Advice on new discus setup

[discus795]

I have a 60 gallon with 5 danios. It is fully cycled and has been set up for 3 months. I have a HOB filter with two biowheels, some carbon, and it does 400 gallons an hour. My tank is bare bottom and I keep it at 84 degrees. My ammonia and nitrite are zero and my nitrate is 10. I have not yet added discus because I am concerned about the pH of my tank since my water is very hard with a pH of 8.2. Straight from the tap its about 8.0. I have been reading that domestic discus can live in relatively higher pH as long as the pH is kept stable with little to no fluctuations. I just want to ensure that my discus will grow to their full potential with full color. I plan on feeding blood worms, flakes, and beef heart. I also wanted to use some floating plants to help with nitrate. While they are growing I plan on doing a 20% water change every other day. I would like advice on if my pH and water changes are adequate. I have never kept discus before and want to make sure my new fish will be happy and healthy.

[Elliots]

Take the carbon out of your filter. If you plan on growing out small Discus your water change regimen is not sufficent. You need to change more water more often. If you start with larger Discus 20% three times a week is probably not enough. Try 50% three times a week. You can use tap water and water conditioner. If you go with tap water check the pH of your tank and change water at every change. Discus need steady pH so your pH is probably good.

[Madaboutdiscus]

You don't have a large ph swing so you'll be fine. I wouldn't worry about trying to buffer the ph or anything that's when you get crashes. Fish need stable ph to thrive and yours is fine as long as you don't mess with it any. If you're planning on getting juvenile fish you'll need 50% daily water changes to keep them healthy and let them grow to their potential. Make sure you quarantine before adding the new fish. I'm not sure how discus and danios will do together. I'm no expert on that. Your danios could be harboring something harmful to your discus you have to be careful of.

~Victoria

[discus795]

Take the carbon out of your filter. If you plan on growing out small Discus your water change regimen is not sufficent. You need to change more water more often. If you start with larger Discus 20% three times a week is probably not enough. Try 50% three times a week. You can use tap water and water conditioner. If you go with tap water check the pH of your tank and change water at every change. Discus need steady pH so your pH is probably good.

Why should I remove the carbon? I thought that was good for filtering? Also do you recommend heating the water prior to adding it during a water change? Thank you for all the advice.

[Madaboutdiscus]

The carbon is not required and it makes no difference whether you use it or not. That's an up to you thing. Yes the water should be heated prior to putting it in the tank preferably as close to the tank temp as possible. A good idea is to get an aging barrel and age your water. That eliminates micro bubbles and the chlorine. However make sure you're using a good dechlorinator like Prime.

~Victoria

[OC Discus]

There is an old debate as to whether carbon contributes to Hole in the Head Disease in Discus. The evidence is not conclusive, but it could be an unnecessary risk. You need to do enough water changes and have enough biological filtration that you don't need carbon. Some use purigen as an alternative.


Why should I remove the carbon? I thought that was good for filtering? Also do you recommend heating the water prior to adding it during a water change? Thank you for all the advice.

[Madaboutdiscus]

There is an old debate as to whether carbon contributes to Hole in the Head Disease in Discus. The evidence is not conclusive, but it could be an unnecessary risk. You need to do enough water changes and have enough biological filtration that you don't need carbon. Some use purigen as an alternative.

I've just started using Purigen. The jury is still out on it just yet as it's only been a few days but I hear good things.

~Victoria

[OC Discus]

Victoria,

I've been using Purigen for a few months now with excellent results. It absorbs ammonia and nitrite, prolonging water quality and clarity between water changes. I made a type of purigen reactor using a magnum 350 canister with micron filter and 4 100 ml pouches around the filter. I recharge the purigen every 3-4 weeks and the micron filter every 2-3 weeks. Keeps the water and glass crystal clear and parameters near perfect between wc. Good luck

[discus795]

Victoria,

I've been using Purigen for a few months now with excellent results. It absorbs ammonia and nitrite, prolonging water quality and clarity between water changes. I made a type of purigen reactor using a magnum 350 canister with micron filter and 4 100 ml pouches around the filter. I recharge the purigen every 3-4 weeks and the micron filter every 2-3 weeks. Keeps the water and glass crystal clear and parameters near perfect between wc. Good luck

Ok so I've decided to not use carbon after some research and to try out purigen combined with good water changes. I hear nothing but praises of purigen. I plan on placing it in my media cartridge in my HOB filter. I have a 60 gallon so how much would you recommend using? Can you use too much? lol and how often does it need recharging. Also how often do you perform water changes? To charge purigen I soak it in bleach and then soak it in water and Prime for 8 hrs? Then its safe for the tank? So many questions I know! I just want to get this right and you seem to have it down.

[OC Discus]

I started with 2 pouches of purigen- 1 each in 2 hob filters. I quickly realized the flow rate was not optimum by reading some threads on purigen reactors. You can enter purigen reactor into the search engine to learn more. My goal was to keep the water pristine for 7 days between 80-90% water changes. Btw- I'm no longer growing out small discus and feed twice per day.

I use 4 pouches in my canister which is 400 ml in a 55 gallon tank. This is about 8 times the recommended amt. you cannot use too much. The pouches fit loosely in the canister, allowing the beads to fluidize. The parameters were staying good between weekly water changes, but brown algae started forming on the sand. After fighting that for a month I removed the sand so 100% of the waste can be removed (some solids get trapped even in sand.) I also reduced the tank led light to 8 hours and have eliminated the diatom problem.

I'm not saying this is the best set up but it is working for me.

I keep 4 spare purigen pouches and a spare micron canister filter. The canister gets broken down and cleaned every two weeks. A clean micron filter goes in every two weeks and clean purigen every 4 weeks. I then bleach the purigen pouches and micron filter for about 24 hours after a good rinse. Then soak in prime solution after another rinse until next use. Done right, the purigen and micron filters almost look new after every cleaning.

Also my 2 hob filters get clean floss weekly. The dirty floss pads are put in a bucket of bleach water until I get a chance to rinse and let them dry for reuse. I've purchased cut to fit micron floss for hob filters but not put it in yet.


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[discus795]

I started with 2 pouches of purigen- 1 each in 2 hob filters. I quickly realized the flow rate was not optimum by reading some threads on purigen reactors. You can enter purigen reactor into the search engine to learn more. My goal was to keep the water pristine for 7 days between 80-90% water changes. Btw- I'm no longer growing out small discus and feed twice per day.

I use 4 pouches in my canister which is 400 ml in a 55 gallon tank. This is about 8 times the recommended amt. you cannot use too much. The pouches fit loosely in the canister, allowing the beads to fluidize. The parameters were staying good between weekly water changes, but brown algae started forming on the sand. After fighting that for a month I removed the sand so 100% of the waste can be removed (some solids get trapped even in sand.) I also reduced the tank led light to 8 hours and have eliminated the diatom problem.

I'm not saying this is the best set up but it is working for me.

I keep 4 spare purigen pouches and a spare micron canister filter. The canister gets broken down and cleaned every two weeks. A clean micron filter goes in every two weeks and clean purigen every 4 weeks. I then bleach the purigen pouches and micron filter for about 24 hours after a good rinse. Then soak in prime solution after another rinse until next use. Done right, the purigen and micron filters almost look new after every cleaning.

Also my 2 hob filters get clean floss weekly. The dirty floss pads are put in a bucket of bleach water until I get a chance to rinse and let them dry for reuse. I've purchased cut to fit micron floss for hob filters but not put it in yet.


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Thank you so much for all the advice. A few more questions on feeding. I plan on feeding them beef heart. Do I need to cook it a little so they can tear it off? I use to blanch veggies for my goldfish because they were too tough raw. I've read they like flake food too. Will regular tropical fish flakes work or should I be feeding pellet food made for cichlids? I'll also be feeding frozen blood worms. Any advice would be helpful:)

[OC Discus]

I've never made beef heart, so can't comment on that. If feeding frozen cubes just drop one in the tank. They will pick it apart.

As a staple, a beef heart mix with vitamins and veggies is good- Cobalt flakes, Bills flakes. I try to alternate freeze dried worms and shrimp with a vitamin enriched flake or pellet. Omega veggie pellets are a good staple- lots of protein, vitamins and veggies. Pellets have to soften before they can swallow them. It can take an hour for them to be eaten. Mine actually get veggie pellets and blood worms one day and Bills beef heart and brine shrimp the next day. I also mix in a high protein zoo plankton every few days.


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[OC Discus]

IME frozen foods pollute the water faster than freeze dried. I have eliminated frozen food for that reason. They are equally healthy.


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[aquadon2222]

The staple food for my discus is Mysis Shrimp. I also feed blood worms, pellets and flakes. The shimp cubes will definitely muck up the water, so what I do is wash them in a net until they are pure, solid clean pieces of shrimp, and it's helps to keep the water clean. Overfeeding, esp with pellets and flakes, is a killer for mucking up your water, so do not overfeed these. Bloodworms don't break down or dissolve as fast as pellets/flakes and rarely does a bloodworm go uneaten in my tank; still best to not overfeed. Good luck.