Double filters and double heaters?

[Paul Sabucchi]

Hi still planning ahead for my first discus tank. It will be a 300 liter (75 gal approx) bare bottom at least until the 6? Discus are fully grown. On each of my two 100 gal mbuna tanks I have two canister filters, not only because of the high stocking but also as insurance (a mate nearby had been promising me some fish for months, finally said to go this week but monday he sent me photos of his dead fish. He was away for 3 days and his only filter stopped working. I also have double heaters and an STC-1000 temp controller, heaters set at 25 deg, if they stay on the controller will cut them off at 26 deg and above that it turns on the cooling fans (at the moment tanks would naturally be at 27.5 deg if not cooled). Would a similar belt and braces approach be good for the discus tank? Would overfiltering also be good, maybe using long spraybars poined towards the glass to minimise current? Ciao from Italy

[Akili]

25 C is too low for Discus.Set the temperture for 28 C

[Paul Sabucchi]

That is the temperature set for the mbuna... They are best between 25 and 28, warmer they are more active and breed more, cooler they don't slaughter each other as much. I would be keeping discus at 28-29. I have read of heaters struggling to get the tank to that temperature but I have lso read that heaters that are"on" most of the time are the most likely to "stick" and poach the fish ad a result. That is why I would feel safer with a temperature controller. As far as doubling up on filtration, insurance against one not working aside, is there any advantage in overfiltering discus tanks? Probably the answer is if I do massive water changes every day no not much need for overfiltering but agai if for any reason I can't be there to do the water changes would overfiltering buy me any breathing space?

[Paul Sabucchi]

That is the temperature set for the mbuna... They are best between 25 and 28, warmer they are more active and breed more, cooler they don't slaughter each other as much. I would be keeping discus at 28-29. I have read of heaters struggling to get the tank to that temperature but I have lso read that heaters that are"on" most of the time are the most likely to "stick" and poach the fish ad a result. That is why I would feel safer with a temperature controller. As far as doubling up on filtration, insurance against one not working aside, is there any advantage in overfiltering discus tanks? Probably the answer is if I do massive water changes every day no not much need for overfiltering but agai if for any reason I can't be there to do the water changes would overfiltering buy me any breathing space?

[Akili]

I suggest that after you have moved the mbuna strip the tank down, sterilize all the equipment that you going to use for the Discus setup and start a fresh biological cycle in order to avoid any "Cross-contamination" for your incoming Discus. Start clean so that you do not regret later down the road.Also in the meantime I recommend you to go through the stickies’ in the Beginners Section and watch this video
https://youtu.be/VXe3VKh7qF8 it is about an hour and half long but worth hours of information
P.S. A must read thread form the beginner section http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?86009-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Getting-Started-with-Discus
After this if you have questions feel free to post them and I sure someone will help you out.

[Paul Sabucchi]

Thank you for taking the time to write but again you have misunderstood. Both my two 100 gal mbuna tanks are staying, neither of them is going to be shrunk to a 75 gal tank for discus:confused:. I am not overhauling any other of my other 4 fishtanks, I am buying another new tank and have read all the stickies and watched the video. As on my big tanks I have redundant filtration and temperature controll I would like to know if anyone thinks it is worth doing for a discus tank.

[Filip]

I like the idea of having two powerful and quality heaters just in case one of them fails , or it isn't enough to hold the high temps discus requires, during cold winter months .
Also sometimes when treating discus or trying to enhance their appetite you might want 33-34 C temp. so 2 heaters is better than one anyway .

On filtration . I think that there is no such thing as over filtering an aquarium water. The more filter material space and capacity the better .
The only thing that you need to be carefully about with filtration in discus tank is water flow .
Ussualy about 10 tank volumes per hour is max. you should aim with canisters in discus tank and be sure that you leave a quite spot with less flow somewhere in the tank so that discus can retrieve and rest if they get tired of the flow.

[Paul Sabucchi]

Thanks that is really helpful. I will probably then go for 2 x Jebao 304 filters with the outlets so to minimise turbulence. I have been using them for years and am happy with their performance. They are a chinese clone of the old Eheim prof. II, 15 liter capacity in 4 trays 20 w/h for 1200 l/h nominal flow (real world probably only 60% of that) and probably also use two All Pond Solutions EF2 prefilters to house the sponges so I only need to open those for cleaning and only rarely open the main filters (that can be filled completely with biological media: alfagrog or matrix).
Thank you again for the advice I would like to get all my facts straight before I start. Ciao from Italy

[Filip]

2 filters x 1200 lph flow shouldn be too much flow for a 300 l tank IMO .especially if you use spraybars and point them properly to leave some quite spots in the tank.
Many people here on forum, including me, use prefilter sponges on the canister intake, preventing the debris get trapped in the canister and rot in there.
EF2 prefilter along is also a very good idea IMO , just be sure to clean it often (maybe weekly ) to prevent multiplying bacteria in it .

Good luck Paul.