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Thread: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

  1. #16
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    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

    I started 2-2.5 inch juvis about 7 weeks ago. Almost all the fish have poor eye-to-body ratio, so have been researching many tank journals and noticed that at this age eye-to-body ratio is off for almost every fish pic I have come across on simply and it is also clear that they look way different and better as they grow... they color up and get rounded. So I don't think you should be worried about that at this age either.

    What I am curious about now is, when the juvi's will start rounding up, at what age?

    Mine are all growing well, some have gotten bigger than others which is natural and expected but there is one guy who is way too off, he is tiny and I him to be stunted, only time can say. As of now they are all coloring up well but yet to round up ... hoping to see that happen sooner than later!

    I am no expert and just sharing what I analyzed. Hope this helps.
    Last edited by abijitr; 08-12-2017 at 08:01 AM.

  2. #17
    Registered Member Ryan925's Avatar
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    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

    Quote Originally Posted by abijitr View Post
    I started 2-2.5 inch juvis about 7 weeks ago. Almost all the fish have poor eye-to-body ratio, so have been researching many tank journals and noticed that at this age eye-to-body ratio is off for almost every fish pic I have come across on simply and it is also clear that they look way different and better as they grow... they color up and get rounded. So I don't think you should be worried about that at this age either.

    What I am curious about now is, when the juvi's will start rounding up, at what age?

    Mine are all growing well, some have gotten bigger than others which is natural and expected but there is one guy who is way too off, he is tiny and I him to be stunted, only time can say. As of now they are all coloring up well but yet to round up ... hoping to see that happen sooner than later!

    I am no expert and just sharing what I analyzed. Hope this helps.
    I think around 4"-4.5 they will have round shape but still get better as they grow. If you have one that's behind, which there usually is, don't give up on that runt. Take a look at my thread here.

    http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...und&highlight=
    Im not illiterate...only my phone's auto correct is

  3. #18
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    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

    Quote Originally Posted by Ryan925 View Post
    I think around 4"-4.5 they will have round shape but still get better as they grow. If you have one that's behind, which there usually is, don't give up on that runt. Take a look at my thread here.

    http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...und&highlight=
    Thanks Ryan! Of course, I have researched your thread thoroughly... have learnt a lot from it as well!

  4. #19
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    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

    Thought I'd post some pics of how I do my water changes. Previously I used a hose to the kitchen sink (open plan main floor) and a hose up the basement stairs to my aging barrel. Now I plumbed in a garden hose through my ventilation outlet to run to the utility room of my basement. I drain directly to the basement drain and fills are quicker due to less hosing and more direct line to my tank. Better yet, no lugging hoses up from and down to the basement and no fish water into the kitchen sink!

    Pre-softener tee with a ball joint to mix a portion of it with RO, currently 1/3 tap to 2/3 RO. Note this was my first attempt at gluing, hence the drips and messiness.
    20170817_193919.jpg

    The water change hose and the auto-top off going into the ventilation tubing.
    20170817_193852.jpg

    Water change hose going into a t-joint, I use my return pump to empty for water changes too. I siphon down from the display tank to the return side of my sump. Note this is my latest attempt at gluing PVC, a little nicer in my opinion.
    20170817_193731.jpg

    Aging barrel with an auto-top off.
    20170817_193910.jpg

    Water change hose and auto top off coming out of the ventilation tubing.
    20170817_193810.jpg

    RO unit feeding the aging barrel auto-top off, sump auto-top off and refrigerator (how I convinced my wife to install an RO unit...)
    20170817_193902.jpg

  5. #20
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    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

    While I was taking pics I wanted to share a few pics of the animals living in my sump. I think they do a good job keeping the matrix and poret clean. The shrimp and scuds also make an occasional live food snack for the discus!

    Red Cherry Shrimp on pond matrix, they eat any food that goes into the overflow.
    20170817_193558.jpg

    Assassin snails, taking care of my MTS issue. Apparently feeding beefheart and mysis shrimp multiple times a day in a planted tank causes a population explosion of MTS.
    20170817_193529.jpg

    Tough to make out but dead center of the pic is a freshwater copepod/amphipod/gammarus scuds. They live in the poret and pond matrix.
    20170817_193500.jpg

  6. #21
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    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

    Tank is looking great I've added a red flame sword and 30 cardinals.

    Current stock is:
    9 Discus
    40 cardinal tetra
    5 BN Plecos
    Many MTS
    Growing number of assassin snails (~20)
    Rebounding population of shrimp (in sump)
    Growing number of scuds

    Do twice a week 30% WC with 1/3 to 2/5 tap to 2/3 to 3/5 RO (depending on TDS reading, aiming for ~160ppm)
    pH 7.2
    Nitrate <20ppm
    GH~6-8
    KH~3

  7. #22
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    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank


  8. #23
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    george melendez

    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

    Beautiful fish and real nice photos. Wish I could take good photos lol.

  9. #24
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    Nikolay

    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

    Your flachens just amazing. nice tank and plumbing too.

  10. #25
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    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

    Noticed the widest poop I've ever seen! It is about half the width of the fish it is coming from!

    IMG_20180709_183406.jpg

  11. #26
    Homesteader Filip's Avatar
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    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

    Quote Originally Posted by JamesW View Post
    Noticed the widest poop I've ever seen! It is about half the width of the fish it is coming from!

    IMG_20180709_183406.jpg
    My BD oftenly does this too .
    He seems to be the only one in my tank that poops like a monster from time to time

  12. #27
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    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

    Nice setup & fish!

    Btw, 3 weeks vacation would never ever happen in my life after I had discus

    Just had 1 week vacation a couple months ago and my mind kept wandering after the 3rd day lol.

    I might need discus-sitter & IP camera for that...
    Water change is not just a chore, it's my life now...

  13. #28
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    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

    I only change 30% twice a week so pushing that out wasn't too stressful. Last year during my vacation I deliberately underfed to maintain water quality but I ended up with no cardinals left... This time my autofeeder was putting too much food in but fortunately my sump was able to handle it though the water did get a little cloudy. I have an IP camera set up to check in on my dog while I am at work and can check the fish tank as well. I'll admit to checking in every few days but corrective action is difficult on the other side of the world.

  14. #29
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    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

    Time for an update. In video format this time: https://youtu.be/E_ojNYRO21M, sorry about the noise I was doing laundry in the background.

    I decided to ditch the mixed substrate and go to straight Esty river sand. I highly recommend it!

    Recently replanted (hence the low growth) are:
    Corkscrew Val, Giant Hairgrass, Crypt Wenditi?? Red Ozelot Sword, Standard green sword, Staurogyne Repens (these have melted on addition, hopefully they recover), assorted Bucephalandra, Java fern and some java moss.

    Lights are planted plus pro and I'm using PPS-pro as a dosing regimen as well as an osmocote ball under each root feeder.
    Discus from are Stendker and I've had them for ~1.5 years. WC 30% once or twice a week since they were the smallest option from Hans, lost one from a jump out early on but otherwise no issues.

    BN's often breed though I have two males and one female so not ideal. I want to get rid of the sub-male but my wife forbids it. Assassin snails are there in such great number due to the overwhelming MTS issue I had which was largely resolved with substrate removal.

    In the sump are some red cherry shrimp, more assassin snails and a bunch gammarus on top of pond matrix, the BN juvies also end up in the sump where they seem to grow up well with absolutely no intervention from my end. The main filtration is from poret foam (10, 20 then 30 ppi, 3" cut to fit the 29 gallon sump) and on the return side heaters (2x 150 w eheim, controlled by inkbird) and the return pump.

  15. #30
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    Default Re: 3 x 2 x 2 planted discus tank

    Some questions if I might - do you ever vacuum the gravel or is there no need to vacuum the gravel; can you take a large picture of the sump and where the shrimp/snail live in it ? Have you considered adding an mbbr at the end of the sump (after last foam) ? Do you use pure ro water or do you mix ro water with tap water - given you ahve an aging bucket i presume some of it is tap to remove chlorine but how do you control the mixing rate (if it is mixed) ?

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