Diving in Headfirst

[asteele.19]

Hey Guys! Long time stalker here! lol Found someone local who has to travel for business for an undetermined amount of time and has to get rid of her discus setup. Comes with everything...

125 gallon with nice oak stand and canopy, lights, 2 aquaclear 110s, 3 nice pieces of drift wood, some plants, substrate, 15 adult discus, 3 juvenile, some cories, and a couple cardinal tetras. Started at $1000 for all of it, which is a great deal, but I am paying $500 for it all.

I realize the tank is over stocked currently, especially with its current filtration. Luckily theres 2 or 3 pairs that consistently lay eggs, so I plan on splitting those pairs off and hopefully getting some offspring from them.

The other interesting thing is that she is using straight well water for these fish. Unfortunately, I have city water, so I will be doing a RO/tap water mix. Unless her TDS and PH reading are very similar to mine.


I will be getting the setup Wednesday night and they will be going in my newly completed fish room http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...fishroom-build

What is going to be the best way to transfer these guys? Currently planning on using a couple plastic totes with heaters and an air stone and am debating about using ship safe for transportation. Not sure if anyone has a better way of doing it. The other question I had was acclimation...is a slow, drip acclimation the best way to do it?


Anyways, super stoked. Wasn't planning on getting into discus until next year sometime, but this was too good of a deal to pass up. Here is some pictures of the discus and setup.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1050521&d=1418052356
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1050522&d=1418052388
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1050523&d=1418052445

[Larry Bugg]

If it is local I always use 5 gallon buckets and I don't use heaters or air stones unless I am going to be traveling for several hours or more. If your ph is similar to hers then I wouldn't worry about acclimation either. I haven't done a acclimation in years. Plop and drop is the way to go.

Great deal you got.

[asteele.19]

If it is local I always use 5 gallon buckets and I don't use heaters or air stones unless I am going to be traveling for several hours or more. If your ph is similar to hers then I wouldn't worry about acclimation either. I haven't done a acclimation in years. Plop and drop is the way to go.

Great deal you got.

That'll make it easy! Travel time will be about an hour. However, I have to get them out of the main tank, tear down the main tank, load it up, drive an hour home, unload, setup the main tank, and then get the discus in the tank again. So my guess is probably 3-4 hours of bucket time, 4 hours being more realistic.

[DISCUS STU]

If it is local I always use 5 gallon buckets and I don't use heaters or air stones unless I am going to be traveling for several hours or more. If your ph is similar to hers then I wouldn't worry about acclimation either. I haven't done a acclimation in years. Plop and drop is the way to go.

Great deal you got.

I also used 5 gallon buckets, even better when I had the lids for them. That was when I had to evacuate about 20 Discus and 5 Altums after Hurricane Sandy when we suddenly lost all power for seven days and everything had to quickly be moved 30-60 minutes away.

Good luck. It's a sweet setup though I'd probably go bare bottom.

[rickztahone]

That'll make it easy! Travel time will be about an hour. However, I have to get them out of the main tank, tear down the main tank, load it up, drive an hour home, unload, setup the main tank, and then get the discus in the tank again. So my guess is probably 3-4 hours of bucket time, 4 hours being more realistic.

If that is the case, I would probably use the same heater from the main tank and stick it in a large container, probably 10-20g one and use an airstone while you tear down the tank. When you transport them you do not need the heater or airstone, but when you get back home, put them back in the large container with heater/airstone until you set the tank back up. That is one killer deal you got.

[nc0gnet0]

Luckily theres 2 or 3 pairs that consistently lay eggs, so I plan on splitting those pairs off and hopefully getting some offspring from them.

That's easy then, get yourself 2-3 breeder tanks (29/30 gallon) have them setup at your house with clean dechlorinated water. Move the fish and filters in one trip, split the fish up between the tanks and add the established filters from the tank you are getting, then deal with moving the tank.

-Rick

[asteele.19]

DISCUS STU - lids are a definite. Transported a bunch of tilapia without one once and will never do it again.

Rickztahone - I have a 25 or 30 gallon tote with lid laying around that I think I am going to use.

nc0gnet0 - that is the end plan, but this is all happening so quick that I haven't had time to track down some extra breeder tanks. I have a spare 55 that I will divide that they can go in for now.

Quick question regarding water. Should I still plan on going mixed RO, or should I just acclimate them to my city water?

[rickztahone]

Well, since your goal is to breed, then RO will be a must for you, unless your tap is suited for breeding. You can keep the community tank in tap though.

[asteele.19]

Well, since your goal is to breed, then RO will be a must for you, unless your tap is suited for breeding. You can keep the community tank in tap though.

Thanks! I guess for now to make life easier, I will just use tap for the initial setup. Once they settle down some and I get some breeding tanks setup, I will us RO mix for that.

Thanks for all the help guys! If you have any more advice I am all ears!

I'll be sure and upload some pictures once the move is complete.

[jsullins]

thats a great deal, 500 for all that and the fish is a steal!!

[OC Discus]

Keeping the old filters down for 4+ hours could create some issues as the bacteria die. Some of the filter media might be kept in a separate 5 gallon bucket of tank water for transport. I might flush the filters, hoses, decorations, substrate, etc in hot water before reusing them hours later. I'm not a biologist, so other opinions are welcome on this topic.

I also like the suggestion above to keep the fish in heated, aeareated water while breaking down and setting up the tank, but not needed for 1 hour transport. Although, if you have an adapter that plugs into your cigarette lighter and gives you an outlet for heaters and airstones, especially in winter, it might be wise to use it.

[asteele.19]

Keeping the old filters down for 4+ hours could create some issues as the bacteria die. Some of the filter media might be kept in a separate 5 gallon bucket of tank water for transport. I might flush the filters, hoses, decorations, substrate, etc in hot water before reusing them hours later. I'm not a biologist, so other opinions are welcome on this topic.

I also like the suggestion above to keep the fish in heated, aeareated water while breaking down and setting up the tank, but not needed for 1 hour transport. Although, if you have an adapter that plugs into your cigarette lighter and gives you an outlet for heaters and airstones, especially in winter, it might be wise to use it.

Media is definitely going in a 5 gallon bucket with old tank water.

I do have a inverter/converter that I will be using to heat and aerate during transport.

[asteele.19]

thats a great deal, 500 for all that and the fish is a steal!!

I know! I really wasn't planning on spending that much money right now, but it was too good to pass up!

[asteele.19]

Today's the day! I will throw some pics up once I get them all moved and settled in.

[asteele.19]

Took 6 hours yesterday to get there, tear down, drive back, setup, acclimate and release. Started at 5, didn't get home until 11. Twas a long day.

Couple of things that was a downer, but for the price, I can't really complain. First, the stand wasn't in that great of a condition, but since this isn't going to be a show tank for quite a long time, its not that big of a deal. I will probably be able to repair and re-stain it myself when I want to. Second, it was dirty. Filters haven't been cleaned in forever. They were the grossest filters I have ever seen. The gravel wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be after seeing the filters, but still wasn't as clean as one would expect a discus to be. There was also quite a bit of algae build up. Not a huge thing, but not something I expected.

A bonus was the lights. 6 foot dual T5s. I will probably retro fit them for LEDs, but that was an added bonus. Also the drift wood and petrified wood was really nice. I also got a huge chunk of Texas Holey rock that she didn't want.

The fish are so so. She got all of the adults from a breeder that got his stock from Tony Tans. That's what she was told. No way to verify that though. They are a little beat up, but to me, it appears that they were raised right. I'll leave that up to you guys to verify for me though.

A lot of the smaller ones she got as babies and did not grow correctly. They appear pretty stunted and a couple have shrunken stomachs. Probably cant compete for food with all big discus in the tank. Again, I'll let you guys verify that for me once I get pictures up. Pictures should be up later this week or this weekend. I have the lights off right now and am just letting them chill.

Once they settle in, I am going to separate the smaller ones from the larger ones, and try growing the little ones correctly if you guys think it would be worth it. I'll also move the breeding pair of Marlboro Reds to their own tank to try and get some breeding action going. Even if they aren't the greatest quality, or you guys don't think its worth it, I still want to give them a go. I would rather make my mistakes and learn on a cheap pair of discus compared to a $750+ pair from Hans or whomever.

Oh, I also picked up a 100GPD Aqua Buddy RO filter with brand new filters for $40. Plan on using that for the breeders.


Looking forward to your guys feedback!

[nc0gnet0]

Aaron,

Just exactly were do you live?


She got all of the adults from a breeder that got his stock from Tony Tans.

This is interesting, where was she located?

-Rick

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Aaron, Before moving the pair out I would suggest leaving all in the large tank and get them eating well. This gives you time to access the health of the individual fish. I suspect the pair would benefit from good water and food before moving them to a breeder tank. Good luck with your fish and setup.
Pat

[asteele.19]

Hi Aaron, Before moving the pair out I would suggest leaving all in the large tank and get them eating well. This gives you time to access the health of the individual fish. I suspect the pair would benefit from good water and food before moving them to a breeder tank. Good luck with your fish and setup.
Pat

Ok. I was planning on letting them get settled for 2 weeks give or take a couple days. Does that sound good or should I go longer?

[asteele.19]

Aaron,

Just exactly were do you live?



This is interesting, where was she located?

-Rick

I live in Hudsonville.

She was down in Gobles. Which is just north of Kalamazoo.

[nc0gnet0]

Was her name Carla?

[asteele.19]

The lady I got them from was Lori. I am not sure of the name she got the adults from.

[pcsb23]

Media is definitely going in a 5 gallon bucket with old tank water.

I do have a inverter/converter that I will be using to heat and aerate during transport.Don't do this.

Just get the media out and put into a polythene bag and trap air in there. The media needs to be wet but not sodden. It will last for a day or two like this quite easily.

[nc0gnet0]

Ah ok, I was mistaken, I thought I knew the lady from which you had purchased the fish. I seem to recall selling a fish or two from someone in gobles, but none of those fish look remotely familiar. Was unaware of anyone else in the area breeding discus other than myself, perhaps they came from over in Detroit (originally).

I work not to far from your warehouse, I live in Caledonia. Good luck with your adventure.

[drondy]

Aaron, that's funny that you got this set up. I was speaking with the owner about taking on a few of the Discus but she said that she had someone interested in the whole set. This must have been you. Good luck with them, you got a great deal. Let me know if you want to give some of those away LOL.

Dean

[asteele.19]

Ah ok, I was mistaken, I thought I knew the lady from which you had purchased the fish. I seem to recall selling a fish or two from someone in gobles, but none of those fish look remotely familiar. Was unaware of anyone else in the area breeding discus other than myself, perhaps they came from over in Detroit (originally).

I work not to far from your warehouse, I live in Caledonia. Good luck with your adventure.

I don't think the breeder she got them from was in gobles, but more in the Kalamazoo area. Ill text her and see if I can't get more details.

If you are ever have some spare time, I'd love to have you stop by and give me your opinions on the fish in person.

[asteele.19]

Aaron, that's funny that you got this set up. I was speaking with the owner about taking on a few of the Discus but she said that she had someone interested in the whole set. This must have been you. Good luck with them, you got a great deal. Let me know if you want to give some of those away LOL.

Dean

She did say she had a lot of interest in them. I will keep you in mind if I decide to move some

[OC Discus]

Cool. Much Easier.



Don't do this.

Just get the media out and put into a polythene bag and trap air in there. The media needs to be wet but not sodden. It will last for a day or two like this quite easily.

[asteele.19]

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GDyn6izTMPE/VKRm7-bjiPI/AAAAAAAAAzE/1Bi-yXIcNd8/w568-h1009-no/20141231_153612.jpg

[asteele.19]

just checking to see if you guys can see the picture above?. Linking it via my google plus account. Not sure if others will be able to see

[rickztahone]

I see it :)

[asteele.19]

I see it :)

sweet thanks! makes linking pictures a lot easier not having to upload them from phone to computer to photoshop