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Thread: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

  1. #1
    Registered Member ruudvk's Avatar
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    Default Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    1) Please Introduce your self and tell us what your experience is with fishkeeping, give us as much information as possible as to how long in the hobby, what you have kept in the past and what you currently are working with.

    My name is Ruud from the Netherlands and completely new to keeping discus. Owned some planted tanks in the past and had to give up to the hobby because of college.

    The past 5 weeks I have (fishless) cycled a grow out tank for some nice Stendker discus. In a couple of months I plan to start a bigger (150G) tank.

    In this tank journal I would like to update you on my progress as a newbie to the hobby and use all the years of experience that SD provides. So, please don’t hesitate to ask questions or comment!

    2) If you have no previous experience with keeping discus, have you done any research to properly prepare yourself, e.g. have you read any Stickies in this section of SimplyDiscus, or other material?

    Joined this forum to read as much about discus as I could. Read the book “Back to nature” by Dick Au and learned the PDF info section by Stendker by heart. Now ready to take the plunge!

    3) Describe your tank, its size and dimensions, breeding or display. Include how long it has been setup or if it is still being cycled.

    Tank: Juwel Rio 125, 125L, 81cmx36cmx50cm (31.8"x14.2"x19.7", around 33G).

    4) Describe the décor for the tank; type of substrate or bare bottom (BB), whether the tank will be planted or a biotope.

    BB grow out tank until the size of 10 cm (5”).

    5) Describe your water changes planned or practiced, percentage and how often. Include if you age your water and use of tap/RO or mix.

    50% water change daily, tap water.

    6) Describe the type of filtration planned/used for the tank; sponge, HOB and/or sump. Also include the other equipment you are, or will be, using in your tank, e.g. heater, lighting, etc.

    Filter: Eheim biopower 240 (280-750 Liters per hour, 75-195 Gallons per hour) and a sponge filter.
    Heater: Fluval E300 and a 125W backup.

    7) If the tank is already setup and running, include the water parameters;

    - temp: 86F (30C)
    - tank ph: 7.5
    - Ph of the water straight out of your tap: 7.9
    - ammonia reading: 0 ppm
    - nitrite reading: 0 ppm
    - nitrate reading: 10 ppm
    - well water: no
    - municipal water: yes


    8) Describe your current or planned stocking levels; number/size of discus and number/type of dither fish. Where did you get your discus from or do you have a proposed source for getting your discus?

    9x Stendker red turquoise juvenile discus. Size: 2.5” (5 cm).

    When they reach a size of 5”, they will be transferred to a 150G tank containing:
    40x Rummy nose tetras (too much?)
    10x Corydoras sterbai
    3x German blue ram (electric blue)

    9) Describe your planned or existing feeding regimen. Include what and how often you are feeding on a daily basis.

    Stendker original goodheart, 0.5 to 1 blister per day, 3 to 5 feedings per day.

    Thinking about some pellets for an automatic feeder when I am at work. Any thoughts?

    10) What are your goals in this hobby? For example are you looking to keep discus in a planted community tank, or do you hope to become a hobby breeder of Discus? Do you want to raise Discus with the hopes of competing in shows?

    I would like to keep discus in a (minimal) planted display tank, just for me and my girlfriend to enjoy.


    Some pictures of the juveniles!
    1__1458646092_193.173.216.225.jpg
    DSC04014__1458648679_193.173.216.225.jpg
    Last edited by ruudvk; 03-22-2016 at 08:17 AM.

  2. #2
    Registered Member ruudvk's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    Day 2 update:
    All of them are still hiding in the corner of the tank. Fed them for the first time. Dropped the BH in the tank and after a minute or two they started eating. So far so good.

  3. #3
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    Awesome Ruud. Make sure you clean up any uneaten BH after 15-20 minutes

    Click here to view my 75g Acrylic Tank w/ Bean Animal Overflow with 40g Sump Thread

    Also, click here for my 25 group of discus grow out thread


    http://i3.cpcache.com/product/162117...ht=75&width=75
    Want to look like Al did at his ACA talk with his white Simply Polo shirt?(You can catch Al's awesome Discus talk HERE)
    You can get this and many more items such as T-shirts/Polos/hoodies/cups from our merchandise shop:
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  4. #4
    Registered Member ruudvk's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    Thanks Ricardo, any insight on how much BH I should be feeding? Right now they finish their meal in a couple of minutes, nothing gets left uneaten
    Some days I am unable to feed them during lunchtime, do you think an autofeeder with pellets is an option? I might grab some pellets at my LFS to see if they like them.

  5. #5
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    Quote Originally Posted by ruudvk View Post
    Thanks Ricardo, any insight on how much BH I should be feeding? Right now they finish their meal in a couple of minutes, nothing gets left uneaten
    Some days I am unable to feed them during lunchtime, do you think an autofeeder with pellets is an option? I might grab some pellets at my LFS to see if they like them.
    I feed enough BH so that they finish it in about 15 minutes. I turn return pump off for this so it doesn't go all over the place and always either do a quick vac or WC depending what time of the day it is.

    As far as pellets are concerned, my discus go crazy over Al's diskusgold pellets as well as Forrests D4 pellets. I like Al's simply because they sink immediately. There is no other pellet that I have seen that does this.

    Click here to view my 75g Acrylic Tank w/ Bean Animal Overflow with 40g Sump Thread

    Also, click here for my 25 group of discus grow out thread


    http://i3.cpcache.com/product/162117...ht=75&width=75
    Want to look like Al did at his ACA talk with his white Simply Polo shirt?(You can catch Al's awesome Discus talk HERE)
    You can get this and many more items such as T-shirts/Polos/hoodies/cups from our merchandise shop:
    Cafepress.com

  6. #6
    Registered Member ruudvk's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    Week 1 update:
    The group is getting along pretty well! The past week I noticed the pecking order being established while feeding, guess that's done now. They are all eating like monsters and start begging for more when they just finished their BH. It's tempting, but I do not want to overfeed.

    Just this morning I noticed one fish with an asymmetrical gill. The right gill is slightly more open (and I think the gill plate is a bit shorter) than the left one and you can see the filaments. Not sure if this is normal, but I am suspicious now. Did not notice any signs of sickness, he is swimming along with his buddies, no scratching or darting, eating a lot, not dark or clamped fins.

    I will try to get a picture tonight, see what you guys think.

  7. #7
    Registered Member ruudvk's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    So I tested my water yesterday evening: nitrate: 5-10, nitrite: 0. All good, let’s test ammonia to be sure, I panicked: ammonia 0.7!!!
    Did a 100% water change immediately to hopefully wash out all the ammonia and tested the water again (0 ammonia).

    Now I am thinking how this could have happened. I fishless cycled my tank in 5 weeks and the bacteria were able to clear 4ppm of ammonia over one night. I do a daily water change of 25-50% depending on the day.

    I am cutting back on the feeding for a while and will do large water changes (80%) daily. This must have been the cause of the gill problem I have seen, don’t you guys think?

  8. #8
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    Yes, that may have easily been the cause. Keep doing big daily water changes until you stabilize.

    Click here to view my 75g Acrylic Tank w/ Bean Animal Overflow with 40g Sump Thread

    Also, click here for my 25 group of discus grow out thread


    http://i3.cpcache.com/product/162117...ht=75&width=75
    Want to look like Al did at his ACA talk with his white Simply Polo shirt?(You can catch Al's awesome Discus talk HERE)
    You can get this and many more items such as T-shirts/Polos/hoodies/cups from our merchandise shop:
    Cafepress.com

  9. #9
    Registered Member ruudvk's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    Week 2 update:
    After last week’s rookie mistake I am feeding a bit less and keeping up with the daily big water changes. The fish with slight irritated gills is doing better, not completely gone yet. Already starting to see some growth and coloration on the fins. Also, there is some growth difference between the fish in the group. 3 of them are the biggest, and there are 2 have not grown that much. Let’s see how that plays out.

    Next week I am going to start drawing some sketches of my DIY stand for the 150G tank. First thoughts on the equipment are: two JBL cristalprofi e1500 canister filters and two Fluval E300 heaters.

  10. #10
    Registered Member dprais1's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    Quote Originally Posted by rickztahone View Post
    I feed enough BH so that they finish it in about 15 minutes. I turn return pump off for this so it doesn't go all over the place and always either do a quick vac or WC depending what time of the day it is.

    As far as pellets are concerned, my discus go crazy over Al's diskusgold pellets as well as Forrests D4 pellets. I like Al's simply because they sink immediately. There is no other pellet that I have seen that does this.


    I use these pellets. Super cheap. http://www.kensfish.com/aquarium-sup...nule-5-mm.html. I put them in a cup with a bit of tank water then swirl them around for 3 seconds...they go straight to the bottom and stay there.

    If I don't break the water tension they float so I don't toss them directly in the tank. 3 second swirl does it, unlike colorbits that seem to need a long time to stop from floating and even then there are still some that always float.

    Obviously, not ideal for an autofeeder. I like the .5mm for 1" fish and adults get the 1mm or 1.2mm I can't remember which. They seem smaller for the size stated than NLS and other pellets I have tried.

  11. #11
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    Default Re: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    I have a similar setup to yours with a group of 8 2.5" cobalts from Hans in a bb 55g aquarium with a 250w heater, Fluval 306 and 2 big sponge filters. For feeding I made my own beefheart and various other foods. Once they get big, I have a 125 waiting for them but I'm not sure what else Im going to stock it with but I'm pretty set on the filter. I'd like to know what else you're going to do with your 150 filter-wise or stocking-wise. -Matt

  12. #12
    Registered Member ruudvk's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    Quote Originally Posted by dprais1 View Post
    I use these pellets. Super cheap. http://www.kensfish.com/aquarium-sup...nule-5-mm.html. I put them in a cup with a bit of tank water then swirl them around for 3 seconds...they go straight to the bottom and stay there.

    If I don't break the water tension they float so I don't toss them directly in the tank. 3 second swirl does it, unlike colorbits that seem to need a long time to stop from floating and even then there are still some that always float.

    Obviously, not ideal for an autofeeder. I like the .5mm for 1" fish and adults get the 1mm or 1.2mm I can't remember which. They seem smaller for the size stated than NLS and other pellets I have tried.
    I have bought Tetra Discus pellets and they seem to like it. They are a bit unsure why the food is not as soft as the BH. They will get used to it eventually I guess. There are some floaters in the pellets so I will try your method! Thanks

  13. #13
    Registered Member ruudvk's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    Quote Originally Posted by Mattgrizzlybear View Post
    I have a similar setup to yours with a group of 8 2.5" cobalts from Hans in a bb 55g aquarium with a 250w heater, Fluval 306 and 2 big sponge filters. For feeding I made my own beefheart and various other foods. Once they get big, I have a 125 waiting for them but I'm not sure what else Im going to stock it with but I'm pretty set on the filter. I'd like to know what else you're going to do with your 150 filter-wise or stocking-wise. -Matt
    Hi Matt, the 150G is going to be a slightly planted tank (some Amazon Swords) with driftwood and pool filter sand. I hope to stock a large school (40x???) of rummy nose tetra’s, corydoras sterbaii (10x) and maybe a pair/trio of apistogramma agassizii.

    I think the dual setup of JBL canister filters will be sufficient for the tank. Not completely made up my mind about canister vs sump, still got some time.

    At what size are you going to put them in the 125?

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    Default Re: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    Quote Originally Posted by ruudvk View Post
    Hi Matt, the 150G is going to be a slightly planted tank (some Amazon Swords) with driftwood and pool filter sand. I hope to stock a large school (40x???) of rummy nose tetra’s, corydoras sterbaii (10x) and maybe a pair/trio of apistogramma agassizii.

    I think the dual setup of JBL canister filters will be sufficient for the tank. Not completely made up my mind about canister vs sump, still got some time.

    At what size are you going to put them in the 125?
    Probably at around 4-5" or whenever I feel like they are getting too crammed in a 55g. It'll take me some time to set up the 125 and get it fish-ready (Drilling, building a sump, cycling, etc.) especially with cycling, they could grow another half inch or so while it is cycling! I am a fan of Canisters but this is my first big tank build and am on a bit of a budget so I don't want to spend $300+ on a FX6 or even more on some Eheims. A sump is just a cheaper but still very effective way of filtering. I love the customization abilities as well. I'm still not too sure on what I'm going to put in the 125 plant or substrate-wise but am hoping to either go bb with planted plants or light sand with driftwood like you mentioned. -Matt

  15. #15
    Registered Member ruudvk's Avatar
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    Default Re: Stendker grow out and 150G tank build

    Week 3 update:
    They are growing FAST, I think around ˝ inch. They are doing very well as a group.

    Last week I installed a JBL Cristalprofi e1501 since I still have troubles keeping the ammonia down. I think there is simply not enough media for bacteria to grow on, so this must help. My LFS advised me to put these bacteria balls (see link) inside the filter media to increase growth of the biological media. Hopefully this helps. http://evolutionaqua.com/acatalog/PURE_Aquarium.html

    Ammonia gets as high as 0.4 ppm when I feed BH three times a day. So I still keep up with the daily 90% WC schedule.

    Do you guys think I will flush out any bacteria this way?
    Shall I cut down the feeding of BH for a while and give them pellets instead?
    How harmful will this level of ammonia be?

    IMAG1793.jpg

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