I had to do it.

[troutmaster]

Well like I had mentioned in a previous thread I was going to go bare bottom. And today I did it. I was not sure how I was going to do it as I had at least 2 inches of sand and eggcreate under it all. So I took a deep breath and did it. I filled up a 15 gal tank with water from the main tank, tosed in a heater and an air stone. Took the 7 discus out and put the in the 15 gal. Then I proceeded to siphon out the sand. I got about 75% out but my water level got too low (I was trying to keep my canistar filters going while doing this) so I added more water to get the rest out. After all this I could not stand the sight of all glass bottom so I stuck a few rocks in the corners to hold back some sand for my plants to root in and dumped back just enough sand to cover the bottom (about half an inch of washed sand). Wash my drift wood peices and stuck them back in. After the temp was matched between the 15 gal and main tank I put the fish back in . Just like you would expect they where not too happy and I thought I might be in trouble. So I put in a little salt and about an hour later they are all out and about and eating. Now I feel relieved, it's done. I hope this makes cleaning easier, no more large rock work for crap to get trapped under. The only thing I forgot was the Laterilite, which I had planned to put in my makeshift planters. Maybe I can add it after? I don't have the time to do daily w.c. so I hope this helps? Just thought I would let everyone know how the "going to bare bottom" went. All in all not bad.

[Kindredspirit]

Now I feel relieved, it's done. I hope this makes cleaning easier. I don't have the time to do daily w.c..


Trout ~


I bet you do feel relieved! I did too ~ It will make things a lot easier, wait and see ~

I do not know how old your discus are, but when they are not yet adults, daily wc are best ~ when they are older you may be able to get away with wc less often without seeing any problems.... but it really is best to try and make time for daily wc if you can at all fit it in your daily schedule ~ They will be happier and thrive as well ~


You can do it!! lol!

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_145_12.gif

[troutmaster]

I think if I tried to do water changes every day I probably would have lots of free time after my wife divorces me. If my basement wasn't finished I would have done some plumbing to make things very quick thats for sure.

[Kweenshaker]

I'm just curious - how often do you do water changes? I'm planning to keep discus in the near future, but the idea of daily water changes (at least in large volume - I wouldn't mind 10-25%) are daunting.

[lkleung007]

Hi Troutmaster,

Barebottom is the way to go...you will love how easy it is to keep the tank clean!!

Hi Kweenshaker,

Water changes are an important part of caring for Discus...how much and how often depends on what you are doing. Typically, juveniles require lots of daily feedings and thus daily WC. Adult Discus are usually fed less and require less WC. Also, your stocking density will also determine how often and how large of a WC you need to keep healthy Discus.

HTH, Lester

[AADiscus]

troutmaster....I think you will be surprised at how easy it is to clean now. Your tank will stay cleaner longer and your water should be alot better as well not having all the sand, rocks, etc. in there for the waste to get trapped under. You mentioned you have 7 discus, what size tank do you have? Everyone does water changes differently, meaning....some do daily, every other day 2x a wk, etc. If your discus are juvies, I would recommend a daily wc or at least every other day.

[troutmaster]

Hi guys; To fill in some of the blanks........ My tank is a 90 gal, I have 7 discus , 2 clown loaches, one bristlenose and 10 cardinal tetras. fish are 4 inch diameter and I have 2 XP3 filstar filters. I do 30% w.c. 2X a week. I have a garbage can on a dolly which I roll in for out going water. Then when that fills up I roll it over to my floor drain and let it siphon out. Then out comes the 5 gal pail and the fill starts. I match the temp to within .5 F add the prime walk over to tank and pur it in. Fish do get spooked but a little shot of food to calm their nevers usually does the trick and they are back to there hungery, happy selves in no time. I work for a plumbing company so I can get a utility pump for a good price. I could drop it in a storage tank and run a hose over to the tank, but money is a little tight at the moment so that idea is on hold. I even bought an R/O unit from one of my suppliers at about $25 above their cost. But when I found out how much water they waste I decided I'll drink the water and leave it at that. In a perfect world and if money were no object I would have a great set up but for now things seem to working out not to badly.

[AADiscus]

Trout, have you ever thought of using your RO waste water? Get a tub and when your RO tub is filling, the line for the waste water is in another tub and filling it up. Put a heater and an air stone or power head in there, you are good to go for your next water change. The RO waste water is just as good as your tap water. We do this with ours, the waste water tub is 165 gal. Our RO unit fills it up 2x a day. lol This water is used on our babies and grow outs in the fish room.