DISCUS TANK - My Tank Parameters -

[simplepso]

Tank SpecificationS:

Setup began: July 19th, Live Stocks Added : August 02nd, 2012.

Dimension: 120cm*37cm*45cm Approx(55USG)
Filters: 2*External Filters (Sunsun) - Media: Only sponges (Coarse and Fine)
Filters: 1*OHF (Inuilt version) : Media: Only Coarse
Lighting: 2* T8 White (Set on a timer for 8 hrs) (7:00hrs - 15:00hrs)
O2 supply via airstone bar (Set on a timer for 16hrs) (15:00hrs - 7:00hrs)
Co2: Sera Co2 Tabs every alternate day via the Sera Co2 Chamber
Heater: Set at 30degree
Substrate: Coral sand (Suitable for both Marine and Freshwater - Also written Suitable for both Garden and Aquarium)

Water Conditioner: JBL Biotopol
Root Fertilizers: JBL Ferrotabs (Kugein) dug in the substarte.
Weekely Fertilizer: JBL Ferropol (Added only after SAT 30% WC)
Daily Fertilizers: JBL Ferropol 24 (Daily Morning)
NPK: Seachem (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium) (Only on SUN)
Co2: Every alternate days (SUN, TUE, THU) - reduces pH by (0.5) to 7.0

Live Stocks: Plants: 8Nos Anubias on Driftwood, 5Nos Amazon on driftwood
Additonal 2 Medium size RED SWAMP ROOTS
Fish: 5 Nos DISCUS (2* four inch, 3* three inch), Neon, CAE, Clown

Tank Paramters (Generally)
Ph:7.5, kH:4.0, GH:5.0, NH4/NH3: Zero/Zero, No2: Zero, No3: Zero, Fe: 0.05, Po4:Zero
Tap Paramters
Ph:7.0, kH:3.0, GH:6.0
Tank Parameters (After WC)
Ph:7.0 (for a day and then gets back to 7.5), kH:4.0

WC Schedule: Do only in the evening due to the weather - its summer here where water temp hits 34-36C.
15% on MON & WED - 30% on FRI & SAT (Approx 90% WC a week)

Feeding: Twice Daily Morning & Evening (Do WC only after the evening meal)
Beef Heart,Spinach Frozen Mix
Beef Heart,Turkey Heart,Mysis Shrimp,Krill Frozen Mix
Mysis Shrimp Frozen
Daphnia Frozen
Black Worms Frozen
White Worms Frozen
Blood Worms Frozen
Blood Worms Freeze Dried
Tetrabits (Which only one from the 5 accepts)

DREAMS:
breeding the discus, unable to maintain the pH suitable for breeding as when i tested the JBL pH minus seperately there was a hugh flactuation from 7.5 to 6.5 in one minute. So am not ready to implement this in my tank...

Any suggestion and advice would be appreciated...

Will i be able to breed discus at these parameters, and is it good to play with the water parameters.

simplepso

[Skip]

Any suggestion and advice would be appreciated...

Will i be able to breed discus at these parameters, and is it good to play with the water parameters.

simplepso

i lost interest after the first 140 characters.. lol..

ok.. look. you have small juvies.. depending if they are stunted or not.. i don't know.. based upon their size.. it takes 9 months to a years.. for them to get breeding age..
thats a bad set up for breeding..

all you need is a 20-29 gallon breeding tank.. bare bottom.. sponge filter, heater.. at least 50% water changes.. Soft water (usually needed for eggs to hatch), but mostly STABLE WATER CONDITIONS and two frisky fish..

don't over complicate things.. growing out with a substrate is not a good idea.. fish that small (if not stunted) need several feedings a day.. with lots of water changes.. so you have some hurdles to over come.. its not that you can.. its just going to be harder..

[simplepso]

i lost interest after the first 140 characters.. lol..

ok.. look. you have small juvies.. depending if they are stunted or not.. i don't know.. based upon their size.. it takes 9 months to a years.. for them to get breeding age..
thats a bad set up for breeding..

all you need is a 20-29 gallon breeding tank.. bare bottom.. sponge filter, heater.. at least 50% water changes.. Soft water (usually needed for eggs to hatch), but mostly STABLE WATER CONDITIONS and two frisky fish..

don't over complicate things.. growing out with a substrate is not a good idea.. fish that small (if not stunted) need several feedings a day.. with lots of water changes.. so you have some
hurdles to over come.. its not that you can.. its just going to be harder..

First, sorry for all the long msg shared as I wanted to make sure all the info is provided to sumone who wants to advise and comment...

Breeding in this tank, NO WAY... If I attempt breeding in this tank, then it means I have not understood anything from tis forum... will never ever even think of it..

What I asked is with these parameters will I be ever able to breed discus... Ph of 7.5 and kh of
3-4.. Apart from the RO options can someone advise if it is good to add chemicals to alter the ph and kh etc..as to what I read and understood for breeding and sucessful raising is that water needs to be acidic and also require soft water...

.and in anycase if someone has a healthy discus well taken care of then what size approx does the discus get to for spawning etc...

Regret if the doubts are dump as iam trying to learn more from the oppurtunity...

Simplepso

[strawberryblonde]

Hi Simplepso,

It sounds like you have learned a lot about keeping discus!

The only things I would change for your discus is the feeding schedule and the amount of your water changes.

If it was me I'd try to feed them at least 3 times a day, or up to 5 times per day if you can buy an auto feeder for discus flakes. I'd also do larger water changes each time you change the water. More like 50% - 80% each time.

Your discus are still growing, so they need lots of food and lots of fresh water in order to grow strong and healthy.

As far as the normal adult size, so long as they aren't stunted they should reach about 6 inches or more. Mine are 18 months old now and range from 6.5" for the smallest to 9" for the largest.

They will start exhibiting breeding behavior long before they are actually ready to breed. Don't be tempted to put them into a breeding tank right at the start. Leave them in the grow out tank till they are at least a year old.

Your water should be fine for breeding. It's much more important to have stable pH than to have super soft water. Once they start breeding you can then tweak the water conditions only if the spawns fail to make it to wriggler and free swimming stages. In the meantime just enjoy them and don't worry too much. =)

[Skip]

Simple...i was jokin about the info lenght.. It is reference to facebook status lenght..

If all people.gave as much detail as u did... Many problems would be fix very fast..

+1 to what toni said above

[simplepso]

Simple...i was jokin about the info lenght.. It is reference to facebook status lenght..

If all people.gave as much detail as u did... Many problems would be fix very fast..

+1 to what toni said above

Haha, thanks.. I, alwayz believe it is good to give the complete information in the first post so that it will be easier for anybody who intends to help...
Instead of making a simple solution too comlicated and with N number of posts up and down like dimension? parameters? live stocks? feeding habits? so forth....by the time we get a solution or remedy from the experts the live stock would R.I.P.

thanks again.

[simplepso]

It sounds like you have learned a lot about keeping discus!


thanks for the motivation been extended. Still @ the first curve of learning this great adorable species.

Well, i will increase the percentage to 30% on every WC for 4 days a week i.e. approx 120% a week. This is already a streach and any further will make my wify tear me apart for the bill.
As my working time does not permit me to feed more than twice. I leave home at 07:30am and return at 20:30hrs. I am able to feed them only twice.
Autofeeder, i do have from Eheim but iam not aware of the discus flakes. We do have discus granules here but the discus does not seem to be intrested in those.

Iam going to leave thinking about breeding for now, first let me keep the current stocks happy and strong.

Appreciate the time taken to advise.

(will certainly get back for everything and anything related to discus)

[simplepso]

@ all,

As per the experts, iam doing 30% WC dechlorinated water 4 times a week in the evening after the last meal of the day.
I increased my feeding to 6 times from twice a day (7:00am, 9:00am, 12:00pm, 3:00pm, 6:00pm, 8:30pm)

Now my concern about feeding:

(As i leave home @ 7:30am and reach back almost around 8:00pm, i have no other option than using an auto feeder)

7:00am - Frozen - thawed beefheart mix, (or) bloodworms (or) white larvae (or) black worms
9:00am - Freeze Dried Blood worms (Thru Eheim auto Feeder)
12:00pm - Freeze Dried Blood worms (Thru Eheim auto Feeder)
3:00pm - Freeze Dried Blood worms (Thru Eheim auto Feeder)
6:00pm - Freeze Dried Blood worms (Thru Eheim auto Feeder)
8:30pm - Frozen - thawed beefheart mix, (or) bloodworms (or) white larvae (or) black worms
(I also have daphnia and mysis - they dont take)

(NOTE# All the discus take the above offered, none of them are away from food)

(Once or twice a week i add Sera Fishtamin with their first meal)

(They are not accepting Tetrabits, JBL Discus Granules, Newera Pellets, nor Aquaone Color Flakes)

(so the only dry food they except is freezedried blood worms :( )

***

1) Will this feeding be nutritional or do i need to somehow make them take the granules, flakes.
(They being Juvs - will it be right to keep them starving till they take the offered.?)

2) Any suggestion on how to make them take more dry foods.?

Advises and comments will be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

simplepso
happy discing :)