bearrock
03-18-2012, 05:03 PM
I have been a long time cichlid keeper but have never gone over a 55gal and certainly never got into anything as fragile as discus. Anyway I just wanted to get some opinions on my set up before continuing in the wrong direction.
I bought 6 brilliant turq. dime sized babies from a local breeder and have been growing them out in a 29gal tank but they have grown to needing an upgrade. I have been doing 50% water changes every day and the filtration consist of a 20gal sump ~ 7gal worth of BBs through a 25um filter sock and a 780gal pump back into the tank via spray bar. The discus seem happy and have been growing like weeds but now need to be transferred to the larger set up.
I have set up a 75gal drilled tank with an internal overflow box consisting of two drains. I have one drain set up and running into a separate sump ~ 10gal with 4gal worth of BBs and a 820 GPH return via spray bar. These BBs are in the cycle process now and as soon as they are done my plan is to move the 2nd sump and set up over to the 75gal as the 2nd drain output/input. Being from the north (WAY NORTH) I love the cold and like my house cold as well so each sump has its own heater one is a 250w and the other is a 150w. I have them both in the sumps and over did the sizes of the heaters since the 150w has had trouble keeping up with the 29gal and sump more than once.
The GPH for both pumps sounds excessive but by the time you add in the head hight and the 90deg. turns on the spray bars there is really not that much current in either tank.
I would like to have a set up capability of upgrading to a 125gal as well as not having to do such excessive water changes. On the 29gal even with the 6discus there has never been any ammonia or nitrites but the nitrates get to 40 in two days if I miss a water change.
How does everything sound for keeping the discus happy and hopefully upgrading to better quality discus in the near future? Anything I should change before it is to late?
I bought 6 brilliant turq. dime sized babies from a local breeder and have been growing them out in a 29gal tank but they have grown to needing an upgrade. I have been doing 50% water changes every day and the filtration consist of a 20gal sump ~ 7gal worth of BBs through a 25um filter sock and a 780gal pump back into the tank via spray bar. The discus seem happy and have been growing like weeds but now need to be transferred to the larger set up.
I have set up a 75gal drilled tank with an internal overflow box consisting of two drains. I have one drain set up and running into a separate sump ~ 10gal with 4gal worth of BBs and a 820 GPH return via spray bar. These BBs are in the cycle process now and as soon as they are done my plan is to move the 2nd sump and set up over to the 75gal as the 2nd drain output/input. Being from the north (WAY NORTH) I love the cold and like my house cold as well so each sump has its own heater one is a 250w and the other is a 150w. I have them both in the sumps and over did the sizes of the heaters since the 150w has had trouble keeping up with the 29gal and sump more than once.
The GPH for both pumps sounds excessive but by the time you add in the head hight and the 90deg. turns on the spray bars there is really not that much current in either tank.
I would like to have a set up capability of upgrading to a 125gal as well as not having to do such excessive water changes. On the 29gal even with the 6discus there has never been any ammonia or nitrites but the nitrates get to 40 in two days if I miss a water change.
How does everything sound for keeping the discus happy and hopefully upgrading to better quality discus in the near future? Anything I should change before it is to late?