1) Please Introduce your self and tell us what your experience is with fishkeeping, give us as much information as possible as to how long in the hobby, what you have kept in the past and what you currently are working with.
My parents had aquariums before I was born, I got my first approx 1980. I've kept most SA/CA Cichlids for the majority of the 44 years since then. Once upon a time I had around 1500 gallons of aquariums, other times I had as little as a 40 gallon. And in all that time, I've kept not 1 Discus. But I'm planning to fix that.
2) If you have no previous experience with keeping discus, have you done any research to properly prepare yourself, e.g. have you read any Stickies in this section of SimplyDiscus, or other material?
Yes I have done some, no I have not done enough. I know quit a bit about fishkeeping in general, which includes knowing that Discus are unique and I some things I know about most fish won't transfer. I'll keep reading. And one thing that's on my side is, I know enough not to rush into things. The aquarium will be here Jan 31, It'll take a month or so to build the stand and get it in place. Another month or so to get the sump plumbing just right. Then several months of establishing plants and Endlers in the tank. So I'm half a year away from buying Discus.
3) Describe your tank, its size and dimensions, breeding or display. Include how long it has been setup or if it is still being cycled.
195 Gallon (60:x30"@24" tall) aquarium with a 90 Gal (48"x18"@24" tall) Sump.
As above, it's not set up. I have several other tanks to transfer media from to assist in cycling. I won't add Discus until the tank has been running with plants, Endlers and other small species for at least a few months.
4) Describe the decor for the tank; type of substrate or bare bottom (BB), whether the tank will be planted or a biotope.
Display / Show tank.
Some rock structures in the bottom 8" designed for other species (likely Apistogramma). Some plants such as Java Fern planted in the substrate. We will toy with some ideas having houseplant in hydroponic cups at the surface and dropping into the water. The back of the tank painted, likely black. The fiancé is looking at some 3D printed fake longs, trees, etc that she wants to try out (I'm skeptical). Overall, a moderately planted, rocky natural'esque look but not a specific "biotope" of any location.
5) Describe your water changes planned or practiced, percentage and how often. Include if you age your water and use of tap/RO or mix.
Currently, I do a water change to some tanks every Sunday. Most of my tanks are lightly planted and lightly stocked, so I have plenty of leeway. I know Discus have much less forgiveness when it comes to water quality / clarity. That said, I'm hoping between the large system, plants and refugium, I'll get away with one big water change each week.
In general, I watch each tank and give it the maintenance it needs. And I understand this set up will have higher than normal needs.
6) Describe the type of filtration planned/used for the tank; sponge, HOB and/or sump. Also include the other equipment you are, or will be, using in your tank, e.g. heater, lighting, etc.
There will be two separate filter systems.
90 Gallon Sump/Refugium. It will have 2 small chambers of media, the majority as a refugium, then two small chambers at the return. I made a post about the sump here as well as another forum. It's an evolving plan. The current plan is 30ppi sponges before the refugium. The refugium, with mostly Pothos and Wandering Jew. Then staged sponges of 30ppi, 50ppi and 60ppi sponges.
The second will be a custom "mechanical filter". This will be blow water across the floor of the tank using several return ports, rolling debris into a corner where the intake is. The intake will run water through an easily replaceable sponge. Repeat. Repeat. This filter will be covered in concrete to look like dirt or rock and will have an array of caves & tunnels on the viewable sides. I've made filters using this filtering concept and I've made background and inserts using this structure concept. I'm excited to pull the two together and see what I can do.
Further electronics... Mike, a member here, brought up the point of redundancy. I have a Hyggar 1,000W heater on another set up that's done very well. I planned on using one of these. But having had the redundancy bug planted I may also find a place to place a 300W or two. The sump will be lit with 2x 100W equivalent LED bulbs in basic clamp fixtures. These will be out of sight so ugly is fine. For the aquarium I'll likely get a basic 5' LED fixture. If I ever decide to try my hand at more challenging plants I'll upgrade later. The aquarium will get decent evening sun (another reason I want near zero nitrates or else I'll be fighting algae, though I probably will anyway.)
7) If the tank is already setup and running, include the water parameters;
The tank is not set up. I'm on city water, PH 6.4 from the tap, 6.2-6.4 in my tanks. I consider 20ppm of nitrate the acceptable high point when a tank needs a water change. My goal is going to have the Discus set up to be planted well enough that Nitrates are rarely detectable.
8) Describe your current or planned stocking levels; number/size of discus and number/type of dither fish. Where did you get your discus from or do you have a proposed source for getting your discus?
Short answer, I don't know. And it largely depends on what other stocking I do.
I definitely want Dwarf Cichlids in the bottom of the tank. I have Apisto Cacatuoides in another set up, so something other than them. There are several interesting options that fit the same role. I have large Endler colony and all my tanks end up with some Endlers. I can restock the group in this tank as needed. And unknown number of Discus. Some other small fish such as Red Serpae Tetra, Cories. I'm interested in other small gentle tankmates such as Peacock Gobies and a few others. I'll do my research first.
I love Geophagus. I was hoping to put RedHead Tapajos here, but was advised against it. And I can see why. They can get rambunctious. I have Sveni now, which are fairly mellow, but larger growing. I don't expect they would work well. If, in the future, I end up with too many female Sveni (unlikely) I may try to put a group of female only with the Discus. That said, if it didn't work out I could promptly move them back with the rest of the Sveni. And, it'll be a few years before that can even be considered.
As for the Discus... Assuming I only have 5-8 Apistos, 20-50 Endlers, some number of Cories and other small fish... How many Discus would be appropriate?
I'm loosely acquainted with my Local Fish Club and I know there are a few members who breed Discus. I'll want to talk to them to see what they may have available. But I am also very interested in hearing from you guys as to what reputable suppliers you recommend to U.S. hobbyists.
9) Describe your planned or existing feeding regimen. Include what and how often you are feeding on a daily basis.
I have no idea. I feed my current fish in the evening, about 5 days a week. When I have fry I want to keep, I'm able to feed before work, after work and evening. It would be very difficult to feed more than that, as I'm away for work for 8-10 hours most days.
10) What are your goals in this hobby? For example are you looking to keep discus in a planted community tank, or do you hope to become a hobby breeder of Discus? Do you want to raise Discus with the hopes of competing in shows?
Hobbyist with a pretty planted tank. A lot of my fish breed. But most tanks are set up so the fry are eaten by others. I occasionally pull fry and raise them on the side. That will likely be my mood with Discus as well. But I'm not interested in breeding, selling and shipping fish. Only to share with friends and to barter in my Local Fish Club.
My parents had aquariums before I was born, I got my first approx 1980. I've kept most SA/CA Cichlids for the majority of the 44 years since then. Once upon a time I had around 1500 gallons of aquariums, other times I had as little as a 40 gallon. And in all that time, I've kept not 1 Discus. But I'm planning to fix that.
2) If you have no previous experience with keeping discus, have you done any research to properly prepare yourself, e.g. have you read any Stickies in this section of SimplyDiscus, or other material?
Yes I have done some, no I have not done enough. I know quit a bit about fishkeeping in general, which includes knowing that Discus are unique and I some things I know about most fish won't transfer. I'll keep reading. And one thing that's on my side is, I know enough not to rush into things. The aquarium will be here Jan 31, It'll take a month or so to build the stand and get it in place. Another month or so to get the sump plumbing just right. Then several months of establishing plants and Endlers in the tank. So I'm half a year away from buying Discus.
3) Describe your tank, its size and dimensions, breeding or display. Include how long it has been setup or if it is still being cycled.
195 Gallon (60:x30"@24" tall) aquarium with a 90 Gal (48"x18"@24" tall) Sump.
As above, it's not set up. I have several other tanks to transfer media from to assist in cycling. I won't add Discus until the tank has been running with plants, Endlers and other small species for at least a few months.
4) Describe the decor for the tank; type of substrate or bare bottom (BB), whether the tank will be planted or a biotope.
Display / Show tank.
Some rock structures in the bottom 8" designed for other species (likely Apistogramma). Some plants such as Java Fern planted in the substrate. We will toy with some ideas having houseplant in hydroponic cups at the surface and dropping into the water. The back of the tank painted, likely black. The fiancé is looking at some 3D printed fake longs, trees, etc that she wants to try out (I'm skeptical). Overall, a moderately planted, rocky natural'esque look but not a specific "biotope" of any location.
5) Describe your water changes planned or practiced, percentage and how often. Include if you age your water and use of tap/RO or mix.
Currently, I do a water change to some tanks every Sunday. Most of my tanks are lightly planted and lightly stocked, so I have plenty of leeway. I know Discus have much less forgiveness when it comes to water quality / clarity. That said, I'm hoping between the large system, plants and refugium, I'll get away with one big water change each week.
In general, I watch each tank and give it the maintenance it needs. And I understand this set up will have higher than normal needs.
6) Describe the type of filtration planned/used for the tank; sponge, HOB and/or sump. Also include the other equipment you are, or will be, using in your tank, e.g. heater, lighting, etc.
There will be two separate filter systems.
90 Gallon Sump/Refugium. It will have 2 small chambers of media, the majority as a refugium, then two small chambers at the return. I made a post about the sump here as well as another forum. It's an evolving plan. The current plan is 30ppi sponges before the refugium. The refugium, with mostly Pothos and Wandering Jew. Then staged sponges of 30ppi, 50ppi and 60ppi sponges.
The second will be a custom "mechanical filter". This will be blow water across the floor of the tank using several return ports, rolling debris into a corner where the intake is. The intake will run water through an easily replaceable sponge. Repeat. Repeat. This filter will be covered in concrete to look like dirt or rock and will have an array of caves & tunnels on the viewable sides. I've made filters using this filtering concept and I've made background and inserts using this structure concept. I'm excited to pull the two together and see what I can do.
Further electronics... Mike, a member here, brought up the point of redundancy. I have a Hyggar 1,000W heater on another set up that's done very well. I planned on using one of these. But having had the redundancy bug planted I may also find a place to place a 300W or two. The sump will be lit with 2x 100W equivalent LED bulbs in basic clamp fixtures. These will be out of sight so ugly is fine. For the aquarium I'll likely get a basic 5' LED fixture. If I ever decide to try my hand at more challenging plants I'll upgrade later. The aquarium will get decent evening sun (another reason I want near zero nitrates or else I'll be fighting algae, though I probably will anyway.)
7) If the tank is already setup and running, include the water parameters;
The tank is not set up. I'm on city water, PH 6.4 from the tap, 6.2-6.4 in my tanks. I consider 20ppm of nitrate the acceptable high point when a tank needs a water change. My goal is going to have the Discus set up to be planted well enough that Nitrates are rarely detectable.
8) Describe your current or planned stocking levels; number/size of discus and number/type of dither fish. Where did you get your discus from or do you have a proposed source for getting your discus?
Short answer, I don't know. And it largely depends on what other stocking I do.
I definitely want Dwarf Cichlids in the bottom of the tank. I have Apisto Cacatuoides in another set up, so something other than them. There are several interesting options that fit the same role. I have large Endler colony and all my tanks end up with some Endlers. I can restock the group in this tank as needed. And unknown number of Discus. Some other small fish such as Red Serpae Tetra, Cories. I'm interested in other small gentle tankmates such as Peacock Gobies and a few others. I'll do my research first.
I love Geophagus. I was hoping to put RedHead Tapajos here, but was advised against it. And I can see why. They can get rambunctious. I have Sveni now, which are fairly mellow, but larger growing. I don't expect they would work well. If, in the future, I end up with too many female Sveni (unlikely) I may try to put a group of female only with the Discus. That said, if it didn't work out I could promptly move them back with the rest of the Sveni. And, it'll be a few years before that can even be considered.
As for the Discus... Assuming I only have 5-8 Apistos, 20-50 Endlers, some number of Cories and other small fish... How many Discus would be appropriate?
I'm loosely acquainted with my Local Fish Club and I know there are a few members who breed Discus. I'll want to talk to them to see what they may have available. But I am also very interested in hearing from you guys as to what reputable suppliers you recommend to U.S. hobbyists.
9) Describe your planned or existing feeding regimen. Include what and how often you are feeding on a daily basis.
I have no idea. I feed my current fish in the evening, about 5 days a week. When I have fry I want to keep, I'm able to feed before work, after work and evening. It would be very difficult to feed more than that, as I'm away for work for 8-10 hours most days.
10) What are your goals in this hobby? For example are you looking to keep discus in a planted community tank, or do you hope to become a hobby breeder of Discus? Do you want to raise Discus with the hopes of competing in shows?
Hobbyist with a pretty planted tank. A lot of my fish breed. But most tanks are set up so the fry are eaten by others. I occasionally pull fry and raise them on the side. That will likely be my mood with Discus as well. But I'm not interested in breeding, selling and shipping fish. Only to share with friends and to barter in my Local Fish Club.
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