Setting up a Planted discus tank.

[Slightly Blue Dalmation]

be a conch, put heaps of time and effort into them and prove the sceptics wrong

go for it dixon

(p.s. was a compliment conch)

[fulloc]

yep go hard dixon, my setup is similar (plus approx 15 apple snails) with an even smaller filter (eheim 2213) and has been going great for a couple of years now, sometimes im too busy to clean it for almost 2 weeks and it still remains crystal clear.

i think alot of the hype about discus is unwarranted, i got 2 4cms when i had very little experience and have grown them up to be huge and healthy and now have seven which at times have paired up to lay and still no problems. the hardest part is finding suitable tankmates for them as they are so stupid and often just watch food fall to the bottom :lol:

post pics when its up and running

[Dixon1990]

Thanks, I will be getting a adapter to my kitchen sink soon so i can do warm waterchanges straight from the tap,so that will make it easier to to waterchanges.

The tank ends on trademe today,so i will hopefully have it setup again by next week.That is if my rooms painted by then. :-?

[matthewY]

I'm planning on setting up a similar setup but without all the fancy fishies.

350L tank, 5 discus (they are small, ones 6cm and 4 are 5 cm), 5 GBA's and a pile of cardinals (30 or so???).

Quite interested to see how yours goes as my external filter is only 1200LH and if i need to get a 2nd one I will but I too want to avoid spending unless its needed. Been looking at getting an additional UV internal filter (the ones that use UV Leds rather then bulbs) but wonder what people thought of these (maybe the uv isnt powerful enough and just a selling point with no benefits?).

At the moment the discus is in their own growing out tank and I plan to add them in slowly in about 2 months (maybe less depending on how they grow).

let me know how ur setup goes... :->

[Dixon1990]

At the moment the discus is in their own growing out tank and I plan to add them in slowly in about 2 months (maybe less depending on how they grow).

This is WHat im doing as i am getting really cheap smallish discus.

[Dixon1990]

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!

I will do filter maintanence every 3 months and will have a 600lph internal filter going for the first few months From one of my tanks i have at the moment.And im going to have a spraybar on the filter and may get a UV ilfter thing if i get suspended algae particles.

And if they do spawn i will setup breeding tanks.

And i wasnt planning on adding neons.I dont like them anymore after having cardinals,so im giving my remaining neons away.

For lighting,i already have 60W and the new tank comes with some,not sure how much yet though.

[Dixon1990]

Just won the auction for $151 :bounce: :bounce:

4 ft tank(1200L x 520W x 500H) with 8 angels

2 internal filters

1 300watt heater

comes with glass lids and a light hood

I think the tank will need a bit more bracing, and i will have to sell the angels on quickly.

I had $250 to spend on this tank.

So now i have another $100 have to spend on the stand(i get the wood for free) and the substrate.

[kd123]

Nice tank!!! I was thinking of bidding days ago and saw that you were interested....wasn't that kind of me !!!

Hope it all goes well..

[Dixon1990]

Nice tank!!! I was thinking of bidding days ago and saw that you were interested....wasn't that kind of me !!!

Hope it all goes well..

Thanks

I hope it goes well too. Anyone want some adult angels lol?

[cichlid7]

i might depends what type tho

[Dixon1990]

I think the ones that come with the tank are all just 'wildtype'

[lambo]

Just won the auction for $151 :bounce: :bounce:

4 ft tank(1200L x 520W x 500H) with 8 angels

2 internal filters

1 300watt heater

comes with glass lids and a light hood

Congrats on winning the tank, I sold it to him for a lot more than that :lol:

[Dixon1990]

SO, i have picked up the tank, And just set it up half filled beacuse it still has the angels that came with it.

I think i have a Steel stand i can use, and i have decided i will but a CF1200 if i cant get the 404 going properly.

And would columbian tetras be any good in this kind of setup or not?

[Dixon1990]

SO, i have picked up the tank, And just set it up half filled beacuse it still has the angels that came with it.

I think i have a Steel stand i can use, and i have decided i will but a CF1200 if i cant get the 404 going properly.

And would columbian tetras be any good in this kind of setup or not?

And will 170W of daylight lighting do?

And im running 2 Nutrafin co2 kits,but only 1 has a ladder, What can i use for the other?

[Dixon1990]

And will 170W of daylight lighting do?

And im running 2 Nutrafin co2 kits,but only 1 has a ladder, What can i use for the other?

?

[Aquatopia]

I still reckon that the cardinals compliment discus the best. Having said that Emperor tetra are nice too and I believe they are ok in hiigher temps. Also, consider rummy nosed - they are beautiful.

[Dixon1990]

Im going to have a large school (20ish) of Cardinals and aroun8 rummynoses.

[alanmin4304]

Something to consider with your proposal is that if you have strong light and supplementary CO2 you will also need to add fertilizers if you wish to obtain the good plant growth that you seem to be aiming for. This high nutrient leval may not be compatable with good growth of discus so you are therefore heading for a compromise and will need to decide which direction you wish that to take.

[Dixon1990]

Ummm... Didnt know about that, I was going to have a mix of Daltons aquatic mix and Propagating sand :-?

So maybe il just have to do JBL fert balls then?

[alanmin4304]

There is a reason why people grow out discus in bare tanks with lots of water changes and that is to reduce the nutrients. This is not compatable with realy good plant growth. Killies are compatable with good plant growth so you might want to cosider joining the NZKA. The lower temperature and hiding places are a combination that works. You can keep discus in a high plant growth tank but it is not the way to get them to grow out well I don't think.

[Dixon1990]

The discus are goin go to be grown on till about 6-7cm before going in here.

[Dixon1990]

OK, so after some serious thinking, i have decided not to go with discus in this tank.

Its just going to be a South American based Planted tank with Daltons aquatic mix and sand and alot of Wood.

Now i need some ideas for fish, I might be putting some Albino angels in there, but not if i can find something else nice

So the fish that will definately be in there are:

Cardinal Tetras, Maybe Neons, and some Pencils and/or hatchets

Ram pair , pair of Borelli

Corys a couple whiptails and Clown Plecs.

I would like a smallish earth eater if there are any small ones?

Any other reccomendations for peaceful south american fish?

[tHEcONCH]

Discus.

[Dixon1990]

OK, so after some serious thinking, i have decided not to go with discus in this tank.

:lol:

I have thought about it alot and im not going to go that way, yet.

[Silvia-15]

lol, after reading this entire post, i think discus...