New member

[shane1988]

Hi all been a forum member for over a year but never posted anything

Background

I have been keeping tropical and marine fish tanks for over 5 years just closed down my 125 gallon reef as I have just moved and am looking to set up a discus tank

Now my questions are if anybody an help me are

How many gallons is a 4x2x2 tank

Would a fluval fx5 or fx6 be adequate filtration

And my plans are bare bottom until discus are grown out and then planting the tank slowly once discus are mature and adding a school of tetras and a few cory cats so how many adult discus could comfortably fit in a 4x2x2 and also how many tetras and corys could I stock thanks everyone

[shane1988]

Sorry 9 years been keeping tanks hard typing on iphone and fat fingers haha

[Tankster]

Welcome to Simply Shane.

You are just shy of 120 gallons. Personally I would go with 8 discus. General rule is one adult discus per 10 gallons. You will most likely be taking up some volume with driftwood and substrate down the road. With your remaining volume, about 30 gallons guesstimating, I would go by whatever rule those fish follow. 1" per gallon has been around forever but each fish has its own requirements. Should be pretty easy to find with a couple Google searches.
You could go for more discus but sounds like you want a few others in there. I am erring on the side of caution. It's easy to add fish but not so easy removing them.

[Altum Nut]

Hi all been a forum member for over a year but never posted anything

Background

I have been keeping tropical and marine fish tanks for over 5 years just closed down my 125 gallon reef as I have just moved and am looking to set up a discus tank

Now my questions are if anybody an help me are

How many gallons is a 4x2x2 tank

Would a fluval fx5 or fx6 be adequate filtration

And my plans are bare bottom until discus are grown out and then planting the tank slowly once discus are mature and adding a school of tetras and a few cory cats so how many adult discus could comfortably fit in a 4x2x2 and also how many tetras and corys could I stock thanks everyone



Are you starting with small discus and if so what size....reason I ask is that your tank is way to large to grow out 6 or 8 small 2" to 3" discus.

...Ralph

[shane1988]

Yes was going to grow out in there what size would you reccomend as a grow out tank then as I can set up a grow out tank it's not a problem thanks

[Second Hand Pat]

Hello Shane and a belated welcome to SimplyDiscus. Since you are new to discus and they are a bit different then other fish you have kept you may find the following link helpful. It will introduce you to the basics of discus keeping and is a nice guide written by one of our moderators.

Beginner's Guide to Getting Started with Discus (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?86009-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Getting-Started-with-Discus)

There are many threads at the top of the Discus Basics for Beginners section as stickies Discus Basics for Beginners (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?48-Discus-Basics-for-Beginners) and can be read at any time.

Since you are thinking about growing out juvies a smaller growout tank starting out will make water changes easier.

[shane1988]

Yes been looking through the forum for the last month and have read the article you posted what would be good dimensions for a growout tank for 8-10 discus have just ordered a 5x2x2 tank for when the discus are adults thanks everyone

[Tankster]

Hi Shane,

I think one of the main reasons smaller tanks are recommended for grow out is the fact that the fish are somewhat high maintenance in the early stages. The food we feed is messy and usually requires a siphon after every feeding - I would hate to siphon 5 feet of tank bottom :). Also, the daily 100% water changes and tank wipe downs can be quite cumbersome with a 100+ gallon tank. I started with ten 2.5" fish in a 40 gallon breeder tank (40b) once they got to about 3.5" or 4", I moved them to a 65. The 65 was a pain because it is a tall tank so just moved them into a 75. They will stay in the 75 until it is time to go in the display tank.

If I had to do it over, I probably would have just started the grow out in the 75. Sure the 40 might have been a bit easier to wipe down and water changes were quicker but I am fining doing the same on the 75 gallon takes just a few minutes more. Next time around, I will start a grow out of fifteen 2.5" fish in my 75.
Another factor to consider - the 75 gallon will run you just over $200 new (including glass tops and a light). You can get a 40b at petco or petsmart for $40 when they have their $1 a gallon sales. They don't include tops or lights which if bought retail will cost more than you paid for the tank, x2 probably.

[shane1988]

Thanks for all your advice am looking to get discus around 3" I have a 27 inch cube tank with overflow and sump would this work as a grow out tank thanks

[Tankster]

That is 85 gallons - should be fine. Some like longer tanks but I don't see why an 85 gallon cube wouldn't work.

The only caution I might have is the overflow and the food possibly getting sucked over. I guess you could turn it off during feedings, siphon leftovers and then back on. I don't have experience with an overflow yet, but seems like it might be something to pay attention to.

Hopefully some of the more experienced will chime in here... if I am wrong.

[shane1988]

Ok great another question on the growout tank a water change is going to be simple with some buckets but how do you guys do a water change on a 120 gallon plus tank and how do you store the water to heat and aerate it before a water change as I don't fancy doing say 60 gallons in 5 gallon buckets but the water would be hard to heat and aerate in buckets to the amount I would need thanks

[Second Hand Pat]

Many of us have one or more 44 gallon Brute trashcans (food grade) or similar from Lowes/Home Depot. The water is aged with an airstone and heated and a pump with vinyl hosing is used to move the water from the trashcan to the tank. Besides my two 44s I also have an 120 gallon water storage tank.

[shane1988]

Ok great would make things a lot easier can someone tell me how hard discus really are to growout and keep as I keep hearing horror stories and don't want to invest loads of time and money to have things go wrong thanks

[Tankster]

It depends on how you define hard.

I am a newbie and am in the middle of my first grow out. It has not been hard at all... to me. I do 100% water changes every night - religiously. Feed my fish 3-4 times a day and siphon after every feeding. If hard = doing the work, then it is hard. To me, my nightly water changes are part of my day now. I actually look forward to it. Not all the time, but for the most part, it is my time to hang out, talk to my fish and do my thing.

By no means has it been easy, it takes work but it is not rocket science. The people here at Simply have the blueprint for success. I chose to follow it and have been successful so far. The hardest part for me is the stress. Just last night my fish were not acting right after a water change. (you get to know your fish's behavior after awhile and KNOW when something is not right) I was freaking out... what the heck is wrong - did I cause an ammonia spike from over-cleaning the sponge on my HOB, did the county add something to the water treatment system, and on, and on, and on. I pulled out my Hagen test kit and ran all the tests. Come 2:30 am - I am wiped out, and nothing is wrong that can be identified so I shut the light off, went to bed, and just hoped they were alive in the morning. Sure enough, alive and hungry. To me, crap like that is the hard part. The other stuff is kind of therapeutic :)

Here is my 3 month update on my grow out if you are interested.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?117393-3-Month-Update-Stendkers-Grow-Out-of-from-2-5-quot

[shane1988]

Wow just read through your post sounds like you are having a lot of success and love your discus and also thanks for taking your time to reply and try to help me.

I don't mind the hard work or the stress or the daily water changes just trying to gather as much information and knowledge before I take the plunge and go for it.

Am a bit stuck now and would like some more advice I work Monday to Friday 8 until 5 how would I get 4 or 5 feedings into a day water changes are not a problem as I can do them when I get home from work but I'd have a hard time feeding 4 times a day as I am not here for the most part of it so any ideas thanks guys and once again stunning discus tanks tee if I can get mine to look half as good as yours I'll be a very happy discus owner

[Tankster]

Wow just read through your post sounds like you are having a lot of success and love your discus and also thanks for taking your time to reply and try to help me.

I don't mind the hard work or the stress or the daily water changes just trying to gather as much information and knowledge before I take the plunge and go for it.

Am a bit stuck now and would like some more advice I work Monday to Friday 8 until 5 how would I get 4 or 5 feedings into a day water changes are not a problem as I can do them when I get home from work but I'd have a hard time feeding 4 times a day as I am not here for the most part of it so any ideas thanks guys and once again stunning discus tanks tee if I can get mine to look half as good as yours I'll be a very happy discus owner


I am glad to help and thank you for the complement on my fish!
I have to laugh - one of my first mistakes was power feeding. I feed beef-heart in the morning when I woke, went and showered, got dressed and ready for work and then vac before leaving. All told between feeding and siphoning leftovers, it is about 5 minutes tops. Really not a big kink in the morning rush. My problem came in where I followed the advice of 5-6 feeding throughout the day. I set up an auto-feeder with a mix of pellet and flake food. It is almost impossible to fine tune the thing to where the fish eat everything so my water quality was suffering. I came to the Forum and asked for help - Turns out, you really only need to feed them twice a day! Check out some of John Nicholson's threads (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/member.php?4263-John_Nicholson). He is a successful Breeder in Texas and only feeds twice a day. I was comforted by that but still wanted to fatten them up so what I do is give them that morning feeding then when I come home from work, they get another feeding about 5:30 or 6 and then another feeding about 8:30 and then a midnight snack before I do the water change around 11:00. It has worked out well - they are pigs and eat, even with a small window between feedings.

Good luck and KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS!!! Asking questions is probably one of the main reasons I have not killed all of my fish :)

[Tankster]

p.s. - I noticed one post on tank size said 4x2x2 and another said 5x2x2. The first is 119.69 gallons and the second is 149.61 gallons. If the second is correct, I am under-stocking you on discus! I would go for 11 or 12 if the second listing of dimensions is correct.

Here is a nice link to use.
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/converter/volume-calculator.php

[shane1988]

Yes was originally going to get a 4x2x2 but in the end went for a 5x2x2 am thinking of growing out 8 discus then adding them to the tank along with some tetras and corys

[shane1988]

Hi guys been away working for a bit does anyone on here keep or use to keep african cichlids
And how do they compare to discus still undecided on whether to do discus or mbuna cichlids thanks guys

[Tankster]

I am not sure where you are from but my area has a local cichlid association. If you are not from the VA/DC/MD area, you could create an account to see if anyone can direct you to a group in your area. It is not a requirement you are from the area to join so feel free to register and ask your questions over there. Most here are into discus... not to say there are not a few members who have cichlids, they just might not stumble across this post. I am afraid that question might go unanswered in this thread.

http://www.capitalcichlids.org

[ericNH]

I bought my whole tank setup from someone on Craigslist. He kept Africa cichlids in it, and I got to see the tank fully set up before I bought it. Esthetically speaking there's no comparison, imho. Discus are far more beatiful.

[shane1988]

Yes guys been to lfs today just to see the fish in comparison as they have an mbuna show tank and a discus planted show tank and by far the discus have won me over don't get me wrong the mbunas were beautifull and everywhere you looked there was something going on but the discus were so gracefully they had 8 discus I'd guess at around 6 inches and 100 rummy nose and cardinal tetras mixed with around 10 cory cats and it looked absolutely stunning so my mind is made up discus are definitely for me thanks guys

[shane1988]

Hi guys would a 36x18x24 be any good as a growout tank for 10-12 discus thanks again want to get everything together now and get started and also what filtration does everyone use on a growout tank canisters or hob or internal thanks again

[Second Hand Pat]

You may find the 24 inch height a pain when cleaning the tank. I like 40 breeders when the fish are small and 75 for when they are larger.
Pat

[Tankster]

Hi guys would a 36x18x24 be any good as a grow-out tank for 10-12 discus thanks again want to get everything together now and get started and also what filtration does everyone use on a growout tank canisters or hob or internal thanks again

Yes - as long as you keep up with the daily water changes. Once they put some size on, it is going to be a heavy bio-load so maintaining water quality with daily water changes is critical. Keep in mind, water quality is more than just good reading on your test kit. The dissolved organic mater does not register on those tests. I had to skip a water change the other day because of weather and my readings are perfect however, I know the water is not... there is quite a bit of dissolved poop I can't see, as well as microscopic food debris. I could just leave it be, as I know the fish will live and be fine, but I want them to GROW... They might still grow but not nearly as much as they will with fresh clean water.

[Tankster]

You may find the 24 inch height a pain when cleaning the tank. I like 40 breeders when the fish are small and 75 for when they are larger.
Pat

I can back this up with first hand experience... my 65 was a pain when it came to wiping it down. I had a long pvc extension attached to my water change hose which made cleaning debris and water changes easy. It was the tank wipe downs that suffered since it was such a pain. I tended to put it off more often than I should have because of the tall tank.

[shane1988]

What are the dimensions of a 40 breeder guys as I live in the uk and can't find anything labeled as a 40g breeder and would you grow out the 10-12 straight up or do it in 2 batches of 6 thanks guys and what type of filter should I use on the growout cheers

[Tankster]

36 long x 18 deep x 16 tall

The 40b is popular because of these dimensions. Easy on the water usage and easy to clean. 10-12 in that would be a bit much if you took them all the way to adulthood. It was suggested I move mine to a larger tank once they hit 4" to 4.5". I moved them to the 65 and got tired of the tall tank so went out and bought a 75.

If it was me, I would just start with 12 in the 65 and just deal with the tallness of the tank. Unless you can find a good deal on a 75 gallon, I would go with the 65. The main difference between the 65 and the 75 is that is 75 is wide - 18 inches deep as opposed to the 12 inches on the 65. it is also only 21 inches tall. It really is the same amount of work to raise 6 as it is 12. You may as well do it in one batch... in a larger tank.

My next batch of 15, 2.5" discus will start and finish the grow-out in the 75.

[shane1988]

Can anyone explain why everyone keeps on about my next batch why does everyone get lots of batches of discus I was going to get 10-12 discus grow them out and put them in a planted display with some cardinals and corys could you explain why you do this please just so I can understand thanks

[Tankster]

Can anyone explain why everyone keeps on about my next batch why does everyone get lots of batches of discus I was going to get 10-12 discus grow them out and put them in a planted display with some cardinals and corys could you explain why you do this please just so I can understand thanks

I have a 240 gallon display tank that is sitting empty. I could not grow out 30+ fish all at once because of space constraints (not to mention, I needed to ease the wife into this in order to get her on-board). My ultimate goal is 20-22 adults in the display tank. I think it would take growing out at least 30 fish to end up with 20 display quality fish. Out of my first batch of 10, 2 died and 2 are coming up short in terms of growth So I will end up with 5 or six display quality fish. I might go through one more smaller grow out after the next batch of 15.

It seems with most grow outs you get one or 2 stunners, fish that really put on the size and color up nicely, a few average fish (but good enough for display in the big tank) and then the runts of the litter due to being at the bottom of the pecking order. This is why some people suggest buying adults - you know what you are getting that way. The down side to buying adults as a beginner is you don't get the knowledge and experience you do growing them out as juveniles. With adult fish, any mistakes made are VERY expensive as average adult discus can run upwards of $200 each.

Long term, I can see buying a stunning, jumbo adult fish, but right now, I am learning and growing my skills with these fish. When it comes time to buy that jumbo, I will know I can properly care for him/her.


Hope this helps!

Greg

[shane1988]

Sorry guys been away with work thanks tanks tee that explains a lot and I should have figured that out lol. Right another question I have been messed about by my tank builder so am going to order from someone else am going for a 4x2x2 now my question is should I get it sumped or use a canister filter and also how many discus could I keep as a planted display with how many cardinals and corys thanks guys

[shane1988]

Am going to grow out in a 60 gallon bbe before I transfer to the planted thanks guys

[shane1988]

Right then guys I have a plan and want to run it through you first to see if I'm on the right track. I have ordered a 4x2x2 with sump delivery expected to be 6 to 8 weeks. In the sump I'm going to run 200 micron filter sock bio balls and some different grade filter pads from coarse to fine. Return pump is going to be eheim compact 3000 and 2 eheim jäger 300w heaters all controlled of an apex controller I have from my reef tank. Lighting am thinking of customising my own led layout with Cree led whites a couple of royal blues and a couple of reds all attached to electrical trunking so I can hide the wires in the hood. Stocking wise am planning on growing out 12 discus and once adults lightly plant the tank and add 100 cardinals 16 steebai corys and a pair of German blue rams or Bolivian rams does this sound like a plan thanks in advance