Tank Setup Questionnaire

[Spawnstar]

Hi All,

I am a beginner and saw this sticky. I have numerous questions and thought this was the best way to get to answer some of them.

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.

When I was young (20 years ago) my father had fish and among these some Discus. I have been interested in getting back into it for a while. The more I read the more I realized things have moved on a lot in the last 20 years and I am no longer familiar enough with fishkeeping to just dive straight back into it. My goals are to eventually keep a tank (with subtrate and wood, but not necessarily plants) with a few large discus in a large tank. I am aiming to have a community tank with some other compatible fish (these appear to be tetra's and cory cats).

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 up a decent amount but unfortunately have become confused with all the options out there and conflicting advice on various forums.

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 not bought a tank yet but intend to get a 75 or 90 Gallon tank. I think that is a reasonable size to have around 10 adult discus and some smaller fish. I do not intend to breed but only to keep discus.

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

Eventually I would like to have a hardscaped tank with subtrate, rocks and wood (not plants). My understanding is that I may have to stick with a BB tank while the discus are juveniles (I am not sure why this is but imagine it is because smaller discus need to be fed more and hence it would be harder to clean a tank with subtrate).

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 have a fairly demanding job and so I hope to do 50% a week (realizing this is probably less than what most do). As far as aging water or using RO water, I really have no idea what to do. I understand this depends on how the discus you buy have been raised (ie if they are used to RO water you may have to stick with it). Aging would be simplest so unless RO has significant benefits I guess I would just use aged water.

Does aged water need to be treated with chemicals such as Tetra Safestart? Or do you just let it stand for a day?

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 was initially thinking of getting a canister (Fluval or Eheim), but have recently read about sumps/refugiums and wet/dry filters. I saw a youtube videos from the owner of wetpets touting the advantages of a refugium. It does not appear to be much more effort to keep than a canister. I would be very interested in the conventional wisdom around which filtration method is preferred among discus fishkeepers.

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

I don't yet have a tank set up and am in the process of moving house (to the western suburbs of Chicago). So I will only know what the water is like there once I move in.

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 am hoping to have around 10 adult discus, maybe 10-15 cardinal tetra's and around 5 or so cory cats in a 75 or 90g aquarium. I will get my discus from chicagodiscus (shout out to Josie :D).

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

When juvenile I plan to feed around 3 times a day. I will have to use a feeder as I will be at work most of the day. I plan to feed bits, flakes and FDBW using the feeder. In the evenings I can do the ox heart and other frozen foods.

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?

Initially the goal is to grow some juvenile discus out to full adult size and then to have a hardscaped show tank incorporating some other community fish.

I really appreciate having a forum to ask my questions and would like to thank you all in advance for your help.

Spawn

[Wes]

Welcome to Simpley. Feeding beef heart and only 50% water change once a week with 10 fish in a 75 or 90 you will need to keep this handy. http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?38545-Disease-Questionnaire-please-complete
Ro if your breeding or wilds

Safestart is used to help cycle . Prime or seachems safe is used to dechlor the water

[troysdiiscus]

read some stickies on the forum, raising juvi and doing 50% WC once a week, that would be a no no....if you are growing 10 or so juvi say 3 inch to 4 you will need to get a 55 gallon BB and feed well. Feeding well to grow them out healthy will require daily WC's. If not get adults atleast 5 to 6 inch for your 90 gallon then you can scape like you want, but you will not get away from doing atleast 3 to 4 WC a week and they would have to be BIG WC at that...so 55 gallon to grow out then transfer to 90 gallon unless you get adults for the 90 then skip the grow out tank.

[Spawnstar]

Point taken. So are you suggesting I do 50% water change daily when raising juveniles? I only plan to have one tank so getting a 55 in addition to the 75 or 90 isn't feasible.

[Wes]

If you have time it really helps and explains why. http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?86009-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Getting-Started-with-Discus

[troysdiiscus]

xeriod is right, read the article discuspaul wrote, its a great read and will answer many questions. If you want juvi and keep the 90 gallon depending on height of tank you can fill it half or 3/4 full till they start growing out some that way you can feed 3 to 5 times a day, good diet and do atleast 50 to 75% or more a day, will be easier if half or 3/4 full...

[strawberryblonde]

Hi and welcome to the forums.

Here's are the reasons why you'll want to use a smaller tank to raise the discus to adult size and then transfer to a permanent big tank.

1) Juvies need a smaller area so that they don't get "lost" in the tank. In the wild and in breeders tanks they are in large groups in a smallish area, and that's just how they like it. They are very sociable fish and feel uncomfortable if there aren't enough of them or they get too spread out.

2) Juvies require many feedings per day. They are growing quickly and have small stomachs so you can't just feed them like you would a grown discus or any other freshwater fish. They are going to eat like pigs and poop a ton every single day.

I know you don't want to deal with having 2 tanks, but if you can find an inexpensive 50-55g on craigslist, you can use it for 6 months to grow out the discus and then resell it when you buy the 90 gallon. =)

The biggest advantage, for you, to having a smaller tank to start out is that you're going to need to do daily water changes. 50% is actually less than I'd do myself, if it were me....sorta like asking for trouble. When I'm raising discus (only raising 5 right now), I do at least one LARGE water change per day. That's 90% at a time.

The water change doesn't have to be time consuming or difficult. Use a python hose for siphoning and refilling and it will take about 20 minutes total time. If you're in a bigger hurry, use 2 pythons and cut that time down to about 15 minutes. With the bare bottom tank it's just a matter of wiping down the sides and bottom of the tank while it drains, rinsing the sponge filter in used tank water (while the tank is draining) and then refilling it.

And that brings me right to my next tidbit that you're gonna love. Don't buy an expensive filter for the juvies! Ask Josie if she can sell you a sponge filter when you purchase the discus. It will be already seeded with beneficial bacteria and that way you bring home the discus, plop them into the freshly filled and nicely warmed tank, add the sponge filter, turn on the air pump and you are done. No need to cycle the tank at all.
-------------------------

On to feedings:

They are going to need several feedings per day, but they don't have to be spread out evenly. I started my first batch with flakes for breakfast while I was making coffee. An hour later, I tossed in a couple of Freeze Dried Blackworms (there are sponsors here who sell them) and that was that. You can use an auto feeder to give them 2 more flake feedings while you're at work, and then when you get home, take time to hand feed them a couple of beefheart cubes. After dinner, do the water change and once that's done, toss in 2 more FDBW cubes and you're all done for the night.

On that schedule, they'll grow big and fat right in front of your eyes.
--------------------------

Type of water to use:

No need for an expensive RO unit at this point in time. To be safe, it's better to use aged water. Fill a barrel, heat and aerate it overnight and then fill the tank using a pump. I can get away with straight tap, but many people can't, so aged all the way if you've got room for the barrel/s.

Discus are some of the most amazing fish I've ever owned and you're going to love them, even if they are more work than other fish. The first time they wriggle up to the front of the glass to beg for food is awesome, and then to actually have them eat from your fingers will take your breath away.

[Spawnstar]

Thank you very much for the helpful post. I do appreciate the advice a lot.