Dixon1990 Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 I have another thread about this tank but it wasnt going to be a discus tank in that thread so i want to start a fresh thread. Im bidding on a 1200L x 520W x 500H And it looks like im going to win it (it ends tomorrow and i hope i do win it as its an ideal tank for what i want)but if i dont win it i will get inside oceans to make me one. Im going to have quite a bit of wood in there to keep the ph low. Im going to plant it out with: Amazon swords Dwarf Chain Swords Stargrass Hairgrass Bacopa Moneiri Maybe rotala And a few others. Fish: At the Top Pencilfish or Hatchets At the Middle Cardinal and Rummynose tetras 6 Discus Maybe a ram pair later on At the Bottom 10 Cory 2 whiptails GBA pair The only fish that will be in there for the first 3-4months will probably be the tetras,discus and catfish. So the questions are: 1.How much lighting will i need to Grow plants successfully? 2.Would plants grow well in a mix of Daltons Aquatic mix and daltons Propagating Sand? 3.Will a Fluval 404 1300lph be good enough to filter this tank? I will add pics as it gets setup. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 I have some really good plant bulbs brand new if your interested PM me. Also id say you would need a bigger filtration unit. Mayby two of the 303 would be good. You have a big bio load and it would be a big loss if you lost 6 discus. I would run two canister filters packed with bio media and sponge. Weekly 50% water changes would be a must. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slightly Blue Dalmation Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 my tanks same height and im having to use 2 twin t5s to get good growth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted April 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 I was thinking my 3foot twin t8 and twin 4ft t8 but will this not be enough? How much do twin 4ft t5 units go for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted April 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Also id say you would need a bigger filtration unit. Mayby two of the 303 would be good. You have a big bio load and it would be a big loss if you lost 6 discus. I would run two canister filters packed with bio media and sponge. Weekly 50% water changes would be a must. Ive already got the 404 and the bioload isnt that big, Im only going to have 6 pencilfish or Hatchets Cardinal and Rummynose tetras(around 15 in total) 6 Discus 10 Cory 2 whiptails(small bio load) GBA pair (small ones) I think 50% is a bit overboard...Maybe 30% or 20% twice weekly? What do other people think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slightly Blue Dalmation Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 quite a bit haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted April 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 How much are the bulbs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Ive already got the 404 and the bioload isnt that big, Im only going to have 6 pencilfish or Hatchets Cardinal and Rummynose tetras(around 15 in total) 6 Discus 10 Cory 2 whiptails(small bio load) GBA pair (small ones) I think 50% is a bit overboard...Maybe 30% or 20% twice weekly? What do other people think? Lets put it this way... Hatchets or Pencils - Low bio Tetras - Low bio Discus - Medium bio Cory - Low to Medium bio Whips - Low bio GBA - High bio (they are messy) Now throw those fish into a 312 liter tank with a 404 running as a filtrations = Death Discus are very tricky to look after, some recomend DAILY 50% water changes! you have a huge BIO load and not nearly enough filtration. If you want to keep these fish rethink your filtration. If its brand new ask the shop if they will swap it for two other filter with cash there way. Sorry but it just simply wont work. I have kept discus and they are ALLOT of work and they need lots of food which in turn adds more of a bio load. This could be a very exp mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlid7 Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 312 liter tank with a 404 running as a filtrations = Death incorrect the fluval 404 is a 1300LPH filter which turns the tank volume over 4x per hour which is enough some recomend DAILY 50% water changes! yes but that is more for the younger discus with this filtration 25% twice weekly would be more than enough. Sorry but it just simply wont work. yes it will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted April 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 The discus will be in a growout tank till around 5-6cm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 incorrect the fluval 404 is a 1300LPH filter which turns the tank volume over 4x per hour which is enough yes but that is more for the younger discus with this filtration 25% twice weekly would be more than enough. yes it will i disagree. 4x per hour may be fine for a tank that size but with a bio load that he wants to have it wont. Have you ever kept discus before, one day they are fine another they are dead. If you have to much cooper in your water you can kill them. I am 100% sure this will end in tears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted April 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 i disagree. 4x per hour may be fine for a tank that size but with a bio load that he wants to have it wont. Have you ever kept discus before, one day they are fine another they are dead. If you have to much cooper in your water you can kill them. I am 100% sure this will end in tears. Im 100% sure it wont. Im not spending that much on this setup as i am getting a good deal, and was given the filter, light and heater. Plus i do know about water chemistry. And if "Have you ever kept discus before," was aimed towards me,no i havent.If it was for cichlid7,then yes he does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted April 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 And if you dont like the idea of me doing this, Leave my Post! Why bother? The guy i got the filter off had it on a planted 4footer with discus and heaps of fancy plecs for a good 3years,with only 2 waterchanges a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlid7 Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 yes i have and still do. i also breed them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlid7 Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 yea aaron it was aimed at me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted April 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Got any young atm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlid7 Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 i am also going to setup a 600L discus tank with 40 ish neons 15 cories and a few GBA's this tank will have a 2400LPH sump with 30% water changes each week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlid7 Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Got any young atm? nope they like too eat the eggs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 i am also going to setup a 600L discus tank with 40 ish neons 15 cories and a few GBA's this tank will have a 2400LPH sump with 30% water changes each week I never said that the filter turn over rate wasnt good enough, I am just saying the 404 does not have a capicity to hold enough bio media to support the load of fish he wants. If he is planning to spend $500 on equipment then I am sorry I just dont think it will work, prove me wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlid7 Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 just another thing if you were prepared to do a 50% water change daily you wouldn't even need a filter. while i was in england for 4 weeks last year i had a breeding pair in 80L tank with only a sponge filter going my dad looked after my fish and they had no water changes in that time they laid eggs twice and they are fine. so im sure this filter and the maintenance he will be fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 just another thing if you were prepared to do a 50% water change daily you wouldn't even need a filter. while i was in england for 4 weeks last year i had a breeding pair in 80L tank with only a sponge filter going my dad looked after my fish and they had no water changes in that time they laid eggs twice and they are fine. so im sure this filter and the maintenance he will be fine well this is a differnt tank and a completly different bio load. Look Dixon I dont think this will work out, not only will your discus grow to big for your tank they will pair of and you will have fights on your hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimebag Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 have to agree with cichlid7 here, I run a tank 30L smaller that dixon's. have quite a few more fish than he wants, and filtered with a cf1200. has been running fine for about 3 years now no problems with ammonia etc. I do 1/3 waterchange twice weekly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BK Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 My tank is 600x400x1.00 high. Has 5 discus that I've grow from about 50mm to full size 20-30 tetras, 5 whip tails,10-12 Corys and heaps of snails running a 404 with 50% water change weekly. When the discus pair up (if ever) I'll cut their numbers down. I feed heaps including Beef Heart, colour bits and white worms and haven't had any problems. Remember that CHCH water is great straight from the hose. The one thing that I would say is that you need big water changers rather than a couple of smaller ones. If you want to have a look at this pm me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 When raising discus a daily water change of 20% is all you need. Any more is pointless unless you're running no filtration at all, which requires a 50% daily water change. A 404 on the aquarium will be fine but I recommend filter maintenance every 3 months (rather than the normal 6 months) to keep it clean and the flow rate high. Turn the outlet of the filter towards the glass to reduce current. That's a massive tank for 6 discus and they should be very happy. Given the right planning, you may even spawn in the aquarium but a proper breeding tank will be needed for successful breeding. DO NOT keep neons with discus. It's rather like decking out a BMW with Toyota rims. Go with Cardinal tetras instead as they handle the higher temps and live longer (and look better). I recommend 150W of lighting, whatever form you choose. CO2 injection will still be fairly easy in a tank that size with anything from a simple ceramic diffuser. Best of luck with the new aquarium! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 I don't know enough (still learning) to offer filter advice but I am running a 2400 litre per hour pump through the sump for my 1500 x 60 x 60 tank (450l). I do water changes 25-30% once or twice a week depending on the time I have available. My discus (6) are around the 10cm+ mark. also 9 cories, 4 bn and 4 sae. The best advice I was probably given was not to feed heart as it would make it too hard to clean the tank properly. I feed blood worms and pellets instead. They are happy, healthy and growing. Look around and see if you can visit others with these fish, look at their setups, ask heaps of questions and then decide what you think is right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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