Steven Turitz
02-10-2010, 10:25 PM
Hello All
My name is Steven Turitz and I live in Westchester County, New York.
Over the last few weeks I have begun to consider getting back into the aquarium hobby after being tank less for almost 2 decades.
I am a 54 year old Westchester guy that got bitten by the aquarium hobby some 45 years ago as I sat on the side of Uncle Sam’s 10 gallon aquarium in his recliner with a red tailed black shark in it.
My parent’s immediately bought me a 5 gallon, then a 10 gallon, then a 20 gallon high and then a dozen tanks in the basement for breeding, I think fancy guppies, red wag tailed platy’s and angelfish (as an adult some 20 years ago I had a 110 gallon built into a wall in a co-op we owned).
As a teenager I worked in a tropical fish pet shop and at the same time also for a fish importer on Monday nights unpacking the shipments that came in from the airport. I guess aquariums and tropical fish have always been in my blood.
It was then that I developed my admiration for the grace, elegance and beauty of the “Discus”.
I was never truly successful in keeping them alive in my community tank and they never got much bigger than the half dollar size I bought them at.
With all the reading and research I’ve now been doing I now know why. The temperature wasn’t warm enough, the pH was wrong, water changes were
few and far between, I knew nothing about water hardness or softness, the nitrogen cycle, ammonia, nitrites or nitrates, CO2, trickle filters,
canister filters, biological filtration, etc. etc. etc. (the list goes on).
I’ve been addictively Googling, joined SimplyDiscus and BIDKA, reading articles, newsletters and the book Discus Fish by Thomas A. Giovanetti and Discus by Bernd Degen trying to decide if I can, and want to, make the commitment to re-enter the hobby as a “Discus” only aquarist.
I have been designing an elaborate setup in my Living Room featuring a 200 gallon (48x36x27) pre drilled Perfecto tank with Starphire glass in a Perfecto Monterey Stand and Canopy in red oak.
Everything will be hard plumbed for ease of water change.
There will be a dedicated for Discus only 60 amp 20 circuit breaker electrical sub-panel downstairs in the lower level "Pump Room".
Everything other than the CO2 system and the pH monitor/controller will be in a “Pump Room” located on the lower ground floor level directly below the
show tank including all filtration, heating and all water change equipment (both tap water & Spectrapure 5 stage RO/DI UHE 1:1 system water, or both which will feed directly into a 95 gallon FDA approved (for food quality) polyethylene drum with a water circulator, heater, and a pump. That pump will be hard plumbed to return this "aged and conditioned" water back into the tank after a water change.
Then flip a toggle switch, also within the stand, to turn on the pump with the aged, conditioned, heated water in the reserve barrel/drum in the lower level of my house in the “Pump Room” to refill the tank. Done !!!!!
The water change draining will also be hard plumbed with a ball valve in the stand to drain into the slop sink.
I think that I have water changes covered.
Do I?
I think I love the Lifereef Side-By-Side LF2 Wet/Dry Trickle filter with filter cylinders for resins (phosphate and nitrate). In the sump I will place a 500 watt fully submersible heater.
Does anyone in the "Community" have any experience with Lifereef?
Do I need a UV sterilizer?
Do I need an Aquaripure nitrate filter system?
Also, I am tormenting myself trying to learn "WATER".
My water from Rye Lake which is where my water originates from, is very, very soft and 6.2 ph naturally altered and changed with caustic soda to 7.4 to 7.5 by the Water Company. How do I reduce and keep the pH stable(driftwood, peat, CO2, RO)?
I would appreciate all the feedback, knowledge and experience that I can get from the "Community"
It may seem strange to most people but all these “Discus” are alive, living creatures and will exclusively count on me for everything to sustain their
existence and well being. I keep reading that after some time they will come to recognize you and will eventually eat from your hand.
That’s pretty pet like to me.
I am absoultely "Discus" bitten.
This project is not on a budget. I want the very best for my "Wet Pets".
I want them happy and healthy and will do whatever it takes and whatever it may cost.
Thanks
Steve
My name is Steven Turitz and I live in Westchester County, New York.
Over the last few weeks I have begun to consider getting back into the aquarium hobby after being tank less for almost 2 decades.
I am a 54 year old Westchester guy that got bitten by the aquarium hobby some 45 years ago as I sat on the side of Uncle Sam’s 10 gallon aquarium in his recliner with a red tailed black shark in it.
My parent’s immediately bought me a 5 gallon, then a 10 gallon, then a 20 gallon high and then a dozen tanks in the basement for breeding, I think fancy guppies, red wag tailed platy’s and angelfish (as an adult some 20 years ago I had a 110 gallon built into a wall in a co-op we owned).
As a teenager I worked in a tropical fish pet shop and at the same time also for a fish importer on Monday nights unpacking the shipments that came in from the airport. I guess aquariums and tropical fish have always been in my blood.
It was then that I developed my admiration for the grace, elegance and beauty of the “Discus”.
I was never truly successful in keeping them alive in my community tank and they never got much bigger than the half dollar size I bought them at.
With all the reading and research I’ve now been doing I now know why. The temperature wasn’t warm enough, the pH was wrong, water changes were
few and far between, I knew nothing about water hardness or softness, the nitrogen cycle, ammonia, nitrites or nitrates, CO2, trickle filters,
canister filters, biological filtration, etc. etc. etc. (the list goes on).
I’ve been addictively Googling, joined SimplyDiscus and BIDKA, reading articles, newsletters and the book Discus Fish by Thomas A. Giovanetti and Discus by Bernd Degen trying to decide if I can, and want to, make the commitment to re-enter the hobby as a “Discus” only aquarist.
I have been designing an elaborate setup in my Living Room featuring a 200 gallon (48x36x27) pre drilled Perfecto tank with Starphire glass in a Perfecto Monterey Stand and Canopy in red oak.
Everything will be hard plumbed for ease of water change.
There will be a dedicated for Discus only 60 amp 20 circuit breaker electrical sub-panel downstairs in the lower level "Pump Room".
Everything other than the CO2 system and the pH monitor/controller will be in a “Pump Room” located on the lower ground floor level directly below the
show tank including all filtration, heating and all water change equipment (both tap water & Spectrapure 5 stage RO/DI UHE 1:1 system water, or both which will feed directly into a 95 gallon FDA approved (for food quality) polyethylene drum with a water circulator, heater, and a pump. That pump will be hard plumbed to return this "aged and conditioned" water back into the tank after a water change.
Then flip a toggle switch, also within the stand, to turn on the pump with the aged, conditioned, heated water in the reserve barrel/drum in the lower level of my house in the “Pump Room” to refill the tank. Done !!!!!
The water change draining will also be hard plumbed with a ball valve in the stand to drain into the slop sink.
I think that I have water changes covered.
Do I?
I think I love the Lifereef Side-By-Side LF2 Wet/Dry Trickle filter with filter cylinders for resins (phosphate and nitrate). In the sump I will place a 500 watt fully submersible heater.
Does anyone in the "Community" have any experience with Lifereef?
Do I need a UV sterilizer?
Do I need an Aquaripure nitrate filter system?
Also, I am tormenting myself trying to learn "WATER".
My water from Rye Lake which is where my water originates from, is very, very soft and 6.2 ph naturally altered and changed with caustic soda to 7.4 to 7.5 by the Water Company. How do I reduce and keep the pH stable(driftwood, peat, CO2, RO)?
I would appreciate all the feedback, knowledge and experience that I can get from the "Community"
It may seem strange to most people but all these “Discus” are alive, living creatures and will exclusively count on me for everything to sustain their
existence and well being. I keep reading that after some time they will come to recognize you and will eventually eat from your hand.
That’s pretty pet like to me.
I am absoultely "Discus" bitten.
This project is not on a budget. I want the very best for my "Wet Pets".
I want them happy and healthy and will do whatever it takes and whatever it may cost.
Thanks
Steve