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Thread: Why dont discus keepers do automatic water changes more often?

  1. #166
    Registered Member RDFISHGUY's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why dont discus keepers do automatic water changes more often?

    Quote Originally Posted by RDFISHGUY View Post
    Ok I finally moved and got my discus into the 2 x 280 gallon set up. This set up has a 90 gallon sump with filter floss in the first section. This gets changed every 2-3 days. Under that is a K1 media box. Next is a sponge filter section then the pump. From the pump it flows through an Ultima 2 2000 gallon rated filter, then through a UV sterilizer, through a manifold back to the tanks. Pump is rated for 4000 gph. Water drips into the sump tank at a rate of 100 gallons per day. Its been running since July 15. My discus seem to be loving it. All of a sudden they are developing trailers on their dorsal fins and growing like crazy. I had to go to work before I got the chance to take pictures but I will get them when I am home next.

    I am really digging the new set up except for the fact that I had to move the tanks into an "L" shape.

    In one 280 gallon I have 16 discus, 1royal panaque and 2 bristlenose plecos. The other 280 gallon tank has a PNT, super red arowana, 9 large clown loaches, 2 large sunshine plecos and 1 large sailfin pleco.
    The best part is that I don't age any water and don't treat any water for chlorine or chloramines even though I'm on city water. That's right none whatsoever.
    I have a whole home water filtration system so I just turn on the tap and let the water run straight into the sump. There is an overflow that goes into a floor drain so no float switches or pumps required. I had the same set-up in the old house for 2 years. Only problem I experienced in that time was leaving the water running and overfilling the 230 gallon discus tank that wasn't part of the system.

  2. #167
    Registered Member kalawai's Avatar
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    Shari

    Default Re: Why dont discus keepers do automatic water changes more often?

    This has been a interesting and fun thread.... I laughed many times.

  3. #168
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    Default Re: Why dont discus keepers do automatic water changes more often?

    Hi...transferred to my new setup over Easter. Reason im putting it up on here is because its truly autoclean. The system works on ultrasonic sensors on tank and filter coupled to a control cabinet for all systems. On auto, a daily timer sets the drain working whist dosing prime/etc to the fresh for circulation. The tank is designed so all unwanteds collect in the right hand corner, and are then sucked to external tank for garden. The "sluice" has a 5mm entry to avoid aquarium life. When the water gets to the level sensor on the tank, drain stops and main pump starts. The end chamber of the filter has 3 sensors for fillstart, fillstop, and over height alarm, which shuts of power to fill pump. Fill and main carry on until tank is full, and wier carries water to fill filter. Fill water comes from a 200l tank in the scullery behind showtank that is HMA heated water, on a constant carbon circulating filter with an inside pump, and syphon break, aerated. Temperature is controlled by 3 points in the system, tank in, tank out, filter pump box. .3 degree overtemp shuts off power to 2 electric heaters (500 and 300). Also the system uses a heat pump running through a heat exchanger and circulating pump from the thermal store of a wood fired heating system . I run the heating mainly with old pallets, so the fish run on recycled fuel. The filter has a " cassette " style trickle filter that can easily be removed to access the foam prefilter underneath. A large K1 micro chamber is next (still floating!) then an Alfagrog medium chamber, finishing off with 2 pumps in the pump box, one main one to tank, another to the fluidised sand filter in the scullery. There are various safety and secondary curcuits including a radio signal from the central heating to turn the hot water pump off and electric on when the central heating is running, as it robs the heat from the tank HEX. Has only been going 3 days, so is still work in progress with wiring untethered etc in fotos took on Friday.1.jpg2.jpg3.jpg

  4. #169
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    Benjie

    Default Re: Why dont discus keepers do automatic water changes more often?

    Update....have added a 3rd drain tube so that if the filter gets over a certain height (top sensor) the drain pump comes on and lowers the level of the filter. Is a shame, i thought more discus keepers would be interested in auto systems. Its so good to just flick a switch for auto clean, or set the timer.

  5. #170
    Registered Member HappyFace's Avatar
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    Heidi

    Default Re: Why dont discus keepers do automatic water changes more often?

    Quote Originally Posted by benjieb View Post
    Update....have added a 3rd drain tube so that if the filter gets over a certain height (top sensor) the drain pump comes on and lowers the level of the filter. Is a shame, i thought more discus keepers would be interested in auto systems. Its so good to just flick a switch for auto clean, or set the timer.
    Your setup looks amazing! I think some people consider it a source of pride to do water changes manually. I think it's great to do what makes you happy.

    I have a pre-filterled city well water drip-drain setup to turnover 200% water change daily. The discus are healthy and I'm happy. I think those are the most important things.

  6. #171
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    Benjie

    Default Re: Why dont discus keepers do automatic water changes more often?

    Thanks mate....I have white sand down now and have pride in vacuuming it a few times a day like a carpet!

  7. #172
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    Default Re: Why dont discus keepers do automatic water changes more often?


  8. #173
    Registered Member lastflea's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why dont discus keepers do automatic water changes more often?

    Lovely tank Ben..

  9. #174
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    Default Re: Why dont discus keepers do automatic water changes more often?

    Thanks mate. As you can see from second set of fotos, tank has been finished off and Devils Ivy planted in the wier. Level sensor alarm now automatically sucks water from both tank and filter until alarm is silenced. Now up to 190l per day.

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