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Thread: Tank Setup Questionaire

  1. #31
    MVP Oct.2015 discuspaul's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire

    I'm finding the recent developments in this thread to be a touch confusing to me, so I guess I need some sorting out.
    It appears to me that a couple of earlier posts (other than those mentioned below) may not have been responded to.

    Have any of you, i.e.- drob 85; musicmarn1; or FishfromPhilly - had your questionnaire posts responded to yet - perhaps elsewhere, on another thread you may have begun ?

    If not, please say so, and I'll be happy to respond when I can.

  2. #32
    Registered Member musicmarn1's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire

    no not yet, thankyou so much for offering !

    main concern is well water and aging, i cant seem to age my water because it gets full of dog hair and cat hair (training in my home and rescue/rehabilitate shelter dogs so about 15 dogs a day) its just in the air from all the vacuuming and i will have to get a large tall container drill a hole in the lid fill it up with a hose and use a sump pump? (need to know how to set this up so water goes into the tank and how i switch this off if anyone can help there) to get water into the tank, and a heater and agitation.

    my well water from the tap is 8 and then 7.6 in the tank the next day, GH was 8 bh was 5, i have 11 dime sized fry, they are now growing past that, some are huge and some are teeeny and yet all are active and eating well and no bullying yet. i have three 3" and i have 2 LFS discus that are not sick but were totally and utterly starved to death and rescuing them feels like the best thing i ever did. if they die they die but at least they are eating and happy.

    so ANY help on how to get my guys the absolute best care i can give them, im feeding about 6 times a day, small portions until its pretty much all gone im doing two 30% -50 or even 60% percent WC a day (does that mean the pH is staying more stable the test gives me the same blue reading each time meaning 7.6 BUT its not as precise as a ph meter so im not sure how much it changes since i keep replacing lots of water that should make it more stable right?)

    i keep the temp at 86 right now, had some minor fluctuations and heart palpitations from water-changes, why im desperate to get a tank set up to store age, agitate and heat water before it goes in the tank, i had a python but id rather ruin my wood floor with bucket changes than risk the fluctuations from the tap.

    i have a fluval c4 HOB with ceramic nodes, a carbon, filter pad and bio screen and a marineland hob i just stuffed full of sponges and filter floss, i got a seperate sponge filter just in case but not set that up yet. got java fern and moss driftwood and rocks but bare bottom, put in an amazon sword in a pot and they love it.

    So im getting a 100 gallon tank for them, will be bare bottom to start then planted when everyone ready and healthy, im more concerned about making my water just right and keeping them growing, id like to grow my own white worms and make my own beef-heart seafood mix. ill add some pictures, excuse the quality and i know the LFS little ones are horrible i couldnt stand another week waiting for them to die !

  3. #33
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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire

    1) Please Introduce your self and tell us what your experience is with fishkeeping, give us as much information as possible as to how long in the hobby, what you have kept in the past and what you currently are working with.

    1.A) My name is Taylor and I currently have a 75 gallon oscar tank with a lone oscar in it. The oscar was originally purchased by my wife 8 years ago and has been with us the entire time. I currently run 2 Eheim 2215's with sponge pre-filters, 2 Fluval C4's with sponge pre-filters, and an Oxygen Plus 2 Sponge filter hooked up to a Whisper 100 air pump. I clean the filters once per month on rotation. Every week a different filter gets cleaned. For cleaning filters I drain some tank water in to a 5 gallon bucket and gently clean the media. Tap water would destroy a large portion of my beneficial bacteria colonies. For that tank I perform 2 water changes per week, 80% on Sundays & 50% on Wednesdays. If I notice a lot of excess poo I may just do a 5 gallon syphon to get that out of the tank.



    2) If you have no previous experience with keeping discus, have you done any research to properly prepare yourself, e.g. have you read any Stickies in this section of SimplyDiscus, or other material?

    2.A) No experience with discus. I've been doing some massive research for a couple of weeks which is what led me here. I've been reading through the stickies in the beginner sections as well as several other posts/threads.



    3) Describe your tank, its size and dimensions, breeding or display. Include how long it has been setup or if it is still being cycled.

    3.A) I have a spare 55 gallon tank (48"x12") and stand sitting in my garage. I'd use that and it would be a display tank. It's not currently set up and would need to be cycled. I know how to do a proper fishless cycle and that would be done before placing the fish in to the tank.



    4) Describe the décor for the tank; type of substrate or bare bottom (BB), whether the tank will be planted or a biotope.

    4.A) I would do a BB 55 gal tank with a large piece of drift wood for decor. No plants. Keeping an Oscar meant I could never have live plants or they would have been destroyed by her. So having no experience with planted tanks and reading the several threads advising against it, Im going to take heed and just do the driftwood. I have driftwood in my Oscar tank, Im aware it needs to be boiled and soaked for several weeks before being put in to the tank.



    5) Describe your water changes planned or practiced, percentage and how often. Include if you age your water and use of tap/RO or mix.

    5.A) My water change practices for my Oscar tank were outlined above. For the discus I am aware that Im not going to be able to put the water straight from the tap in to my tank with my Python. For the record, I don't just put tap water in the Oscar tank at any temp. I treat the tank with my Prime and then add water of the same temp to ensure there is no stress to the fish. Im aware that with the discus I will have to invest in a large container to age water for 24 hours, and then pump it in to the tank during my water changes. I also understand that daily water changes will be normal for a discus tank. Minimum of 3 large changes per week with daily poop cleanings (25-50% change on those days).



    6) Describe the type of filtration planned/used for the tank; sponge, HOB and/or sump. Also include the other equipment you are, or will be, using in your tank, e.g. heater, lighting, etc.

    6.A) I will use two Fluval C4's with sponge pre-filters (no carbon, I NEVER use carbon. I add an extra pad instead). I don't currently have a heater that is suitable. I need to purchase one that can maintain a constant temp of 84°F.



    7) If the tank is already setup and running, include the water parameters;

    7.A) The tank is not setup, but here are the params for my oscar tank

    - temp - 79°F (too low for discus, I know)

    - tank ph - 7

    - Ph of the water straight out of your tap - 7 (I do not treat for pH as 7 is right in line as acceptable for Oscar keeping)

    - ammonia reading - 0

    - nitrite reading -0

    - nitrate reading - generally >10ppm. I do enough water changes and have enough filtration to never see a spike

    - municipal water



    8) Describe your current or planned stocking levels; number/size of discus and number/type of dither fish. Where did you get your discus from or do you have a proposed source for getting your discus?

    8.A) I'd stock 5 discus in the 55 gal tank. I would buy them as juveniles and grow them out. No proposed source as of yet, I just know it will NOT be my LFS. No dither fish.



    9) Describe your planned or existing feeding regimen. Include what and how often you are feeding on a daily basis.

    9.A) A quality frozen shrimp/blood worm/krill as well as Hikari Discus Bio Gold. After using Hikari products for my Oscar they have made a life time customer out of me. Feeding would be 4-5 times as juveniles with decreased feeding as they grow and age.



    10) What are your goals in this hobby? For example are you looking to keep discus in a planted community tank, or do you hope to become a hobby breeder of Discus? Do you want to raise Discus with the hopes of competing in shows?

    10.A) I have no desire to be a breeder or compete in shows. I just want a tank to put in my family room that has discus in it. I won't be planted and my main goal is not to breed. If I hapeen to have fish that breed, great. If not, that's fine by me. Discus are just great looking fish and I'd love to have a tank in my house dedicated to them.
    Last edited by QUA1L; 07-31-2013 at 11:27 AM.

  4. #34
    MVP Oct.2015 discuspaul's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire

    You are obviously well prepared, Quail, so you should do well with discus.
    Go for it & best of luck to you.

  5. #35
    Registered Member strawberryblonde's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire

    Quote Originally Posted by QUA1L View Post
    1) Please Introduce your self and tell us what your experience is with fishkeeping, give us as much information as possible as to how long in the hobby, what you have kept in the past and what you currently are working with.

    3.A) I have a spare 55 gallon tank (48"x12") and stand sitting in my garage. I'd use that and it would be a display tank. It's not currently set up and would need to be cycled. I know how to do a proper fishless cycle and that would be done before placing the fish in to the tank.

    5) Describe your water changes planned or practiced, percentage and how often. Include if you age your water and use of tap/RO or mix.

    5.A) My water change practices for my Oscar tank were outlined above. For the discus I am aware that Im not going to be able to put the water straight from the tap in to my tank with my Python. For the record, I don't just put tap water in the Oscar tank at any temp. I treat the tank with my Prime and then add water of the same temp to ensure there is no stress to the fish. Im aware that with the discus I will have to invest in a large container to age water for 24 hours, and then pump it in to the tank during my water changes. I also understand that daily water changes will be normal for a discus tank. Minimum of 3 large changes per week with daily poop cleanings (25-50% change on those days).



    7) If the tank is already setup and running, include the water parameters;

    7.A) The tank is not setup, but here are the params for my oscar tank

    - temp - 79°F (too low for discus, I know)

    - tank ph - 7

    - Ph of the water straight out of your tap - 7 (I do not treat for pH as 7 is right in line as acceptable for Oscar keeping)

    - ammonia reading - 0

    - nitrite reading -0

    - nitrate reading - generally >10ppm. I do enough water changes and have enough filtration to never see a spike

    - municipal water



    8) Describe your current or planned stocking levels; number/size of discus and number/type of dither fish. Where did you get your discus from or do you have a proposed source for getting your discus?

    8.A) I'd stock 5 discus in the 55 gal tank. I would buy them as juveniles and grow them out. No proposed source as of yet, I just know it will NOT be my LFS. No dither fish.



    9) Describe your planned or existing feeding regimen. Include what and how often you are feeding on a daily basis.

    9.A) A quality frozen shrimp/blood worm/krill as well as Hikari Discus Bio Gold. After using Hikari products for my Oscar they have made a life time customer out of me. Feeding would be 4-5 times as juveniles with decreased feeding as they grow and age.
    Hi Taylor and welcome to the forums! This place is awesome and gave me the knowledge to start raising and keeping discus a couple of years ago so you came to the right place. =)

    I quoted the portions of your post that might need a little tweaking on your part.

    First up is the size of the tank. It's AWESOME for growing out discus, but might end up being too small once they reach full adult size, so just keep it in the back of your head that you might need to upgrade in a year or so, ok? I know that it's usually 10 gallons of water per adult discus, but just so you know, if you raise them right they might surprise you and end up being just plain too big to fit comfortably in the footprint of a 55.

    5.A) So long as your tap water doesn't undergo a pH shift over the course of 24 hours of aeration, there's really no reason not to just use straight tap water for water changes. Mine doesn't shift, so I've never aged it. I do stuff a chunk of foam into the end of the python siphon during refills just to solve the micro bubble problem. One other note, for juvies you'll want to do at least one LARGE water change per day and possibly one smaller one in the mornings. (I can't promise that the second water change will produce jumbo discus, but that's what worked for me)

    7.A) The only thing I see for your Oscar tank that isn't optimal for a discus tank, especially for growing discus, is the nitrate levels. An ideal level would be zero, but if you keep it to 5ppm or less you'll do just fine. =)

    8.A) Definitely on the right track with this one! Check out all of our sponsors, ask lots of questions of people who have purchased from them and then make your choice. I can vouch for Discus Hans in the sponsor section. He's wonderful to work with and has GORGEOUS healthy discus. Others here can tell you about Kenny's Discus, Chicago Discus, Florida Discus and NJ Discus just to name a few. I love them all, but have never purchased from them.

    And that's it! You sound like you have a good grasp of the essentials and are ready to get started on cycling your tank.

    Oh wait...just reread your post and noticed the bit about foods. The Hikari foods are great, but if you can skip the bloodworm, shrimp/krill thing altogether your discus will thank you and you'll thank yourself when you don't have to wean them off of it. Instead, plan to feed frozen beefheart, freeze dried blackworms or bloodworms and a quality discus flake food. They love variety and if they're like mine they'll become addicted to freeze dried blackworms (lots more protein in them than frozen bloodworms/shrimp and krill).
    Toni

    120g - 10
    discus, 4 cory's, 50+ Cardinals for now... give it a month and it'll change!

  6. #36
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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire

    Quote Originally Posted by strawberryblonde View Post
    Hi Taylor and welcome to the forums! This place is awesome and gave me the knowledge to start raising and keeping discus a couple of years ago so you came to the right place. =)

    I quoted the portions of your post that might need a little tweaking on your part.

    First up is the size of the tank. It's AWESOME for growing out discus, but might end up being too small once they reach full adult size, so just keep it in the back of your head that you might need to upgrade in a year or so, ok? I know that it's usually 10 gallons of water per adult discus, but just so you know, if you raise them right they might surprise you and end up being just plain too big to fit comfortably in the footprint of a 55.

    5.A) So long as your tap water doesn't undergo a pH shift over the course of 24 hours of aeration, there's really no reason not to just use straight tap water for water changes. Mine doesn't shift, so I've never aged it. I do stuff a chunk of foam into the end of the python siphon during refills just to solve the micro bubble problem. One other note, for juvies you'll want to do at least one LARGE water change per day and possibly one smaller one in the mornings. (I can't promise that the second water change will produce jumbo discus, but that's what worked for me)

    7.A) The only thing I see for your Oscar tank that isn't optimal for a discus tank, especially for growing discus, is the nitrate levels. An ideal level would be zero, but if you keep it to 5ppm or less you'll do just fine. =)

    8.A) Definitely on the right track with this one! Check out all of our sponsors, ask lots of questions of people who have purchased from them and then make your choice. I can vouch for Discus Hans in the sponsor section. He's wonderful to work with and has GORGEOUS healthy discus. Others here can tell you about Kenny's Discus, Chicago Discus, Florida Discus and NJ Discus just to name a few. I love them all, but have never purchased from them.

    And that's it! You sound like you have a good grasp of the essentials and are ready to get started on cycling your tank.

    Oh wait...just reread your post and noticed the bit about foods. The Hikari foods are great, but if you can skip the bloodworm, shrimp/krill thing altogether your discus will thank you and you'll thank yourself when you don't have to wean them off of it. Instead, plan to feed frozen beefheart, freeze dried blackworms or bloodworms and a quality discus flake food. They love variety and if they're like mine they'll become addicted to freeze dried blackworms (lots more protein in them than frozen bloodworms/shrimp and krill).
    Thank you for the replies as they are much appreciated.

    If I can find a 75 gallon cheap I would just skip the 55 altogether to prevent myself from having to change over. I've read that 4 discus is the minimum amount you would want in a tank but I see a lot of people saying 6 would work in a 55. I've also read 11 gal per adult. I know some people say you can keep an Oscar in a 55 gallon but I think 75 gallon is the minimum. So I understand the thought, don't always go with the "minimum".

    My pH does not shift whatsoever. It's 7 everytime I test out of the tap and 7 everytime I test prior/post water changes. Perhaps Im lucky there? Im more than ok with large water changes everyday, especially on a bare bottom tank. Maybe Im sick and twisted, but I love doing water changes and keeping a prestine tank. It pays off when people come over and comment on the purity and cleanliness of my Oscar tank.

    My nitrates honestly rarely go above 5. I would be lying if I saw it's never happened though. I have never seen it above 10 however. Nitrates are a silent killer. In the Oscar world less than 20 is the acceptable mark although 0 is always preferred and I try to be as close to 0 as possible. I want my test as yellow as it can be. haha. I find it incredibly frustrating when I hear LFS employees telling people that 300 (yes, 300!!!) is an acceptable number.

    I don't feed my Oscar frozen anything. I was under the impression that frozen krill/shrimp/etc.. was needed for their diet. If it's not that is more than ok by me as I've never found them to be vital for my Oscar. I feed the oscar insects that have not been treated with pesticides. That's her "snack" and the Hikari is her staple food source.

    Thank you again for the responses.

  7. #37
    Registered Member strawberryblonde's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire

    Ahhh, so glad you're not married to the idea of bloodworms and shrimp! =)

    You can order the freeze dried blackworms from one of the sponsors on this site. My discus are super picky and insist on only having Al's FDBW's. (Al owns these forums so I feel good about tossing my money his way). For the flake foods mine get a variety of Discus flakes including a new one by Cobalt brands that is endorsed by Discus Hans, Ocean Nutrition Discus Flakes and a Spirulina Flake. For the frozen beefheart I just buy San Fransisco Bay Brand and I buy it online in BULK! The shipping cost is the same no matter how much I order, so lemme tell ya, I save some major bucks by purchasing at least 12 packages at a time and it keeps well in the freezer.

    A 75g would be perfect for 6 discus. I'm just guessing here based on how you filled out the questionnaire, but I'd bet that you're going to grow out some larger sized discus. I was new to the hobby 2 years ago and didn't know any better, so I followed the advice on these forums to the letter (2 daily water changes and feed 6 times a day) and ended up with a tank of jumbo discus! There's no WAY I could ever fit them all into a 55g tank. In fact, I just recently had to put 3 of them in my 55g for a week and the poor guys barely had room to swim. LOL
    Toni

    120g - 10
    discus, 4 cory's, 50+ Cardinals for now... give it a month and it'll change!

  8. #38
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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire

    Awesome, I am new to this forum coming from reef tanks, I will fill it out thanks for the info!!!

    Shane

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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire

    This questionnaire may be used to either help you to describe your new tank setup for discus or
    be a “food for thought” checklist while you consider what your goals are with your new discus tank

    1) Please Introduce your self and tell us what your experience is with fishkeeping, give us as much information as possible as to how long in the hobby, what you have kept in the past and what you currently are working with.

    My name is Shane and I have kept saltwater tanks and reef tanks for the past 15-20 years, I have bred and raised clownfish. I currently have a 30 g reef clownfish tank.
    I have a empty 120 g sump setup I would like to turn into a planted discus tank

    2) If you have no previous experience with keeping discus, have you done any research to properly prepare yourself, e.g. have you read any Stickies in this section of SimplyDiscus, or other material?

    I have no previous experience with discus but have read all the stickies and have done a bunch of research.

    3) Describe your tank, its size and dimensions, breeding or display. Include how long it has been setup or if it is still being cycled.

    I have a empty 120g tank, I believe it's 6 feet long by 24 inches high, it has two over flows. Right now it is empty, I am looking to turn it into a display discus tank with live plants.

    4) Describe the décor for the tank; type of substrate or bare bottom (BB), whether the tank will be planted or a biotope.

    I would like to have pebbles as a substrate, wood, rocks, and plants.

    5) Describe your water changes planned or practiced, percentage and how often. Include if you age your water and use of tap/RO or mix.

    Coming from a ref tank I would do a 25-50% water change either weekly or bi weekly

    6) Describe the type of filtration planned/used for the tank; sponge, HOB and/or sump. Also include the other equipment you are, or will be, using in your tank, e.g. heater, lighting, etc.

    I have a sump pump set up, with heaters of course and I have many different types of lighting, compact mostly


    7) If the tank is already setup and running, include the water parameters;

    - temp _____

    - tank ph _____

    - Ph of the water straight out of your tap _____

    - ammonia reading ____

    - nitrite reading ____

    - nitrate reading ____

    - well water ____

    - municipal water ____


    8) Describe your current or planned stocking levels; number/size of discus and number/type of dither fish. Where did you get your discus from or do you have a proposed source for getting your discus?

    I would like to have 10-20 discus , a bunch of neon tetras for the kids and some plecos, suggestions greatly welcome, and I do not have a place to purchase the discus, suggestions also greatly welcome.


    9) Describe your planned or existing feeding regimen. Include what and how often you are feeding on a daily basis.

    Suggestions??

    10) What are your goals in this hobby? For example are you looking to keep discus in a planted community tank, or do you hope to become a hobby breeder of Discus? Do you want to raise Discus with the hopes of competing in shows?

    My goals for this tank are to setup a amazing viewing tank and experience for my kids and my family to enjoy, I would in the future as I did with the clownfish is to try and breed successfully ..


    Thanks

    Shane

  10. #40
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire

    Hi Shane, As you may know most here go by one fish per 10 gallons so 20 is a little overkill but 10 should be perfect. Also please consider upping your WC schedule especially if you do not get adult fish, best to grow those out in a BB tank. I would also suggest sand as a substade over pebbles. Pebbles will collect a lot of junk. Please check out the sponsor section for your discus.
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


  11. #41
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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire

    1) Please Introduce your self and tell us what your experience is with fishkeeping, give us as much information as possible as to how long in the hobby, what you have kept in the past and what you currently are working with: My name is Ariel Ferrer, I have about 20 years experience with fish keeping, Never Discus, during the past 10 years I did NOT have an aquarium since I did not have the time to dedicate, now I am coming back to the hobby, I am starting a 72 gal. tank, NO FISH at the moment, I am conditioning the water and the plants first, I also will like to have 4 to 6 Discus only plus the cleaning crew...

    2) If you have no previous experience with keeping discus, have you done any research to properly prepare yourself, e.g. have you read any Stickies in this section of SimplyDiscus, or other material? I already read two books one for Discus only and another one for Chichilds, plus I have being reading in this Forum for the last three weeks.

    3) Describe your tank, its size and dimensions, breeding or display. Include how long it has been setup or if it is still being cycled. My tank is 72 gal. Bow Shape, for display, it is in the set up process during the last month, I have a ph monitor, a Digital Temperature sensor with alarm and schedule for filtration and other changes.

    4) Describe the décor for the tank; type of substrate or bare bottom (BB), whether the tank will be planted or a biotope. An small driftwood with Java Moss, yesterday I plant Java Fern, at the back of the two flat walls so fish will have a place to hide, substrate: Top layer Eco Complete Planted Brown Aquarium Substrate over marine sand stone. and in the center an "S" road with small river stones as boundaries for the white sand where nothing will be planted.

    5) Describe your water changes planned or practiced, percentage and how often. Include if you age your water and use of tap/RO or mix. 20 % with RO water every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

    6) Describe the type of filtration planned/used for the tank; sponge, HOB and/or sump. Also include the other equipment you are, or will be, using in your tank, e.g. heater, lighting, etc.. Aqualife light with one 10,000K lamp and another 6,500K with two independent timers to mimic sunrise, midday and sunset, Fluval 305 new sponges inside, already with the following media: carbon, ZeroCarb, Peat, Bio MAX.

    7) If the tank is already setup and running, include the water parameters;Tank is NOT set up yet ph still high 8.3, total solids and hardness still high, this coming week a Discus buffer will be added.

    - temp _78 F__

    - tank ph _____

    - Ph of the water straight out of your tap _8.5____

    - ammonia reading _Zero___

    - nitrite reading _Zero___

    - nitrate reading _Zero___

    - well water _No___

    - municipal water _Yes, but will be using RO water___


    8) Describe your current or planned stocking levels; number/size of discus and number/type of dither fish. Where did you get your discus from or do you have a proposed source for getting your discus?. Planning to have 4 to 6 Discus of the same size, I am already quoting in different sources including this Forum...No Fish at the moment.

    9) Describe your planned or existing feeding regimen. Include what and how often you are feeding on a daily basis. No fish at the moment will follow the recommended Feeding Regimen of my Discus Book. Not only flakes but worms and if possible an special treat on weekends.

    10) What are your goals in this hobby? For example are you looking to keep discus in a planted community tank, or do you hope to become a hobby breeder of Discus? Do you want to raise Discus with the hopes of competing in shows? Only Discus in my tank, plus the cleaning crew, too early to think about being a breeder or to be in shows. Since genetics are so important to the shows..... I think always Mother Nature will beat anyone with an undiscovered wild Fish we don't know about

  12. #42
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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire

    Quote Originally Posted by Second Hand Pat View Post
    Hi Shane, As you may know most here go by one fish per 10 gallons so 20 is a little overkill but 10 should be perfect. Also please consider upping your WC schedule especially if you do not get adult fish, best to grow those out in a BB tank. I would also suggest sand as a substade over pebbles. Pebbles will collect a lot of junk. Please check out the sponsor section for your discus.

    Thanks Pat,

    I will up my water changes to at least a minimum of twice a week, or as needed and will not use pebbles, I will use a sand type,

    What is the best substrate for plants??

  13. #43
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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire

    1) Please Introduce your self and tell us what your experience is with fishkeeping, give us as much information as possible as to how long in the hobby, what you have kept in the past and what you currently are working with.
    Hi my name is Joe i live in Darwin NT Australia
    I have always kept large fish and large tanks fairly successfully and recently set up a planted tank and then got bitten by the discus bug

    2) If you have no previous experience with keeping discus, have you done any research to properly prepare yourself, e.g. have you read any Stickies in this section of SimplyDiscus, or other material? I have read alot on this site and it has been very helpful

    3) Describe your tank, its size and dimensions, breeding or display. Include how long it has been setup or if it is still being cycled.
    Display tank 30" high 60" wide and 24" deep it has been set up with angels and tetras and is fully cycled

    4) Describe the décor for the tank; type of substrate or bare bottom (BB), whether the tank will be planted or a biotope.
    i am have 2 large pieces of driftwood and 2 large anubius 4 amazon swords floating water lettuce about 2" deep natural black substrait and some rocks

    5) Describe your water changes planned or practiced, percentage and how often. Include if you age your water and use of tap/RO or mix. I am using rainwater/borewater the ph is 6.6 from my rain tank the bore is 7.1 i change 50% twice a week

    6) Describe the type of filtration planned/used for the tank; sponge, HOB and/or sump. Also include the other equipment you are, or will be, using in your tank, e.g. heater, lighting, etc.
    I have 2 led light bars and a fluvial fx6 with the outlet modified to keep turbulence in the tank down to a minimum i have a venturi into the inlet for aeration

    7) If the tank is already setup and running, include the water parameters;

    - temp __31 oc___

    - tank ph __6.6___

    - Ph of the water straight out of your tap __6.6___

    - ammonia reading __0 ppm__

    - nitrite reading ___0ppm_

    - nitrate reading _0ppm___

    - well water ___7.1_

    - municipal water ____i dont have municipal water where i am from
    Last edited by Redmelons; 11-16-2013 at 10:14 AM.

  14. #44
    Registered Member lx2077's Avatar
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    Oct 2013
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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire

    Hello my name is Bobby I am totally new to this forum and 2 fish keeping I decided one morning I wanted to try a new hobby and fish was it I have read a lot about it and went to buy a tank I purchased a 55 gallon long 48 inches 18 wide 21 high I started with sand for my substrate however I just recently changed over to gravel due to high pH I have a digital pH meter which reads constant levels it was quite expensive however I heard if you're serious about discus that's what you need I have also purchased every possible chemical just in case I have a fluvial G3 filter a digital thermometer, LED tank lighting, A 100 gallon a day RO Filter, python gravel vac,(2) 200w Aquion Pro heaters placed horizontal and 1 inch above sea level as I read it is not good to keep it vertical as discus might try to lay eggs if it is vertical I also installed a 1 kilowatt stand by generator in case I lose power only because I am A electrician which my wife wasn't too happy about because I did it for the fish and not for the family lol. I found this forum and I love it you experts have such good advice for us beginners my ultimate goal is to get my discus to breed at least just once then I know I my water is perfect and I did something right okay now for some help I am having a high PH problem currently my PH is 7.6 and am trying to get it down to 6.8 to 7 I just recently installed the RO filter and have
    20-30% to change out before my water is 100% RO it seems to be working however slowly because my water used to be at 8 I also just recently removed all sand substrate and I'll be putting the gravel in the this week I have imitation coral along with 3 Amazon sword plants and 2 medium sized pieces of drift wood as far as fish goes I have to medium sized Blue Diamond Discus and 1 pigeon blood I also have 2 angelfish 1 iridescent shark and 2 gouramis I'm looking to purchase 2 more Discus 1 or 2 placos and 1 small bottom feeder is this OK or would that be considered overstocked thank you for all your help and advice I greatly appreciate anybody spending the time to critique my tank and situation I'm mostly concerned with my ph level I look forward to your response sincerely bobby

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  15. #45
    Registered Member lx2077's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tank Setup Questionaire



    This is before I removed the sand


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