The ease of cleaning bare bottom tanks

[Carol_Roberts]

This is a 55 gallon tank at the end of the day. These five 10 month old discus are still fed heavily (6 times per day)

[Carol_Roberts]

This is all the dirt (feces).

[Carol_Roberts]

See how it collects at one end?

[Carol_Roberts]

This tank is drained into the bathtub - others are drained out the back door

[Carol_Roberts]

Aged water is pumped back into the tank from the storage barrels. See how I use the Aqua Clear lid to hold the end of the hose into the filter to refill this tank?

[Carol_Roberts]

Here is a close up of the faucet adapter. You unscrew the one on the faucet and remove it along with the mesh strainer.

I like the metal adapters they last longer than plastic.

[Carol_Roberts]

The hose attaches to the sink and the barrels are refilled for tomorrow. Each barrel has a heater that just lays in the bottom of the tank. I've never had a problem as the water absorbs the heat so the plastic does not melt. The water is agitated for three hours and heated overnight for use the next day.

[jules]

Carol your tanks are immaculate along with your Discus. :sun:

[Fish Addict]

A bathroom is now a fish room :)))) How sweet .. ;D



I am impressed. ........

[DiscusR1]

Carol,
You have might have been asked this before but where did you get the storage barrels?
I really like the setup, especially the kitchen.

;D ;D ;D

[Carol_Roberts]

I bought my barrels from a farm supply store. Camping stores may have them too. I've read that pepsi syrup comes in similiar barrels.

[Fish Addict]

Hi Carol...

I don't see any sponge filters in your tanks....u dont' use them?

[Carol_Roberts]

I keep two sponge filters running - each is in a 29 gallon tank. I remove the aqua clears and use sponges with new freeswimmers. Once the babies are big enough I add the Aqua Clears back

[Roblue]

I went to Home Depot last week to look for barrels like the ones Carol have, but alas all they had were these...

[Roblue]

...and this is what happened. When the thing tipped over the heater burned a mark on my carpet, and worst, the whole carpet stinks. Now it'll need to be professionally cleaned. Paid for my stupid mistake big time.

[DiscusR1]

Sorry to here that ROblue. How exactly did this happen, were you moving it or did this just do it on it own?

[Roblue]

It went down on its own. It wasn't even filled 3/4. Filled it with water the first night I bought it, and the following morning that's what I woke up to. But since I live on the 14th floor, the "good" news is that security and the neighbors below didn't complain of a dripping wet ceiling. ;D

[LEM504]

After looking at Carol's tanks, I have concluded that she keeps her fish in the pond in the back yard.
She just fills a new tank with water and puts the fish in when she needs to take a picture, or someone comes to visit.
Nothing can live in anything that clean! ;D

Larry

PS The barrels you are looking for are food storage drums. They are sold - used - by surplus stores and farm related stores.

[Carol_Roberts]

Thanks, Larry ;D

[korbi_doc]

:bounce2: :bounce2: Roblue, I've been using 2 32g RM tubs with wheels, like yours, but more rectangular than round, for 2 yrs. Positioned them between 2 tanks that are at right angles, the handle of each one leans against the tank stand. Think this is why I've had no problems with them as others have, cuz they cannot free-stand. The tank stands must give'm enough support to be stable, thank goodness, & the window behind'm provides the drain to the outside, makes it easy. jme, Dottie ;D

Those tanks are very clean, I just can't keep mine anywhere but the basement for fear of wife-inflicted-death!! To say nothing of the lonely nights ;) Wouldn't it be so cool to be rich enough to hire someone to tend to your own personal discus hatchery!!! You could just buy and admire the fish and have someone else change all the water and prepare beefheart ;D

Carol, you know if discus were so smart you could just train them to use the toilet right next to their tank!!! :-*
Now wouldn't that be cool!!!!

[korbi_doc]

:o :o :funny: :funny: :funny: :funny: :funny:

[kattdog]

I bought a large 50 or so gallon plastic garbage can from home depot. Has handles on top and wheels on the bottom. It can be filled full of water and never flexes or gives a hint of tipping or any problems. Never had a problem with a heater in it either.
The better half didn't like it in the living room (I dont know why) so now I keep it in a closet and wheel it out when I need the water.

[nimo69]

carol what pump do you use to in the barrel ? Any brand better or cheaper ?
Thank you
nimo69

[Carol_Roberts]

I have a mix of pumps from walmart and lowes. I like the largest Walmart pond pump. Other pumps may be better . . . . I went for easy to buy and replace :)

[dhags]

would it be a good idea to keep discus in bare bottom till full grown.I want to put gravel and such in, was just wondering if waiting till they are full grown would be best. thanks Dan

[Carol_Roberts]

I think it's best to wait until they are full grown

[dhags]

thank-you carol

[funkyfish]

hey carol i think mine fish poop more than ur's lol the bottom of my tank has
alot more poop in it than u have i wish it was that easy

[ppv1951]

you might try a restaurant supply for your barrels. they need to be "approved for food use"; they won't contain anything harmful to the fish.

pat.

[Apistomaster]

Hello BBm'ers,
I use several kinds of set ups for my discus depending on whether breeding or rearing.
1. BB
2. <1/4 inch of substrate
3. Planted breeder grow out. 1/3 of the back has 3" deep sustrate confined within a 3" high siliconed glass box with front 2/3 barely covered with a sprinkling of substrate but essentially bare. It's easy to hydrovac the back, and make it livingroom worthy. I have a massive DIY wet/dry in these planted tanks. 10 discus grew from 2-1/2 in to 6+ in. in 10 months and have paired and moved to bare 20H's. Replaced them with 10 Heckels. I feed growing breeders 4 to 6 X day. Tank is 75g plus 25 more in the sump. 900gph return flow. There are as many approaches as there are aquarists. Do what works best for you. Discus are happy in any clean water changed regularly,kept warm and fed well. They're quick to let you know if WQ has slipped too much.
I am in total agreement that as a general rule that a fully covered bottom leads eventually WQ problems. It's doable but generally not if you have many tanks to keep up, especially if discus are your main interest as they are for me.

[geekfacejer]

nice thanks for the info !

[markstr]

Carol,
When ageing the water, I have been keeping my Powerhead on
(Agitating the water) till the following day (50% once per day WC)..

Is this necessary? Or should I just have it going say 3 hrs before my WCS's?

[korbi_doc]

:) Hi Mark, I'm not Carol, but here's my take on this..Before I moved from NJ, I had 2 35g storage barrels, started using the powerheads 24/7... then on advice from this site, put in airstones connected to my air pump; this costs less than running powerheads, but you need a large enough airpump...now, here in Tn, been running powerheads again, 'til I get more tanks to use the big pump....run them when I first put in Prime for cpl hours, after heating the water awhile, then for cpl hours before I use it for W/Cs....probably not necessary to run'm 24hrs....JMO, Dottie ;)

[rowedder]

Bare Bottom tanks are extremely easy to keep clean, yes, we do have to vacuum out the tanks every day. My water changing system fills them back up for me though and changes a percentage of the water throughout the night and day, pretty convienient for us. Nice aquariums Carol.

backyarddiscusllc.com

[Daniella]

how can anyone who work feed discus 6 times a day? Most I can do is 3 times a day and that's a royal pain since I have to syphon away what they don't eat to avoid ammonia build up if too much food is left uneated.

I do have a bare bottom but one still has to remove uneated food.

Unless someone is unemployed or working from home, than it is impossible to keep up with such schedule. Why I prefer to buy older discus.



This is a 55 gallon tank at the end of the day. These five 10 month old discus are still fed heavily (6 times per day)

[ApacheDan]

how can anyone who work feed discus 6 times a day? Most I can do is 3 times a day and that's a royal pain since I have to syphon away what they don't eat to avoid ammonia build up if too much food is left uneated.

I do have a bare bottom but one still has to remove uneated food.

Unless someone is unemployed or working from home, than it is impossible to keep up with such schedule. Why I prefer to buy older discus.

Daniella, this thread is 5 years old :o but good to know that somebody still reads it, since it is the same problem today as five years ago...

Personally, I would worry more about daily water changes than having a spotless tank, regardless of the substrate. You figure, nobody evers vacuums the Amazon and fish thrive,...why? because water is constantly moving and conditions and levels are kept. You can do the same with regular water changes and vacuum when you get a chance. That way there's no chance for toxics to accumulate.

[selvon]

Thanks for the info, think i'm going to change to a bare bottom tank myself:D

[mathao]

i have a bb and rite after every feeding i clean the tank,and my fishes went from 2.5 to 2.75 inches in two weeks, everytime i clean the tank i take out about 5 to 10 gallons out.
YEP, I have a lot of time on my hands now that i've been laid off.

[morillonj]

what if my substrate was like one pebble thick. thats hardly anything. would it be just as clean as a bb?? cause i can still see the glass.

[AndrewB]

I hope I'm in the right topic for this...
I have fine gravel in my planted show tank and several pieces of drift wood. I also use peat moss in the sump.

I always have 5 ppm of nitrates in my tank. I'm convinced that the driftwood and peat make it impossible to keep the nitrates at zero. My tap water contains zero nitrates so I know that's not the problem. I change 15% every other day. Fish are healthy. I totally see the benefits of a bare bottom tank. Is it possible to keep a tank like a mentioned with zero nitrates? I suppose if I changed 100% of the water daily. Will this amount of nitrates negatively affect the discus over time?

[Jennie]

nitrates under 10 ppm is fine. Nitrates are part of the cycle process of food and fish waste. Mine usually remain at 5ppm. Waterchanges help keep the nitrates low. I don;t think you have a problem. also I also have a fine layer of gravel. just do thorough gravel vacs daily

[David Rose]

I hope I'm in the right topic for this...
I have fine gravel in my planted show tank and several pieces of drift wood. I also use peat moss in the sump.

I always have 5 ppm of nitrates in my tank. I'm convinced that the driftwood and peat make it impossible to keep the nitrates at zero. My tap water contains zero nitrates so I know that's not the problem. I change 15% every other day. Fish are healthy. I totally see the benefits of a bare bottom tank. Is it possible to keep a tank like a mentioned with zero nitrates? I suppose if I changed 100% of the water daily. Will this amount of nitrates negatively affect the discus over time?


Hi Andrew,

Nitrates are a natural part of the Nitrogen cycle and you should always see some nitrates to ensure you have a cycled filter....that is unless you do one or two large water changes a day. Less than 40 ppm IMO is okay, but are you concerned with your levels?

David

[AndrewB]

Ok, thank you. That's good to hear. If up to 40 ppm is still acceptable to discus then I'm not concerned at all. I thought I remember reading somewhere here that you should shoot for 0ppm nitrates or it will affect the coloration and growth of your fish. I suppose that is kinda impossible to achieve.

[David Rose]

Ok, thank you. That's good to hear. If up to 40 ppm is still acceptable to discus then I'm not concerned at all. I thought I remember reading somewhere here that you should shoot for 0ppm nitrates or it will affect the coloration and growth of your fish. I suppose that is kinda impossible to achieve.

Planted tanks will have higher nitrate levels 20-40ppm if adding fertilizers. BB/non-planted tanks are generally 5-20 ppm. The more frequent and higher volume your water changes, the lower your levels.

[danny2013]

nitrates under 10 ppm is fine. Nitrates are part of the cycle process of food and fish waste. Mine usually remain at 5ppm. Waterchanges help keep the nitrates low. I don;t think you have a problem. also I also have a fine layer of gravel. just do thorough gravel vacs daily

How do you manage cleaning the fine sand? wouldn't you suck it out with the poo?

[DiscusKev]

How do you manage cleaning the fine sand? wouldn't you suck it out with the poo?

I would believe all the debris will be on the top of the layer of sand, all you need to do is gently siphon up/skim the top of the sand :)

[David Rose]

I would believe all the debris will be on the top of the layer of sand, all you need to do is gently siphon up/skim the top of the sand :)


+1 That's what I do in my two tanks with sand. I hover about 1/4".

[Jennie]

I use gravel not sand, but love the way sand looks better than gravel. Because it is more difficult I don't use it


How do you manage cleaning the fine sand? wouldn't you suck it out with the poo?

[Ruffy]

wow Carol, that is putting ur mind to use. I usually see breeders use separate tanks, but i guess the barrels are cheaper huh?

[David Rose]

wow Carol, that is putting ur mind to use. I usually see breeders use separate tanks, but i guess the barrels are cheaper huh?

An old thread....Carol is no longer an active member on SD that I'm aware of. :(

[lenco12]

Here is a close up of the faucet adapter. You unscrew the one on the faucet and remove it along with the mesh strainer.

I like the metal adapters they last longer than plastic.

The hose attaches to the sink and the barrels are refilled for tomorrow. Each barrel has a heater that just lays in the bottom of the tank. I've never had a problem as the water absorbs the heat so the plastic does not melt. The water is agitated for three hours and heated overnight for use the next day

[lenco12]

Here is a close up of the faucet adapter. You unscrew the one on the faucet and remove it along with the mesh strainer.

I like the metal adapters they last longer than plastic.

The hose attaches to the sink and the barrels are refilled for tomorrow. Each barrel has a heater that just lays in the bottom of the tank. I've never had a problem as the water absorbs the heat so the plastic does not melt. The water is agitated for three hours and heated overnight for use the next day.

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[tbone83]

nice set up but what a waist of water u could set it up for your garden out side than down the drain,
ive got a 4ft grow out and i change 33% of the water every 2 days and with a large canister cutting down nitrate's to almost 10 ther's no need for huge w/c's
the key to growing out fast is lots of aeration, low watermovement so they dont burn calories, high temp so there metabilism is quicker, and lots of feeding with low nitrate levels, invest in a big canister with seachem matrix and a long spray bar for less movement it will save you the time,water and money

[broncofan27]

+1 one of the ease of cleaning. I just setup my first BB tank and I don't think I will ever use substrate again. it's just so dang easy and fast to clean. I love it and I can still do some creative things to add decor.

[TwitchyDiscus]

I was thinking of bare bottom but my discus seem to be doing fine in gravel :)!

[esqnapa]

Great information, thanks!

[Bud Smith]

+1 one of the ease of cleaning. I just setup my first BB tank and I don't think I will ever use substrate again. it's just so dang easy and fast to clean. I love it and I can still do some creative things to add decor.

+1 - my thoughts exactly

[AKRON AWOL]

i've never seen a tank in the bathroom...looks pretty sick! :)

[ifish]

+ 1 thanks

[Stag]

After some initial reluctance I to have started out my first Discus tank BB. Keep it simple... the Fish come first.

BB FTW!

+1 thanks ...for the convincing.

[AKRON AWOL]

After some initial reluctance I to have started out my first Discus tank BB. Keep it simple... the Fish come first.

BB FTW!

+1 thanks ...for the convincing.

yup, before i came to this site going bb was unthinkable cuz i hate boring looking tanks...but yeah, my first discus tank is a 56 gal BB...it really is all about the fish :D

[Skip]

After some initial reluctance I to have started out my first Discus tank BB. Keep it simple... the Fish come first.

BB FTW!

+1 thanks ...for the convincing.


yup, before i came to this site going bb was unthinkable cuz i hate boring looking tanks...but yeah, my first discus tank is a 56 gal BB...it really is all about the fish :D

it was same way.. i hate to even think how much junk would be in the substrate, even just after one day!! :(

[wolfzszs]

That is a good way!

[Bud Smith]

it was same way.. i hate to even think how much junk would be in the substrate, even just after one day!! :(

I love the look of sand in a tank but I totally agree after looking at what I pull off the bottom of my discus tank in one day WOW
I also think a BB tank can be made into a nice display tank by adding alot of driftwood and a 3D back ground
Has anybody tried making a raised bottom made of plexiglass or tempered glass held together with aquarium safe silicone and filled with sand - the look of sand without getting debri in it - probally a dumb idea - but Iam curious if anyone has played around with anything like that

[Discus PB]

I think the barrels are used to store some kind of feed in on farms. Camping wise maybe to keep bears for getting your food. I found a place that recycles the plastic 55 gallon drums with the lids still on them. If you can try and find a place for a plastic drum. I think they are stronger so it won't melt as easy.

[moon_knight1971]

it was same way.. i hate to even think how much junk would be in the substrate, even just after one day!! :(

As an example: My fish are a little skittish so I bought 1 8 inch Amazon Sword. It came in those little plastic pots that are about the size of a half dollar. I change 80% of the water every 2 days and the gunk that accumilates under and in that little thing every 2 days is unfricking believeable!

Joey!

[andreaW]

...and this is what happened. When the thing tipped over the heater burned a mark on my carpet, and worst, the whole carpet stinks. Now it&#039;ll need to be professionally cleaned. Paid for my stupid mistake big time.

LOL. Poor carpet..;);)

[enzotesta]

you must own a mansion to give up a bathroom for your fish lol

[tunerz]

BB is the way to go if you're Discus are young. They eat like pigs and much easier to clean up.

[laupao]

Be sure to wipe the inside glass of the tank as well. There is always a slime build up. Keep up the WC is the best thing you can do for your discus.

[Juliah09]

I am learning...just converted mine to BB today... It was a lot of work but I can enjoy finding and seeing my two babies now... ;)

[Juliah09]

What do you suggest to treat the water with when doing a WC? Especially with having to do so so many times with young discus...

[Eddie]

What do you suggest to treat the water with when doing a WC? Especially with having to do so so many times with young discus...

Like as in what dechlor? Seachem Safe, the powdered form of Prime. It lasts a LONG time!

[n8rdms]

I plan on doing a BB tank

[Allwin]

how normally water is drained out of aquarium other than siphon tube?

[nemo24]

Changed my mind will do BB tank when i start up a discus tank

[yohcnub]

me too.. BB tank for may discus tank.

[ajoshi9194]

Hi guys,
Well I own a Beautiful Discus fish tank, and have a lot of plastic plants, so to say a heavy jungle theme is setup. I have semi fine sand...
When I siphon the water out of the tank (I have that large siphon pipe), I usually insert it deep in the sand, and it actually extracts all the dirt from within. Since I am working I dont get time to do this daily, but only on weekends.
I have my discus for more than a year now, and I have not come across any health related issues for my discus. Besides the tank looks superb and frankly the Discus fish also enjoy hiding behind the plantation setup.
All I am saying is, BB is easy maintenance no doubt, but even this setup is good to look and fun for Discus, and still easy to maintain. I feed my fishes 3 times a day.

[Andrew157]

Thanks for all the info!!! After reading through this thread I redid my two flowerhorn's tanks to bare bottom and they REALLY seem to like it... Much easier to clean and maintain as well! Once I do get discus, it'll certainly be much easier to clean the tank consistently!

[pmkappy]

On Craig's list, under Farm & Garden, are food safe 60g pickle barrels.( plastic or nylon, very sturdy with a twist off lid) Also 270g food safe totes. I am in Charleston, SC but check your local Craig's listing. Paul K.

[Willie]

No matter how clean a planted tank looks, it's actually filthy. If you just look at a BB tank 24 hours after the last big water change, you'll see all the poop and crud that's sitting on the glass bottom. It's there in a planted tank, but you just can't see it. Most of us started with planted tanks, with gravel, then with sand...then we get it!

What I like most of all about BB tanks is that you can drain out 100% of the water before refilling. (Be sure to turn off your heater!) The fish may flop on the bottom but they won't get scratched up. Mine gets this treatment everyday.

Willie

[koiman61]

Hello Carol, I am getting things ready before I order my discus. I was wondering where you got the adapter for the faucet, and if you know the brand name? How many gallons do those barrels hold?

Mark

[LizStreithorst]

Mark, Carol hasn't kept Discus for years. This is one of her old wonderful threads.

You can get an adapter like that at any hardware store but if you buy a Python comes with one in the bag. I've never seen storage barrels like Carol's before. Some people use food grade plastic barrels that you can find used for fairly cheap. Others use heavy duty Brute trash cans. They each hold around 55 gallons.

[MayaL]

Aged water is pumped back into the tank from the storage barrels. See how I use the Aqua Clear lid to hold the end of the hose into the filter to refill this tank?
I am confused. What propels the aged water to the tank? Did she use Aqua Clear to do the job or did she have a pond pump inside the barrels? Can anyone explain it to me please? I just got 75g and I have no idea how to do this.

[ScottW]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0009X8O2E/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500425919&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=wayne+1%2F6+hp+submersible+utility+pump&dpPl=1&dpID=415OrAxcx8L&ref=plSrch

That is what I use and have a 55 gallon brute barrel just to warm my water for a few hours to get it to 83-84 degrees. My waters pH doesnt change so I dont need to age it.

[LizStreithorst]

Those Wayne sump pumps are work horses...A great choice for someone with just a few big tanks.

[ScottW]

I love my Wayne pump! I go 60 plus gallon water changes on less than 30 minutes! Thats vacuuming the bottom also.

[prakash.dudharejiya]

I love the look of sand in a tank but I totally agree after looking at what I pull off the bottom of my discus tank in one day WOW
I also think a BB tank can be made into a nice display tank by adding alot of driftwood and a 3D back ground
Has anybody tried making a raised bottom made of plexiglass or tempered glass held together with aquarium safe silicone and filled with sand - the look of sand without getting debri in it - probally a dumb idea - but Iam curious if anyone has played around with anything like that

I am new here can any one tell me what means bb

[ScottW]

I am new here can any one tell me what means bb

bb means bare bottom

[Kyla]

And it can also mean "beneficial bacteria"... so it depends on the context too

[Filip]

bb means bare bottom

Here is a thread with all Simply discus abbrevations in case you run into something you don't understand :

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?88079-Discus-and-Aquarium-Abbreviations

[prakash.dudharejiya]

Thanks for sharing abbreviation.. thanks bro

[Lewjo11]

I will go bottom less soon. I bought a plactic 55 gal barrel completely sealed with 2 holes. Can someone upload a picture on a pump set up. The tank it near a window. I want to do the water changes and just open the window and have it drain outside and then reverse it and have the water pumped back in from the plastic barrel. Need help with pump and fittings . I have a 90 gallon tank. So 55 gal changes. Don't see any reason for more. Sorry buy floppy fish doesn't seem like a good idea... They talk about stress. Thanks

[Filip]

I use two separate pumps for filling and draining .
For draining I use 500 gph submersible aquarium power head that sits permanently drained in my tank , and for filling the tank with water from the aging barrel I use well motor pump located right next to my aging barrel / tank .
This is the well pump I use :

111985