new tank

[jpjagged]

just bought this tank about 3 weeks ago it has a top to it but hardly have it on
paid $300 acrylic 125 gal stand, top, substrate (that i threw out) 2 hob filters magnum 350 canister filter and heater came with along with other misc items...
i had to strip the horrible paint from the stand and then stain it so this is the finished project
6 discus one of them is a new one only about 2.5 inches the rest are around 4-5 inches
just got my fish in it 2 weeks ago:D

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_1895.jpg

this is what the tank looked like previously painted with horrible faux stone paint and i will add it was stained with tar from cigarette smoke
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/oldtank.jpg

[Yassmeena]

Wow - you did a GREAT job with that stand! It looks ten times better!!!

I love the sand and plants. Nice picks and nice aquascape.

That big corner DW may be a little distracting though? It's a judgement call. I feel discus are so beuatiful, and always opt to have them as the center piece! :)

[jpjagged]

thanks yassmeena it was a little more work to strip and sand the stand than i thought it would be and the dw in the corner is kinda their security blanket for now until they get really comfortable in the tank. but i may just leave it in as potential for a place to spawn if it ever happens

here are some pics of my discus in the tank currently... They were purchased from the earliest in july, and the smallest one i have was purchased about 3-4 weeks ago and it is only 2.5 inches or so... (im not really the best at sizing my discus)
but all of the others were purchased at 2.5 inches or smaller... and many didn't have hardy a lick of color on them when i got them..


Type Names
marlboro red? (simba)
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_1927.jpg

blue diamond (LuLu)
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_1928.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_1945.jpg

red scibbled (scribbles)
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333
/IMG_1943.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_1948.jpg

silver pigeon blood (spike) he was bought about 2 months ago at 3-3.5 inches he had been there since i first started looking for discus in may. I couldn't let him sit there any longer ;) hes doing better though :D
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_1944.jpg
first week i had him
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_1821.jpg

Emerald Turquoise (Homer)
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_1946.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_1950.jpg


brilliant turquoise (Tiny T) hes the small one
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_1947.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_1949.jpg

[hag]

wow nice work! The dark stain on the wood looks fantastic.

[Tropical Haven]

Actually that one that you call a Red Marlboro is a Pigeon Blood.

Tank looks really nice and you have done a great job with it.

[dpt8]

Beautiful tank !! Love the stand and the set-up.. Looks great. I hope your tank is well cycled so your discus don't go through any hard times. Just sit back and enjoy... David T

[aquadiva]

You did a fantastic job on this tank! Great before and after photos and of course the "after" photos are spectacular! You get an A+++ for your effort and hard work as it really paid off. Good luck with your Discus, they are very pretty. :D

[jpjagged]

thanks everyone for the positive feedback! it really makes the effort worthwhile. This is my second tank since starting the hobby of fish keeping last fall. started out with a Malawi cichlid tank before really getting into discus this spring. I had an opportunity to change my tank and relocate the cichlid's to a larger tank that i could have the opportunity to maintain and view whenever i want. so i relocated my fish then started over and turned their tank into a discus tank... it was just a 40 gal tank with natural gray sand, and now that tank just evolved into this 125 gal and thats where i am today.

Scott: what kind of discus would this be considered and what makes a pb a pb? is this one maybe a fire red?

David T: the tank was cycled with mature filter media and gets lots of w/c around 70% change every other day so i think that should be good? no ammonia or nitrite spikes yet

this is my first planted tank, so any advice will be appreciated (not going with co2) but i have good lighting (260 watts compact flourescent) and just started to add trace elements to the tank. substrate is eco complete red(bottom layer) mixed with **eco complete black/natural sand mix from last tank** (second layer) topped with about 1/2 inch of pool filter sand

thanks/ Jon G

[AndyM]

Tank and stand look fantastic! As far as the planted side of things goes, I'd suggest more plants, quite a few more...you're gonna need them to take up that light as well as nutrients. With that level of lighting I'd also suggest at least excel to supply a carbon source, but in tank that size excel can get expensive. Looks like you're on the right track so far!! Good luck!

[Tropical Haven]

When you have alot of peppering in a fish like your first one it has a pigeon blood gene in it. This fish may have been cross bred between a pigeon and something else but not quite sure what else.

[jpjagged]

sooo basically im kinda sol unless i add co2??
will i need to dose other nutrients once i get co2 started? should i go fully automatic with a ph controller or should i just get the ph monitor?
i have read either you are either going to get ph swings or not get a steady co2 source... since other factors can swing the ph a little this might turn the controller on or off depending and therefore causing things to be haywire-ish??

although on a tank that is getting regular w/c's things should stay pretty stable as far as ph goes right?
and tropical haven, thanks for letting me know about the fish... i would have never had any idea..

and lastly does anyone polish their water with a magnum 350 and DE?

[aquadiva]

Scott,

I use a HOT Magnum with the micron cartridge in it to polish my tank's water. Works great! :)

Anna

[jpjagged]

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_2300.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_2321.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_2348.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_2329.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_2336.jpg

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http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_2258-1.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jgenson333/IMG_2334.jpg

[DiscusDude85]

very nice




Joe

[Eddie]

Great job...your fish have grown alot. Keep up the great work!


Eddie