Grow out tank for my discus

[down2earth]

whats a good shape of tank for grow out tank?

i have a 55 octagon tank that i can get from a friend. its about 24" across and 32" tall i think.

should i buy a 60 gallon tank 48" wide. 16" deep and 18" tall or something like that.

[lipadj46]

a 40 breeder is a good size

[ShinShin]

Octagon tanks in a discus fishroom are worthless, IMO. In a 55g octagon, you can keep 1 breeding pr., so why not use a 20H for that. As far as a growout tank, the surface area is insufficient for that use. When you say growout tank, just what are you growing out, 5-6 juvies or whole spawns from a pr. that you have? 5-6 juvies, I like a 55 when they hit 3".

Mat

[down2earth]

im settin my self up so when my breeding pair finally have fry i will have a tank to move them to so they can grow.

i am going to get a 180 gallon tank for my show tank. i also plan to get a 40gallon for my pair. i have a 60 gallon already but i didnt know if i should split this tank for 2 pairs or use it for growing out the fry. but i can also get a 55 gallon tank from a friend of mine. its free so i figured i might be able to use it.

[ShinShin]

It depends how you split the tank. Egg crate will cause alot of problems with 2 pr. that spawn simutaniously. this will happen eventually due to hormones in the water. The fry move freely about the tank, either mixing with the other fry, or being eaten by the other pair. A pair without fry may also attempt to steal away the fry from the parents. I watched it happen more than once in my tanks. I would use the 40 and 60 for growing out and get 20H's for breeding. Take the free 55, too.

[down2earth]

i was going to use a piece of plastic 1/4" thick to separate the 2 sections. using a 1/4" drill and putting about 8-12 holes in it so the water can move past it. i also plan to put a sump on this tank. so the water will be pumped into both sides of the tank and be sucked out both sides of the tank. so the water isnt flowing accost the tanks. if this doesnt work out the way i have planned i will build a stand to hold 2x30 gallon tanks to keep everything separate. keeping the water the same so the hormones will be there. i also will be building a sump big enough to handle 4 tanks. so i can build on it when i am ready.

[TNT77]

You will be using plastic with holes in it<===that fry will swim through.

[TNT77]

If you plan on dividing for pairs use a solid plastic divider that is not see through and filter both sides seperately with sponge filters.

[down2earth]

well i guess i will split the tank in 2 with a piece of plastic and seal it. i also will put a 20 gallon sump or bigger if i can afford it. then drill and plumb a drainage tube for both sides. also drill and plumb a water intake. this way the water is the same in both tanks but the tanks will be completely separate from one another. this will stop the babies from going to the other tank.

[TNT77]

I'm not sure since I have never used one for breeding. But I think fry would get sucked into a sump. Maybe someone who has had one can answer that. I have only ever used sponge filters in breeding tanks.

[down2earth]

i keep hearing that. maybe i will just invest in more sponge filters instead of building a sump. i see people using hang on back filters too for show tanks. so maybe simple is better. i have 4 sponge filters right now. 2 in my 60 gal 1 in my 20 gal and one more in my 30 gal. but the 60 and 30 both have canister filters. i think im going to sell them.