank! The close ups on the 4th and 5th pic look really great

[Herbicidal]

Killer tank! The close ups on the 4th and 5th pic look really greatThank you Cuchulainn!

On another note, I may have a pair forming. The big Blue Diamond (picture #4) and the Blue Turquoise (picture #2) are hanging together quite a bit. Acting all funny around each other, body nipping, chasing, fin flaring, side by side shimmying and at times, biting on the driftwood piece at the left side of the tank. I just noticed this behavior yesterday. These two are my largest/oldest Discus. The Blue Diamond came from Kenny and the Blue Turquoise came from a LFS. I really don't know how to determine their sex. Are any of the pictures clear enough for one of the resident experts to sex them? Regardless, it will be interesting to see what happens!

[Herbicidal]

Came home from work last night and now I know the Blue Diamond is a female. She was busy laying eggs on the driftwood! My daughter was very excited until she saw the reddish orange pigeon blood Discus was eating them just as fast! The new pair don't really have their act together yet. They occasionally pushed the intruder away, but it pushed right back and dined on caviar for darn near three hours! Ah well. I haven't decided whether to get the pair their own love nest or not. However, it was cool seeing her laying the eggs. I've never had that happen before. :)

[Herbicidal]

The pair was at it again last night. This time I took a few pictures before the eggs were eaten (again) but this time by a very slippery Yoyo loach. The pair are doing a better job about defending the eggs from that Orangish-red Discus, but the loach was too sneaky. When I change out the substrate, all the loaches (Clown and Yoyo) are going back to the LFS. I want to give these guys a fighting chance.

Here's the pics:

The male eyeballing the eggs:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6732

The male attempting to fertilize the eggs, less eggs now than the first picture. I have no idea if he was successful or just going through the motions. :icon_mrgr
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6731

The pair:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6734

Night time under the blue moonlights:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6733

[jcardona1]

Cool pics! Hopefully they'll get it right one of these times :)

[Herbicidal]

Thanks! Me too! This morning, it looks like they are trying again, but behind the wood, away from prying little eyes. ;)

[invinci]

super tank..!!..they are looking very happy..congratz on pair..
your efforts are already showing the result..!! hats off!!

[Herbicidal]

super tank..!!..they are looking very happy..congratz on pair..
your efforts are already showing the result..!! hats off!!Thank you! No more eggs that I have seen in the last couple of days. The female may be done for now.

[Herbicidal]

I had my good buddy jcardona1 come over and take some pics since he has some 'mad skills' when it comes to photography! :p It was tough choosing my favorites, but here they are and I'm not going to post all of them. LOL! Thanks again Jose for the awesome pics! :thumbsup:

The first four are my most recent acquistions from Kenny's Discus:

A Virgin Red:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6823

Red Turquoise:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6818

Blue Diamond (female):
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6815

Super Eruption:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6820

Ring Leopard I bought from Jose:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6819

Pigeon based strain, I think:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6817

Blue Turquoise (male):
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6816

Blue Turq & Blue Diamond - a pair:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6822

The pair near their favorite piece of wood:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6821

Neat picture with false sunbeam:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6814

And finally, the whole tank:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6824

[lizziotti]

Beautiful pics, discus, and tank!!!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk

[Herbicidal]

Beautiful pics, discus, and tank!!! Thank you lizziotti!

[Dieselfool]

Very nice.

[neon]

What other fish store do you buy discus at besides Jojo aquarium?

[Herbicidal]

Very nice.Thank you!


What other fish store do you buy discus at besides Jojo aquarium?The only other Sacramento store I've found that occasionally sells Discus is Aqua Workz (http://www.aquaworkzaquarium.com/). However, I bought my last four from Kenny's Discus, he is a sponsor on Simply Discus - very high quality Discus! Here's a link to his "forum" on Simply Discus: http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?119-Kenny-s-Discus-(Kenny-Cheung)-Daly-City-California. Kenny is VERY knowledgeable about Discus and for me, it was well worth the drive to his place in Daly City, CA. He get's new shipments in every month and they sell out fast!

I'm looking forward to buying a few more from him in the future.

[calihawker]

Great looking tank and diary!!:) I haven't been over there in a while but Aaron over at Aqualife was supposed to be setting up a discus specific section in the store. Kenny is definitely number one in my book.:)

I'm looking for background ideas for my display and I love the 3d look but my tank is 30" tall. The tallest one I saw was 24.

Anyway, great job!


Steve

[Herbicidal]

Great looking tank and diary!!:) I haven't been over there in a while but Aaron over at Aqualife was supposed to be setting up a discus specific section in the store. Kenny is definitely number one in my book.:)

I'm looking for background ideas for my display and I love the 3d look but my tank is 30" tall. The tallest one I saw was 24.

Anyway, great job!


SteveThanks Steve! What size tank do you have that is 30" tall? One thought on the backgrounds is that you could build up underneath it with some of that pink closed cell foam I used to lift mine up a little bit. Silicone it in place, then rest the background on it. Then it would require some creative aquascaping with the substrate, etc. to hide the pink, but I think it's doable.

[hydrophyte]

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8546&pictureid=6705


Hey I know this tank. It's looking great!

[Herbicidal]

Hey I know this tank. It's looking great!Thank you! I need to add some more plants. Once I pull out all the Eco-Complete and replace it with sand, I'll concentrate more on the plant side. Hope to make the switch in the next month or so. I'm also thinking about pulling out the 'heavier' looking driftwood on the left and going with some upside-down Manzanita branches for the root effect. We'll see. The sand should give it a whole new look! :)

[calihawker]

It's a 300 gallon 8' x 24 x 30 tall and I'm going from heavily planted, super high-tech to bare bottom and super simple. I just want a simple, nice looking background really, and cost is a factor as well.

Steve-O

(yeah I'm using that tapatalk thingy too!)

[Herbicidal]

It's a 300 gallon 8' x 24 x 30 tall and I'm going from heavily planted, super high-tech to bare bottom and super simple. I just want a simple, nice looking background really, and cost is a factor as well.

Steve-O

(yeah I'm using that tapatalk thingy too!)Ahhh! OK, so that bright pink foam probably is not the look you're going for! :p That is a NICE sized tank! How many Discus do you plan on stocking it with? As an alternative, there are some very thin 3-D backgrounds that could be cut and 'tiled' and glued to the back wall. Well, good luck in your quest!

[calihawker]

Thanks Herb! I have 14 discus in there now, at some point I'm gonna look for homes for 2 or 3 of the leopard snakeskins and then grow out 8-10 of a couple strains, probably cobalt and maybe red melons.

Steve-O

[Dis82]

Great tank and thread. :)

[northtexaswildbettas]

Great job!

[Herbicidal]

Great tank and thread. :)Thank you!


Great job!Thanks! Just returned from vacation, now I need to start planning the 're-do' of the Eco-Complete to a sand bottom conversion. :)

[Ken]

Why the "'re-do' of the Eco-Complete to a sand bottom conversion."
I have gotten conflicting advice on using pool sand
Thanks

[Herbicidal]

Why the "'re-do' of the Eco-Complete to a sand bottom conversion."
I have gotten conflicting advice on using pool sand
ThanksHi Ken. As I have acquired more Discus, I've come to realize I want to have their home better suited for them. So I'm headed toward possibly less or about the same amount of plants and I would like a lighter colored substrate as the tank looks a little darker than I would like. The Eco-Complete 'grain' size traps and holds onto the waste more so than a sand bottom will. It will be easier to lightly vacuum up the waste from the sand. I would like to get some more Cory's too and the sand will be easier on their barbels than the rougher Eco-Complete. For the plants, I will use root tabs and dose the water column. Additionally, I'm hoping that the 'peppering' I'm seeing on some of the Discus will diminish with the lighter colored bottom. I will probably replace that thick piece of driftwood on the left with something more root-like so that side of the tank won't look so 'heavy'.

Apparently my tastes are changing over time. :)

[Herbicidal]

Well, I'm getting ready to swap out the Eco-Complete for sand. I'm going to target Memorial Day weekend for this project since we're not going anywhere. I ordered a spare heater to place in my formally used water aging trash cans where I'll be keeping the fish and the remainder of the livestock while I do the switcheroo. I'll pre-rinse all the sand this weekend so it will be ready. This will be a good opportunity to kill all the random clumps of BBA :angry: that have cropped up on the 3D background and some of the driftwood. I think I will use a spray bottle filled with Hydrogen Peroxide to nuke that stuff when the water is drained out.

As I've mentioned before, ultimately, I would like to replace the visually "heavy" piece of driftwood that is on the left side of the aquarium with a more root-like branch of Manzanita. I don't have that piece yet, other than in my mind. I'm seriously considering going almost plant-less. I like having a small amount of frogbit floating on the surface, but I'm getting frustrated with the BBA growing on the plant leaves. I don't have a lot of plants right now, so I may just start over with fresh ones. Or, maybe I'll just go with some frogbit on the surface and no other plants for awhile. I don't know. Part of the fun is changing things once in awhile for a new look. :)

I'm also going to capture and remove all the Clown loaches (I think there is five, don't recall) and the two Yoyo loaches and take them to a LFS. They are a little too "piggish" around the Discus. So with them gone, that may gain me back two more Discus that I can put in their place.

Wish me luck!

[Herbicidal]

Here's the latest update. Last weekend, with the help of my 10 year old son, we rinsed 200 lbs of sand and have it sitting all ready to go in two tubs. The new heater arrived as well. Initially I was planning to put the Discus and the other fish I'm keeping into one of my 32 gallon water aging trash cans for the day. The bummer with that idea is once in the can, I won't be able to see them or how they are doing. The other thing is that earlier this week one of my son's Cory's that I'm keeping for him in my Discus aquarium, became trapped between the left edge of the 3-D background and the glass as there is a gap. I did not notice this until it was too late. :( So, with that incident, I think I need to completely drain the tank and seal both ends so this does not happen again. In hindsight, this is something I should have done way back at the beginning. I didn't think the gap would be an issue, apparently I was wrong.

So, to seal the gaps on both ends, that means a complete and total drain of the tank, PLUS dry time before sealing it AND giving the sealant time to cure. This potential one day project is now looking to be a minimum of two days. Leaving the Discus plus other fish in the 32 gallon trash can, even with filtration, heat and so forth for two days or possibly longer has me concerned. I would like to think that the trash can is fully 'cured' and wouldn't leach anything into the water, but I'm not 100% certain. This concern has led me in a search to find a used 55 gallon tank to hold them instead of the plastic trash can. I've been searching Craigslist for the last two days and making phone calls. I have a lead on one that looks quite nice in the pictures, in fact, nicer then I need for this little endeavor. The seller finally replied back that the tank is still available. Perhaps I can arrange to see it after work tonight and if it looks good, pick it up tomorrow. I'm pretty certain I would not sleep very well leaving the fish in the plastic trash even for one night, let alone two. We really don't need another aquarium for the long term, so when I'm done with it I could put it back up on Craigslist. Hopefully I would break even. We shall see! I need to give the seller a call this morning and hopefully see the tank tonight. :)

[Herbicidal]

For the price of one Super Eruption from Kenny's Discus, I bought the 55 gallon tank last night. It's acrylic and came with a stand and canopy (oak finish). Plus two boxes of stuff I haven't even looked at. It's a little rough around the edges, but that was to be expected. I may be able to freshen it up a bit before putting it back up for sale. I feel much better about putting the Discus in here for several days vs the plastic trash can. Starting tomorrow I will clean it up (test for leaks while it's outside) and hopefully get water in it from the 155 along with the new heater and a filter going.

I'm somewhat concerned that I will experience a "cycling" with this tank even with using an established filter and water from the big tank. Any suggestions on how to minimize it? Cut back on feeding? Don't feed them the day before the move? Move over some Eco-Complete from the main tank? I want to make this as stressless as I can for my Discus buddies!

Thanks all!

[jcardona1]

Good stuff! I was going to suggest using a couple storage totes, but looks like you took care of it already! As for cycling that new tank, it will be a non-issue. Just move all your filters over to the 55g when you transfer the fish. You technically don't even need the water, since your bacteria colony is not in the water column (this is why we can do 100% water changes with no ill effects, as long as the parameters match). But for sake of keeping it easy, just transfer water from the 155g to the 55g. Keeping the water and using all your filters will be like if nothing happened, as far as your bacteria and fish are concerned :)

Can't wait to see the result!

[Herbicidal]

Thanks Jose! Hopefully I can pull this off without any casulaties.

[strawberryblonde]

You have a solid plan and the 55 should do just fine for your fish while you make your change on your big tank. Heck, I plopped mine into 5 gallon buckets, tossed a heater in each, added my cycled hydro's and they were good to go for 24 hours. They didn't even blink when I pulled them out, held them overnight, pulled out the substrate, added new driftwood and then put them into their rescaped tank. Just swam right to the surface to beg for food. No illnesses or problems at all with them. Only nerve wracking part was wondering if my cats would figure out a way to get into the buckets during the night.

Can't wait to see your tank with the new substrate!

[calihawker]

Sounds good Herb! Good luck, can't wait to see it.

Steve

[Herbicidal]

You have a solid plan and the 55 should do just fine for your fish while you make your change on your big tank. Heck, I plopped mine into 5 gallon buckets, tossed a heater in each, added my cycled hydro's and they were good to go for 24 hours. They didn't even blink when I pulled them out, held them overnight, pulled out the substrate, added new driftwood and then put them into their rescaped tank. Just swam right to the surface to beg for food. No illnesses or problems at all with them. Only nerve wracking part was wondering if my cats would figure out a way to get into the buckets during the night.

Can't wait to see your tank with the new substrate!You're HIRED!!! ;) I appreciate your story, helps to ease my mind. :)


Sounds good Herb! Good luck, can't wait to see it.

SteveThanks Steve! Looking forward to having you over once this is all done. Good luck to you too with your re-work. :thumbsup: I'm still available to lend assistance or if you want to see my tank during this re-do phase, you are more than welcome to swing by, if we can get our schedules to coincide. I plan on being home all weekend.

[Herbicidal]

Yesterday was spent getting the temporary tank cleaned and set up. Pulled over the Rena XP3 that I've been running on the Discus tank all this time and cobbled together return lines and so forth from another XP3 that I'm not currently using. Added some of the sand I'm going to use in the main tank, set up the heater, pumped over about 25 gallons of water from the 155 and filled the rest from the tap. Took off to run some errands, came back and discovered the filter on the 55 gallon tank was leaking!!!! :shocked: The water had filled up the bottom of the stand and was now on the floor! Had to drain the tank so I could move it to get the water that had gone underneath the stand. What a pain. :angry: It's a hardwood floor, so thankfully no carpet involved. Ran a fan to help dry out the stand, moved everything back and started over. This time I put the filter in a styrofoam box, made a slight adjustment to the mechanism that latches to the filter and no more leaks. I think the "O" rings need some of that special white looking grease to make a better seal. Oh well. Lost about 2 hours to that little mishap. Decided I was done for the day.

Today, I moved the six fish that were in my 20 gallon QT tank to their respective new homes; my wife tank, and my kids tanks (after cleaning them too!). Then I drained the 20 completely and pumped over 20 gallons from the 155 so when I caught the clown and yoyo loaches, they would be in the same water, no need to acclimate. For good measure, I drained off about 25 gallons from the 55 and filled it back up from the 155. This helped to drain down the 155 in preparation for moving the fish. Pulled out the two driftwood pieces, some rocks and all the plants. Then caught all the Discus and moved them without any issues. In total, I spent dang near 3 hours catching everything that was in the tank! The darn clown and yoyo loaches were the worst!!! I was down to the last 1/2" of water before I was able to catch the last yoyo loach. They kept going behind the background. I removed 99% of the Eco-Complete using a net. It worked great and then I dumped it into a bucket and hauled it outside. Once all the Eco-Complete was out, I was able to move the background forward about 1/2 way toward the front of the tank. This allowed me to catch those really hard to get critters! I even found four ghost shrimp that I haven't seen in months! Finally, I had all the clown and yoyo loaches captured and in the 20 gallon QT tank. Everyone else is in the 55 gallon temporary tank. I gave them all some food and everyone was eating so apparently they are not too stressed. Whew!

Tomorrow I will clean out the 155, spray hydrogen peroxide on the BBA (although it will dry out during all this) and get ready to seal up the ends. I bought another 24" by 8' section of that pink, high density foam. I'll use thin strips to fill in the gaps, then use 100% silicone to seal it all in place. I’ll use the remaining section on the back glass as insulation to help a little bit with heat loss. No sense just throwing it away. I'll let the tank air dry all day tomorrow and if I'm lucky, get started on actually sealing the gaps. I'll let the silicon cure at least 24 hours before adding water and the new sand substrate. Due to work and other commitments, realistically the Discus won't be going back into the main tank until next weekend so I'm really glad that I bought the 55 gallon tank.

It's been a ton of work so far, but I'm sure it will be worth it when I'm done. Now I'm glad that the loaches are out so that will greatly reduce the competition for food for the rest of the fish.

I'm beat. Yaawwnnn. Time for bed. :sleep:

[calihawker]

Nice to meet you yesterday Herb! Man, you must have been at that all night :) I forgot to point out to Rochelle your leak to show her I'm not the only one. LOL!

Steve

[Herbicidal]

Nice to meet you yesterday Herb! Man, you must have been at that all night :) I forgot to point out to Rochelle your leak to show her I'm not the only one. LOL!

SteveIt was nice to meet you too Steve along with Rochelle. Leak, what leak? If you didn't see it, it didn't happen. :p Oh wait, I documented it in my last last post. ;) Time to take the clown and yoyo loaches down to a LFS, they are rather stressed in the 20 gallon.

[strawberryblonde]

So sorry about the leak, but glad to hear that I'm in good company with filters that pour water all over the place when you least expect it!

Sounds like a long weekend for you. Wanna come catch a lone neon tetra that has defied all attempts at netting him? I think he has the heart of a clown loach. LOL

[calihawker]

So sorry about the leak, but glad to hear that I'm in good company with filters that pour water all over the place when you least expect it!

Sounds like a long weekend for you. Wanna come catch a lone neon tetra that has defied all attempts at netting him? I think he has the heart of a clown loach. LOL

I'd be very surprised to hear that anyone on this forum has never had a leak:) however mine don't just leak, mine flood. :(

Try catching a loach in a heavily planted 300 gallon! Been there done that.

Steve

[2wheelsx2]

I'd be very surprised to hear that anyone on this forum has never had a leak:) however mine don't just leak, mine flood. :(


Just one of the hazards of the hobby. I've had a 55 gallon tank leak, Eheim 2028, Fluval 204, tanks overflow during refilling, etc.

[Herbicidal]

So sorry about the leak, but glad to hear that I'm in good company with filters that pour water all over the place when you least expect it!

Sounds like a long weekend for you. Wanna come catch a lone neon tetra that has defied all attempts at netting him? I think he has the heart of a clown loach. LOLYeah, it was frustrating, but it could have been far worse! That's why Steve, aka Calihawker, has to keep all his tanks outside! ;) Or at least in a room with concrete floors and a drain nearby. :) J/K, at least about the outside part. :p

Sure, let me at the Neon! I'll get that lil' sucker with an Oscar! Then I'll catch the Oscar! Haha!

The clown's and yoyo's are now at a LFS. I was able to clean out the entire 155 of all remaining gravel and yucky water. I cut the pink foam board to fit the back of tank and I'll fasten it on with some dabs of silicone. I'll use the leftovers to fill the gaps on the ends. I'm seriously thinking about cutting another pass-through into the background at the opposite end of the existing opening to allow unfiltered water easier access to the filter intakes. I need to give it a good hard look to see if there is a decent spot to do some minor surgery.

Now everything is air-drying and the house smells like a swamp.

[Herbicidal]

Last night I finally made some time to try and create some shims out of that pink, high density foam to fill the gaps on either end of the background. The gaps are uneven and after several tries with the foam and a box cutter I decided there has to be an easier way to do this. Suddenly I remembered expanding foam! I did a search and came across Great Stuff Pond And Stone Foam. I think this will be the perfect 'stuff' to fill the gaps. I'll call my local hardware store today and see if they carry it, if not, I'll find it somewhere else. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31Yfh1vDgaL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

At the rate I'm going, i.e, sloooowww, the Discus and the rest of their tankmates may not be back in their larger home this weekend. They seem to be just fine in their temporary home and I'd rather make sure this stuff is fully cured before adding water. Once the water and new substrate is back in the tank, I'll give it a couple of more days before returning the fish. I have also decided to cut one more passthrough in the background on the right hand side so the water can get to the filter intakes from more than one location. Apparently, I threw away the black plastic mesh that was provided with the background to prevent fish from swimming through the opening, so I need to find some more. Or, maybe I leave it un-blocked and let the smaller fish come and go as they please. The nerite snails and shrimp could get back there and do some cleaning too. Hmmmmm, I need to think about this idea.

[discolicious]

Hey Herb, really enjoyed following your journey on here with your tank. Can't wait to see your pics of how it looks now. That "Great Stuff" foam is just packaged for another market but is the same urethane expanding foam they sell on the insulation aisle at Home Depot. in fact, I've used it in taxidermy work to make artificial rocks as well. It can be sprayed into rubber molds (if treated with a release agent) and will make very nice stones. I did a smaller aquarium background with it a few years back. Taxidermy supply houses carry the urethane for self mixing and pouring which is easier to work with. But for sealing a crack, the Great Stuff is perfect.

Tom

[CajunAg]

Hello Herb, I too have been following your 155 journey and commend you on your great looking tank. If you are looking for a cheap, plastic mesh alternative you might try gutter mesh, comes in a short roll at Lowes/HD, $11 I think. I've used it in place of teeth at the top of my overflow, works great.

[calihawker]

Hey Herb, I got an idea! Since your discus are happy in their current home, get that 155 going and let's go visit Kenny. ;)

Steve

[Herbicidal]

Hey Herb, really enjoyed following your journey on here with your tank. Can't wait to see your pics of how it looks now. That "Great Stuff" foam is just packaged for another market but is the same urethane expanding foam they sell on the insulation aisle at Home Depot. in fact, I've used it in taxidermy work to make artificial rocks as well. It can be sprayed into rubber molds (if treated with a release agent) and will make very nice stones. I did a smaller aquarium background with it a few years back. Taxidermy supply houses carry the urethane for self mixing and pouring which is easier to work with. But for sealing a crack, the Great Stuff is perfect.

TomThanks Tom for taking the time to post to my journal. :) Nice to hear about your experience with "Great Stuff". I found and bought the Pond and Stone flavor from my local Ace Hardware last night.


Hello Herb, I too have been following your 155 journey and commend you on your great looking tank. If you are looking for a cheap, plastic mesh alternative you might try gutter mesh, comes in a short roll at Lowes/HD, $11 I think. I've used it in place of teeth at the top of my overflow, works great.Thank you too CajunAg. I appreciate the compliment and the suggestion about the gutter mesh. That's probably what it was! I decided not to block the opening afterall.


Hey Herb, I got an idea! Since your discus are happy in their current home, get that 155 going and let's go visit Kenny. ;)

SteveOh, you are NOT helping!!! :p
**************
On with the latest update...Last night I bought the Great Stuff Pond & Stone expanding foam. I have not tried it yet, but plan to do a couple of test strips before attempting in the aquarium. I did cut out another small section in the background on the right hand side. With the water circulation that I have currently (top right spray bar directs the flow across the top of the thank to the top left, then it travels down toward the bottom left and back to the bottom right), I believe this will help get the 'waste' to the filter intakes better than with just one pass through. I've decided not to screen it. It's too small for the Discus, but just about every other fish, snail or shrimp will fit and they can come and go as they please and won't get trapped behind the background. With any luck, I plan to seal the gaps on the ends of the background (let cure for 24 hours), add the new sand and fill the tank with water this weekend. Then by early next week, start to move some of the fish back over to get the bio filter going again. I'll probably add the Discus last and when they come back over, so will the canister filter from the 55 temporary tank. That's got all the good stuff living in it.

Here's some new pictures of where I'm at with this project.

Filling the temporary tank with water. I had already tested it's water holding ability outside:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7537

Checking the temp at the hose end with my wife's Pampered Chef food thermometer. Works great!
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7536

Partial side by side view of the 155 and the 55. Still getting the 55 gallon tank ready:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7535

All the fish moved over to the 55:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7533

Draining the 155 with a pump and strainer as there are still fish in here! Blasted Clown and Yoyo loaches!
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7534

Left hand side and gap that I need to fill with the Great Stuff:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7531

Right hand side and gap that I need to fill. Not quite as big as the left hand side, but I sure don't want any more fish to get stuck.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7532

New pass through. Used black silicone to cover the raw edges. This opening is about 2 1/2 inches tall by 2 inches wide.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7530

[jcardona1]

Hey Herb, I got an idea! Since your discus are happy in their current home, get that 155 going and let's go visit Kenny. ;)

Steve

I second that! But only if I can tag along. I'd love to see his Curipea strains in person!

Everything is coming along nicely Herb, can't wait to see it finished.

[Sean Buehrle]

Thats a really nice tank, your doing a good job on it. It looks really good. before the leak anyways : )

[Herbicidal]

I second that! But only if I can tag along. I'd love to see his Curipea strains in person!

Everything is coming along nicely Herb, can't wait to see it finished.You guys are killing me! Maybe, just maybe a field to trip to look, but I'm not ready to buy. Don't know about ya'll though. I too would like to see those fish in person. :thumbsup:

Thanks Jose, slowly but surely!


Thats a really nice tank, your doing a good job on it. It looks really good. before the leak anyways : )Thank you Seanbuehrle! Yeah, NO more leaks! ;) I'm excited to see how much brighter it will look with the new sand substrate. Oh yeah, at feeding time the Discus are spending more time at the bottom looking for the frozen blood worms that managed to get by them. I don't use a feeder cone. It's fun watching them puff at the sand then snatching up the worm(s) that blow upward. They did not do this nearly as much with the Eco-Complete.

[Herbicidal]

The Great Stuff Pond & Stone worked, well...great! ;) There is a little bit of a learning curve with the product, but I'm pleased with the results. The can works best when in a vertical position and the foam continues to expand (albeit slowly) for almost 10 minutes after you're done! Sooooo, I ended up with more than I really wanted on the left side, but the gap is sure filled! I also siliconed the bottom of the background to the pink foam. Basically trying to eliminate sand creep to the backside of the background. These are the things I SHOULD have done way back at the start of this project. Oh well, live and learn, right? I let it all 'cure' almost 24 hours before adding the new sand and water. I used about 90 lbs of the 200 lbs of sand that I bought. Overestimated what I needed by just a little bit (anyone need some rinsed sand?). This gave me about a 1" depth, maybe a little more. I ditched the large, thick, piece of driftwood that was originally on the left side. I made an "adjustment" to the piece of driftwood that was on the right side. Now I have many more options on where I can place it in the tank. I also changed out two of the four 65k bulbs for two 10k bulbs that I had lying around. We'll see what difference that makes to the Discus color. All the filters are filtering and the heaters heating. I'm letting some time pass before starting to add some fish. The water is a little bit cloudy which is to be expected. Maybe on Tuesday, I'll move a few of the other fish back with the Discus last. At which time I'll also swap over the XP3 that's been running on the temp 55. Recent pictures are still on my camera. I'll upload a few in the next day or so showing the expanding foam fix.

Over in the temp 55 gallon tank, things are going swimmingly! A pair of the German Blue Rams have 'hooked up', dug out a depression in the sand and laid some eggs! Both the male and female have been fiercely defending that corner of the tank. However, I doubt the eggs will hatch. Too many other predators. Maybe when they are back in the 155 they'll have a better chance, now that all the clown and yoyo loaches are gone. I'm not ready to set up their own love nest just yet.
:fish:

[CajunAg]

Can't wait to see the new setup!

[Herbicidal]

Can't wait to see the new setup!Thanks CajunAg.

This has been a real busy week! My daughter went through a promotion and awards ceremony as she is moving from 8th (middle school) to 9th grade (high school) in the fall. My son, went through a promotion ceremony for completion of 5th grade. He starts middle school in the fall.

As a result, all the fish are still in the 55 gallon tank. I did a 60% water change on the 155 last night to remove/dilute anything that may have seeped into the water from the either the sand or the expanding foam, just trying not to take any chances. I'll probably do another water change before adding any fish this weekend. After getting everything set back up, I needed to cover the end of the aquarium where the 3D background ends as the view is rather ugly. I painted the pink foam board a flat black and taped it to the back of the aquarium so that when looking through the pass-throughs, it is black back there. To cover up the ends, I used wax paper as a template since I could see through it, traced the outline of the background and transfered that to some black 'fun' foam. Once that was cut out to the desired shape, I attached it to the end and repeated the process. So now the ends of the tank have a more finished look. The pictures aren't as clear as I would like. My little point-and-shoot camera just isn't quite up to the task.

Right hand side view of expanding foam between the glass and the 3D background, closer view. BTW, the wall color to the right is actually mocha. Not exactly sure why the bizarre color change. Maybe a reflection of the color from the pink foam board.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7592

Same view, slightly further away. Water is still hazy as the tank was filled the day before this picture was taken.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7591

Wax paper template. You can just see my tracing line.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7590

Transferred to the 'fun' foam. It's easily removed to see behind the background.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7589

New sand substrate, right hand side of the aquarium. You can see the expanding foam on the right hand side along with my new pass-through in the lower right.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7588

Right hand side, a little closer. There are bubbles on the glass in the lower left and to the right as I just completed a water change. Oh yeah, the floating driftwood that refuses to sink. It sank before, but dried out while I was doing the substrate swap and now seems impervious to water.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7588

Whole tank view (no fish yet). Left hand side is only the moonlights, right hand side still has the main tank lights on. Just showing the transition. It may seem plain to some folks, but I like the clean and simple look. I think the Discus will really stand out once they are back. Oh, that piece of driftwood may not stay either, especially if the dang thing won't sink! I'm on the hunt for that perfect piece or two of Manzanita.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8717&pictureid=7586

[jcardona1]

Looking good Herb, the tank looks much brighter now. It will look great once it clears up :)

[Herbicidal]

Looking good Herb, the tank looks much brighter now. It will look great once it clears up :)Thanks Jose! I like it! I still haven't moved any fish over, way too busy this past weekend. Last night I drained off about 60% of the water from the 55 gallon and re-filled it from the 155. I'm probably being way too cautious, but I wanted to help acclimate the fish to the new water by mixing it with their existing water. Tonight I will move SOMETHING over dog-gone-it! ;)

[calihawker]

Thanks Jose! I like it! I still haven't moved any fish over, way too busy this past weekend. Last night I drained off about 60% of the water from the 55 gallon and re-filled it from the 155. I'm probably being way too cautious, but I wanted to help acclimate the fish to the new water by mixing it with their existing water. Tonight I will move SOMETHING over dog-gone-it! ;)

I don't think there's any such thing as being too cautious:) looking great!

Steve

[Herbicidal]

I don't think there's any such thing as being too cautious:) looking great!

SteveThanks Steve! I moved all the Rummy Nose (about 12? - too fast to count!), two upside-down catfish, all the Sterbai Cory's, the one Emerald Green Cory and five German Blue Rams and one random ghost shrimp that I have no idea how it's still alive. No casualities and all are eating. Moving the Discus to commence soon!

[judy]

wonderful thread! more pics, more pics!!!

[Herbicidal]

Thank you Judy! No new pics just yet, sorry. Last night I moved 6 of the Discus back to the main tank, I left the lights off and did not feed them. Just gave them time to acclimate. This morning they were all bright eyed and ready for breakfast! They look great! The lighter colored substrate helps bring out their colors even more and the 10k T-5 bulb didn't hurt either. ;) The Cory's are doing fabulous and seem to enjoy the "softer" sand. The Eco-Complete was rather rough on their barbels. I'm glad I made the substrate switch. :)

[Herbicidal]

I guess the Discus pair are happy to be back in the main tank! Less than 24 hours after moving them back, the female laid eggs! This time on the 3D background. My daughter called me a little while ago from home and said the pair are guarding them and she can see like 50 eggs. Most of my "egg eating" fish are gone now, so who knows? I'm not at a point to move the pair to their own home, so nature will just take it's course. I'm glad they're comfortable in the redecorated tank. :)

[aussiejas]

I had my good buddy jcardona1 come over and take some pics since he has some 'mad skills' when it comes to photography! :p It was tough choosing my favorites, but here they are and I'm not going to post all of them. LOL! Thanks again Jose for the awesome pics! :thumbsup:

The first four are my most recent acquistions from Kenny's Discus:

A Virgin Red:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6823

Red Turquoise:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6818

Blue Diamond (female):
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6815

Super Eruption:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6820

Ring Leopard I bought from Jose:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6819

Pigeon based strain, I think:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6817

Blue Turquoise (male):
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6816

Blue Turq & Blue Diamond - a pair:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6822

The pair near their favorite piece of wood:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6821

Neat picture with false sunbeam:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6814

And finally, the whole tank:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8571&pictureid=6824[/IMG]

Incredible pictures!! Im stunned at the clarity, It looks as though they are floating through air.

[Herbicidal]

Incredible pictures!! Im stunned at the clarity, It looks as though they are floating through air.I agree! Fortunately for me Jose lives close enough and happily came over for the photo shoot. He's got some 'mad skills' and my little point and shoot can't even stand in the shadows of his pictures. ;)

[edosan]

Fantastic Aquarium!

[Herbicidal]

Fantastic Aquarium!Thank you very much edosan!

[Omar]

very very nice am jealous ;) ! if i have bigger place i'll do thesame.

[Herbicidal]

very very nice am jealous ;) ! if i have bigger place i'll do thesame.Thanks Omar. Working on water changes and filter cleaning right now. :)

[Doc_Polit]

AMAZING tank!
:thumbsup:

[BABYJIZAY]

Herb I've been gone for a while. LOVE the additional info in the thread on your progress. Tank looks awesome!!! LOL... there is no such thing as "finished" when it comes to an aquarium.

[Bayou Discus]

Incredible pictures!

[Herbicidal]

Herb I've been gone for a while. LOVE the additional info in the thread on your progress. Tank looks awesome!!! LOL... there is no such thing as "finished" when it comes to an aquarium.Hello! There you are! Good to see you back. :) I haven't made an update in awhile, things have changed! Yes, I still have Discus, just now with an environment more suited to their needs. I'll do a more detailed update hopefully tomorrow.


Incredible pictures!Thanks! Wish I had taken them! :p Jose has some mad skills that's for sure! I need to get him back over to take more pics of my aquarium make-over. My little point-and-shoot camera just isn't cutting it.

[NewETown]

An update would be awesome! Also, I didn't see it in your posts but I was skimming a bit, did you mention where you got that background?

-Everett

[Maria Ashton]

Looks great, thanks for sharing. Btw my local specialist aquarium shop said baby clown loaches are ok with discus but once they get bigger they can start to stress the discus. The tank looks stunning, I was also told that dark substrate is better for discus as white will stress them out, confusing when you see so many show tanks with white substrate, I went for a mid tone and have some peppering on my fish but I dont mind that.

[Herbicidal]

An update would be awesome! Also, I didn't see it in your posts but I was skimming a bit, did you mention where you got that background?

-EverettHi Everett! I'm working on an update including new pics. Regarding the background, I had to go looking myself! I'm not finding exactly who I bought it from, sorry about that! You can certainly Google AquaTerra 3D background and find places on-line selling them.


Looks great, thanks for sharing. Btw my local specialist aquarium shop said baby clown loaches are ok with discus but once they get bigger they can start to stress the discus. The tank looks stunning, I was also told that dark substrate is better for discus as white will stress them out, confusing when you see so many show tanks with white substrate, I went for a mid tone and have some peppering on my fish but I dont mind that.Thanks Malga. I no longer have Clown Loaches with the Discus and I no longer have the dark substrate and I no longer have any plants. It was taking more of my time than I wanted and the Discus are supposed to be the main focus, so I did a pretty major 'reset' of the aquarium a couple of months ago and I've been rather lax in updating my journal. I hope to have the latest updates with pictures soon!

[Herbicidal]

Here we go, my long awaited Manzanita make-over! Well, long awaited to me. Haha!

Recapping my decision from earlier this summer, I decided to make some major changes to my aquarium. I wasn't having as much luck with plants as I would have liked and wanted to refocus my efforts on caring for the Discus, first and foremost. So back in June, I bought a used 55 gallon tank and stand and moved all the fish I wanted to keep into it and took the others to a LFS. These others were fish like the Clown Loaches, Yoyo Loaches and even two Discus (that was hard!) that I had bought early on. Turns out they were stunted and this was something I didn't know about at the time. Anyway, with the fish out of the main tank I drained it, put a new pass-through in the background and filled all the gaps of the background between the glass with aquarium safe foam sealant. Put it all back together again with sand as the substrate and no plants and moved the Discus back in. It remained this way for more than two months. All the fish settled back in and I picked up a few more Discus from Kenny's Discus along the way. Also, I found some jumbo sized Black Neon's at a LFS and picked up 15. I kept them in QT (20 gal tank) for two weeks, then moved them to the temporary 55 gallon tank for another two weeks (lost one for no apparent reason) then finally moved them to the 155. They actually school quite nicely about 1/3 down from the surface. My school of 12 Rummy Nose Tetra's seem to like the bottom 1/3. Occasionally, a Black Neon thinks it's a Rummy Nose and swims with them. ;) I still have two, small upside down catfish, three Sterbai Cories, three German Blue Rams and one Emerald green Cory. There are also two Clown pleco's about 10 Nerite snails and several Bamboo shrimp that show up from time to time.

Now back to the wood. My plan was to either buy or find some Manzanita branches that I would use to simulate roots coming down from the top. Turns out I made a new friend in Steve (aka CaliHawker), and he invited my family up to his place to see his Discus aquarium. Gorgeous (huge!) fish by the way! The bonus was he lives on 10 acres and Manzanita is like a weed at his place! I brought along a saw and near the end of our visit headed out looking for some optimum branches. Steve found some for his own tank and we cut down some of the long dead branches. I tossed them in the back of my truck and drove home.

I managed to NOT find the time to work on them for another month. They just sat out front on the driveway cooking away in the summer heat. Finally I made working on my aquarium a priority. I went to a neighbors home and borrowed their gas powered power washer. Holy smokes! It blasted away the old dead bark, moss, etc with ease. I let them dry again, then I brought the branches inside and laid them out on the floor to help visualize what pieces I wanted and to measure how big a branch could be and still fit. Then I used some blue masking tape to mark the length so I'd know how much to cut when I took them back outside.

Initially I planned on only cutting the pieces, then sticking them in some tubs of water to soak. However, as I brought the cut pieces back inside and started placing them in the aquarium (I drained out about 50% of the water first), I was able to use the center glass brace and the thin ones on the ends of the aquarium to keep the branches underwater and pinned to the bottom. So after about an hour of arranging, rearranging, cutting and more arranging I was happy with the results. The Discus seemed pleased with their new surroundings too and after filling the aquarium back up, they started exploring around and swimming through the "roots". The shyer ones can still move to the back and feel like they are hiding behind the "roots" yet I can still see them. I'll have to get Jose back over to take some awesome pictures of the Discus. :)

Enough words for now, here's some pictures, hope you enjoy the new look.

Before and after of a little power washing:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=8368

Branches on the floor with the blue tape:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=8369

Branches after cutting to size:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=8367

Old chunk of Malaysian driftwood just before pulling it out and moving the Manzanita branches in:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=8366

Whole tank shot, blurry fish and all. My camera just isn't fast enough to "freeze" the fish in low light conditions:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=8363

Right hand side. The blurrs in the upper left corner are some of the Black Neons:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=8365

Most of the left hand side:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=8364

The center section. Blurrs are the Rummy Nose and Black Neons and a German Blue Ram:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=8361

And a few more pictures:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=8360

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=8359

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=8362

[jlcoop277]

Looks good, yours and Jose's tank have a similar feel, I'm converting mine to the same
Style of setup with the scape.

[Herbicidal]

Looks good, yours and Jose's tank have a similar feel, I'm converting mine to the same
Style of setup with the scape.Thanks jlcoop277! Yes, they do. He got a head start on his by going directly to sand and Manzanita. I, on the other hand, had to do a bit more work to get there. :) At some point, I would like to try a DIY LED setup too. Might be a good winter project. For now, I'm going with the 'less is more' philosophy. I do 80% water changes twice a week from the tap, temp adjusted to 85 degrees. I'm fortunate to have nice soft water and according to my TDS meter, tap water is at 34 ppm. Good luck with your scape, I'd love to see some pictures when you're done. :thumbsup:

[jlcoop277]

Thank you, I will def post pics once done. I followed Jose's build on MFK and that LED fixture is def on my DIY list too.
Overall how happy are you with the background? Im thinking of the slimeline for mine.

[Herbicidal]

Very happy with the background! Folks that have seen it don't even know it's fake. Plus I love being able to put almost all the equipment behind it for a 'cleaner' look out front. The slimline is a good choice too if you don't have much space front to back.

Lucky for me, Jose lives about 40 minutes away, so I've been to his place a couple of times to see his setup in person. Quite inspirational to say the least! :)

[jlcoop277]

Awesome then I'll def go with that background. Yeah my tank is only 18" wide so the slimeline will be a better fit for me.

[Herbicidal]

I now seem to have 2½ pairs of Discus. ;) The original “pair” are the Blue Diamond (f) and the Blue Turquoise (m). No viable spawn from them yet, just eggs. Then I observed that the White Butterfly is a female and has laid eggs. However, she has not found a suitable mate. Instead, she’s been horning in on the blue pair. Then late last week I noticed that my very first Discus (pigeon blood I believe) has paired up with the Virgin Red! At the moment, I don’t know which one is a female and vice versa. They have been very assertive about defending their piece of Manzanita wood. Last night when I was starting to do a water change, I noticed what looked like a small, swaying sprig of algae on a shaded underside section of the wood. Upon closer look, I realized these were baby Discus that were attached to the wood! I guess they are called ‘wrigglers’ at this stage? Or wigglers?

This morning they are still there. I don’t have the tank space to move the parents out at a future date and of course I’m not moving them or the babies either at this time. I’ll just let nature take it’s course.

Anyway, it’s pretty cool though to see that the Discus are happy enough within their environment to spawn. Not quite sure how it’s going to work out with 2½ pairs though! :p

[moon_knight1971]

Nice tank set-up!

[Herbicidal]

Nice tank set-up!Thank you moon_knight1971. :)

[walt3]

that wood looks crazy good coming in from above! thats the read deal look most want! nice.

[Herbicidal]

that wood looks crazy good coming in from above! thats the read deal look most want! nice.Thanks for the kind words walt3. After a bunch of searching and looking at tons of other aquariums, I decided this was the 'look' I was after. It actually came together better than the picture in my mind! Very low maint. and I kept the wood just far enough back from the front glass that I can easily do a 'wipe down' during water changes. In fact, during water changes, I lower the water level down to the top of the tallest Discus and gradually fill it back up. Although right now, with babies stuck to the wood, I'm careful not to go too low. ;)

[MightyEvil]

Tank is KILLER Herbicidal, I know you are probably not done with the design of the tank yet so I will hold judgement on the old look of it and the new. Don't get me wrong now, either way it looks amazing already! Where did you get your background? and if you don't mind me asking, how much was it?

[gabloo]

Very nice setup but how do u keep ur tank so clean? Do u have to vaccume everday?

[nwehrman]

Very nice tank set-up! Everyone looks happy. Great job, and thanks for all the details along the way.

[Larry Bugg]

Simply Awesome!

[Herbicidal]

Tank is KILLER Herbicidal, I know you are probably not done with the design of the tank yet so I will hold judgement on the old look of it and the new. Don't get me wrong now, either way it looks amazing already! Where did you get your background? and if you don't mind me asking, how much was it?Thanks MightyEvil! I need to get some more manzanita branches to play with, I think one or two more might be OK, but I don't want to over do it either. For the background, I found an "on-line" seller that was up in Washington state, don't recall the exact web site, sorry. I believe it was right around $450 for the 72" long x 24" tall size.


Very nice setup but how do u keep ur tank so clean? Do u have to vaccume everday?Thank you for the compliment gabloo! I rarely vacuum it. :p Maybe about every other month I'll vacuum the sand to stir it up a bit. However, I do twice a week water changes - Tuesday night and Friday night, approx 80% from the tap. I have FANTASTIC water in my city (naturally very soft). Comes from melting snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains, ends up in Folsom Lake, then of course it's filtered, etc by the city. On Friday's I clean one of the canister filters and alternate the filter cleaning each Friday.


Very nice tank set-up! Everyone looks happy. Great job, and thanks for all the details along the way.Thank you very much nwehrman! And you're welcome!


Simply Awesome!Thank you Bugman! :)

[Herbicidal]

Well a couple of days ago, the "new" pair of Discus (Pigeon blood based (m) and the Virgin Red (f)) took over the manzanita branch in the front left corner of the tank that the original blue pair were using. Seems kind of wrong somehow. I saw them laying and fertilizing a new batch of eggs! Since this location is much closer to the front of the tank I was able to get a decent picture.

In the time since this picture was taken, the pair actually moved the eggs to a more sheltered and protected area behind the branch. My daughter called me from home yesterday afternoon saying the eggs had hatched and she could see the babies (now stuck to the 3-D background). I didn't realize that the Discus would or even could move the eggs from one location to another. :confused: When I arrived home I could see them, but a few would come loose due to a slight current in that area and the parent nearby would scoop them up in their mouth and attempt to reattach them to the background. Fascinating to watch!

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=8571

[Larry Bugg]

It isn't unusual at all for them to move newly hatched wigglers from the location they were laid to what the parents feel is a more protected area. A lot of chicilids do this.

[calihawker]

That really looks fantastic Herb! So glad I was able to help with the branches. Congrats on the spawn! That is very exciting! So sorry I've been so absent here :(

Awesome job dude!!!

Steve

[Coffee1stLife2nd]

Great Job tank looks Fantastic... ??? on the opening you put in your background and didnt cover How is that working? I was wondering how it stays clean..I was thinking when I set mine up to block off the hole and let shrimpor something else live back there,,,what are your thoughts..
Thanks Tina

[Herbicidal]

It isn't unusual at all for them to move newly hatched wigglers from the location they were laid to what the parents feel is a more protected area. A lot of chicilids do this.Thanks, somehow missed the fact that Discus will do this too. :p


That really looks fantastic Herb! So glad I was able to help with the branches. Congrats on the spawn! That is very exciting! So sorry I've been so absent here :(

Awesome job dude!!!

SteveHi Steve! Thank you! I'm happy with branches but need more. Haha! Thanks too about the spawn, feel kind of bad these two took over the favorite spot of the other pair. It is what it is. Glad to see you back on here, at least for a day. ;)


Great Job tank looks Fantastic... ??? on the opening you put in your background and didnt cover How is that working? I was wondering how it stays clean..I was thinking when I set mine up to block off the hole and let shrimpor something else live back there,,,what are your thoughts..
Thanks TinaHi Tina! Thank you! It's actually working out quite well. The German Blue Rams move back and forth through it, so do the Cories and even some of the shrimp. So I don't have to worry about anyone getting stuck. I have two Koralia circulation pumps behind the wall so no "dead" spots. If you are getting a 3-D background, I would strongly suggest sealing the ends against the glass so that no fish can get stuck inbetween. I lost a couple of smaller fish that way. :( Lesson learned.

[DelawareJim]

New to the forum, been searching large tanks and found yours (as well as Jose's). Beautiful job both before and after. Had Discus in a 110 (48l x 18d x 30h) back in the day when heavily planted tanks were the thing. I really like your tank. Simple, clean, and the fish look great. Makes me want to get back into them again. BTW, what are the tank dimensions?

Cheers.
Jim

[Herbicidal]

Thanks Jim and welcome to the forum! Yes, it's pretty easy to maintain which is what I want at this time. Tank is: 72l x 18d x 24h (I'm pretty sure). The tank and stand was a Craigslist find.

[sayitfast]

Beautiful tank... Great information on the setup, very helpful!

[shoveltrash]

here's some pictures, hope you enjoy the new look.
:( I can't see your most recent pictures! but I do really like your 3D background......wonder why all I see is a little "question mark" where the photos should be?

[Rummy]

:( I can't see your most recent pictures! but I do really like your 3D background......wonder why all I see is a little "question mark" where the photos should be?

Ditto

[shoveltrash]

o/t....Rummy, I LOVE your avatar pic fish!!!!! what type is this?

[Rummy]

o/t....Rummy, I LOVE your avatar pic fish!!!!! what type is this?.

Thanks! That is one from Rio Tapajos.

Anik

[aqua-nut]

+1 on 'can't see the pics'!

For me this goes back quite a few pages.

Please fix this. We NEED pics!!

:<)

[Second Hand Pat]

I'm guessing the pictures were moved or deleted.

[Dennis The Mennis]

They seem to be hosted at Planted Tank, and for some reason they seem to be down today. http://www.plantedtank.net

[BoiseDiscusGuy]

Hmmmm....I love the AquaTerra products but I was under the assumption that the background went behind the tank, not in it...

[aqua-nut]

Yea, the pics are BACK!!!!

Now I can join in the praise. I liked the planted version but the 'woodie' version is great too. All you need to do now is train the fish to stop swimming while you take pics! ;<)

[shoveltrash]

hooray I can see the photos now!!!!!
and WOW I just love your new look........I've seen several other with Manzanita arranged like this, and I really do like it. add to that your killer background, and beautiful fish - just super!
('wish I had someone close by with "spare manzanita" laying around LOL! :) )

[Herbicidal]

Beautiful tank... Great information on the setup, very helpful!Thank you and you're welcome!


:( I can't see your most recent pictures! but I do really like your 3D background......wonder why all I see is a little "question mark" where the photos should be?


Ditto


+1 on 'can't see the pics'!

For me this goes back quite a few pages.

Please fix this. We NEED pics!!

:<)


I'm guessing the pictures were moved or deleted.


They seem to be hosted at Planted Tank, and for some reason they seem to be down today. http://www.plantedtank.netRegarding the missing pics, I'm glad they are back! Yes, they are hosted over on Plantedtank. I don't have any more space for pictures here on Simply and I have not signed up for any of the free picture web hosting sites. I prefer to keep the pics with the appropriate web site when I can.


Hmmmm....I love the AquaTerra products but I was under the assumption that the background went behind the tank, not in it...I suppose you could put it behind but you probably wouldn't get the "look" you were after. I'm very happy with the AquaTerra background. It's very detailed and now after being underwater for over a year, still looks great!


Yea, the pics are BACK!!!!

Now I can join in the praise. I liked the planted version but the 'woodie' version is great too. All you need to do now is train the fish to stop swimming while you take pics! ;<) Thank you! The 'woodie' version is much easier to maintain. Yeah, I need to work on some kind of hand signal so they will all freeze for the photo! Some day I hope to buy a better, faster camera.


hooray I can see the photos now!!!!!
and WOW I just love your new look........I've seen several other with Manzanita arranged like this, and I really do like it. add to that your killer background, and beautiful fish - just super!
('wish I had someone close by with "spare manzanita" laying around LOL! :) )Glad you can see the pictures now, must have been a hiccup over on PlantedTank. Thank you for the compliments! Yes, I'm lucky I have a friend nearby that has the stuff growing all over his property. :)

[Rummy]

So how is the tank doing now? It's been about 5 months since the redo, right? Any more changes? What would you do differently this time around? Not that I would change anything... It's beautiful just the way it is. I'll bet that the tank is easier to keep clean.

Anik

[Herbicidal]

So how is the tank doing now? It's been about 5 months since the redo, right? Any more changes? What would you do differently this time around? Not that I would change anything... It's beautiful just the way it is. I'll bet that the tank is easier to keep clean.

AnikHello Anik. Thank you for your kind words. Everyone is doing great! I have a very nice school of jumbo Black Neons, perhaps 20 of them now. Somehow I've lost a number of my Rummy Nose Tetra's so I'm down to 6. Never even saw the bodies. These other fish compliment the Discus quite well. At this point I think the only changes for awhile will be the swapping out of the older Manzanita pieces with new ones. Yesterday, my family and I drove up to a lake for a hike that is about 60 miles away from our home. There was tons of Manzanita all over the place! I think the next time I get more, I'll go higher in elevation as I believe I will find pieces with more interesting shapes. The plants that get buried under the snow pack during winter become more stunted and twisted. At least that's my theory! :)

Would I do anything differently? Hmmm, good question. Probably not really any major changes to the aquascaping, although I'm considering some slender, tall plants (not sure of their name) that can grow in a low light tank, and survive in 85 degree water. The other change, and my stand is not designed for this, would be a sump type filter instead of canister filters. Yes, the tank is much easier to maintain in its current state! Twice a week water changes (80%) right from the tap, temp adjusted to 85 degrees at the faucet, then a slow (30 minute) fill-up. I wipe down the inside of the glass once a week too. I clean one of the filters every week and rotate back and forth between them. So each filter is cleaned every two weeks.

I still have room for maybe 4 more Discus. Just keeping my eyes open for something unusual.

[rbarn]

I'm considering some slender, tall plants (not sure of their name) that can grow in a low light tank, and survive in 85 degree water.

Sounds like you mean Val.
It tends to melt at higher temps over 80 has been my experience. Pretty much limited to broad leaf swords and anubis at those temps.

Like this stuff
http://mc2.vicnet.net.au/home/bren/photos/DSC00720.JPG

[Rummy]

It would be great to see some updated pictures, especially with any new manzanita. I think that black neons are a great complement to any aquarium. They are very elegant fish.
I am using a sump for the first time with my current aquarium. It is soooo much easier to maintain! I don't think I will ever go back to a canister.
I have had several planted tanks. The temperature is usually about 28-30 degrees Celsius. The Val's have not had a problem in my experience. Lucky, I guess.

Anik

[Herbicidal]

Sounds like you mean Val.
It tends to melt at higher temps over 80 has been my experience. Pretty much limited to broad leaf swords and anubis at those temps.
Exactly! The name escaped me, thanks! I still may give it a try.


It would be great to see some updated pictures, especially with any new manzanita. I think that black neons are a great complement to any aquarium. They are very elegant fish.
I am using a sump for the first time with my current aquarium. It is soooo much easier to maintain! I don't think I will ever go back to a canister.
I have had several planted tanks. The temperature is usually about 28-30 degrees Celsius. The Val's have not had a problem in my experience. Lucky, I guess.

AnikNo new Manzanita yet, not sure if I will even have time to get some before the snow starts to hit. Yup, I'm happy with the black neons. I've thought about running a sump off to one side of the aquarium, but at this time, I have my 'system' down for filter cleanings so I probably won't do a sump on this tank anytime soon. Thanks for the info on the Val's too.

[HKN]

nice.....

[Herbicidal]

nice.....Thank you.

[gerrard00]

Sounds like you mean Val.
It tends to melt at higher temps over 80 has been my experience. Pretty much limited to broad leaf swords and anubis at those temps.

Like this stuff
http://mc2.vicnet.net.au/home/bren/photos/DSC00720.JPG

My vals are doing ok at 84 degrees. Except for when my plecos suck on them...

[ghurlag]

This has been an adventure and a half. Impressive work. I am intrigued with your choice to eliminate the plants. I am contemplating the approach I want to go with my build and I really wanted to go planted, but your latest design looks phenomenal, and I don't miss the plants at all!

[Herbicidal]

This has been an adventure and a half. Impressive work. I am intrigued with your choice to eliminate the plants. I am contemplating the approach I want to go with my build and I really wanted to go planted, but your latest design looks phenomenal, and I don't miss the plants at all!You are not kidding on the adventure part! ;) I was getting tired of algae appearing on the plants and wanted to simplify things a bit. I'm real happy with everything and thank you for your compliment. Now I need to go grab some more manzanita so I can change up the tank again. :p

Many times, less is more. :)

[Dennis The Mennis]

You have done an outstanding job. I've really enjoyed reading this. Where are you planning on going for the Manzanita? I know it’s late for this year, but I have a four wheel drive pickup and wouldn't mind going up with you. You know, for safety reasons and all...lol But seriously, I would like to get some for myself too. I have a friend with 40 acres in Iowa Hill, south of Colfax off of hwy 80. I thought I would ask about going there. When it snows, it doesn't usually stay long. Usually being the key word.

[LiquidBlue]

Looks amazing!

Kudos

[calihawker]

You know you're always welcome to come up here Herb! So much manzanita! You too Dennis. I'm in Cool.

[Herbicidal]

You have done an outstanding job. I've really enjoyed reading this. Where are you planning on going for the Manzanita? I know it’s late for this year, but I have a four wheel drive pickup and wouldn't mind going up with you. You know, for safety reasons and all...lol But seriously, I would like to get some for myself too. I have a friend with 40 acres in Iowa Hill, south of Colfax off of hwy 80. I thought I would ask about going there. When it snows, it doesn't usually stay long. Usually being the key word.OH SNAP!!! Since the rain and snow is STILL holding off, I actually took a drive yesterday up above Foresthill to the Sugar Pine Lake area. I found and cut down some dead Manzanita branches next to a dirt road and brought them home. Thanks for the offer, I too have a 4x4 and I'm sorry I missed your post by a day! Another time perhaps? Sounds like your friends 40 acres is about the right elevation for some good pieces. I actually drove up too high and the Manzanita plants were like small bushes. I had to turn around and go lower which is how I ended up near Sugar Pine Lake.


Looks amazing!

KudosThank you!


You know you're always welcome to come up here Herb! So much manzanita! You too Dennis. I'm in Cool.Thanks Steve! Oh yeah! Steve has some great big Manzanita plants growing on his property! The pieces I have now are from his place. However, I think it's a ploy to help clear his land. :p

[NutMeg]

WOW, that is amazing. I do love those 3-D background, but would probably never be able to get it assembled, etc. You did a great job hiding the heaters behind it (ingenious!) and your whole plumbing set up for the canister filters is amazing as well. I am just thoroughly impressed :)

[calihawker]

Thanks Steve! Oh yeah! Steve has some great big Manzanita plants growing on his property! The pieces I have now are from his place. However, I think it's a ploy to help clear his land. :p

Haha! Busted! LOL!

[Herbicidal]

WOW, that is amazing. I do love those 3-D background, but would probably never be able to get it assembled, etc. You did a great job hiding the heaters behind it (ingenious!) and your whole plumbing set up for the canister filters is amazing as well. I am just thoroughly impressed :)Thanks NutMeg! I just took my time and tried to think ahead a couple of steps before commiting myself to something I couldn't 'un-do'. Cutting the background into 3rd's was a bit nerve-racking, but it all came together in the end. Whew!


Haha! Busted! LOL!You sneaky guy! ;)

[Herbicidal]

Well I haven't provided an update in quite awhile. Still no plants, not even on the surface. I drove up into the mountains a couple of months ago and found some new pieces of manzanita. They sat around for a bit and I finally got around to power washing them and cutting them to fit. This past weekend I gave the tank a medium level cleaning. I pulled out all the old manzanita branches and like putting together a puzzle, put in the new pieces. In my opinion it came together pretty well.

Here's a couple teaser pics of the new branches prior to going in the tank. I will try to get actual tank shots in the next day or two.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=9925

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=9924

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=9923

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=9922

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=9921

[Herbicidal]

I found myself with a little free time last night so I set up the camera and took a bunch of pics. I whittled it down to these seven. This grouping of manzanita branches is overall not as thick as what I used previously. I think this grouping does a better job at providing the appearance of roots coming into the tank then the thicker stuff I used before.

Full tank shot, the aquarium is 6' long:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=9936

Partial night time almost full tank shot:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=9935

Left hand side:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=9938

Center:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=9940

Right hand side:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=9941

Slight angle to the left:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=9937

Slight angle to the right:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=8851&pictureid=9939