New Here

[Acerrato]

Hi Everyone!

My name is Amanda and I've been keeping fish for approximately 10 years. A few months ago, I was at my LFS and I purchased 3 juvenile discus (2.5"). I had never kept Discus before but I was so excited to have them. I usually never purchase fish on impulse but I was assured by the store owner that all these fish needed were warm water and water changes often. They told me it would be completely okay to have only 3 of them in a 40g breeder with my 9 pristella tetras. Fast forward - they were doing just fine until we hit the 2 1/2 week mark. They stopped eating and started showing signs of Hex. With the help of an experienced breeder, we treated with epsom salt and raised the temperature to 90 degrees with no improvements. We started a metro treatment after 4 days of the epsom salt because all fish were now pooping white long strings. The first fish passed after day 1 of metro treatment, the 2nd passed on the 3rd day and the 3rd fish passed on the 5th day. I WAS DEVASTATED. I have never in all of my years keeping fish felt so helpless.

After studying the SimplyDiscus forum, as suggested by ma127141ny, I realized that these fish probably never stood a chance. They were unhealthy (being inexperienced with them when purchasing, I didn't realize this).

Fast forward again - I purchased a 125g tank that would be solely for Discus. I contacted Hans and kept in touch with him while my new tank was cycling. When my tank was ready, I put in an order for 15, 4" Discus. They're finally here and they're AMAZING! These fish are incredibly healthy, beautiful and extremely social. My computer is located right next to their tank, where they all just swim right next to me and keep me company.

I purchased, 2 Solid Fire Reds, 2 Brilliant Turq's, 1 Red P.B., 1 Blue P.B., 1 Blue Diamond, 2 Checkerboard, 2 Blue Snakeskin, 2 German Wonder and 2 White Leopards.

I look forward to sharing my journey with all of you.

Amanda

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Amanda and welcome to the forum. That was a hard lesson but now you are on the right path. Looking forward to you sharing your journey with us :D
Pat

[Acerrato]

Thank you so much!

[coralbandit]

Welcome Amanda.
I picked up some of the same strains you did just yesterday also !
My discus are from Hans also and I am sure you will have better luck this time .
I got 2 Diamond blues ,2 German Wonders and 2 Brilliants yesterday ..
I guess I don't need to say I think you have great taste !;)
I hope you enjoy the forum these guys and gals here have great info and always here to help ..

[peewee1]

Welcome, Amanda! Your selection of fish look nice. Maybe the lesson to learn is to buy your fish from those sellers that are found here on the forum. Although Hans is not listed almost all well agree that Hans is too among the best of the best. Some loss is to be expected anyway. Over the past 18 months I have lost 2 of 8. So let this forum with its collection of experts help you through the learning curve and you will be successful. N.Y., stay safe.

[timvriens]

welcome Amanda , cant wait to see more pictures of your fish :)

[Acerrato]

Sorry - I don't know why my pictures are posting sideways!!

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[fljones3]

Welcome Amanda. Nice discus.

[Willie]

If you resize your pictures, even slightly, they'll show right side up.

Willie

[two utes]

Welcome Amanda.
I think most of us on here have gone down that path. Its a nice feeling of accomplishment to be able to keep a nice group of discus like yours. Good luck with the rest of your discus keeping.

[14Discus]

Welcome Amanda.......nice fish. Btw, love your scape as well.

[Acerrato]

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I figured out how to upload the photos NOT sideways :)

[coralbandit]

Wow new and takes better pictures then me ! :p
Between you and Pat my pictures will give other members headaches !
I'll just send members here when they want to see what my new guys look like ! ;)
My guys are only 3 inches so it is nice to see what they will turn into ..
I will watching yours and hoping mine turn out as nice ..They look good !

[Acerrato]

Oh don't feel bad- I have a bit of an advantage at photography- it's been a hobby for many years and I used to shoot professionally before I decided that it was more fulfilling as a hobby!! Haha.... But yes - the German Wonders, Brill Turq's & the Blue Diamond are really all so beautiful - I'm sure you're going to be extremely happy when yours grow!


Wow new and takes better pictures then me ! :p
Between you and Pat my pictures will give other members headaches !
I'll just send members here when they want to see what my new guys look like ! ;)
My guys are only 3 inches so it is nice to see what they will turn into ..
I will watching yours and hoping mine turn out as nice ..They look good !

[danotaylor]

G'day Amanda and welcome! Lovely bright healthy looking discus! How about a wide full tank shot of your 125gal? Looking good!!
Danny

[AquaticNerd]

Welcome aboard Amanda!

Discus look great, I love the variety! :)

+1 to Daniel's FTS (Full Tank Shot).

[Acerrato]

Here is a full shot of the 125g! Does anyone have any recommendation for placement of the heaters? Someone mentioned to be that it's safer for the Discus if they're horizontal. Any other suggestions for this tank is welcome! Please note that I am QT'ing in this tank - that's why it's currently so bare. Although, I do like the look of the tank the way it is - I may consider adding some artificial, silk plants! Also, I plan on painting the background sometime this week! These guys are currently getting daily 30% water changes- I'm feeding them 3-4x per day. They're eating Hans' Beef Heart mix 2x/day which they LOVE and they're also getting frozen bloodworms and blackworm flakes.

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[AquaticNerd]

Hi Amanda!

I agree that the heaters should be more horizontal. One reason being that the thermostat is located in the upper part of the heater body. As the heater heats the water, the warmer water rises. If the heaters are more vertical than horizontal, that warmer water will rise up and turn off the heater prematurely, or possibly cause it to turn on and off more than it should. The more the heater(s) turn on and off, the more wear it will have, leading to potential failures for being stuck on or off. Another reason, at least from what I believe, is that discus lay eggs on vertical surfaces. For juveniles this usually isn't an issue as they won't be mature enough to start spawning. However, as they get older and more mature, they are very likely to try and spawn on the heater itself. This will not only burn the eggs, but have a potential to burn and harm the fish as well.

With that said, I LOVE the current layout. I like the simplicity and the wood gives it a good dimension. If you're looking for some green color, I've seen a lot of folks be successful keeping Amazon Swords in plant pots with some root tab for nutrients. If you plan on doing something similar, I would wait until the QT period is over.

It looks like you've got a good feeding plan going on. My only suggestion, since you got 4" fish, would be to possibly increase the amount of water you're changing. For maximum growth, I would aim for 100%/day. This can be one large change, or split up into two separate 50% changes. Beef Heart mix is pretty messy, so I would say try and clean up after about 10-15 minutes of feeding it. :)

I love the color mixture you've got going! I'm looking forward to seeing how these guys progress.

[Acerrato]

Thank you so much for this response! I can certainly change more of the water out daily. I purchased a utility water pump to do my water changes as this tank is in my finished basement and I have no sump or drain down here. So I run the hose connected to the pump from my tank to my shower upstairs - it works perfectly. I can do a complete 50% water change in just about 30 minutes - it makes my life so easy! It also doesn't seem to bother the fish at all - in fact, they get very curious and swim around the pump trying to figure out what the heck it is! As far as my heaters, I have them connected to a Bulk Reef Supply Heater control. I can certainly turn them horizontally - but my question is, where should the placement of the probe be in the tank? I currently have it in the dead center of the back glass. The heater control turns the heaters on/off on its own depending on the temperature I have it set at - the heaters aren't currently going by their internal thermostats. I do also have small thermometers on the front glass of the tank (as a precaution). The thermometer on the left reads 86F and the one on the right reads 84F. Thanks in advance!


Hi Amanda!

I agree that the heaters should be more horizontal. One reason being that the thermostat is located in the upper part of the heater body. As the heater heats the water, the warmer water rises. If the heaters are more vertical than horizontal, that warmer water will rise up and turn off the heater prematurely, or possibly cause it to turn on and off more than it should. The more the heater(s) turn on and off, the more wear it will have, leading to potential failures for being stuck on or off. Another reason, at least from what I believe, is that discus lay eggs on vertical surfaces. For juveniles this usually isn't an issue as they won't be mature enough to start spawning. However, as they get older and more mature, they are very likely to try and spawn on the heater itself. This will not only burn the eggs, but have a potential to burn and harm the fish as well.

With that said, I LOVE the current layout. I like the simplicity and the wood gives it a good dimension. If you're looking for some green color, I've seen a lot of folks be successful keeping Amazon Swords in plant pots with some root tab for nutrients. If you plan on doing something similar, I would wait until the QT period is over.

It looks like you've got a good feeding plan going on. My only suggestion, since you got 4" fish, would be to possibly increase the amount of water you're changing. For maximum growth, I would aim for 100%/day. This can be one large change, or split up into two separate 50% changes. Beef Heart mix is pretty messy, so I would say try and clean up after about 10-15 minutes of feeding it. :)

I love the color mixture you've got going! I'm looking forward to seeing how these guys progress.

[AquaticNerd]

Even better!

I use the BRS controller as well. My tip would be to set the heaters to a few degrees higher than what you have the BRS controller set to (that way they kick on when the controller turns on). Assuming you have the temps set to 86 on the controller, I would set the heaters themselves to something like 88. The location of the probe should be somewhere in the middle of the tank in the bottom 1/3, away from the heater elements (this is my preference). I've included an image of what I would imagine it looking like: Red arrows show pushing the thermostat portion down. The orange arrows show pushing the elements closer to the ends of the aquarium. The green circle is the general area I would put the probe. With the way your two HOBs are placed as well as your sponges, you should get good flow to disperse the heat well. Note that this is my preference - others may have different opinions.

https://i.imgur.com/5wnLiiS.jpg

[Acerrato]

Thanks so much - this was extremely helpful. I am trying to adjust the heaters now - the only issue that I'm having is that my heater clips keep slipping and won't allow the heater to sit perfectly horizontal. The end of the heater pretty much just rests on the bottom of the tank. Is this no good?

[AquaticNerd]

I'd say give it your best shot without the heaters touching the bottom glass. It's okay if they're slightly tilted - the idea is to just make them less vertical and less tempting as a spawning site.

I've never been a fan of the suction cup mounts on any heater. They always slip, or the heater pops out at the slightest tug of the cord. The only exception is if the heater is mounted on the bottom of the tank (i.e. suction cups on the bottom glass). For every other mounting situation, I've moved to the magnetic mounts, such as the ones BRS carries (https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/single-nano-mag-magnetic-heater-mount-zen-reef.html).

[Acerrato]

I'm going to look into the magnetic clips because these suction cups do drive me absolutely nuts! Thank you for all of your help!!!

[danotaylor]

Your full tank shot looks great Amanda, thank you for posting it! The tank is sparkling clean. +1 with Jake's suggestions. T

he only other change I would make is to move the wood apart slightly so it sits in front of your HOB filters and hides the intake and your heaters a little. It is just an aesthetic suggestion and just what I would do. Since you're the one who is gets to sit in front and enjoy it everyday you leave as you'd like it. Moving the wood further apart may help as your fish grow because the wood will become spawning sites and the closer the pieces are together the more ruckus there will be.

I think your feeding schedule is great for good growth and agree that increasing you water changes to 75%+ will ensure good growth and health of your precious discus. Keep at it mate, your doing a stellar job!

[Acerrato]

Thank you so much! I moved the heaters and tried to order the magnetic holders but they're sold out on Bulk Reef Supply - I'm going to keep an eye out for when they come back in stock. I do agree about hiding the intakes - I have another piece of driftwood (smaller) on the way - so I'm still arranging/re-arranging... I'm sure that'll never end as I can never get anything to look just as I want it! :p. I did a larger water change today and can do so going forward for sure!


Your full tank shot looks great Amanda, thank you for posting it! The tank is sparkling clean. +1 with Jake's suggestions. T

he only other change I would make is to move the wood apart slightly so it sits in front of your HOB filters and hides the intake and your heaters a little. It is just an aesthetic suggestion and just what I would do. Since you're the one who is gets to sit in front and enjoy it everyday you leave as you'd like it. Moving the wood further apart may help as your fish grow because the wood will become spawning sites and the closer the pieces are together the more ruckus there will be.

I think your feeding schedule is great for good growth and agree that increasing you water changes to 75%+ will ensure good growth and health of your precious discus. Keep at it mate, your doing a stellar job!

[Larry208]

Beautiful fish, love the colors and how they pop. Welcome to Simply.

[Willie]

Beautiful tank. Have you considered stacking your sponge filters to get higher biological filtration capacity without taking up any more floor space? Mechanical filtration is not nearly as important since you're removing crud daily with water changes.

I think the most important reason to move your heaters to a horizontal position is so that they don't explode during large water changes. Mine usually lay flat on the bottom without the holders (which are a total PITA). Now that I have a fish room, all the heaters are on one circuit and all the lights are on a different circuit with the pumps. The heater circuit is shut off when I do water changes, but the lights and water pump stays on.

I hope you keep posting pictures of the Stendkers, Willie

[Acerrato]

Thanks Willie - I had never thought to stack the sponges - I do have a couple of extras laying around here somewhere! I do have double sponges in each of my Tidal HOB's though. I did flip the heaters horizontally - just waiting for the magnetic clips to come back in stock on Bulk Reef Supply - they sound like they'll be very helpful.


Beautiful tank. Have you considered stacking your sponge filters to get higher biological filtration capacity without taking up any more floor space? Mechanical filtration is not nearly as important since you're removing crud daily with water changes.

I think the most important reason to move your heaters to a horizontal position is so that they don't explode during large water changes. Mine usually lay flat on the bottom without the holders (which are a total PITA). Now that I have a fish room, all the heaters are on one circuit and all the lights are on a different circuit with the pumps. The heater circuit is shut off when I do water changes, but the lights and water pump stays on.

I hope you keep posting pictures of the Stendkers, Willie

[Iminit]

Wow Hans did you good!!! Great photos too! Those are some nice discus!!