First crack at Discus-Only tank. Major DIY projects.

[djdirte]

Update: I picked up a 29gal glass tank w/ all kinds of extra goodies(filters/pumps/heaters/food) for a really good deal on Craigslist over the weekend.

Yesterday evening(Monday, 2/10) I decided to start cycling my filters for my 60gal using the 29gal while I build my stand. I have an aquaclear 70 filled with two sponges & a biomax bag, and a sunsun 4-stage canister with only the filter media & seachem matrix for now. All media is brand new. Filled the tank up w fresh tap & dechlor. Added a bottle of tetra safestart. Threw in a few really fat pinches of fish flake since I didn't have any ammonia on hand. Did a quick water test just to start- all readings at zero, as expected.

Today(2/10)- picked up a bunch of materials for my stand build. I started on the frame for the stand already, but forgot to take pictures. I Also bought some ammonia for fishless cycle.

tested the water on the 29gal just before adding ammonia, just to see what my numbers were. To my surprise- ammonia 0. Nitrite 0. Nitrate 5!! Less than 24hrs?! I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the safestart seems to have jumpsarted my cycle. I dosed ammonia to 4ppm, and will check again tomorrow morning.

[Phillydubs]

JJ,

I have used the tetra safe-start before and it did a nice job for me and I was happy with the results... Just be patient and give it time, don't jump the gun and let it all settle... Sounds like you have to wait anyways as you build your stand so you will be kinda of forced to be patient which is good, not saying you wouldn't be otherwise, just sayin

Just hope you did a thorough job cleaning everything used from the 29 or any other old stuff you are using here as to not pass anything along? What did you do or use to sterilize?

[djdirte]

2/10/16 UPDATE: Got into the shop today, and noticed that a handful of fish in our 125g community tank have come down with a case of ich. The one juvie discus that was left seemed to get hit the hardest. I tried to do an emergency bath with Paraguard and some salt, but he died halfway through the day. *ugh, im still pissed about it.* he was my trooper. I originally purchased 9 juvies from my lfs. 8 died over the course of the last month. but this one was one of the first discus i purchased about two months ago, and i know he was stunted, but i guess the 'first discus pet' attachment was definitely there. yes, i know- bad idea trying to raise juvies in a community tank. i was not a member of SD or familiar with any discus practices when they were purchased. Now i know better. Anyways, I know the ich probably hitched a ride on one of the blue rams that we recently purchased. No quarantine was done on them since at the time of their purchase, we had no tanks available to use for qt- again, another mistake that was made that we'll be paying for. Tank temp raised to 86f. 1tbsp salt added/5gal. carbon removed. tank dosed with with Paraguard. I have some metro on order, and it should be arriving any day, so i will likely be feeding medicated food for good measure once it comes in. this is gonna be a fun 3 weeks of ich recovery. lol

ANYWAYS, my tank stand build continued, despite today's ich mishaps, and despite my busy work schedule. Finished the structure portion of the strand. Here's my current progress:

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The workspace.

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A closer view of the stand.

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Another angle.

I pretty much followed the stand design listed on http://neptunesneighborhood.com/stand.html
I will be adding my own little embellishments as far as the trim, but it is the exact same design, except slightly resized at 48”Lx15”Wx30”T.
So I think either I had a warped 2x4, or I may have made an error in my assembly, as the stand seems to sit slighty uneven on the floor, n rocks just a tiny bit. Im not too concerned though, as the top of the stand seems to be extremely level/flat. If I step on one end, and my friend steps on the other, it seems to flatten out. Im sure that with a 500lb filled aquarium sitting on top of it, it’ll be enough pressure to flatten out the bottom over time. Considering the fact that im not exactly a professional carpenter, I think things are progressing nicely.

I already added the bottom shelf cover, and started staining the interior portions since it's easier to get to all the corners without all the panels/doors on. I hope to be completely done by friday. So i guess that's it for now

[djdirte]

Oh, and here's a picture inside my office. The 60 gal/stand will be where it's sitting right now. n that's my 29gal with my filters cycling. Speaking of which, my water test from today showed no difference for yesterday, so looks like i'll have to be patient n let the filters keep cycling. That's part of my record collection in the background.

oh yeah, if you didnt notice, i used white automotive vinyl used for making car decals to cover the bottoms of my two aquariums in the case i decide to sell my tanks in the future. The vinyl can just peel right off.

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[djdirte]

JJ,

I have used the tetra safe-start before and it did a nice job for me and I was happy with the results... Just be patient and give it time, don't jump the gun and let it all settle... Sounds like you have to wait anyways as you build your stand so you will be kinda of forced to be patient which is good, not saying you wouldn't be otherwise, just sayin

Just hope you did a thorough job cleaning everything used from the 29 or any other old stuff you are using here as to not pass anything along? What did you do or use to sterilize?

of course, i dare not rush a tank cycle. But as far as cleaning the 29gal, it had already been draindrained and was completely dry, but i removed all the black gravel substrate, Rinsed with water. Washed thoroughly with a diluted bleach/water solution(1:10). Rinsed 3x afterwards. Filled with new water w/ dechlor. Rinsed again.

[Phillydubs]

Maybe I missed it but where are you planning to get the discus for that tank and what size?

Not the LFS again I hope... seems like you learned that lesson the hardway this time around...

[djdirte]

Maybe I missed it but where are you planning to get the discus for that tank and what size?

Not the LFS again I hope... seems like you learned that lesson the hardway this time around...

I've been browsing quite a few of the sponsors here on the boards, and I will likely purchase through them. Ive also come to realize that one of my buddies owns a b&m fairly close by, and he's kept and bred discus before, so it's possible I may source some through him, but that's pending I can get more info on where he sources his from. It's still fairly up in the air, and whereas I've been doing copious amounts of reading on these boards to ensure I am as educated as possible on proper husbandry for discus, I think perhaps I may just purchase a handful through my friend first, saying everything seems gravy. I do understand that the quality through him will likely be less than through a reputable breeder, but I'd rather learn and make my discus-only tank mistakes with fish that I am more comfortable losing.

My water parameters are kindof the biggest reason, as my ph is at 8.3 after aging, which is quite on the extreme side. After posting in the water section, nobody has been able to give me a definite answer on whether 8.3 is still possible. Watching the Hans video where he stated that 8.5 is certain they will die really got my attention. My longest living juvie lived for about 2 months, but again, tossing him into a community tank was definitely asking for failure. Now as far as a discus-only? I guess I will have to wait and see. If I need to mix in RO to get my ph down just a notch, I guess I'll have to do it and buy an RO system. We actually just picked up a free 130gal tank/stand today for my partner's office. It already has a dual sump in the stand and is pretty much ready to go for SW. I guess this will give me another reason to get one anyways since I'm the one that does all of our tank maintenance. LoL.

Anyways, I guess in a nutshell, I'm just trying to make sure I'm completely ready. If you think I should just go straight to buying from a breeder, I'd really like to understand why.

[djdirte]

2/11/16 UPDATE: Worked on the stand more today. Did the second coat of stain on the interior. I also added the outside panels, trim, and did the first coat of stain on the outside.

A few pictures of my progress below.

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Update on tank cycle: still no change in water parameters. I continue to be patient. lol

[Phillydubs]

JJ,

Stand looks killer! Love it, really nice work, wish I was handy like that! Awesome job!!

Keep being patient! It is the strongest virtue in this hobby!!!

Lastly, you asked for my opinion on where to get your fish... I posted some reasoning in another thread a bit back, check it out here : http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...t=#post1196824

It basically gives my simple math solution on going with an unknown source as opposed to a proven one, breaking down the actual spend...

I didn't like that you said "but I'd rather learn and make my discus-only tank mistakes with fish that I am more comfortable losing." I get that you had a bad experience to start, but you have to also realize that you started with bad stock, didn't have them in ideal conditions nor were you caring for them under ideal husbandry. It seems to me like you have really dug in and are prepared to care for them this time around... If that is the case why would you loose anything? If you are going to feed well, change the water properly and keep the tank maintained, you should not experience losses... All of that being said, if you are going to invest that time and effort, why not do so knowing you are going to be growing out some beauties as opposed to some muts...

Now, this is all granted that your buddy doesn't have the best stuff... For all I know he could have a nice set-up, big healthy discus and could offer you nice stock... If that is the case and that's what you want to do then by all means, but I would vet him first and see...

Do yourself a favor and look at a page like Kenny, see first hand what you could be getting and for how much, do your homework and my simple math problem in the link and make that decision, but if the money isn't that far off, which I doubt it would be, I would sure as hell go with the people who have been doing this for years as opposed to some unknown...

[Jbell]

Great build can't wait to see the final outcome. I just got my first order from Kenny and let me tell you these guys are Fantastic and he was a pleasure to deal with even with my wife and I both emailing him the same questions lol.

If you want to check them out here's a link.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...IC)&highlight=

[ericNH]

Sweet tank stand. The structure looks extremely solid, and the attention to detail on your outside panels looks superb. Still following...

[Jack L]

is there a photo somewhere of how the buffing came out and i missed it?

[Alight]

Didn't see how the cycling was going. If you started with pH 8.3 water, the ammonia could cause a problem, since it will take your pH to 8.5 and hold it there until it is converted to nitrites and nitrates. The bacteria don't like pH that high, so your could stall the cycling process. You might want to add some acid to bring the pH down a bit to speed up the cycling process, and prevent it from stalling out in the nitrite phase (nitrites are the really deadly part of the cycle).

If you want an inexpensive RO unit, I highly suggest the RO buddy units. They have everything you will need, including a decent RO filter (the same one as most of the high end units) and carbon and sediment filter and an assembly that can be wall mounted. They work just as well as the high end filter unit I have, and are easier to manage and change filters because they have quick release connections. You can get replacement inline carbon and sediment filters for 1.5 dollars on sale at some places right now as well. I have no $ in this company, and don't know anything about this company, I just can't figure out why more discus owners aren't taking advantage of such a great deal.

[djdirte]

Attachment 94034
.....AAAAND DONE!!!! w000000!!! I did a 2-stage polish to get it nice n shiny.

Used my DA polisher & Meguiars M105 with a med/heavy cutting pad to do the major cutting/polishing. 2 passes horizontal & 2 passes vertical with medium pressure. then 2 finishing passes with very light pressure.

Then repeated with ScratchX & a light cutting pad to do a finishing polish. Also used one of those headlight scratch removal kits w/ ScratchX to do the corners. Luckily i had it lying around in my garage from when i polished my headlights a while back.

I forgot to take a picture between the M105 & the ScratchX, but you could barely tell the difference by the way it looked from afar. up close and at a heavy angle, you could still see a very light matte finish. The biggest difference was the way the acrylic felt when you rubbed your finger across it. HUGE difference in the way it felt. Very smooth after the ScratchX, but your finger would still drag slightly after the M105.

Attachment 94035
a snapshot of the front panel. There are a few very LIGHT scratches, but nothing i'd get into a twist over. Obviously none that are noticeble enough to be seen in this picture

Attachment 94033

A picture of materials/tools used. One thing to mention - I used a clean/different microfiber towel for wipedowns with every single step. It's definitely not a good idea to wipe down a freshly polished tank that has 1000 grit acrylic embedded in it.

One last thing - i rinsed the inside/outside 3 times, using nothing but water, and a clean microfiber towel each time. paid extra attention to the corners/joints. im fairly certain i got everything out, but ill be doing a 100% water change once my tank is nice n cycled.



Tomorrow, i will likely be buying my materials for building my aquarium stand. Stay tuned.

somehow, my pictures disappeared. here they are, uploaded one more time.
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[djdirte]

Didn't see how the cycling was going. If you started with pH 8.3 water, the ammonia could cause a problem, since it will take your pH to 8.5 and hold it there until it is converted to nitrites and nitrates. The bacteria don't like pH that high, so your could stall the cycling process. You might want to add some acid to bring the pH down a bit to speed up the cycling process, and prevent it from stalling out in the nitrite phase (nitrites are the really deadly part of the cycle).

If you want an inexpensive RO unit, I highly suggest the RO buddy units. They have everything you will need, including a decent RO filter (the same one as most of the high end units) and carbon and sediment filter and an assembly that can be wall mounted. They work just as well as the high end filter unit I have, and are easier to manage and change filters because they have quick release connections. You can get replacement inline carbon and sediment filters for 1.5 dollars on sale at some places right now as well. I have no $ in this company, and don't know anything about this company, I just can't figure out why more discus owners aren't taking advantage of such a great deal.

i will definitely check ph tomorrow. didnt give that any thought. my parameters still have not moved yet. n yeah, im probably just going to pull the trigger on an RO unit. many seem to be suggesting the RO buddie, just as you have. n for around $70, it really seems like its a worthwhile buy. especially since one of my partners here at our shop just picked up his 130 gal n wants to go saltwater with it.