BADFISHY
09-01-2015, 07:53 AM
Posting this in a new thread as it seems the sticky is not being watched any longer. Feel free to shoot me down and steer me away feom discus.
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.
HI Boys and Girls. I'm Kevin. Just getting back in the game as I recently re-acquired one of two 125g Marineland tanks with stands and canopies that I made about nine years ago. Sold them a few years back and now that I have my own home again I went looking for an aquarium on Craigslist and what do you know, one of my very own aquariums happened to be for sale. This particular tank was intended for mbuna cichlids and her sister tank was a amazon community planted tank with mostly jungle vals. I was going to do mbuna cichs again but got the planted tank bug after seeing some awesome tanks. Basically I think I would get bored with mbuna cichs as I am a equipment junky. I also like the variety of a community tank. With African cichs, you order a bunch of fish and throw them in the tank. No romance, browsing, shopping, or feeling of ecstatic joy when you find some crazy pleco hiding under some wood at the fish store.
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?
No, Some [working on it]
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.
72" x 18" x 22"/ display/ no water yet
4) Describe the décor for the tank; type of substrate or bare bottom (BB), whether the tank will be planted or a biotope.
This will be a heavily planted tank with peat under eco complete under Tahitian moon sand. I was shot down already on dark substrate with discus although I refuse to believe it,lol. Not decided on c02 injection yet but it is a good possibility for down the road. See how the algae goes.
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'm going to set up a fifty gallon aging tank on the back porch at some point which should yield a ball park fifty percent water change every week, unless I can set up a refugium under the show tank , in which case water changes will be far less.
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.
Lighting will be a 60 or 72" Build My LED 6300k with controller. Heaters are twin 200w Cobalt. C02, maybe. I have two fx5 filters that came back to me with the tank. Waiting on impellors as they were making all sorts or racket. They are nine years old now. If they don't work properly i'll look into a sump and refugium set up. Still pondering a refugium with or without the fx5's. This stand was designed to be able to hold a 55g tank underneath as the rear center brace is removable. Canopy has a cut out for a small exhaust fan if the lights get to warm. I don't expect I'll need one. Will also ad an air pump for night time oxygenation. Brand...they all suck so probably a basic Whisper.
7) If the tank is already setup and running, include the water parameters;
NA...no filters or lights yet. I'll be working with hard Florida water...joy!!
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'm thinking 6 discus, a couple oddball smaller plecos, 10 corys for bottom clean up, and lots of cardinal and/ or rummy nose or scissortail tetras. Possibly a small school of red/blue tetras or something of that sort. Not sure where to get the discus from yet.
9) Describe your planned or existing feeding regimen. Include what and how often you are feeding on a daily basis.
Twice daily and whatever is recommended when I get around to adding the discus. They will be last to inhabit the tank.
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?
My goal is to have a show winner of a tank so I can post pics everywhere and have total strangers tell me how awesome I am. No breeding plans, but its a possibility.
Below are old pics of my twin girls and one pic of the tanks new home.
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.
HI Boys and Girls. I'm Kevin. Just getting back in the game as I recently re-acquired one of two 125g Marineland tanks with stands and canopies that I made about nine years ago. Sold them a few years back and now that I have my own home again I went looking for an aquarium on Craigslist and what do you know, one of my very own aquariums happened to be for sale. This particular tank was intended for mbuna cichlids and her sister tank was a amazon community planted tank with mostly jungle vals. I was going to do mbuna cichs again but got the planted tank bug after seeing some awesome tanks. Basically I think I would get bored with mbuna cichs as I am a equipment junky. I also like the variety of a community tank. With African cichs, you order a bunch of fish and throw them in the tank. No romance, browsing, shopping, or feeling of ecstatic joy when you find some crazy pleco hiding under some wood at the fish store.
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?
No, Some [working on it]
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.
72" x 18" x 22"/ display/ no water yet
4) Describe the décor for the tank; type of substrate or bare bottom (BB), whether the tank will be planted or a biotope.
This will be a heavily planted tank with peat under eco complete under Tahitian moon sand. I was shot down already on dark substrate with discus although I refuse to believe it,lol. Not decided on c02 injection yet but it is a good possibility for down the road. See how the algae goes.
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'm going to set up a fifty gallon aging tank on the back porch at some point which should yield a ball park fifty percent water change every week, unless I can set up a refugium under the show tank , in which case water changes will be far less.
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.
Lighting will be a 60 or 72" Build My LED 6300k with controller. Heaters are twin 200w Cobalt. C02, maybe. I have two fx5 filters that came back to me with the tank. Waiting on impellors as they were making all sorts or racket. They are nine years old now. If they don't work properly i'll look into a sump and refugium set up. Still pondering a refugium with or without the fx5's. This stand was designed to be able to hold a 55g tank underneath as the rear center brace is removable. Canopy has a cut out for a small exhaust fan if the lights get to warm. I don't expect I'll need one. Will also ad an air pump for night time oxygenation. Brand...they all suck so probably a basic Whisper.
7) If the tank is already setup and running, include the water parameters;
NA...no filters or lights yet. I'll be working with hard Florida water...joy!!
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'm thinking 6 discus, a couple oddball smaller plecos, 10 corys for bottom clean up, and lots of cardinal and/ or rummy nose or scissortail tetras. Possibly a small school of red/blue tetras or something of that sort. Not sure where to get the discus from yet.
9) Describe your planned or existing feeding regimen. Include what and how often you are feeding on a daily basis.
Twice daily and whatever is recommended when I get around to adding the discus. They will be last to inhabit the tank.
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?
My goal is to have a show winner of a tank so I can post pics everywhere and have total strangers tell me how awesome I am. No breeding plans, but its a possibility.
Below are old pics of my twin girls and one pic of the tanks new home.