mikle81
12-27-2012, 06:42 PM
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 everyone, I kept Discus a few years ago but didn't have much success. Now i've got a bit more free time I decided to try again, only this time I have done some more research into what is required to successfully keep them!
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 had a look at various bits of this site and some others.
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 63" x 17" x 14" and plan to use it primarily for display. It has been set up and running for about three months now.
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 using sand as a substrate as I wanted something there and thought this would be easier to keep clean than standard gravel. In the tank I have some bog wood, Redmoore driftwood and a fake plant.
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 change about 50 litres of water every day using aged tap water and heat it to the same temp as my tank water and add Seachem Neutral Regulator to match the ph of the tank water.
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 currently have an Eheim Pro 3 - 2073 external canister filter and 300w heater with the intake and a spray bar at one end of the tank, and a Fluval 305 external canister filter and 200w heater with the intake and a spray bar at the other end. So the two spray bars are at either end of the tank facing each other. I cant seem to get the temperature the same at both sides of the tank though and am thinking about moving the two intakes to one side and the two spray bars at the other but am slightly concerned about the flow rate being too much for Discus.
One of my concerns is that all of my Discus seem to prefer the left side of the tank, only moving into the right side for brief periods, mainly looking for food.
7) If the tank is already setup and running, include the water parameters;
- temp 30 Celsius
- tank ph 7
- Ph of the water straight out of your tap <6
- ammonia reading 0
- nitrite reading 0
- nitrate reading 0-25
- well water N/A
- municipal water N/A
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?
My current fish stock is - Dither Fish: 10 x Neons, 12 x Tetras, 2 x Corry, 2 x Blue Rams
Discus Fish: 2 x 3.5"-4", 3 x 3"-3.5", 2 x 2"-2.5"
The two smallest Discus aren't feeding but the others all seem quite happy. All of the fish came from my LFS but am looking to buy some larger Discus from a well spoken of importer / breeder i've found on the internet this weekend. I'm not too sure what size to go for though. I am looking at 4 x 5.5-6″ Pigeon Bloods or 4-5 x 4-4.5″ Red Chequerboard Pigeons.
9) Describe your planned or existing feeding regimen. Include what and how often you are feeding on a daily basis.
I feed them 3-4 times a day: a mixture of frozen/live bloodworms, D-50 Plus Granulate & tetra Colour Pro.
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?
At the moment I just want some really nice Discus on display, but would like to try breeding at some time in the future.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Hi everyone, I kept Discus a few years ago but didn't have much success. Now i've got a bit more free time I decided to try again, only this time I have done some more research into what is required to successfully keep them!
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 had a look at various bits of this site and some others.
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 63" x 17" x 14" and plan to use it primarily for display. It has been set up and running for about three months now.
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 using sand as a substrate as I wanted something there and thought this would be easier to keep clean than standard gravel. In the tank I have some bog wood, Redmoore driftwood and a fake plant.
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 change about 50 litres of water every day using aged tap water and heat it to the same temp as my tank water and add Seachem Neutral Regulator to match the ph of the tank water.
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 currently have an Eheim Pro 3 - 2073 external canister filter and 300w heater with the intake and a spray bar at one end of the tank, and a Fluval 305 external canister filter and 200w heater with the intake and a spray bar at the other end. So the two spray bars are at either end of the tank facing each other. I cant seem to get the temperature the same at both sides of the tank though and am thinking about moving the two intakes to one side and the two spray bars at the other but am slightly concerned about the flow rate being too much for Discus.
One of my concerns is that all of my Discus seem to prefer the left side of the tank, only moving into the right side for brief periods, mainly looking for food.
7) If the tank is already setup and running, include the water parameters;
- temp 30 Celsius
- tank ph 7
- Ph of the water straight out of your tap <6
- ammonia reading 0
- nitrite reading 0
- nitrate reading 0-25
- well water N/A
- municipal water N/A
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?
My current fish stock is - Dither Fish: 10 x Neons, 12 x Tetras, 2 x Corry, 2 x Blue Rams
Discus Fish: 2 x 3.5"-4", 3 x 3"-3.5", 2 x 2"-2.5"
The two smallest Discus aren't feeding but the others all seem quite happy. All of the fish came from my LFS but am looking to buy some larger Discus from a well spoken of importer / breeder i've found on the internet this weekend. I'm not too sure what size to go for though. I am looking at 4 x 5.5-6″ Pigeon Bloods or 4-5 x 4-4.5″ Red Chequerboard Pigeons.
9) Describe your planned or existing feeding regimen. Include what and how often you are feeding on a daily basis.
I feed them 3-4 times a day: a mixture of frozen/live bloodworms, D-50 Plus Granulate & tetra Colour Pro.
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?
At the moment I just want some really nice Discus on display, but would like to try breeding at some time in the future.
Thanks in advance for any advice!