What size wavemakers, if any?

[lastflea]

Hi everyone.

I'm wondering what size I should get for my 166g. I realise the large "sail" means discus prefer calmer water, so what would be about right?

Thanks, Rob

[Paul Sabucchi]

Same doubt I had, thinking a wavemaker was the last thing discus needed. My 100 gal with 10 month old discus already had an airstone but as the fish grew they were breathing faster and faster (no gill flukes, checked under the microscope, no ammonia nor nitrites and nitrates barely detectable). Tried a small pump and they immediately seemed a lot better. I have put a very small wavemaker (SunSun jvp 110, 2000 l/h) in the top back corner opposite the return from the filter and the fish have never looked back (unless I forget to plug it back in after e water change). Just confirms my thought that you should be aware of all the advice available but ultimately each tank is a world to itself and most of all you should pay attention to what "it is saying" rather than "how it has always been done". If you want a more customisable (albeit more expensive) option you could get a DC controllable wavemaker such as a Jebao or a Vortech. Wavemakers are also very useful in ageing barrels, I use Sunsun jvp 100's.

[Adam S]

Sunsun's are a great value. Koralia's are tried and true. You don't need a strong pump to keep waste off the bottom but if your goal is circulation, 6-10x per hour is usually a good starting place. Just make sure there are some areas free of current for the fish to retreat.

[lastflea]

Thanks both. My thinking was along the lines of, no wavemakers = bad circulation, and so pockets of dirtier water, all be it invisible to the eye. Yes, of course water changes resolve that issue, but does everyone do 50% every day, for the entire life of their discus? This info is for my display tank, not the grow tank, where daily water changes will happen. But I don't want to be doing them in a 630l for how ever many years. That's if my juveniles make it to the display tank, that is....

[Kfactor]

I use a coral box 5 in my tank it’s a 75 g and my discus seem to like it and it keeps the bottom very clean . I just have it on the lowest setting and I turn it of at night for them

[Paul Sabucchi]

Again, in my case the fish are still in their growth phase, being now almost one year old, I am changing 2/3 of the water every day and just the same after a few hours the fish were going paler, breathing a lot harder and faster, hanging closer to the surface and less keen to eat. All these adverse effects were swiftly reversed by the addition of the wavemaker. With hindsight I probably should have started using the wavemaker at least 2 months earlier. I have no idea why my fish seem to require this increased surface agitation, just the way it seems to be. Maybe the controllable ones can be fine tuned to the requirement of each tank, Jebao RW or Vortech

[lastflea]

My display tank is 2.5' deep, so I'm pretty sure I'll need additional circulation. Turning the wavemakers off at night is a nice idea, but I would also adjust the sump out-take, so as not to compromise surface agitation. That sounds like what yours were suffering from Paul.

[Paul Sabucchi]

My tank has the return from the canister filter moving the surface anyway (you can see it in the top left hand corner), plus the airstone (that I swapped for a block of pinewood as it produces far finer bubbles), it was sufficient for the first few months but as the fish have grown a fair bit their requirements must have exceeded what oxygen the system could provide. Anyway it seems the wavemaker is what makes the difference: on=happy fish, off=unhappy fish
https://youtu.be/P0dvo7hbZms