110g stocking question

[Makko]

I am in the process of setuping up a 110g display tank

Im new to freshwater, but I have been keeping a saltwater reef tank on/off for many years.

I plan to get

9-10 Discus
25-30 rummy nose testras
6-8 Sterbai Corydoras
2-3 Bushynose Plecos

Im kinda on the fence on the plecos, but i find them to be interesting
I want to be around 2 40% water changes a week. Is that too many fish ?

[peewee1]

I do not know about the number of the Rummy Nose but the discus number at 10 would work if you consider increasing the percent of water changes. Everyone is going to have a different recommendation regarding the water change. Would you consider adding a 3rd change to your schedule?

[danotaylor]

Your water change schedule really depends on what size your discus will be when you purchase them. Fish 5"+ are tolerant of slightly higher nitrates than 2.5" juveniles. To maximize growth and health it is good to target nitrates 10 or less on water change day. Obviously the higher your bioload (fish numbers and food type and feeding schedule) the larger or more frequent water changes should be.

[Willie]

You can do daily water changes on a 110 gal tank if you want your discus to reach their full growth potential.

128069

Your discus will love it.

128070

[Makko]

You can do daily water changes on a 110 gal tank if you want your discus to reach their full growth potential.

128069

Your discus will love it.

128070

I hope my discus never look like that first pic :eek:

[Johnny95132]

The pic of the fish laying on the ground looks bad, but the discus can actually tolerate the loss of water quite well.

[Willie]

When you purchase quality discus from Asia or Europe, every fish has spent every single day of its previous life in this position at least once. The best discus out of Malaysia may get complete water changes twice or three times daily. Every discus hatchery in Asia or Europe will have at least 100% water change daily, because that's how the fish grow best.

[Oxboy]

Three BNs will be nice for algae buildup but also high-power poop machines and driftwood munchers. I got rid of my BN for this reason. Cories are overrated. They are cute i guess, but don't add much. If you don't overfeed, discus will scavenge bottom food for a while after the main feeding. I think a nice big school of tetras would be cool, but I would rather have 2 schools (15 each) of a couple of different tetra types than one big school of 30. Put the tetras in first before the discus.

[Makko]

I was just joking about the first pic. lots of vids showing the same thing.

I plan to get the tank up and running with the tetras etc and make sure my water change setup is good. I think I will pass on the BNs. 2 sets of 15 sound kinda of interesting I had not considered that. My tank is 110g+sump and my drum is 55g so 40ish% is about the max change I can do anyway. I have pretty limited space with wife requirements. The only way to get bigger is a new house ... I'm too lazy to move,

[above design]

I would recommend reading up on quarantine. Adding discus to an established tank of tetras is probably not the way to do it. You could end up throwing away a lot of $.

- Mark

[Oxboy]

I would recommend reading up on quarantine. Adding discus to an established tank of tetras is probably not the way to do it. You could end up throwing away a lot of $.

- Mark

I added tetras to an established tank and the score after about 45 minutes was Discus 12, Rummynose 0.

[Iminit]

Lol yes the discus will see them as snacks!! :). Try black neons there a little bigger.

[eugenefish]

When you purchase quality discus from Asia or Europe, every fish has spent every single day of its previous life in this position at least once. The best discus out of Malaysia may get complete water changes twice or three times daily. Every discus hatchery in Asia or Europe will have at least 100% water change daily, because that's how the fish grow best.

Just like my discus too. They get used to the daily WC and no big deal for them. My discus even come to the front and check out why I am holding my phone in front of them :) even only 4 inches of water left in the tank and the water level is going down fast.

128083

128084

[peewee1]

Willie, I have questions. The wave maker is pointing down. Do you prefer that to pointed up where it would provide a ripple on the surface? Is the purpose of the branch for decoration, to provide security for the fish, and do they spawn on the branch?

[Willie]

Yes, I do point it downwards. The bottom corner diagonally from the wave maker appears to be a dead spot so I thought it important to make sure that spot got circulation. This configuration also has the advantage of blowing anything on the tank bottom toward one corner for easy cleaning.

As for aeration, note that it's positioned directly above one sponge filter. The wavemaker fills the entire tank with micro bubbles (not possible for my iPhone to capture). While aquarium books teach that aeration only occurs at the surface, I believe that it occurs at every air/water interface. This tank is 31" deep, so the fish would move to the top if oxygen is less than optimal. I don't see that.

The driftwood is solely for decoration. I've since moved these fish to a 75 to make room in the 110 for altum angels. Neither of these tanks have decorations. The discus were in the 110 with the driftwood for 3 years and they don't seem to interact with it at all.

These particular discus are raised primarily for competition. In my experience, 100% water changes daily do not promote spawning. For spawning, I would go with 50% water changes every second or third day.