3ft set-up

[Podz]

Hi, i have a 3ft x 18inch x 2ft tank and am looking to get into discus. I've done tropical and marine and just looking for something different.

I have an Aquaone aquis 1000 canister filter, heater, and Aqualina T5 lighting.

What else do i need?? If any.

I am thinking of changing to metal halide as i really want to bring the colours of the fish out. So do i go 150W or 250W?

Also how many fish should i have. I plan to have just Discus with some tetras. I've been told no less than 6 discus if they are not paired.

Also i plan to have a planted tank.

Your help would be great!!

[swampy1972]

From what I've read I think MH lighting on a tank this size may be overkill. Good HO T5s should do it even with the planting.
You'll enhance their colours with a combination of quality care, surroundings and the correct tube selection. Good care and surroundings means the fish aren't stressed and display more vibrantly naturally. The lights just emphasise it.
Most of the experiences keepers here say for bio-load plan on 40-50lt per adult fish minimum taking substrate, rocks etc into account.

[ILLUSN]

discus come from blackwaters, hence like subdued lighting, T5's might be too much on my discus tanks i used t8's or CF's on 1/2 power (ran 2 globes not 4).

discus in a planted tank isn't a good idea unless you under stocked so for your 3 footer (240L) aim for 3 fish, 4 MAX (idealy 80-100L/fish)! Buy adult fish not juviniles as juviniles will get stunted, pick plants that like it hot as discus like temps pushing 30C.

throw in 3-4 discus and a 10 or so small tetras and you should be fine, glowlights, rummynoses and ember tetras do fine at those temps, neons dont do so well, cardinals are a mixed bag and seem to depend more on where the fish are from.

keep up ypur water changes (50% 2x a week) and you should be fine, try and gravel vac the feeding area EVERY water change.

[Podz]

so all the equipment i got is sweet?

What do you mean under stocked with a planted tank?? I thought plants etc help - meaning stocking levels can be higher

[ILLUSN]

discus are carnivours, they require a high protein diet, higher then that of most other fish, they also arnt the most gracefull eaters. they have an extraemly low tollerance to water quality, while you can remove all the ammonia nitrite and to a degree the nitrate with filtration and plants, the other metabolic byproducts (disolved organic compounds or DOC's) really cant be removed, the best way to deal with them is massive water changes (my breders and grow outs got 90-95% daily). this isn't ideal in a planted tank, so by reducing the stocking density you reduce the build up of DOC's.

plats also produce "waste" this is usally from decomposition of root tissue in the substrate as well as degredation of leaves, if you leave a planted tank un touched with just top ups of RO water to counter evaporation you'll see a shift in the water chemistry, you\ll get an accumulation of nitrate (sometimes)| a drop in KH and a drop in ph. this is a result of several factors including nitrification and biogenic decacification and a build up of DOC's from the plants alone.

plants also increase the BOD (biological oxygen damand) of the system, this is mainly due to the "dark phase" of photosynthesis where plants consume oxygen, again under stocking helps with this.