setting up my 150 gal tank

[Blackat]

Hi,

I'm Jim and live in Nova Scotia Canada. First of all I have to say thanks for this forum and the unbelievable knowledge I have seen on the site. I have just set up my 150gal tank and intend to add discus to it at some time in the future when the tank balances out. I watched Al on youtube in the 1+ hour instructional video and excited to be part of this group.

I am not afraid of challenges and from what I understand I have a good one trying to run a planted tank with the Discus.

Here is what I have

150 gallon 36" x 36" x 27" high tank
Aquatop CF500UV filter c/w built in UV sterilizer
CO2 injection system that has an inline diffuser on the return line of the filter
2 ea 54W Nemolight LED full spectrum light bars
I have planted about 50% of the bottom and 50% is white sand. I used an Amazonia substrate ( not under the sand
I have 3 pieces of driftwood and maple rock
The tank is in a corner so visible on 2 sides ( Starfire on these sides)
I am on well water and it has lots of iron so my water changes will be done with tap water I bring from work.

my objectives are

Max 5 Discus... not interested in breeding them
school of cardinals
some corys
NO Algae
super clear water
calm community tank

As I said I am overwhelmed with info thanks to Youtube...lol ... but determined to make this work and think with some tips from people in the know I can achieve the objectives.

If you folks could offer me some tips to help me toward my goal that would be awesome.... I have a bunch of questions that I will post later.

I had a beautiful 90 gal tank over 40 years ago with many different species ( no Discus ) and keep 2 smaller tanks at work ( 20 and 30 gal) with a couple goldfish and tetras so I am not new to the hobby but as you older people can appreciate the internet and access to so much information has made this hobby pretty complicated...

Thank you all for this opportunity to join in.

Jim ( Blackat )

[jmf3460]

Hi Jim and welcome to the forum. You have got your work cut out for you but it sounds like you are open to doing research and taking the advice and criticisms of others which is really important if you wish to have success. I like the sound of your tank, but for a planted CO2 injected tank you will need adult discus for sure. It is near impossible to grow out juvies in a planted tank. THis is because juvies require close to 100% water changes daily and most find that impossible to do with a planted tank. Also 100% water changes will make your co2 and ferts for the plants an utter waste because you will be depleting the water column almost completely every day. Do you plan on getting your discus from a supplier in Canada, we do have some sponsors here from Canada? If so you may want to get adult discus (4-5" or larger) or get juveniles and raise them in a separate bare bottom tank with 75%-100% daily water changes.

I have had very bad experiences with the Aquatop HOB filter series with built in UV. The filter is incredibly underpowered and the one I bought for a 50 gallon tank, hardly pushes enough water in a 20 long that it currently sits on. Why do you think it is is necessary to bring water home from work? Is it simply because of the iron??

Good luck and again welcome to the forum. I think you will make a fine discus keeper.

[Filip]

Hi Jim and welcome to Simply discus .
You have set your self to the highest challenge in discus keeping right from the start IMO ,and that is starting brand new with discus in a planted community tank .

With that said , you are allready two steps ahead of the game with your planned stocking levels . Under stocking a planted community discus tank is very important thing to start with and your plan to settle with 5-6 discus is perfect.

Now for the tips part :
1 canister on that water volume is not sufficient IMO regardless of its size and flow rate . Consider adding more filtration .

Co2 is very tricky with discus because it shifts the PH levels on a daily basis and that might bother discus on the long run . Considering some quality PH controller to set your pH on a steady level would be advisable .
Another problem with co2 enriched water is the big WCs that discus require frequently . You ll have to find a way to match the PH of your fresh water with the co2 tank pH lowered water and that can be kind of tricky too.

Lights . 100 watts Led on 150 G is a little on the low side for a planted tank IMO . What plants do you consider to keep and can they do well with this light ?

Starting with 6 grown up discus will greatly reduce your problems along the way and stretch your margin of error instead of buying juvvies to start with.

Amazonia ADA is very rich in organics and leech ammonia in the initial 1-2 months , so try to avoid or at least reduce its amount.

Leave the front area open for feeding and pooping .Avoid thick carpeting plants there .

And one last thing. Youll need at least 2 x 40-50% Wcs a Week , and given your tank volume , thats a lot of hassle to drive that much water in bucckets from work . So try to figure out an easier and faster way to do WC and youll be one step ahead in succesfull discus keeping.

Good luck with your venture Jim and please send us some pics from your tank .

[Blackat]

Thanks very much for the info Jacklyn and Filip... I had a good idea going into this project that is was going to be tricky especially that I am a beginner with these beautiful fish. The good news is that I am determined, patient and open to help and suggestions. I have used up all the available tank space in the house with this 150 gal so I won't be able to run another tank for raising Juvies. I will be looking at adults for sure. The Aquatop is a canister filter and seems to have a decent flow but could add a second smaller filter in the area I have for equipment. My intention is to keep the plants trimmed so as my co2 needs wont be so great.. I have the co2 at 2 bubbles per second right now. It is going to be a balancing act to make this all work in sync. I may have to treat and heat my water for changes here at work to do my changes as I doubt the Discus would like me dumping 10 gallons of cold tap water in at a time. I may have to do smaller water changes daily to keep it stable. right now I have anubias, a java fern and some others that I can't even guess how to spell in the tank.

I will post a picture of what I have right now when I get home from work this evening

very grateful for your help

Jim

[Mark N]

I would add that having a hospital tank and quarantine tank are essential. Even if it is just a 10 to 20 gallon tank.
I would agree as well that you will want to find a better or easier way to do water changes (before getting the fish). I can not stress this point enough. Practice it before hand as well, and look for ways to make it easier yet.
The addition of prefilter sponge on your pic up or return tube is helpful and can be added to a hospital tank quickly to cycle.
I would also run a small power head with prefilter sponge. It collects a lot before it ever gets to the bottom.
I agree adults would be best as well. Dry or freeze dried foods will be easier and cleaner as well.

I am not as experienced as most here. This comes as my own personal experiences as a newbie. I to started a planted tank. I got juvenile Discus. Two became sick , most likely due to stress from being transferred to there new home. I tried to treat them in the community tank. Turned out that was expensive and fruitless. In the end what did finally seem to help them was daily water changes, and 95 degree water temperature. Medicine really did not work. It was the high temperature that helped. I would guess your plants will not really care much for anything over 82 degrees. I know mine did not.

Best of luck with your tank.

[Blackat]

Thanks for the good info !... I certainly have lots to learn...

This is my tank so far... I'm going to add a few small fish this weekend and hope for the best..

[Filip]

Dont add small fish or any other fauna before your discus Jim. Start with discus first and after a month or two when they adjust well you can start adding other fish but considering the proper QT procedure described on this forum first . Otherwise you risk cross contaminating your expensive discus stock and a lot of headaches that comes with it .

[Blackat]

Dont add small fish or any other fauna before your discus Jim. Start with discus first and after a month or two when they adjust well you can start adding other fish but considering the proper QT procedure described on this forum first . Otherwise you risk cross contaminating your expensive discus stock and a lot of headaches that comes with it .

That makes sense Filip but if I start with adult Discus then add small fish won't the Discus eat them ? Thinking about the cardinals... or could I distract them with food and sneak them in the back door...

[Mark N]

Buy yourself a few different sized syhpon's. python offers a few that will be very helpful. Also I found a turkey baster works great to get debris off and around your driftwood and plants.

Beautiful tank buy the way!

[Blackat]

good idea Mark !... Thanks

[Neptune]

My first thought was.."holy crap this guy is going to be driving a lot of water around town!"

You might be miles ahead putting in a rust elimination system. Your whole house may benefit from it not just your back.

[Blackat]

lol... I have a truck... I can easily do 5 gallons per day

[Blackat]

its not just rust... Shallow dug well, its Nova Scotia bog water

[Neptune]

lol... I have a truck... I can easily do 5 gallons per day

5 gallons a day for a 150 gallon tank is not much.
I do 35 gallons every other day on 60 gallon tank with 9 month old fish.

there will come a time when you over feed, something is wrong and you will want to do an emergency water change and you wont have water.
I always have 30 gallons of water ready to go.

[Blackat]

water reserve... great idea... If my changes are to large the temp change shock will be hard on the fish, I will not have the luxury of heated water but can build a storage tank and pre heat the water...