Starting a discus tank

[Chess46]

Hello,

I have an 80 gallon tank that up until recently was stocked with peacock cichlids. I am now wanting to switch over to discus fish instead of peacocks. I have everything set up for the peacocks so I really need to know where to start for the switch over.

I currently have:

marine land canister filter (carbon)
sand
plastic plants
rock caves and other hiding spots
blue tint lighting
double air pump

I am aware that I will probably have to change most of the items in the tank. So, could someone please break it down and tell me everything I need to start? I am in no hurry to add fish.

Thanks

[walt3]

nice size tank you have. fill the canister with bio media and some fiber pads of some kind. dont really need carbon imho. lighting not important if no live plants but a better daylight spectrum will show colors better. air pumps are great for the fish as you know. the sand would most likely work as well. dont need rocks or caves. just some nice drift wood pieces will make them feel at home. plastic plants can be used if wanted. search for pics on this site for inspiration as to the layout of nice discus tanks. lots available. have fun with it but do lots of reading so you know all the important parameters you need to meet to get off on the right foot and not struggle. walt.

[aalbina]

...could someone please break it down and tell me everything I need to start? I am in no hurry to add fish.

A good start would be to read this: http://www.forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?86009 A Beginners Guide. This is an excellent resource. I'm sure many here will be happy to answer any questions you might have after you have read this.

Adam

[Chess46]

Thanks Walt

Would discus rather have plastic or real plants? Should I keep the sand or use gravel? I do not want to breed. I just want a show tank. I know discus are okay with tetras but what are some other fish they are able to live with? Fill the filter with bio media and filter pads? What is this stuff and where can I get it? Is there anything else I need? Where can I get good drift wood? Sorry for so many questions. I just really want this right.

Thanks

Edit: Thanks Adam

[strawberryblonde]

Discus like real plants, but don't seem to mind plastic ones either from my own experience. Sand is easier to maintain than gravel, and, depending on the size of the discus you plan to buy, you may want to go with a bare bottom for awhile, then add sand once they are larger. It's just me, but I wouldn't add sand till they were over 5". Been there, done that and cleaning the tank was a pain in the butt when they under 5", ate all day long and pooped constantly.

For the filter you can add bio balls, ceramic rings, etc if you don't already have them. You can buy them almost anywhere. I also added a fine grade filter pad to the top section of my marineland canister for water polishing and then added a pre-filter sponge to the intake tube so that less food gets sucked into the canister itself. It's a LOT easier to rinse out the pre-filter than to take apart the canister for cleaning weekly. =)

We have a sponsor here on the forums, pc1 is his name, who sells very nice driftwood. You can also check out http://www.manzanita.com/aqwood.htm online.

There are several fish who make good companions for discus. Cardinal tetra's, Rummynose Tetra's, and several other tetra's who can tolerate the higher temps along with German Rams, a few strains of corydora catfish and some others I can't think of off the top of my head. The most important part of choosing companion fish is that they need to be big enough to not get eaten, need to be able to tolerate high temps and need to be calm and peaceful fish.

My discus totally ignore my cardinals, rams and cories, but definitely notice when they are missing from the tank!

[Chess46]

Thanks so much for the answers. I think I'm going to do a mixture of fake and real plants. I don't want to add too much real stuff. I'm going to remove the rocks and add driftwood. As for the filter.. Mine is a canister with a smaller canister looking thing inside of it. I have the marine land magnum 350. Where should i be adding the bio balls and ceramic rings? I think i'm going to keep the sand. I really don't mind regular cleanings. As for tank mates, ill use neon and rummynose tetras and rams. How long does it take for discus to grow to adults? Also, do they free breed or do you have to set them up for it?

[walt3]

cardinals are a better choice than neons imho. however i have both in my tank and all is well. you need to find the info on your particular filter on line to see the best way to load it. i heard around 1 year to fully grow out from young. they will lay eggs if there happy with conditions in tank.

[Chess46]

I looked at some stuff to fill my filter with last night. I couldn't find any bio balls. What is bio media? I want to start cycling the tank asap. As for the plants..I've never had real plants before so I have no idea how to get them to grow. Will the do okay with sand or should I get gravel?

Thanks

[walt3]

there are lots of different things that can be used for bio-media. something porous and multi surfaced that has lots of surface area to allow benificial bacteria to colonize the surface. ehiem sells it in small cylinder styles as well as round porous balls. look them up and do some looking around on line for media for sale. quality spectrum in the realm of 6500-6700 k will grow plants pretty well. lots to learn inthe planted tank section here. read away my friend. i think sand would work. a blend of sizes may be even better. have fun.

[frinklinduds]

for bio media i personally like the biomax.... i fill it in my hob fiter and it works great.... the reason i have found throught research why carbon can be bad for discus is that it can lock in and harbor harmful bacteria over time and is just not useful as u will be doing water changes ona daily basis ;)


here is the link for the biomax

http://www.petworldshop.com/fluval/biomax-media.php

[Chess46]

Thanks for the replies. I'll use biomax then. Also, where are some good places to find driftwood? I live in fl so we have alot of beaches. Would wood from the beach be okay if I boil it? If not, where are good places to find it and how do I check if it's bad?

Thanks