Setting up my first discus tank

[legacyxboo]

I have kept freshwater tanks for a while now but this will be my first time keeping discus. I bought a 60g tank and a Marineland 360 Magniflow Canister Filter and for a heater I chose the Aqueon ProHeater 200watt. I am planning on doing a thin layer of pool filter sand at the bottom of the tank with some driftwood in the center. Of course the tank will be cycled before I get my fish and I have the API freshwater test kit for monitoring my water. The water out of my tap is 6.2 pH.

Any recommendations on what else I need to think about before I get my fish? Any additives I could put in the water to help them thrive? and what does everyone recommend feeding?

Thank you!

[Ryan925]

I have kept freshwater tanks for a while now but this will be my first time keeping discus. I bought a 60g tank and a Marineland 360 Magniflow Canister Filter and for a heater I chose the Aqueon ProHeater 200watt. I am planning on doing a thin layer of pool filter sand at the bottom of the tank with some driftwood in the center. Of course the tank will be cycled before I get my fish and I have the API freshwater test kit for monitoring my water. The water out of my tap is 6.2 pH.

Any recommendations on what else I need to think about before I get my fish? Any additives I could put in the water to help them thrive? and what does everyone recommend feeding?

Thank you!

Hi welcome and good luck. What is your plan for stocking? Number, size, source etc?

I always feel safer running 2 heaters in case of failure of one and both connected to a controller such as an inkbird

[legacyxboo]

Hi welcome and good luck. What is your plan for stocking? Number, size, source etc?

I always feel safer running 2 heaters in case of failure of one and both connected to a controller such as an inkbird

Sorry I knew as soon as I submitted it I was leaving out info. I am planning on 5-6 adults. I want my tank to be understocked rather then overstocked, does that sound like a good starting amount?
Right now I'm planning on getting them from a local high quality fish store. But I am open to suggestions for breeders.
I will look at getting a second heater before I get the fish, thanks!

[Ryan925]

Sorry I knew as soon as I submitted it I was leaving out info. I am planning on 5-6 adults. I want my tank to be understocked rather then overstocked, does that sound like a good starting amount?
Right now I'm planning on getting them from a local high quality fish store. But I am open to suggestions for breeders.
I will look at getting a second heater before I get the fish, thanks!

5-6 is always a good number.

I would strongly recommend looking at the sponsors page here. By doing that you will know exactly where the fish came from and how they are handled and avoid any potential cross contamination from a lfs purchase.

[legacyxboo]

5-6 is always a good number.

I would strongly recommend looking at the sponsors page here. By doing that you will know exactly where the fish came from and how they are handled and avoid any potential cross contamination from a lfs purchase.

I'm pretty new to this site and not sure where to find the sponsor page?

[Ryan925]

I'm pretty new to this site and not sure where to find the sponsor page?

If you scroll down the home page you will see the sponsors section towards the bottom.

They are all well respected and trusted sources of high quality fish and great customer service. Most of them will ship right to your doorstep

My fish are all from Kenny and I can't say enough about him but you will find there are many great options for you to choose from depending on what you are looking for.

[legacyxboo]

If you scroll down the home page you will see the sponsors section towards the bottom.

They are all well respected and trusted sources of high quality fish and great customer service. Most of them will ship right to your doorstep

My fish are all from Kenny and I can't say enough about him but you will find there are many great options for you to choose from depending on what you are looking for.

Thank you, I've heard a lot about Kenny. I'll definitely check him out!

[legacyxboo]

Hi welcome and good luck. What is your plan for stocking? Number, size, source etc?

I always feel safer running 2 heaters in case of failure of one and both connected to a controller such as an inkbird

Do you think my canister filter will provide enough water movement or should I also add an air stone?

[Bizarro252]

Do you think my canister filter will provide enough water movement or should I also add an air stone?

I would look into adding a sponge filter, they are cheap, easy to maintain and will add to your biofiltration.
I am VERY new but I will add in some advice from my experience thusfar

Agree with all of Ryans points, check out that sponsor section, I have heard nothing but good things about Kenny, I however went with Discus Hans and am also VERY happy with my choice Either of those are very popular and trusted sellers of amazing Discus, as I am sure any other sponsor in that section is as well - explore around and see what you like!

Skip the sand - I love my sand in my other tanks, but am VERY happy I skipped it in my discus tank, you will thank yourself later, you can get sand later when they are adults

Grab a Eihiem power gravel vac thing, a fellow member on here recommended it and I went out and got it the same day and have been very happy with it, great to do a quick cleanup before I leave for work in the morning (I do my WCs in the evenings)

Get a second heater, and one of the inkbird controllers, the green one - I just got one myself and they are awesome, high and low temp alarms and keep the water more consistent than the heater thermostat alone (in celcius mode you can control to 0.3 degrees (about half a degree F). I have a single 200w Jager heater right now and it is barely powerful enough for my 55, I have a second one coming because it is on almost all the time. As mentioned its great to have a backup as well (and in emergency could be used in a 5 gal bucket for QT/injured fish)

Check out California Blackworms in the sponsor section too, they sell through ebay and amazon as well, owned by the owner of this forum, great healthy food for your discus

I would go with 6 fish, I have 6 in my 55 and 5-6 is what seems to be the minimum stocking, 6 being a bit better at taming aggression vs 5.

Good luck!

[Kyla]

i would recommend u age-test the water (unless u already have) to see if the ph changes after aging the water.

to do this u put some water in a 5gal bucket and then aerate it for a day and retest the ph to see if there is a difference between ph straight from the tap and ph after a day of aeration.

[legacyxboo]

Thank you for all the information! I will order a sponge filter today! Gook luck with your discus as well!

[legacyxboo]

No I haven't checked it yet but I will today! Thanks!

[rightwinger59]

Get a second heater, and one of the inkbird controllers, the green one - I just got one myself and they are awesome, high and low temp alarms and keep the water more consistent than the heater thermostat alone (in celcius mode you can control to 0.3 degrees (about half a degree F). I have a single 200w Jager heater right now and it is barely powerful enough for my 55, I have a second one coming because it is on almost all the time. As mentioned its great to have a backup as well (and in emergency could be used in a 5 gal bucket for QT/injured fish).

Quick question on the Inkbird: I assume you mean this one and would you plug both of your heaters into the "heating" plug? I've never used one of these before and am a bit confused as to why they have both a "heating" and "cooling" plug...

I am about to set up my first discus tank as well - it's an 80 gallon that I drilled to run a sump along with the Fluval FX4. I was planning on using a single heater but the thought of it failing at some point has caused me to reconsider that. I'm planning on using the Fluval 300W Heater, which is fairly large. Perhaps a second one on the other side of the tank or a smaller one inside the sump would be best?

Also - as a side note (sorry for hijacking the thread!) do you have a preferred water test kit, or would this API Master Test Kit be sufficient? I'll be using a Pinpoint pH monitor to closely watch my pH, but I need to grab something for ammonia, nitrate and nitrite tests.

Thanks!

[Ryan925]

Quick question on the Inkbird: I assume you mean this one and would you plug both of your heaters into the "heating" plug? I've never used one of these before and am a bit confused as to why they have both a "heating" and "cooling" plug...

I am about to set up my first discus tank as well - it's an 80 gallon that I drilled to run a sump along with the Fluval FX4. I was planning on using a single heater but the thought of it failing at some point has caused me to reconsider that. I'm planning on using the Fluval 300W Heater, which is fairly large. Perhaps a second one on the other side of the tank or a smaller one inside the sump would be best?

Also - as a side note (sorry for hijacking the thread!) do you have a preferred water test kit, or would this API Master Test Kit be sufficient? I'll be using a Pinpoint pH monitor to closely watch my pH, but I need to grab something for ammonia, nitrate and nitrite tests.

Thanks!

If you get one with heating and cooling you want to plug both heaters into heating plug. These are used for many things which is why they have the cooling plug

There are models with two heating plugs but those don't have the audible alarms