fish2water Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 Tank measures 60x45x45cm 100litres. When working out the design of this tank I wanted to provide an environment which complemented the behaviour and nature of the discus. They are so nimble and nifty with the way they get around the tank and forage for their favourite treats. It was seeing how agile they are that made me want to create a tank which they could use as an “agility” course, but which would make them feel safe and happy. Making sure the water quality would be as high as possible is one of the most critical parts of this picture. The first decision was what type of filter to use. I opted for a corner HMF which would push water around the outside of the tank and back to the filter, thus creating an eddy in the middle which would make clearing out excess food and poo easy. To make sure nothing collects unawares on the bottom there is only one plant actually planted in the substrate, the rest are plants which grow directly on the wood (Java fern, window love, African fern and anubias). The next decision was which type of substrate to use. The substrate I went with is quite fine in nature, although it isn’t graded so has larger stones as well, to make sure excess food and poo doesn’t get stuck in the sediment. I also wanted to create different “zones” in the tank to ensure all inhabitants had an area to hang out. I wanted to maintain an open area in the tank to help balance the dense rooted area in the centre. All in all I have been really happy with how the tank is operating, the filter is doing the job and the eddy is making my life easy when it comes to clean up time. The Ramirezis have had two spawnings now and the discus have also had one attempt (and the cardinals are fat from their late night raids). So I am going to take that as a win when it comes to the “are my fish happy” test! Now I just need to wait patiently for my plants to grow to the size they are in my head! Check out the video to see how it all comes together. http://youtu.be/uQJFcpIVJE8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Looks great mate, well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish2water Posted July 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Looks great mate, well done. Cheers dude, Given the tanks small size we needed to ensure that it was well designed as we didnt have the fall back of a large water volume. I guess its my version of a nano tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Have you thought about swapping out the cardinals for some black neons? I use them as dither fish in my apisto tanks and they leave the eggs and fry alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 16, 2013 Report Share Posted July 16, 2013 :gopo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likoma Posted August 29, 2013 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 Building on the discus aquarium didn't take long. We now have an aquarium in the lounge. It sits below the TV and makes for an excellent distraction pretty much all the time. Its a bare bottomed tank with Cardinals, Discus and Rams. The area is broken up with branches making an impressive play ground for the discus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim r Posted August 29, 2013 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 That tank is way too small for that many discus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish2water Posted September 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 That tank is way too small for that many discus. Thanks for taking the time to give feedback Jim. I'm sorry it has taken so much time to get back to this. Addressing your concerns, are you referring to water quality, space for the fish to move or the visual aspect of a large fish in a small tank. Only having kept discus for a short time I`m still experimenting with the boundaries. The one thing that I know for certain is that I am constantly learning from others and their experiences. Best thing I have discovered to date regarding discus, is the amount of protein that they require. These fish came to us in a very bad state they had been kept in aquarium with only aeration and heat for a 2 week period due to the owner being out of the country. Bacterial infection had upset the osmotic balance of the eyes filling them with water. I had chatted to DISCUSGURU( Thanks again) regarding the treatment. He suggested FURAN2. I held off for a while treating them with daily salt baths, this was only successful in preventing the infection getting worse. In the end I went with treatment which seems to have worked in killing off the bacteria(CLOUDY EYES) unfortunately there is a lot of existing damage. Hopefully over time with great food and water quality it will improve. The stocking rate comes courteousy of a Stendker discus information booklet FAQ http://www.diskuszucht-stendker.de/gb/582,0,stocking-rate-other-fish,index,0.html They mention having a very high stocking density. Initially I doubted the success of this system but so far it has worked well with this group of fish. The tank in question is a 300l aquarium. There are 11 discus, cardinals and Rams. The sump is loaded with Poret foam fulfilling a mechanical and biological role. The left hand side of the aquarium is made up of a large Hamburg Matten Filter run on an independent setup to the sump. This all means that it is very biologically stable and over filtered biologically. The bare bottomed effect makes it easy to clean up any waste. Nothing is guaranteed and at the first sign of distress an ulterior plan will be made. Our motto is that we will do everything in our power to ensure the wellbeing of our fish. Oh and Water quality comes first and everything else follows. Thanks for reading. Cheers Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim r Posted September 3, 2013 Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 Fully grown discus need between 30 /40 litres each. I suggest you contact Discusguru again he really IS an expert. But to keep so many in such a small amount of water is asking for trouble. You will need to do excessive amounts of water changes and check water parameters on a very regular basis. Also your opening line states that it is a 100L 60x45x45 sized tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish2water Posted September 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 Thanks again for the feedback Jim, Silly me, I probably should have clarified that the pictured aquarium is different from the one shown in the video in the original post. I totally agree with you regarding it pushing boundaries with only 29litres alloted per fish. Perhaps I could change the title of the topic to "Going from a Discus aquarium that is easy to maintain to one that is very high maintenance." Regular siphoning up of waste and water tests interrupt our regular TV programming. Cheers Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexyay Posted September 3, 2013 Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 Even in a 300L, I'd stick 6-7 discus in there at most imo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted September 3, 2013 Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 Regular siphoning up of waste and water tests interrupt our regular TV programming.Greg Beats watching telly any day, IMO :gigl: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish2water Posted September 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 Beats watching telly any day, IMO :gigl: I still make time for Family Guy. The mentality around the large number of fish is to encourage the shoaling nature of discus. Spreading the aggression across a larger group. So often I see an aquarium with one highly dominant fish and all the others are cowering in the corners. After reading the information from the good people at Stendker, on how to minimize aggression and prevent any one fish from feeding I couldn`t help but try it out for myself. This method of packing in the fish has worked well with all the cichlids I have kept to date. I will be sure to keep you updated on any successes or failures of the project as you cant have enough transparency ey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish2water Posted September 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2013 A quick update. All fish are feeding with gusto. A mixture of homemade food and whole earthworms that have been gut loaded on a mixture of trout pellets, spirulina and native spinach.(check out the video to watch them fighting over worms.) The red map pair have been preparing to breed again. I have reversed the flow of the Hamburg Matten Filter to reduce the current in the tank. All branches have been moved to one side of the tank to create an open play area. The blue discus are all still very skittish requiring slow movements, which is a bit of a chore. I have added some clown loaches to the mix. Tested water conditions are all excellent. I'm still a little concerned over the residual damage from the cloudy eye on 2 of the fish. The others have all improved greatly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish2water Posted October 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 A quick update of our discus aquarium. 3 pairs of fish have paired up on regular occasions laying eggs on driftwood , glass and now plant leaves. Over time the eggs get hammered by the various other inhabitants. I have added some plants (to brighten up the fish) trying to incorporate the bare bottom style while still having some greenery. I have changed the flow of the filtration to limit the amount of current in the tank. It now goes in through the overflow, down to the sump and back into the tank. The outflow is directed behind a piece of black foam which hides the heater. The water passes through HMF and back into the tank. Ill put together some pics in the near future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likoma Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 Well spring is in the air, or maybe it is all the weather systems and good environmental conditions. There are 2 pairs with wrigglers, and another just having laid. Pair spawning up on the top left branch. Spawning tube out, this is the longer one, would that make it the girl? Girl ram after having build a nest on potted plant. She has cozied up with another girl, boys are still too juvenile fart jokes and all. I think she is full of eggs. Feeding frenzy. So far this aquarium is an awesome success. The more spacious design (fewer branches) seems to be more effective. All plants are potted and the base is bare bottom. I tried to create a feeding station on the branches as the Java moss catches tasty morsels for tetras. Maintenance is a 20% weekly WC with a mid week siphon of uneaten meat bits and debris. It beats watching the Block. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v8jaggy8 Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 It beats watching the Block. Hahaha too True!! :gpo2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakes2001 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Hi there. Beuatiful setup you have there. Are these stendker turquoise? Also have you managed to succesfully raise fry and if so are you selling any? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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