Need advice urgently... New discus delivery in 48 hours

[greenphantom1994]

Hi. I set up my new 400l (approx) tank around 10 days ago. The tank cycled within 2 days after adding fluval cycle. However as I have a sand bottom, the water was slightly cloudy (approx 80% visibility). So after a week of waiting for the tank to clear without any luck I decided to add seachem clarity. What a mistake that was! It turned my water yellow instantly and never went away, still after 3 days it was still yellow and cloudy. So last night I emptied 90% of my water and refilled. The water is no longer yellow but is a bit cloudy. I have some tetras and an featherfin catfish in there at the moment. But I have a delivery of 5 new discus coming in 2 days. I'm assuming they will be fine to add to the tank? But is there anything I can do to clear up the water a bit before the new arrivals? I've heard pure lemon juice works, but wouldn't do that without some reassurance.

[Ardan]

Do another large wc. The tank will likely go through another cycle, but smaller this time, when you add more fish.
It would be best to quarantine the discus separate from any other fish.

hth
Ardan

[moto250mx]

greenphantom1994, I have the CaribSea Sunset Gold sand and it took forever for that stuff to clear...I understand you have Discus on the way but it's just going to take time for it to clear...I did nothing but routine water changes and it's super clear now...No kind of chemicals.

Jason

[greenphantom1994]

thanks for the replys. thanks moto250mx that's put my mind at ease a little bit. im sure with all the constant water changes that the discus require, I will have the water clear in no time :)

[OC Discus]

Sometimes when we are new to discus we are not prepared to meet their needs, resulting in disease and other problems. Having done what you are doing with many problems, a few suggestions will make your experience much less troublesome.

1) Rehome the other fish before the discus arrive- If you aren't prepared for an extensive quarantine process which you can research on sd, you will be exposing your new discus to disease and parasites that will likely make them sick.

2) Remove the sand and all tank contents. Run 2 cups of bleach through your filters (without floss/media) for 8-24 hours to kill parasites and bacteria. Wipe down all tank surfaces- sides and bottom, and hood. Drain the tank. Refill and add dechlorinator. Let that run for 8-24 hours. Drain and refill with dechlorinated water. Add new filter media- floss, bio pads, etc (some of these can be bleached and dechlorinated as above to sterilize).

3) Obtain some "Bio Spira" sold as Tetra Safe Start. Also obtain test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph as a minimum.

4) Add the fish to the clean, sterilized tank. Add the Bio Spira directly to your filter media according to lable instructions.

5) Monitor ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate daily and perform large water change when any of these levels get above 0 (nitrate 10)

6) Do daily water changes- 50% minimum- with warm, dechlorinated water (your maintenance schedule will depend on age and size of fish, filtration, and a few other factors. Bottom line- keep water pristine.

7) Test Ph from the tap and after 24 hours in the tank. Big swings indicate the need to age water (research this topic on sd if needed)

The steps above will help keep your fish alive and healthy unless they have some disease when you get them. Since the fish are on the way, you don't have time for a tankless cycle. If you don't do daily water changes, or boost your bacterial filter immediately, you will have problems with the water that will make the fish sick.

You should research plants and substrates extensively before adding them to your tank. Search for the thread "The forum's position on planted tanks" for a lengthy discussion on the subject. Plants and substrate make maintenance more difficult, especially when raising young fish.

I'm sure there are gaps in my advice that others might fill in, but you can save yourself weeks of headaches and give your fish a better chance to grow by following these simple steps.

Good luck

[greenphantom1994]

im not really 'new' to discus keeping such. been doing it with some success for around 6months without any problems, if anything there growing and feeding like elephants. my water is fine for discus in the new tank. ph 6.8, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate basically 0. temp 82'. however I do have some tetras and a catfish in the tank which I am planning on keeping in there when I introduce the discus. the tank has only been running 10 days so its brand new and bearly 'broken in' so to speak. the fish im adding are all large at between 6-7 inches. so they are a lot more hardy and should be able to deal with it ok. only thing I want to achieve is crystal clear water lol.

[greenphantom1994]

also. the tank was left to cycle for a week with fluval cycle after hearing great things about it. the tank had cycled after 2 days and readings were all 0. I do add seachem stability for the addition of beneficial bacteria to the tank to deal with waste etc, after every water change and also use seachem prime. these are the only 2 products I use in my tank and find them very good. anyone else use these products?

[ericNH]

I use Prime, but I'm thinking about ditching it because I'm on well water. I also Seachem's Flourish and Excel products for my plants - that stuff has made a difference, and I will keep using it.

[YSS]

Cloudy water is fine. Won't bother your fish. As you change more water, water will get more clear.

[Aquacrazed]

I *suspect* the cloudy water is because of particles from your sand. I had the same problem when I setup my discus tank. They are very fine particles that your filter is not picking up. Mine cleared up after about 5-6 big water changes.

Watch out for mini cycles when you do those big water changes, check your water params regularly.