New + Question

[Fadi]

OK guys this is my 2nd post at simply discus. I have a 55 gallon tank with 4 discus (tangerine) from cary strong. I wanted to do a couple things. First, I wanted to empty the gravel in my tank so it is bare bottom, and I wanted to add 3 more dicus (same size as the tangerine, about 2-3 inches). Also I have one angelfish in there, should I get rid of it aswell??

[cobaltblue]

Hi Fadi and welcome to Simply! I think removing the gravel is a great idea.
BB is the safest way to grow out smaller discus in my opinion, less room for error. Usually the standard is one fish per 10g of tank space, but 7 should be ok for a little while, but might be too much once they are full grown. The heavier the bioload, the more water changes you should be doing. If the angel gets along with the discus that are in there already, i say leave it in. Its up to you. Make sure you quarantine any new fish in a separate tank for 4-6 weeks though, this is very important. Good luck:)

[lhforbes12]

Hi Fadi,
Welcome to SD!
I can't really add anything to what Chris said, I agree with him 100%. Good luck!

Larry

[Dave_Discus]

What kind of filter do you have?

Reason I ask is gravel houses bacteria...so removing it may
tax a small filter...maybe a sponge filter would be a good addition..

Good idea on the sddtion to the four discus...I never had luck with 4.
Since I have a large group now...I see activity I never did before.

[pcsb23]

Remove the gravel using a siphon, don't scoop it out or your water will look like mud and possibly foul too!

Remove a third or so of the gravel each time and you should not have any probs.

btw welcome to Simply :)

[AADiscus]

You have already gotten great advice. I would just becareful if you take all the gravel out at once. Like Paul said it can foul up the tank.


Welcome to Simply!

[Harriett]

JUST because I am lazy and don't want the continued bother of fooling around, my method in that situation would be to move the fish into a 5 gallon bucket with an airline & tank water, clean the filter material in tank water, then drain the tank, pull all the gravel, clean the tank real well while you have the opportunity, refill, use prime or whatever (aged water is a plus here) and put the fish back in. Just be sure to clean filter media with tank water so you don't disturb the good bacteria; you may impair the biosystem a little with pulling the gravel but it should be back to normal in a day if your filter is large enough--that's been my experience. I've done this sort of thing several times with no ill effects over the years.
Best regards
Harriett

[pcsb23]

You call that being lazy Harriet?? :D

[Harriett]

Well, lazy might not be the best description? I just can't see doing the 1/3 of the same work 3 days in a row with what's going to be a mess (in my world) anyway---if I'm going to stress out my fish, let it be one time, short period, without all the gunk going through their gills--hard to breathe in a sandstorm sort of thinking. Lazy as in get this over with and move to the next chapter NOW.

As I am writing this I have been looking at planted tank world class winners 2006 and I think I am going to do a total break down of my 180g on Friday---I am sick of both the look and the feel of it--it's too disjointed; I'm having that familiar ants in my pants feeling to start over---there are only 7 discus in that tank right now so I think I may go on a rampage and pull the fish, do a monster substrate cleaning, trim toss move things....ixnay lazy....just like to shake it up? I usually do this once a year anyway. We'll see how much water ends up on the floor over the course of the day! (ie, how much trouble I'll be in!)
Best regards
Harriett

[pcsb23]

Well, lazy might not be the best description? I just can't see doing the 1/3 of the same work 3 days in a row with what's going to be a mess (in my world) anyway---if I'm going to stress out my fish, let it be one time, short period, without all the gunk going through their gills--hard to breathe in a sandstorm sort of thinking. Lazy as in get this over with and move to the next chapter NOW.

lol I know what you mean, however if the gravel is siphoned, absolutely no gunk gets to the fish. I've done it a few times, and as I generally do daily w/c its no big issue to me and I don't have to net the fish either.


As I am writing this I have been looking at planted tank world class winners 2006 and I think I am going to do a total break down of my 180g on Friday---I am sick of both the look and the feel of it--it's too disjointed; I'm having that familiar ants in my pants feeling to start over---there are only 7 discus in that tank right now so I think I may go on a rampage and pull the fish, do a monster substrate cleaning, trim toss move things....ixnay lazy....just like to shake it up? I usually do this once a year anyway. We'll see how much water ends up on the floor over the course of the day! (ie, how much trouble I'll be in!)
Best regards
Harriett
I've not looked at this years, I remember looking at some previous winners, damn they are good. You will of course have to post pics :) Good luck too.

Sorry Fadi we sorta hijacked your thread a bit, but at least it was relevant :D

[Fadi]

Thanks Guys, So if I take out the gravel with a siphon, should I just let it suck up and pull the siphon out when it is full of gravel???

Also as filters, I have two tetra whisper 60's running.

[pcsb23]

I use a reasonably wide hose, and let the gravel flow through it, if you get close to the gravel so just some gets lifted you will soon remove it. I always drain to a bucket (a big too:)) when I do this. If you ram the siphon hose into the gravel it will clog up and it soon becomes a pain then.

hth,

[Fadi]

thanks, ill give it a shot. also i use carbon in my filters, but i read somewhere on this site that you shouldn't, does this really effect the fish?

[pcsb23]

Carbon, oh boy can that one start the flames burning :D

It has its uses, but generally speaking there is no need. There is an excellent thread here, I learnt' something from this one. We have some very knowledgable members here.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com//water-works/51170-carbon.html

hth,

[Alight]

For a whisper 60, once you pull the carbon, I recommend getting a foam insert it put in front of the "fleecy" bag that the carbon was in. This will increase the surface area for good biofiltration.

7 Discus with the angel will mean 75% water changes nearly every day. Getting rid of the angel will help a little.

I keep as many as 8 adult discus in a 55, but this means changing at least 75% of the water every day.

Good luck, and welcome to the water change brigade!

Al Light

[AADiscus]

Cut a slit along the bottom of the carbon piece. Clean it out really good of the carbon and then put it back in the filter. This is what we do with ours. I would take them out everyday and rinse them off especially after feeding bh.