bli Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 I am ultimately trying to set up a planted discus aquarium but until my new 4ft tank arrives after new years I need some help organising my tanks. At the moment I have 7 small discus 40-50mm in a 14 gallon tank with a few plants and substrate. I have been doing 20-30% water changes every 1-2 days and have noticed some significant growth in size and colours of all discus so far. I have recently freed up a 90x37x50cm tank that I was thinking of moving the discus into until the new one arrives as I figured it would be easier to clean and maintain especially with the few and far between water changes I will be able to do over the xmas-nyears period. This has been home to a number of Geo suris, corydoras and a bristlenose. I would keep this bare bottom and was thinking about putting a few of my plants e.g. Ambulia, amazon swords, java fern, indian fern etc in a few pots to help the discus feel secure and with the waste absorption. If this is recommended what type of plant pots are safe to use and if there are any special ones where can i get these from. Is this a wise move to make? I will be away for almost a week and a half over this holiday period and can only organise one water change in this time. Would the discus be better off to stay in their smaller planted tank or safer to move them to the bigger BB tank for a couple of weeks? I have an automatic fish feeder that will feed flake and spirulina pellets twice a day while i'm away also have organised for a couple of feedings of frozen blood worms and beef heart. Any help would be greatly appreciated. As a beginner I love reading up on the wealth of knowledge here on the forum and appreciate all comments and advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 Terracota pots are good to use, that's what I use in my discus tank. They should be fine over the time, but will appreciate the water changes when you get home. I would say move them over to the bigger tank because it will be more stable than the smaller one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 Hey bud, move them to the bigger tank, the water will stay fresher longer. The pot plants will help too. The Warehouse has got cheap terra cotta pots. Nice work with the auto feeder, much safer than flatmates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discusguru Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 I would put them in the biggest tank you can get. Wouldn't bother about the plants at all. If you're not going to do WC for 2 weeks DO NOT feed any frozen food cause they'll pollute the water. Feed a small amount of food (colorbit) once a day. That way when you get back from holidays your discus will be still there. Make sure you have a cycled filter in the tank. Do a big WC (>50%) before you go. Happy holidays, Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bli Posted December 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 Cheers guys. Having someone come pick up the tank mates from the 170l tank tomorrow so will do the swap over tomorrow night. Will it be fine to use the FLUVAL 404 filter that has been in their with the Geos etc with the Discus. ph in both tanks are held between 6.6 and 6.8. I was thinking about totally cleaning out the 404 and getting all new media so that I can begin cycling it for my 320lt which comes in the new year. As well as this (on a very slow flow rate) putting the smaller aquaclear hang on in aswell which has been the filter in the 14 gallon tank with the discus. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 I wouldn't clean out the fluval just yet, as it is already a cycled filter, so will help clean things up in the discus tank. You can never have too much filtration, so the more the better, just make sure the current isn't too much for the fish. Having two filters is good because it means you can stagger the cleaning so there's always beneficial bacteria in one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 The bacteria won't die if you clean it out in fishwater (just to be clear not cold tap water). It is best to have a clean filter as it will cleanse the water better and be less likely to clog up and reduce water flow, especially important as you're going away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bli Posted December 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 Thanks, so there are no types of bacteria or potential parasites that the two different tanks might have that would harm the discus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 Most diseases and parasites are transferable amongst tropical fish, but aslong all the other fish were healthy you'll be fine. Did you see them scratching at all? It could indicate there's flukes in the system, these can kill young discus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bli Posted December 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 No scratching or anything, everyone in both tanks seems happy and healthy. Had a scare with a bloated Neon a week or so back but have since learnt that Neons do not flourish in the higher temps with Discus so have given to a friend. Thinking about getting some cardinals once show tank is set up. I have been reading up large from Forum and websites about setting up a planted tank so thanks for everyones help. I am trying to sell me 14 gallon set up so if anyone is interested please check out my listing on T/ME http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... d=82109418 Im sure I will have plenty more questions re: Discus and ultimately setting up my show tank, so once again thank you to everyone for their help and looking forward to more great advice. Luke - Like the look of your young discus for sale, once I get my tank settled in the NY will PM you if you still have some available Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 That's good no signs of anything bad = good Ahh yes neons like it more 22c type temp apparently, otherwise they burn out faster. Good that you're reading up, can be tedious at times but it's worth it. And yes thanks I still have some discus available. Let me know when you're ready and hopefully I'll still have some for you then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bli Posted December 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2006 Hi everyone, Heres a pic of the discus in their new BB tank for the next few weeks. I have kept the fluval going on a very minimal flow rate and also added the filter from the discus tank. Everyone is a litte shy hanging out in the corner with the odd brave dash around their new environment. Hopefully everything stays happy and healthy over the break and will look forward to setting up the show tank in the new year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted December 21, 2006 Report Share Posted December 21, 2006 Looks great Bli good work, even looks semi biotypical. The odd plant and even fewer rocks or stones. I know your discus will appreciate the bigger tank and cleaner water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bli Posted January 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Hope everyone had a wicked Xmas and NY break. I have just got my new 4ft tank and will be setting it up over the next couple of weeks. I wanted to shift some of the plants from my other planted tank into the new one but have noticed that a growing population snails have developed throughout the plants. There are also a few small snails in my cycled 404 filter and wanted some advice as to whether snails are all that much of a problem and if so, should I be treating everything with snail rid before putting into the new Planted Discus Set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 i dont worry about them. i have a few ramshorns in my bare bottom discus tank that came in with the amazon i have potted in there but they arent a problem, i suspect the lack of food for them is a contributer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Snails are good at cleaning up scraps, however they can harbour parasites. I clean all my plants with PP (potassium permanganate) before adding them to my tanks to kill any algaes/snails/snail eggs. Luckily I have none at all in any of my 11 operating tanks (touchwood). I think it's pretty much impossible to get rid of snails once they're in unless you have a small BB tank with no plants. I've always had to overhaul tanks to get rid of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bli Posted January 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Where can you get that potassium permanganate from? Is it harmful to fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 potassium permanganate is also known as condys crystals. in short it is risky to your fish, extreme caution must be used but it will work well if used properly to treat certain illnesses (though other meds may be easier to use and work better just harder to obtain). i would not advise dosing your tank with PP just to kill snails cause it wont just kill them- it will kill your bio filter too (i removed media from filters before dosing). PP is used as luke said to get rid of the nasties off plants/decor going into tanks that has been used in other tanks, you want the water to be a light pink for treating plants. people also use it to clean out tanks/equipment before use again it is an oxidiser i beleive and is often used for treating fish but i class it is a very risky med even though i have had great experiences and results when using it. it basically eats the nasties (used for external parasites) off your fish but if the mix is too strong or it is in contact with the fish for a prolonged period it will start to eat away at the gills, skin etc of the fish. it is very easy to burn your fish, a dose higher than 4ppm is considered risky and you should expect a good amount of damage to be done. when i treated my discus with PP (3ppm for four and a half hours) i sat by the 40L bin i was using as the hospital that whole time. i got up twice to get something to eat and go toilet. when i was researching the use of PP it was always over stressed DO NOT LEAVE YOUR FISH WHILST TREATING. the problems that i read about always occured because the person had left their fish to go and do something and was not there to administer the 'antidote' (hydrogen peroxide) to the water to neutralise it (i have been told this is impossible but i can do a pictorial of how it neutralises it over a period of ten minutes if anyone wants) sorry for the long ramble :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Yeah you do have to be careful but I find aslong as the solution is pink it's fine. It stops working in the presence of organic material so if you have plants etc you may have to keep adding it to maintain the strength. It goes brown when it's nullified. You may be able to get it at your chemist, I got some there once, it's been on TM before too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bli Posted January 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2007 Hi Everyone Well thanks to everyones help on this forum and the DPH forum I have spent most of the weekend setting up my new tank. Thought I would include a few photos to show you how its coming along. Im sure theres is plenty more to learn along the way. My New 70G tank Adding the aquatic base and sand - looks like mash potatoes Levelling it all out Adding the water And the drifty 320 Litres later Plants, plants and more plants, where to start They can sense something is happening Cant wait to get the discus in their new home, will post more photos once the water settles and plants start growing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted January 14, 2007 Report Share Posted January 14, 2007 Looking good mate, that driftwood is real nice. With the pictures, highlight the photobucket link to the photo, then click "Img", that will add the tags around the link and make the picture work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bli Posted January 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2007 Thanks, think I got it sorted now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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