My First Discus Tank - 4ft with Sump

[steakman]

I'm getting some brown fuzzy algae growth on my Manzanite wood. The tank is in the first week of it's cycle so there are no fish, will this clear up on it's own. See my picture below.

I had the same problem as yours. After 2 weeks, these fuzzy things would not disappear on their own, I put in a few hungry brittle-nose pleco. They sucked them clean. They love to hang up side down on those branches.

[Chunks]

Ok cool! I am getting some bristle nose cats the minute the cycle is done so hopefully they'll attack that stuff with a vengeance.

Is there anyway to speed up the cycle? I'm getting bored of the empty tank. I have heard about these "bacteria start" things but do they really work? If they do it would be worth the money... Or what about a seeded sponge from another discus tank?

[gonçalo vale]

Very nice work!

[strawberryblonde]

You can eliminate the wait for the tank to cycle if you purchase 2 seeded hydro sponges from your discus source (I think you mentioned using one of the Aussie sponsors, right?). Just toss them into the sump and run an air pump and line to them for a couple of weeks while your sump bio-media catches up.

I did that when I moved my discus to their new big tank and it worked perfectly.

[Sean Buehrle]

Your tank looks good , nice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Chunks]

Just a small update, I got some plants from a seller on eBay! They cane well packed and survive the overnight freight. All the plants have been in 24+ hours now and seem to be doing well. I will update the post later with specifics of plants, but it's a few swords, crypts, Anibius and java ferns.

I tried my best to scape it to give a pleasing look, rule of thirds... Etc

Let me know what you think.

I haven't tested the water parameters since the introduction of plants, the tank is being cycled, so I'm not sure how they will affect it. I will test tomorrow.

[Chunks]

So I tested the water parameters this morning. The ammonia is about 0.50ppm, nitrite 0 and nitrates 0. The worrying thing though is my ph level it's around the 8.2 to 8.4 mark... Should I be worried? There are no fish in the tank so that's not an issue, but it may cause the cycle to stall? Right or wrong?

The cycle is in it's 12th day. Not quite two weeks yet but the ammonia has dropped from 4/5ppm to 0.50ppm in that time. Is this normal?

The ph out of the tap is 7.6, so I don't understand how it could increase?

Is a water change needed? The thing is i have to wait until the ammonia drops to 0 and I get a spike in the nitrites and then nitrates should appear also? Again right or wrong?

Please help? Looking for some comments on the layout as well?

[CrazyAngels]

Not to worry, looks like the cycle is doing it's thing. Nitrites should begin to show up very soon, but you must have patience as I had a tank take 10 weeks before the cycle was complete. The PH may be normal, as you should always check your PH after it has sat overnight in your aging barrel and aerated. In my town, mine drops by .5 so it goes from 8 to 7.5. There are many hobbyist that keep their discus in 8+ PH so yours should not be an issue, IMO. HTH

[Chunks]

Not to worry, looks like the cycle is doing it's thing. Nitrites should begin to show up very soon, but you must have patience as I had a tank take 10 weeks before the cycle was complete. The PH may be normal, as you should always check your PH after it has sat overnight in your aging barrel and aerated. In my town, mine drops by .5 so it goes from 8 to 7.5. There are many hobbyist that keep their discus in 8+ PH so yours should not be an issue, IMO. HTH

Thanks CrazyAngels I guess I just have to be patient, that's the hard part.

I spoke with the LFS guy and he said that the town I live in has soft alkaline water? I looked it up on google, it's possible apparently but rare? That would be right... I have to be the one that gets weird water?

Has anybody heard of this or got the same type of water?

[Darrell Ward]

I guess anything is possible. Water even circles the drain the wrong way in that part of the world! People drive on the wrong side of the road, etc. Tank looks fine. Very clean looking.

[Disgirl]

Thanks CrazyAngels I guess I just have to be patient, that's the hard part.

I spoke with the LFS guy and he said that the town I live in has soft alkaline water? I looked it up on google, it's possible apparently but rare? That would be right... I have to be the one that gets weird water?

Has anybody heard of this or got the same type of water?

Chunks, that is just the kind of water we had for the first 2 years of my discus keeping here. They have grown from 1 1/2" babies to large and healthy adults, no problems at all. Just keep it clean, warm and feed them well. Now our water is hard and alkaline, switched water sources, and the fish adapted overnight with no problems. They are tough fish. All they seem to need is very clean water, ph and hardness seem not to matter unless you are breeding them, which I am not. Good luck with your good looking tank!
Barb

[Chunks]

Well it's been awhile since I posted... Shame on me but you all know how time gets away.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I have my tank cycled, 7 discus, 4 Cory sterbai and a bristle nose all settling in nicely in to my tank.

I got a seeded sponge from a discus importer so that fixed the cycle process. I got three red two snow whites and two red leopards.

Here's a video for you all to see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iZnS8LAn3o

[Chunks]

And another video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlagN_OfQ8E

[DiscusBR]

Nice to hear cycling went well. Any full-tank, panoramic pictures/film?

[Chunks]

I'd love to hear what you think of my fish? Honest opinions welcome