Water temperature & glass lids

[Krissy]

I checked my water temperature yesterday to discover a reading of 33.8 degrees Celsius. In Darwin during this period of the year we constantly get temps between 32 - 34 degrees with humidity around 64 % and has pushed past 80%. As a result I turned off the heaters (set at 28 degrees) and the lights, opened a huge span between the glass lids and took the two hood covers off the T5 setup to try and cool the water down. Currently sitting at 31.8 degrees. I'm considering removing the three glass lids In an attempt to reduce the heat transfer to the water but am concerned that the open lights may harm the discus, particularly if they jump (don't know if discus do jump or not?). Is there any issue with running the tank without the glass lids that people know of? The light bar sits 90cm above the water level. :confused:

[Hollowman]

I have experienced fish that sometimes spook themselves and suddenly go zinging around the tank. Maybe if I didn't have a hood on my tank they might have come out like a rocket. Perhaps open up some of the top but not all, just in case

[Krissy]

Thanks Hollowman, I've purchased a sheet of eggcrate and now have this on top and the light, appears to be working as temp has dropped to 31.7 C. Also removed the two small airstones and put 123 cm airstone in at back of tank to try and reduce temp and increase oxygen output. Trial and error, will see how this goes.

[Hollowman]

Eggcrate is a good idea. And the extra O2 will help in higher temps

[sayid]

Krissy ,you worry too much ,you are suppose to enjoy this experience , i am assuming that your tank is inside the house and i also assume that inside temp is under 30 c ,so i would leave your heater set at 28 c like you have done ,people breed discus in Malesia at temp very close to Darwin so discus have no problem with 31 c let say , I have increase temp to 35 c for a 10 days with no problem ,regarding removing the cover it is personal ,in my case it has happened twice to me where discus got spooked and jump out of tank so now i have covers but i know people who keep discus in brace less tank all the time ,regarding light your discus will take weeks to climatise to your tank,light ,water etc so put the light off till they gradually get use to their new home ,one other thing don't turn your heater off in case at night the temp drops for what ever reason .
Sayid

[Krissy]

Thanks Sayid. I think I'm stressing so much cause I killed my last lot of discus and your right, I do need to enjoy the experience. I think a glass of wine is solving the problem now, lol. Anyway the discus appear a lot happier and temps down and their breathing rate is much better - between 70 - 90 bpm. Cheers for your reminder of why we keep discus :D

[Krissy]

21286

Well some five weeks on and my discus seem to be thriving. The BD's have spawned three times and look like setting in to another spawn. The fire Phoenix and red cover have spawned once. Naturally all eggs were eaten but the BDs are chasing all away when spawning. And yes Sayid, I've relaxed a lot more with them and are enjoying their personalities. All now feed from my hand which is absolutely thrilling. Doing a 50 - 60 % wc per week. The temp situation certainly settled down with the removal of the glass lids. Considering putting in the Radion 15w LED lights to assist with the temp control a bit more and cause the light set up is a pain in the derrière as you have to remove the system when accessing the tank. Has anyone any experience with these lights?

[Hollowman]

Looks lovely Krissy

[sayid]

lovely looking tank and fish ,i have no experience of Radion led light ,but don't know how it effect temp of the water ,those plants are they live or artificial ?
sayid

[Sabrina]

Beautiful Krissy!

[Krissy]

Live plants Sayid, got rid of all my artificial plants. Looking to eventually have a few more live but taking things slowly atm. Have just received some Dr Tim's waste-away so hopefully over next couple of weeks the tank will look even cleaner

[sayid]

Krissy; I would strongly warn you against using any bacterial based product in discus tank ,these products are not proven in discus environment ,if you want to go that way seachem which is much much more reputable and respected company has got a similar product called pristine but even then i would not introduce bacteria in to my discus tank.you might end up with diseases that are incurable .
sayid

[Krissy]

Thanks Sayid, I haven't used the product as yet and following your advice don't think I will. The product warning is concerning in itself, ie use half dose initially in case of an oxygen and ammonia drop. My main concern and reason I discussed this product with my discus supplier is the sludge that I can see but can't get to in my sump. I'm considering emptying the sump, removing it and giving it a good clean out as I've tried using a thin hose and suctioning in the areas I can fit the hose but it doesn't get rid of the sludge that well, plus that first mouthful tastes 'aargh' when trying to get the suction going each time. Have you tips on cleaning the sump area that might help me?

[sayid]

Hi krissy ,get the big potion of the sludge removed but i would not worried about sump being squicky clean .you need to have some good bacteria in there. use only tank water to clean .
good luck

[Krissy]

Thanks Sayid, did clean sump quiet well yesterday with tank water, maybe too well as my nitrates measured at 20 ppm this morning. I noticed that you use prime on another thread. I've taken a bucket of water out of the sump and added a bucket with 5 ml of prime, hoping this will help with the nitrate level and prime won't affect the discus; everything I've read indicates it should be ok to do this?

[sayid]

you are correct ,prime reduces nitrate level but should not be used as a tool to reduce nitrate routinely only on emergencies ,w/c is the way to reduce nitrate.i would reduce food for next 3 days till your good bacteria recovers.
good luck
sayid