a lot of questions need to

[zrj666]

hey all.I'm a green hand of discus.from China:)
my room is small,i can take a place for a tank(about 60cm*50cm*50cm)and a cabinet for it.
i wonder to keep 4 or 5 discus(not wild discus) in the tank without plants.i also want to sire small fish.
But i have a lot of the questions:
1 Is it necessary to use super white glass for the tank? i need a beautiful tank.
2 Which kind of filtration system is best for me?
3 What kind of filter material is recommended to use for the filtration system?It will not rise the GH,reduce the PH is better.
4 I want to have a background for the tank.what colour? White,black or blue,even a tree bark background?
5 the PH of the water in Shanghai is about 7.5 and GH is high!about 10!i don't know why!Any method can be used to reduce GH,even when i change water every week?

Looking forwoard to see your answers!
ZRJ666
Thank u~

[strawberryblonde]

Ni hao zrj,

You will be able to keep 5 discus in your tank, but it will be very important to change a lot of water every single day. The tank is a bit small for 5 adult discus, so the water change each day, plus good filters will be important.

1) The tank should not have any sand or gravel on the bottom if the discus you buy are young. If they are adults you can add some sand or gravel, but be sure to clean it every single day.
If you don't have sand or gravel you can add a nice piece of driftwood with java fern tied to it to make the tank look beautiful. Then you lift out the driftwood when you clean the bottom each day.

2) Sponge filters that use an air pump would work well in your tank. You will need one for each side of the tank. Clean one filter each week by squeezing it gently in some dirty tank water that you take out of the tank. Clean the second one the next week. Never clean both at the same time.

3) Sponge filters don't need any filter material so they are easy to use. Driftwood in your tank will reduce your PH a little bit and is very good for the discus.

4) You can choose any color of background you like best, but if you buy Pigeon Blood strains of discus you won't want to use black or dark blue. Those colors will make black spots on your orange and red discus.

5) Your PH and GH are fine for discus. They just need a LOT of very clean water every single day and they will be fine.

Màn zǒu,
Toni

[zrj666]

Thank you soooooo much for your ansewers!Toni,That's so useful for me
well,there's a big surprise!My wife agree with me to build a larger tank about 80cm*50cm*50cm! haha...
I also have someting need to have a discuss.
1) I'll buy adult discus,how many can I keep now?I won't put sand on the bottom of the tank,just a nice piece of driftwood with java fern tied to it will be used,is it OK?

2) you said sponge filters that use an air pump are the same thing like this?(the first picture)

3) I will feed them hamburg and the residue will be left on the bottom of the tank.So,is another powerful filter necessary for the discus?Because there's a cabinet under the tank,i don't want to wast this space.I saw a DIY filter system on the Internet that can be put into the cabinet(the second picture).If two sponge filters can work well,i'll give up this mind.

4)I usually go to work at 6:00am and go home at 8:00pm,so that change the water each day is hard to insist on(I'm tired...).Change the water every two days is OK?How many water should be changed every time?The water directly from the shower can be changed into the tank if the temperature match?

Sorry to bother you

ZRJ

[tcyiu]

Yes those are sponge filters. If you are OK with having sponge filters in the tank, then these are fine for biological filtration IF you change the water on a frequent basis. Sponge filters are not great at mechanical filtration and the water will not be crystal clear (that's why frequent water changes are required). An alternative would be canister filters. However, cleaning these is more difficult which is why they are not popular. The DIY filter you show is for a so-called wet dry filter. I don't recommend it because it sounds like you're just starting out. In the early stages, just keep everything simple.

BTW, I would not feed hamburger. I feel (and others do not necessarily agree), that this contains too much mammal fat which is not easy for fish to digest. Can you find beef heart in Shanghai? The fat is easily trimmed away. High protein is essential for juvenile discus. It is not as important for adult discus. I have read that in the wild, discus graze the compost in the rivers which is mostly vegetable matter. So providing a high quality flake food which has both animal and plant protein may be better for your fish.

I hope this helps.

[mmorris]

This might prove useful:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?86009-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Getting-Started-with-Discus