Bad BAD NEWS!

[Vinni Smith]

Wow! That's a perfect tank for large water changes.

Yeah, yeah. I guess so! LOL

[Iminit]

Wow Vinni that sucks! Great that you noticed it. Did it leak? Good thing you had a back up tank! Well that’s great theyre building you a new one. Real nice to hear they are replacing so quickly. Hoping for the best! The discus look great!

[Vinni Smith]

Wow Vinni that sucks! Great that you noticed it. Did it leak? Good thing you had a back up tank! Well that’s great theyre building you a new one. Real nice to hear they are replacing so quickly. Hoping for the best! The discus look great!

Thanks bro. Yeah, Josh is a great guy. I buy a lot of acrylic from them. That is what our guitar picks are made of. Dealt with those guys for years.

One good thing coming out of this whole issue... Since they are recutting the acrylic, I redesigned the top. I did not make the access holes quite big enough the first time around. HOB filter did not fit down into the tank quite as nice as I had hoped it would. Also, it was a bit hard to get to the front of the tank to wipe it off. I think those issues will be corrected the 2nd time around.

[Iminit]

Nice! What are they doing with the old tank? Did the new one come yet? Best of luck with it!

[Vinni Smith]

Nice! What are they doing with the old tank? Did the new one come yet? Best of luck with it!

I'm not sure what he is going to want me to do with the tank.
If he wants it back, I will return it.
If he does not, I may sell it as a reptile tank.

Here is his letter to me yesterday...

I wanted to give you an update, the manufacturer is giving us a credit for the material which is huge! This is only the second time we’ve been reimbursed for bad material. Unfortunately with the addition of our new cnc router the air compressor we’ve had since 1950 finally played out and without 14 cfm of air neither machine runs. Long story short, I am down until they come install the new air compressor which is supposed to be Monday. Your parts will be the first thing we run so I’ll let you know when they come off the router and let you know when it’ll be ready for pick up.

Thank you sir!

[LizStreithorst]

That's impressive! I'm glad that the Discus are happy in their new, smaller tank until the new one is ready.

[peewee1]

Vinni, you are providing us with a good example of what it means to buy from a reputable company. And good for you for doing so.

[danotaylor]

[Vinni Smith]

Wow! That's a perfect tank for large water changes.

You would be proud of me to know I have indeed been doing 50% WC daily since my tank mishap. 14 discus in 56 gallons seems just too crowded to me and it seems parameters can get out of whack real fast. Don't want that to happen!

The new tank is not ready yet. They had a break-down of equipment at the shop. It is really not a problem that I see at this point. Everyone is doing very well, even though they are crowded.

It almost seems they like being crowded more than they like wide open spaces. Is that the case? They don't even mind the dreaded siphon tube lately. They come over and pick on it during the WC.

Since the tank is downstairs, I have been leaving the room lights on and only the blue lights on the aquarium. It think the blue seems to calm them more than full spectrum. Is that true?

That's all for now,

V

[peewee1]

The blue is supposed to replicate the moon in a fish's world. Fish sleep but they also need to be aware of nocturnal predators so one would reason that they need to seen one coming at all times. A dim light but enough to see would seem to reduce stress at all times.

[LizStreithorst]

I would be doing more than 50 percent daily, but that's just me. I'm not as obsessed as Willie with WC but if I had 14 Discus in a 55 I'd be doing around 75 percent. Just keep an eye on the fish. They'll tell you if you're doing enough.

[Vinni Smith]

I would be doing more than 50 percent daily, but that's just me. I'm not as obsessed as Willie with WC but if I had 14 Discus in a 55 I'd be doing around 75 percent. Just keep an eye on the fish. They'll tell you if you're doing enough.

Funny you should say that Liz. I did about 75% tonight.

Everyone is doing fantastic except one. Before I met you folks, I ordered 5 fish from a dealer and all the rest came from Hans, Miranda and Macs. Well, 2 are remaining out of the 5. One is FANTASTIC, the other quit eating as soon as I moved them all into the smaller tank. He wasn't doing that great before the move. If he gets any skinnier, I am going to give him the adios as much as I hate doing that. SO, I will end up with only 1 out of the 5 from that batch. That stinks!

[Willie]

So let me explain why I do a 100% water change daily.

When I started keeping discus, I did 100% weekly. The adults did fine, but the younger fish clearly did not grow as well as they could have. So after a decade of frustration, I'd come home after work, pop in the Python, siphon out 30% of the water and refilled the tank.

I had one of those high pressure, sales jobs. By the time I got home, I was totally beat. Inevitably I would nod off in the fish room waiting for the water to drain. At some point, I'd wake up when the Python loses the suction and popped out. So 30% became 40%, which became 50%, then 60%. When the water changes reached 70%, I became more more refreshed and a solution for consistent water changes became obvious.

When water level reaches the bottom of the tank, the discus turn into flying pancakes. So 100% water changes provide a refreshing rest and allowed me to be a good parent and spouse for the rest of the evening. Nowadays, a high pressure job is no longer necessary to induce napping.

And the discus grow like bull elephants!

[Vinni Smith]

OK Willie.
You would be proud of me. I did a 90% WC today. Yep.
Now, please know, I don't shy away from doing them because I am busy. Every day is a Saturday for me and I have all the time I need. However, It just has always seemed to be counter productive in my mind. With the stress on the fish and the bacteria getting adequate food.
Up until today I have been doing 50% daily.
But, I am going to continue doing this 90% at least until the new acrylic replacement aquarium shows up and the fish are moved back into it.

[LizStreithorst]

You do age your water, don't you Vinni?