Memfish
Fri Jan 06, 2017, 05:43 PM
Hello. Greetings from Memphis, Tennesee. I'm just getting back into the aquarium hobby from about a decade away. I am new to Discus, but I understand that they are a somewhat demanding but very rewarding species. I like a good challenge and I like to do it right. Perhaps that is part of the enticement. I intially purchased a 125 gal long, but my wife and I both agreed that it did not really fit in our breakfest nook, so I purchased a used 75 gal. standard 48 x 21 x 18. I would greatly appriciate any suggestions on bio-load, substrate, plants, filtration, etc., etc., etc.,
I would like an Amazonian fish bio-type, low-tech show tank focusing on the Discus preferances, but will be cheating on the bio-type with the plants. I would prefer an easy, plants and not to mess with CO2 so that limits my plant choices. Here is what I was thinking:
Specs:
75 gal. lightly-planted aquarium (only non-negotiable)
Temp: 82 F
PH: 6.9
O2 levels >8.0 mg/l
Hardness: 2 degrees (for plant growth)
Fish:
5 Discus
8 Silver Hatchetfish
2 German Rams (mating pair)
12 Neon Tetras
3 Corydoras Sterbai (groundskeepers)
2-3 Otocinclus cats (for algae control)
Lower-maintanence Plants I'm considering:
Amazon Sword (Echinodorus bleheri) centerpiece
Cryptocoryne Beckettii
Crypt Wendtii (for accents)
Anubias Nana (forefront)
Lilaeopsis (forefront)
Dwarf Lily (redish accents)
Amazon Frogbit (carefully monitored, but cover for hatchetfish)
Filters:
Fluval 305 Canister Filter (260 Gph)
Tetra Whisper EX70
Emperer 400 Bio-Wheel
Two HOB filters might be a bit of overkill, but I got them cheap, so I figured I might as well use them. The Emperer 400 is dying, so I will probally need to replace it soon. Suggestions? Maybe in time I can upgrade to a bigger canister.
Heaters: Two Aquatop Quartz Glass Submersible Heater (300 Watts)
Substrate: Seachem Flourite (for plants) mixed with a small gravel substrate (more for aesthetic purposes)
Anyway, any suggestions on on bio-load, tankmates, substrate, plants, filtration, etc. would be greatly appricated. Thank you for reading!
Alot of the information I gathered was from the following article: http://aquaticconcepts.thekrib.com/Articles/PAM_Discus.htm
I would like an Amazonian fish bio-type, low-tech show tank focusing on the Discus preferances, but will be cheating on the bio-type with the plants. I would prefer an easy, plants and not to mess with CO2 so that limits my plant choices. Here is what I was thinking:
Specs:
75 gal. lightly-planted aquarium (only non-negotiable)
Temp: 82 F
PH: 6.9
O2 levels >8.0 mg/l
Hardness: 2 degrees (for plant growth)
Fish:
5 Discus
8 Silver Hatchetfish
2 German Rams (mating pair)
12 Neon Tetras
3 Corydoras Sterbai (groundskeepers)
2-3 Otocinclus cats (for algae control)
Lower-maintanence Plants I'm considering:
Amazon Sword (Echinodorus bleheri) centerpiece
Cryptocoryne Beckettii
Crypt Wendtii (for accents)
Anubias Nana (forefront)
Lilaeopsis (forefront)
Dwarf Lily (redish accents)
Amazon Frogbit (carefully monitored, but cover for hatchetfish)
Filters:
Fluval 305 Canister Filter (260 Gph)
Tetra Whisper EX70
Emperer 400 Bio-Wheel
Two HOB filters might be a bit of overkill, but I got them cheap, so I figured I might as well use them. The Emperer 400 is dying, so I will probally need to replace it soon. Suggestions? Maybe in time I can upgrade to a bigger canister.
Heaters: Two Aquatop Quartz Glass Submersible Heater (300 Watts)
Substrate: Seachem Flourite (for plants) mixed with a small gravel substrate (more for aesthetic purposes)
Anyway, any suggestions on on bio-load, tankmates, substrate, plants, filtration, etc. would be greatly appricated. Thank you for reading!
Alot of the information I gathered was from the following article: http://aquaticconcepts.thekrib.com/Articles/PAM_Discus.htm