New to discus- a few questions on my new tank... Please and Thank you!

[tetranewbie]

Hi all- I'm rather new to discus (but not the aquarium hobby in general) and have a few questions on a tank I'm starting. It's a standard 90gal and I plan to have 6-8 discus as well as some cories and L-183s. Filters will be two 396g/hr Sun Sun (ebay special) but i've used them before and like them alot. Okay now for the questions...

1. I currently have 1- 300W Hydor Inline Heater. Is that enough? I plan to keep the tank at 82-84 and my house normally runs 72-74. Would another inline be a good idea?

2. Lighting- my plan/goal is to have a low-tech planted tank. Crypts, anubias, swords, vals... I'm thinking of a 2x54W T5-HO... but don't know much else.

3. Do I need to add extra air? I ask this because of the heat and lack of surface agitation with no HOB. I can get my hands on an in-line CO2 diffuser that I would just hook up to an air pump. Thoughts?

4. What cories work best for discus tanks? I already have sterbai's in another tank so would like to stay away from them.

5. Can Otos take discus temps? I haven't read much about that....


um, I think that's it for now. Thanks in advance!

[ericatdallas]

Filters will be two 396g/hr Sun Sun (ebay special) but i've used them before and like them alot. Okay now for the questions...


Hmm... haven't ever heard of these, but a quick search got some positive reviews on them. I'll have to dig for more info...




1. I currently have 1- 300W Hydor Inline Heater. Is that enough? I plan to keep the tank at 82-84 and my house normally runs 72-74. Would another inline be a good idea?


I think you should have two... Reason 1) Backup 2) The harder the heater works, the sooner you need a #1 :) it also keeps the water temperature more even throughout the tank.




3. Do I need to add extra air? I ask this because of the heat and lack of surface agitation with no HOB. I can get my hands on an in-line CO2 diffuser that I would just hook up to an air pump. Thoughts?



Not sure, but running an air stone is pretty easy and cheap, so why not?




4. What cories work best for discus tanks? I already have sterbai's in another tank so would like to stay away from them.


I keep Green Laser Cory, Leopard Cory, and one other one I forgot the name of (on sale) and have had no problems with them. I've kept the temperature up to 90F (not sure if it's healthy, but no deaths). Currently I keep it at 82F.




5. Can Otos take discus temps? I haven't read much about that....
um, I think that's it for now. Thanks in advance!

I had a lot of oto deaths at 86F. I haven't had too many at 82F. I think I read on this forum and another forum that 84F is about as high as you should go with otos. Of course, the Otos I got probably weren't too healthy... I had one die before it was put in the bag at the LFS, one that died in the bag on the way home, and 2 die the next day. I suspect those weren't my fault (especially the first two).

The ones that have made it seem a lot hardier, but I still maintain a lower 82F on that tank.

[RudeDogg1]

if using co2 you will need an airstone at night when the co2 is switched off

[tetranewbie]

The Sun Sun filters (IMO) are an amazing value for money... and I've never had a problem with one.

I have an older in tank heater that I can use as back up when/if neccessary but maybe I'll grab another in-line just in case. Would 200W be enough or should I go for another 300?

The only thing I don't care for about the air-stone is that I really don't care for bubbles in the tank. That's kinda was I was thinking about the whole in line thing... and no I won't be running any CO2 in this tank. I was just thinking of using a CO2 diffuser inline is all.

I'll certainly look up those cories and see what I can find around.

I guess I'll probably see if the plecos will take care of algae etc before I try any otos in that tank.

Thanks! (And more opinions are of course appreciated)

[discuspaul]

Heat - Another 300W would be good as back-up -

Lighting - 2 X 54 W is quite ok for your tank -

Air - I don't like bubbles either - no need for extra air if not using CO2 - I don't in my discus tank -

Cories - I have Pepper, Emerald & Bronze with my discus- they have done very well - over a year @ 84 F.

Otos _ May be OK, but keep an eye on them if you get any - some tend to take a liking to discus' slime coats as part of their diet - mine did - no more Otos in my discus tank ! Same for SAE's - but BNP's ok

[tetranewbie]

Okay so I think I'll get another in-line just to be safe, and probably won't run air unless I see some demonstrated need for it. I'll keep my eyes peeled for the aformentioned cories, and probably stay away from otos.

Lighting question- anybody had success with LEDs i.e. marineland double bright fixtures? Thanks.

[TURQ64]

I went on ebay and took a look at the sunsun filters...since the 160(their largest) runs over 18.00, and there's additional 12-14.00 shipping, I'd stick to a Marineland bio-wheel HOB. I've still got a few running since 1992...that's a hard track record to beat, considering any replacement parts are available from online, to your local FS. Just my take, but simple is always better to me, and that extra plumbing to act as a skimmer really isn't necessary for Discus, but good biological filtration is. Either way, best of luck.

[tetranewbie]

I'm not sure what you're talking about with the 160 etc... here's the filter I'm speaking of:

http://cgi.ebay.com/FILTER-Fish-Tank-369GPH-Fresh-Salt-AQUARIUM-Canister-/110637040039?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c27b41a7

[TURQ64]

Gotcha...I only found their other models..Go for it, if they work well for you..

[tetranewbie]

They've worked really nicely so far... and they've got a whole buncha room for media etc.

[RodneyL001]

I guess I'll probably see if the plecos will take care of algae etc before I try any otos in that tank.

Thanks! (And more opinions are of course appreciated)

What kind of Plecos did you have in mind, I would stay with the smaller plecos, some people like the bushy nose plecos with discus, because they stay small, and do a good job with keeping algae down. You might also consider nerite snails, they are good at cleaning algae, and they don't reproduce in fresh water tanks.

[tetranewbie]

The plecos I'm looking at are a bushy/bristle nose... L183s. White Seam Bushy Nose. They're beautiful (IMO) and pretty good cleaners. The only thing I have against nerites is the eggs on the glass. I really really hate those eggs ;)

[ericatdallas]

The plecos I'm looking at are a bushy/bristle nose... L183s. White Seam Bushy Nose. They're beautiful (IMO) and pretty good cleaners. The only thing I have against nerites is the eggs on the glass. I really really hate those eggs ;)

Agree with the Nerite snails. I have one and it totally ruined a piece of driftwood. My wife and I spent an 30 minutes each trying to scape it off so we're just throwing it away. Not that the driftwood is bad, it's just rather unsightly. Maybe I'll put it behind a rock or something...

I was thinking of giving the female nerite away. I got it for free anyway.

[fishorama]

If you're getting juvenile discus you may want to grow them out in a bare bottom tank before getting plants & tankmates, it will make it much easier to keep clean. Maybe some plants on wood or potted if BB is too stark for you.

Does the Sunsun come with a spraybar or can you add 1? You can aim them across the surface or just below to create a little water movement on the surface. Nice to hear another happy Sunsun user, I may try 1 soon.

[jcardona1]

if using co2 you will need an airstone at night when the co2 is switched off

No you don't. Couldnt be further from the truth.

As for your lighting, that seems like an awful lot of lighting for a low tech tank. 2x 54w T5HO bulbs on almost any tank will give you medium to high lighting, which will require the co2 and ferts to match. If you really want a low tech tank, ditch the T5HO and stick with NO or PC lighting.

[ZX10R]

I have a 92 gallon corner tank running on 2 sun sun filters with 2 300 watt hydor inline heaters and they work great. I am running the bigger filters and one 300 watt heater keeps the tank at 82 just fine. I have the second inline heater for a backup.

[tetranewbie]

Thanks again for all the advice guys!

-I am getting juvies, and have a 40gal BB tank set up for them for a while until their tank is fully setup.

-Yes the SunSuns come with a spraybar, and I plan on running them just a bit under the surface to help with water movement.

- As for the lighting... it'll be hung about 8in above the top of the tank which means it'll fall into a low-medium light category. But that's going to be down the road. I have a t5NO fixture and a T8 that will be sufficient for now.

- And it's really nice to hear that somebody has a semi-similar tank set up and working well. Thanks!

[AngryBird]

Whats the need for airstone when co2 is turned off? I have had planted tanks in the past but didnt have air stone in the night
if using co2 you will need an airstone at night when the co2 is switched off