new 220 gal show tank

ok im sure that most of the readers will think i am crazy
im setting up a new dental office and in between the waiting room and my office we have cut a 60*36 hole 30 inches off the ground
im planning to put in a fish tank (it relaxes people). if we make the tank 24 deep thats about 224 gal(if im wrong its because i use metric). of course a dozen discus will look fantastic.
I will have professional set up and monthly mainenance(its a tax write off) and i will see if we can set up the plumbing to aid in water changes.I will also see if i can get the staff to do the hard work :D.
oh by the way did i mention that the pro tried to advise me agaist discus saying that they were hard to keep and i want a planted tank and i am planning to get the discus little.
now i asked the local breeder(i think there are two in the country)
and he said that he has grown discus in planted tanks with 25% weekly water changes with no problems and he wanted to know where i have been getting my information from saying that there is so much misinformation about discus. he sounds old on the phone so i did not want to tell him about using this forum.
oh and ive never kept discus before.

now about these stunted fish, dont fish grow their entire lives and discus live 10-12 years, is it that the small discus will never reach their full size or only get there slower. and with such a low bio load
would't they grow in such a large tank?

i know that people will advise that i get adult discus but i think it will be fun seeing the little fellas grow up. oh i have no plans on breeding for the time being

Hi. I think your fish tank idea to relax people is excellent. However, I know there are many threads and posts here on the forum on the difficulty of growing out juvie Discus in a planted tank. Juvie Discus need plenty of feeding (5-6 times per day) and lots of water changes to grow properly and be healthy. Once they are stunted, they remain stunted. I would advise that you get sub-adults instead of juvies if you have your heart set on a planted tank. Also, the monthly maintenance by the pros, will that be your only water change time? Discus tanks need much more frequent maintenance than that. Depending on your stocking level, a minimum of a 50% WC weekly should be done to keep them healthy. There is a wealth of info on the proper care of Discus on the forum as well.

Ah myths and mysteries :)

Can you successfully grow out discus in a planted tank? - Yes I have done so. Perhaps a better question is "Should you grow out discus in a pkanted tank?" - No! not in my view, pushing water uphill is easier :)

On your side is teh size of the tank, against you is the size of the tank :) The good side lots of water, bad side the small discus have to search to find food.

I say go for the the planted tank, but put say 9 or 10 adult discus in there, much easier on the maintenance and a real spectacular sight!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by poconogal

Discus tanks need much more frequent maintenance than that. Depending on your stocking level, a minimum of a 50% WC weekly should be done to keep them healthy. There is a wealth of info on the proper care of Discus on the forum as well.

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if i were you i would simply just read about discus constantly before you purchase them. then decide what setup will work best for you.
for example, in a bare bottom tank frequent water changes [at least 3 times a week] are nessecary. however, in a heavily planted tank, too many water changes can be detrimental to your fish. in a tank like this i'd only do 30-40% once a week.

Yup im on this forum every nite and waiting for my books to arrive when i should be spending more time getting my practice off the ground.
ill probably set up a tap and drain in the same room to aid in water changes. As long as my tap water is ok for water changes it should not be a problem. Again my local breeder says 25% once a week.
no probs with a planted tank he actually advise to get the plants in early to have good plant growth before the discus. Of course he could have a bunch of stunted bug eyed fish and i wouldnt know the difference.