240 Planted Discus Community

[nofearengineer]

I am in the process of achieving my dream tank. I have wanted a discus tank for 25 years, and I am finally going to make it happen.

I think properly done, a journal of any build should begin long before the actual "build". Hence I am starting this tank journal during the planning stages. Hopefully, it will help me later remember my thought process behind both good (and bad) decisions.

It will house 8-10 (who am I kidding...10) discus.
Other prospective tank mates will be Rummynose Tetras, Cardinal Tetras, Sterbai Corydoras, Bristlenose Ancistrus, Otocinclus sp.. I am also intrigued about Clown Loaches and Geophagus, seeing many of this forum's members have them, and apparently doing very well. For now, I think I will stick to only one species I haven't kept before...discus. If I do end up adding any other previously unkept species, I will probably keep them separately for a while (regardless of QT) just to learn their behaviors first.

I hope to have some wild "looking" discus. I love Heckels especially. There's just something about that single bold vertical stripe that is so unique among fish.

I am going to have a white sand substrate...probably pool filter sand. For hardscape, I am looking for a single driftwood "arch", with upturned "spiky" branches...sort of a "crown of thorns" look. Some select rockwork...but not too much.

I plan on "classic" low-to-medium light plants. I grow the hell out of almost any high-difficulty plants in my Dutch aquariums, so I sometimes get a kick out of just enjoying watching these less demanding plants thrive with good light, good fertilization and pressurized CO2.

Planned planting:
Echinodorus bleheri
Echinodorus tenellus
Cryptocoryne wendti
Barclaya longifolia
Aponogeton ulvaceous
Anubius sp.
Microsorum sp.

Given the obligatory frequent, large water changes I plan for the sake of the fish, doing the EI (Estimative Index) method of fertilzation is a no-brainer. I will have to wait and see what the nitrate situation is like. Most EI fert regimens dose KNO3, but since I like lots of fish in my planted tanks, I often use K2SO4 in lieu of KNO3, letting the fish metabolic products provide a steady 10-20 ppm of nitrates. My hunch is that I will want to keep nitrates around 10 ppm in a discus tank. Not necessarily for the health of the discus, but simply because an algae outbreak in a tank this size could be a real pain in the vent. Anyway, I am confident I can control it with water changes and diligence.

I did a little spreadsheet to figure out how much water I should change. If I change 20% (60 gallons) per day, I should stabilize at a metabolic waste level of no more than 4 days unchanged. So basically, if the discus can be happy in water they've been in for 96 hours with no water changes, then changing 20% per day should achieve the same long term result. I think it's a good starting point, and I'll discover if it works. Realistically, if it works, I can probably use discus tank water to change out my other tanks (but not the other way around!), and still have plenty of surplus to pour on my parched summer lawn.

I have ordered and purchased a 240 gallon 'tall' (72 x 24 x 31) tank from Glass Cages. I mainly did this on the basis of good reviews, available options, and that they are within driving distance from me. I put a lot of stock in being able to see something before it is just dropped off at my door by USPS. I also ordered an unmodified 65 gallon acrylic aquarium from them to use as the sump. The sump is going to take a LOT of research for me. I have never used one with such a high performance requirement; i.e. only for convenience previously.

The tank has Starphire (low-iron) glass on the front and sides. It is drilled in back for a Synergy - 20" Ghost overflow (already purchased). The overflow is rated for 2500 gph, which is certainly excessive for a discus tank. But you only get to drill a hole once, so I figured on the off chance I should ever want to turn this tank into a reef...it would be cheap insurance.

I am going to be running a bean animal type overflow. One reason is for the silent, safe operation. The other reason is that it will help prevent CO2 off-gassing. As a high-tech planted guy, I am not worried about maintaining high O2 levels in this tank. All of my planted tanks "pearl" constantly due to O2 saturation.

Which brings me to lighting. I am a huge proponent of LED lighting. I use it exclusively on my planted tanks, and get fantastic results. I changed my last fluorescent tube a couple of years ago. Given the width (24") and depth (31") of this tank, I am thinking I will need THREE 72" led strips (almost certainly by BuildMyLed) just to achieve medium light at the substrate. If I can get away with two, I will. Gotta do some research. Eliminating one of those fixtures would save enough money for 2-3 5" discus. Still, being new to discus, and not knowing exactly how much light they will be comfortable with, I'd rather have it a little too bright and be able to dim it down.

I ordered the stand and canopy in birch, rather than oak, because I am going to be painting it white, to match most of my living room furniture. It was also for this reason that I selected clear silicone instead of black. I am never, ever going to medicate this tank, and I don't anticipate any algae problems behind the silicone, so it should stay nice and clean.

My local water comes out of the tap at about a pH of 7.4, KH is 6, GH is 17. With 30 ppm of CO2, I wind up with a pH of about 6.4. Great for plants, and I'm hoping discus will like it too. I own a 75 gpd RO system that I bought for sensitive plants, but mothballed it when I found out it simply wasn't needed. If I ever wanted to try breeding (the discus, not me), my kH is low enough it would be a good start. My utility uses Chloramine, so I use Seachem Prime liberally.

Anyway, that's all for now. It's going to be a very long process, and I'm going to have to kill a lot of time waiting for my tank to be built, waiting another 30 days to fill it with water, painting my stand, etc. but at least it gives me more time to dream and plan.

I appreciate any constructive criticisms, suggestions, thoughts or concerns. I'm a technically-minded, results over feelz kind of guy, so please speak your mind. Thank you in advance for all the help.

[Giulliano]

Hi, Nofear...
I also have a planted tank.
I love that!
Good luck to you in your project!
Hugs.

[nofearengineer]

Thanks, Giulliano. Do you have a tank journal or any pics? I'm certainly looking for inspiration.

[nofearengineer]

It didn't take long for me to make a mistake....sort of.

I found a piece of driftwood for sale that is completely EPIC. A big honking piece of red cedar. Now I know there is a lot of information out there about cedar being toxic, but this piece is probably a hundred years old, given the rounded edges. It's been dead plenty of time for any cedrol-containing sap to be gone.

2015dwxl-0116a.jpg

Given that this piece is 80 x 18 x 34 (weighs 87 lbs), a couple of the protrusions would have to be trimmed to fit in a 72 x 24 x 31 inch tank. As extra insurance against toxicity, and before any major butchering of this magnificent piece of wood needlessly, I'm going to test a small piece in a tank with an Ancistrus. My theory is, if a driftwood EATING fish is unaffected by it, then fish swimming in it will be fine. If it proves to be unsuitable for an aquarium, I'll still be able to use it in some other decorative way, or at least resell it.

Now to the mistake...my tank has eurobracing in it. Two braces to be precise. Which means I am going to have to cut this thing up and bolt it back together. It is going to be a challenge, but I think I can handle it. My plan is to figure out where to cut it with a chop saw, pre-drill perpendicular holes across the cut, and once it's in the tank, bolt it back together through the holes. Pre-drilling the holes should make sure the alignment is restored. All stainless steel hardware of course. I will cut very carefully, but any gaps should be able to be shaped with a file to look natural, or at least concealed with plants.

I can at least console myself with the knowledge that my aquarium builder told me I couldn't have ordered my aquarium without eurobracing, short of spending thousands and thousands more on it.

[nofearengineer]

A better photo, after pressure washing, with the piece in the orientation I plan for it.

2015dwxl-0116dd.jpg

As you can see, the bit on the right will have to be removed, and a bit off of the top.

It will completely fill the tank, but given that there are a ton of holes and openings, I don't think it will look cramped at all.

[jmf3460]

that is an epic piece of driftwood.....please say that you're going biotope style with stained water and dim lighting??

[nofearengineer]

that is an epic piece of driftwood.....please say that you're going biotope style with stained water and dim lighting??

God, I knew someone was going to say that LOL. And truth be told, this is a piece that could carry an entire tank on its shoulders, so to speak. I'm definitely thinking about it. It's funny how serendipity can change your plans. We'll see what further inspirations hit me.

[nofearengineer]

Pleasant surprise.

My overflow was just dropped off by FedEx.
20160211_122943 (113x200).jpg

20" Ghost Overflow by Synergy.

I'm glad I didn't try to make one myself, because I couldn't have done anywhere as nice a job as this. Some things are just worth paying for. The fit and finish is outstanding.

[rickztahone]

Pleasant surprise.

My overflow was just dropped off by FedEx.
20160211_122943 (113x200).jpg

20" Ghost Overflow by Synergy.

I'm glad I didn't try to make one myself, because I couldn't have done anywhere as nice a job as this. Some things are just worth paying for. The fit and finish is outstanding.

yeah, those are super sweet. I also like the ones that are sold on ebay by a certain seller, marine something is the name. The reason I like that design is because he actually channels the teeth to make them slope which would reduce the noise of the weir even further. Either way, I think synergy makes the nicest looking one with good acrylic. I'm assuming you are going with Bean Animal?

[nofearengineer]

yeah, those are super sweet. I also like the ones that are sold on ebay by a certain seller, marine something is the name. The reason I like that design is because he actually channels the teeth to make them slope which would reduce the noise of the weir even further. Either way, I think synergy makes the nicest looking one with good acrylic. I'm assuming you are going with Bean Animal?

Intuition would say sloping the teeth would make it quieter...but Fluid Dynamics was my weakest subject in Engineering school (I'm an EE, not an ME). However, I think it really depends on flow rate. At a high rate, such as in a reef tank (what it was really designed for), the bottom of the teeth would be well below the surface of the water. In a discus tank, the flow is going to be lower, so they might be shallower....in which case it may well indeed make a little noise. Even if it does, I bet it's small. But we'll see, won't we! (can't wait!)

Yes, I am going to do a bean animal style. I have never had anything but one of those "over the back" type overflows, so this is really Cadillac for me. I'm truly enjoying this design process. I had kind of a "deer in the headlights" moment earlier today while driving around. I was thinking about all my choices so far (of course)...and it struck me that I might not be able to reach my ball union valve for the full siphon, since the tank is going to be against a wall, and I had the overflow holes drilled center back. Some quick number crunching and I could relax...thank God I am 6'5" and have long arms. The valve knob should be no more than 24 inches inboard of the end of the tank. It's those kind of snap decisions that can wreck you.

[Jbell]

Following. So far it's looking great can't wait to see more.

[Second Hand Pat]

I am going to offer you "interesting" advice on your driftwood. Cut it where it will still look natural when leaned or fitted back together in the tank but will allow you to move the pieces for easy vacuuming/cleaning/removing dead fish or other reasons in the tank. This means you will not screw it back together. There are simply times when you will need to get into the tank and need to move the wood. Trust me on this. Super nice piece of wood.
Pat

[nofearengineer]

I am going to offer you "interesting" advice on your driftwood. Cut it where it will still look natural when leaned or fitted back together in the tank but will allow you to move the pieces for easy vacuuming/cleaning/removing dead fish or other reasons in the tank. This means you will not screw it back together. There are simply times when you will need to get into the tank and need to move the wood. Trust me on this. Super nice piece of wood.
Pat

Thanks for the advice. However, I'm not sure of a good way to accomplish "modular" driftwood hehe. At least in a way that won't fall apart when I don't want it to. I'll know more when I get the piece actually in hand. You know the old saying "measure twice, cut once". Well, I'm going to measure 100 times.

[Jack L]

A better photo, after pressure washing, with the piece in the orientation I plan for it.

2015dwxl-0116dd.jpg

As you can see, the bit on the right will have to be removed, and a bit off of the top.

It will completely fill the tank, but given that there are a ton of holes and openings, I don't think it will look cramped at all.

Is that more driftwood in the background?

[nofearengineer]

Is that more driftwood in the background?

Piles and piles of it. I'd say where, but they're not a sponsor. PM me if you want to know the vendor.