I'LL HELP HIM IM EXPERIENCED!

[lovenotthrowdiscus]

hey everybody!

firstly just want to say how amazed i am by this whole forum the experience sharing here is amazing for us beginners!!!

i have always just had my 3ft tanks and my dad has talked me into getting discus and this forum has made it final.
i have bought a 6ft x 14" x 14" tank biggest i could get in my room.

money is not an issue because i have saved for a long time now for this and respect discus to much to take shortcuts

please help with these questions:
how many litres and gallons is my tank?
i would prefer 2 external cannister filters at each end (good or bad)?
will i need 2 heaters for each end?
my tank will be planted to do i need Co2 injections?
can uv sterilizers attach to cannister filter and what do they do?

sorry for all the Q's? guys i just hope someone with experience can help me get addicted to these amazing fish!!!!

any hints and tips for my tank from start to finish would be truly appreicieated. :D

[goldenpigeon]

hey there!!!

is it possible for you to get a 6ft x 18 x 18inch tank? this size is much better suited to discus :D

i would definetly advise 2 canisters if you can afford it! :D the more filtration the better.... but try to keep the current a bit slower.

2 heaters is a must. i believe that any tank over 2.5ft need to have 2 heaters. first being that 1 heater will more than likely struggle and second if one fails your tank will stay heated properly. i would advise 2 300W heaters :D

a UV sterilizer will attach to you canister filter pipes. the UV is put on the pipe which returns water into the tank. this stops debris building up in the unit. also allows better sterilization to the water. UV sterilizers work by using the intense UV bulb inside the unit to kill all parasites and nasties in the water which passes through the unit. water is pumped from the canister through the UV sterilizer which kills off all nasties and then the clean water is put back into the tank. A VERY WORTH WHILE INVESTMENT!!!!!

i will wait for one of the more experienced people who keep plants to answer you co2 question :D i am still learning with that :D

i hope you have fun here on the forum :D we are a friendly bunch and always ready to help!!! if you have any further questions please dont hesitate to ask :D

cheers
David

[G-1000]

Well your tank holds around 220 litres of water which is enough for 5 adult discus, or even 6 if you are willing to make a little more frequent water changes.

For a tank of 220L - I would only get one canister filter.

A setup that I would recommend is firstly a good canister (eheim 2217, hydor prime 30 or eheim 2229.

Also get an inline heater that heats the water from the return tube of the canister (300w ETH by hydor) so that you dont have much clutter in the tank.

Also get a very large UV - debary an25 should do the trick

Thats just my 2 cents

G

[FishLover]

72x14x14? Kind of short for Discus. I think for the money you are going to put in, you could get an 72x18x22 without out too much more. That would enable you to double your fish load, up to 12 discus without any problem.

[rytis]

money is not an issue because i have saved for a long time
lol :)
i can definetely help you with live plant tips. (and some other stuff) my tank: http://www.discusforums.com/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=782

not sure if you should get taller tank especially if you want live plants, though 18"tall would be perfect, dont go higher then that...

CO2 system and BRIGHT lights is most important for live plants. i keep discus without sterilizer. pressurized co2 if you can afford, full system costs like $300, but helps not only plants but fish also in an indirect way, because plants do so well that they filter water real well also!

tip#2: d not buy discus mail order, they just sell whatever they have, chose carefuly or if you mail order (more choices of course) make sure you talk to the guy and confirm that this is exactly the fish he is going to send you and not a substitute!!

do not overcrowd the tank. your tank is about 90 galons?? don't get more then 6 discus, and if you're getting smaller discus, take advantage and get a group of smaller tetras also (if discus are big, they will kill them, but if they get used from smaller age, they wont look at them as food even when they get big)

i would prefer 2 external cannister filters at each end (good or bad)? very good, do not buy filters from (Edit : name removed)
will i need 2 heaters for each end? correct, do not buy from (Edit: name removed)
my tank will be planted to do i need Co2 injections? for best results absolutely yes, pressurised co2 is very worth investment
can uv sterilizers attach to cannister filter and what do they do? ------

(Advisors Edit - sorry names of stores are not permitted to be used in a negative way. Merrilyn)

[goldenpigeon]

Rytis where do u live?

In Australia we have plenty of very good respectable online retailers..... dont know what u r on about with that?????

most discus WILL NOT eat tetras when they are adults... however if you are smart enough to put in tiny tetras well then i guess the discus will eat them...

tank size is a tricky one. basically for starters its probably best to stick with 18 x 18. discus do not need anything higher than that so basically if you want more water it would be best to make the tank deeper not higher. ofcourse if its going to be a pretty show tank then make it whatever you like but if you want to breed discus and get the best growth just stick to the 18ich high tanks. also if you are prepaired for a few extra water changes you can sneak in an extra one or 2 discus..... its up to you really.

[FishLover]

Gold'
Bif Als put lot of ads in the Aqurium Fish mag and on line ad too. My guess is he is in USA

[goldenpigeon]

ok thanks^ :D

[lovenotthrowdiscus]

hey thanks for all the input guys!!!
stoked!
ok i think i will think about 18" then.

just a few other quick Q's:
can i have any corydoras with my discus water parameters?
i have looked and it doesnt look promising :(
i love corys

because i am getting a 6ft how will i go about lighting?
does it have to be a 6ft lighting system?
and how many should i have double?

you guys are all a big help!
thanks alot hey. :D

[goldenpigeon]

i keep cory's with my discus. water temp is generally about 30. my fish room can get very hot at times and they are still VERY fine!

for lighting it varies a lot. you are planing to have plants so you are going to need a fair amount of light. i have quite high light on my discus tanks. never had a problem. you may find that if you have shy discus they may not come out much because of the light. the more discus you have the more confident they are thoagh. i would suggest you get the right amount of light for your plants and then turn lights off if you have to for the discus intill they are used to high light. there is a lot of trial and error with this.

[FishLover]

I have two Jebo 96w light systems for my 6 feet tank (125G), which have 4 96w bulbs. There is about 2 inches gap in the middle of the tank that has no light. I put the lights on timers (12 hrs) so I don't have to worry about the length of lighting. I also have some moon lights that turn on 1 hour before the main lights are on. They turn on again 1 hour before the main lights are switched off and stay on for another hour. That way the bright light will have less shock to the fish. They also allow me to injoy watching the fish after the main lights are off. It works fine.

I have lightly planted tank and some corys with my discus too. My temp is set at 86F, I think that about 32C and they are doing fine.

[mcloughlin2]

hey everybody!

firstly just want to say how amazed i am by this whole forum the experience sharing here is amazing for us beginners!!!

i have always just had my 3ft tanks and my dad has talked me into getting discus and this forum has made it final.
i have bought a 6ft x 14" x 14" tank biggest i could get in my room.

money is not an issue because i have saved for a long time now for this and respect discus to much to take shortcuts

please help with these questions:
how many litres and gallons is my tank?
i would prefer 2 external cannister filters at each end (good or bad)?
will i need 2 heaters for each end?
my tank will be planted to do i need Co2 injections?
can uv sterilizers attach to cannister filter and what do they do?

sorry for all the Q's? guys i just hope someone with experience can help me get addicted to these amazing fish!!!!

any hints and tips for my tank from start to finish would be truly appreicieated. :D

Ok, so does this mean that you have already purchased the 72x14x14?

IMO, cories would be fine...they are quite hardy...

In regards to lights, i would go for some t5's or metal halegen lights...metal halegen systems are very expensive and if one is purchased for the tank, you will also need to get a chiller to keep the temperature in the tank down as the lights will be extremely hot...

With the co2, as rytis lives in the USA, price is probably going to be quite different over here...so expect that to be more expensive aswell...

Do you have any ideas on how planted you want the tank? Might help give us an indication of how much light is needed/and also co2...

Your tank holds 61.09US gallons or 231.25 litres, so i wouldnt put anymore then six adult discus in there...

Do you have future plans for breeding the discus? Or is this tank going to be a community planted tank? :P

HTH,

-Sam

[lovenotthrowdiscus]

Ok, so does this mean that you have already purchased the 72x14x14?
I had purchased it but had not yet taken it home.
i went back into the guy at the store and he was fine
so i have changed to a 72"x14"x18"high.

Do you have any ideas on how planted you want the tank?
i pretty much want to have the whole tank pretty busy with plants so it will look as natural as possible. i was just going to try and stick with really slow growing plants.

Do you have future plans for breeding the discus? Or is this tank going to be a community planted tank?
no, i just wanted the tank to be a community planted tank.
i am going to stick with 4 discus if that is enough guys?

so this is what i am looking at so far:
4 discus
? neon tetras (maybe between 20-30)
10 corys (that to many?)
any other species ideas would be greatly welcomed???
who am i going to introduce first? to make sure my bacteria levels can adjust?

thanks again guys this is such a good help!!!

[mcloughlin2]

no, i just wanted the tank to be a community planted tank.
i am going to stick with 4 discus if that is enough guys?

Yes four would be a ok number... :D



10 corys (that to many?)

No, that would be ok...corys like to be in groups....


? neon tetras (maybe between 20-30)

That sounds like a good number to me.. Although, some people belive discus may eat neons....

You could also go for some cardinal tetras (Paracheirodon axelrodi)

They cost a few more $$$ but grow larger and often have more intense colouring, and look almost the same as neons...

Here's a link for them ( Crap picture but )

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_2/cav2i3/cardinal_tetras/Cardinal_Tetras.htm

A few bristlenose would be great aswell, they would help keep the algae under control and are very hardy in most cases....

A link,

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Catfish,%20Plecoctomus,%20Bristlenose.htm

You could get a few rams too...

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1084

Very colourful little fish... :D

Any other tetras would do well aswell as the other apistogramma's.... :wink:



-Sam

[lovenotthrowdiscus]

thanks for the quick reply mcloughlin2!

haha the funny thing was i have had blue rams before
and just went over to the "tankmates for discus" forum
for compatability. i will get some for sure!!!
just a male and female would be great,do you agree?

yea i think i will get some cardinals or rasboras if possile! thanks man

the thing i worry about with the bristlenose is the size factor in a 6ft?
some people rate them but i find them ugly and dont really wont one
if it gets really big.

can i get harlqiunn rasboras? (spelling)
can i also get a redtail black shark instead of the bristlenose for algae?
peppered corys are what im excited about though!!!!
i really like them. i have had panda corys they were so hardy.
:lol:

[mcloughlin2]

Yeah mate, you could easily get away with more then one pair of rams in a 6footer ...

Bristlenose only reach 15cm max, but usually only get to 12cm...unless you get some peppermints which can reach up to 18cm!!! :shock:

I wouldnt get a redtail black shark...It would be better to get some otto's if you dont want bristlenose.... :wink:

Rasboras would be be fine in my opinion..... :D

Cheers...

[lovenotthrowdiscus]

thanks alot mcloughlin2.
appreciate the wisdom!

once the tank is up and running i'll post some pics

thanks

[Peaches]

thanks alot mcloughlin2.
appreciate the wisdom!

once the tank is up and running i'll post some pics

thanks

For your plant questions:

you'll want between 1.5 and 2 watts per gallon for premium growth and health of your plants. You'll and a Co2 system, but you'll need to test before you set it. We have a pressurized canister system b/c we didn't want to mess with the DIY kind (built the stand, not gonna build the Co2 system! :lol: ) You'll want to look into what plants you want and what kind of light they need. some need more light so you'd put them on top of your hardscape(for us it's two logs no rocks, but you can tie them to rocks as well) There are TONS of different plants and what your taste towards them will drive your tank layout.

I'm currently trying to get my riccia up, I couldn't find any around here, and when we brought back the plants from the LFS last weekend there were tiny pieces of Riccia on it! :) yay!

We'll be increasing our lights to around 2.25-2.75 here in the next few weeks b/c of the growth we want to see.

Did some EXTENSIVE research and some trial and error with the plants so just ask:)

[mcloughlin2]

thanks alot mcloughlin2.
appreciate the wisdom!

once the tank is up and running i'll post some pics

thanks

No problems mate... :P

Any updates on the tank yet? :)

[Inspiringfish]

Holy Crap!!! Nice responses boy and girls!!! Lots of info and help.

I'm probably late but I love my Rummie Noses for companions.

Sounds like it will be a beautiful tank. Love to se some pictures.

No, not of you :roll: ,,,, the fish. :P

By the way,,, I love your logo (picture). One of my favorites!!!!

[lovenotthrowdiscus]

Sounds like it will be a beautiful tank. Love to se some pictures.


By the way,,, I love your logo (picture). One of my favorites!!!!

yea i will get some pics as soon as its up....

haha thanks man i love it too!!!

thanks everyone for the advice!!!!