New 80g tank! How to build one with Simply Discus

[DiscusBR]

Hi everyone

Greetings from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I have been reading this forum for months preparing to start a new tank for wild discus. I have finally put together a 80g tank after getting a lot of advice here (I will sue you all if something goes wrong :grin:).

Here is the setup:

48" x 20" x 20" (125cm x 50cm x 50cm); One canister filter Eheim 2217; Two Hydro sponge filters powered by a Fushion 700 air pump; Two 150W Jager heaters connected to a Finnex temperature controller HC-0810; Aquaticlife fixture with two 54w T5 HO 6,000K lamps; Eheim automatic feeder; Aquaterra Slimline background; Pool filter sand as substrate; Aquatic Fundamentals 75/90 gallon Stand.

And here is a YouTube video with the tank:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTXDAYfRdiE

The tank is cycling and, as you can see, the water is still cloudy. I should also note that the tank will have Manzanita branches and a few plants. Thus it is not fully decorated.

I thought some people, especially beginners, would like to see how I came to this setup based on discussions I had in this forum. So here is a bit of my history at Simply Discus:

Discussion of my first setup ideas:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?82649-Illustration-of-tank-setup-Does-it-look-good&highlight=discusbr

Discussion about best filtration:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?81918-Set-up-for-65-gallon-tank-help!&highlight=discusbr

Discussion about light fixture:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?84105-Can-you-suggest-a-tank-hood-that-looks-nice&highlight=discusbr

Discussion about heaters:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?82346-How-many-heaters-for-65g-tank&highlight=discusbr

Discussion about temperature controller:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?83712-Anyone-using-a-temp-and-or-PH-contoller&highlight=discusbr

Discussion about powerhead versus airpump for sponge filters:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?82348-Sponge-filter-air-pump-or-powerhead&highlight=discusbr

Once the tank is fully cycled, it will receive six wild discus from the Alenquer region. But that is a topic for another thread…

Special tanks to all those who provided feedback to me during the last months. Comments about the setup are welcome.

All the best,

Mauro

[Disgirl]

Very nice Mauro! With 6 wilds, wood and some plants it will be fantastic. How are you cycling it? Looks like you have all the right equipment in there. Make sure you show us the tank when all finished. Good luck with it!
Barb

[dbfzurowski]

I read somewhere that this will be a planted tank?
If it was me, I would be cycling the tank while setting up plants, experimenting with dosing, CO2 how much light etc.

[ericatdallas]

Wow, looking at the dates of those threads, you've been planning this a VERY long time! Good job. LOL, much better than what I did which was jump in and assume it would just be slightly harder than keeping any other cichlid.

[DiscusBR]

Disgirl: I am cycling the tank with pure ammonia (with a concentration of 6%). By the way, I had a huge spike in my ph when adding ammonia and I have added a thread in the “water works” session asking why that happened:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?86477-Spike-in-Cyclying-tank-s-PH-Is-amonia-to-blame&p=737298#post737298

Since I will be travelling for two weeks starting tomorrow, I will use the automatic feeder to continue the cycling process with food.

I will certainly post pictures when the tank is finished and the wilds arrive.

dbfzurowski: No, it will not be a planted tank and will have no C02. Just some Manzanita driftwood and a few low-maintenance plants, like anubias.

ericatdallas: Yes, I have been posting for a long time, but it was not just patience. I just moved to Rio and had to wait, but I also wanted to do it right, thus the delay.

[akdylpickles]

VERY nice!

[Ryan]

Brazil! You can go and catch your own! :D

In all seriousness, I think you're all set. I can't wait to see what type of wilds you pick out.