A few boring questions...

[gorgin4325]

Hello Discus fans,

I have been growing out 12 Discus in a 75 gallon + 40 gallon sump. They have put on some size and I have been noticing some aggressive behavior.

This morning I found a crazy deal on a used 155 gallon bowfront reef-ready tank that has two overflows with 4 holes drilled in the bottom panel. I also found a great deal on Black Friday on a Fluval FX6 and picked one up.

My goal is to use the FX6 on the new to me tank. I plan on taking the overflow boxes off, completely cleaning the tank, and re-sealing the entire tank before I use it.

How do you suggest I cap off the holes? My first thought was to silicone a piece of thick glass over the holes. Then I thought about some kind of cap/bulkhead combo. Another option is a bulkhead with PVC through it, then cap off both ends of the PVC... I'm sure there are a million other ways. What do you suggest?

Now a more Discus specific question. After I get the 155 going, I plan on separating the fish to give them more room. Maybe 5 in the 75+40 and 7 in the 155. Am I on the right track here? Will giving them more room help with aggression? Should I add some wood or taller plants to both tanks to create a kind of wall or barrier in the tank? Will that help with aggression? They are only about 4 1/2 inches now and I'm worried when they get bigger... Their current tank is bare-bottom with a ton of plants growing in their sump.

Any help/advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers,
G

[jeep]

This morning I found a crazy deal on a used 155 gallon bowfront reef-ready tank that has two overflows with 4 holes drilled in the bottom panel. I also found a great deal on Black Friday on a Fluval FX6 and picked one up.

How do you suggest I cap off the holes? My first thought was to silicone a piece of thick glass over the holes. Then I thought about some kind of cap/bulkhead combo. Another option is a bulkhead with PVC through it, then cap off both ends of the PVC... I'm sure there are a million other ways. What do you suggest?

Now a more Discus specific question. After I get the 155 going, I plan on separating the fish to give them more room. Maybe 5 in the 75+40 and 7 in the 155. Am I on the right track here? Will giving them more room help with aggression? Should I add some wood or taller plants to both tanks to create a kind of wall or barrier in the tank? Will that help with aggression? They are only about 4 1/2 inches now and I'm worried when they get bigger... Their current tank is bare-bottom with a ton of plants growing in their sump.

Nice job on the 155!!! I think you are definitely on the right track as far as overall size of tank to number of discus. A 75 is just too small for 12 adult discus. I'm not sure if driftwood or plants will decrease aggression, but I don't think it would. Maybe the increased tank size will help with that. The aggression could be territorial or jealousy. I have 7 adults in a 60g tank and although there's no real aggression, they all use up about 1 foot of space trying to get the attention of a female wanting to spawn, lol...

I like the bulkhead option. Easy to install and remove if you decide later on...

[gorgin4325]

Nice job on the 155!!! I think you are definitely on the right track as far as overall size of tank to number of discus. A 75 is just too small for 12 adult discus. I'm not sure if driftwood or plants will decrease aggression, but I don't think it would. Maybe the increased tank size will help with that. The aggression could be territorial or jealousy. I have 7 adults in a 60g tank and although there's no real aggression, they all use up about 1 foot of space trying to get the attention of a female wanting to spawn, lol...

I like the bulkhead option. Easy to install and remove if you decide later on...

Thank you. I like the bulkhead option too, and I think it will be a better option.

As for the tanks, I think I'll add a few clay pots with Eco-Complete and plant some plants that can handle higher temps. I can try Amazon Swords and maybe some Jungle Val and see how they do in 86 degree water!

Thanks again,