Discus Tank Advise

[rabbut]

Hi all,
I am planning on setting up a planted discus aquarium. The tank itself will be a 4x2x2 foot custom build on custom stand. I am planning on running the tank at between 26 and 28 degrees celcius. Tank mates planned will be rummy nose tetras and cardinal tetras. Will discus see shrimp as food? corries and two l66 plecs will be on the bottom. Could anybody make and surgestions as to the ideal set-up for discus, or pass on any hints or tips? This will be both my first planted tank and my first discus set-up, so hints on either set-up will be much appreciated. I plan to run two external power filters, as this will give better filtration and water quality, without too much current in the tank. Would CO2 be worth while in this set-up, or would the turbulance at the water surface be too grate and drive it off?
Thanks in advance
Rabbut

 

[cheesy feet]

Ok, first of for Discus 26 degrees celcius is a bit low.28c would be a good temperature for them.I urge you to buy a book on Discus and do a bit of research on them.They can be very tricky fish to care for.Discus may see shrimp as food, i'm not really sure on that though.I looked up the L066 and discovered that they like strong currents, where as Discus like very slow moving water.Maybe theres a different plec for the job?

For starters to run a good planted tank a good substrate is almost essential.I have heard a good, but not to expensive substrate is Tetraplant complete substrate, you lay a 2cm level at the bottom on the tank and add gravel, sand or whatever you want on top.This will save some cash instead of buying a 100% plant substrate like ADA soils which would go into the hundreds I should think!For filtration 2 externals would be great.Something like an Eheim pro 3 2080 would do the job, but I would also try and get another external aswell .Discus need crystal clean water and the tank will be heavily stocked when all fish are adult.co2 is a must imo, I have not yet used a pressurised system so if you ask on the planted tank forum section i'm sure someone will reccomend you one.For that size tank 1.5 wpg would be great, you could grow a variety of medium light plants to somr higher light plants, while getting extra growth from the tetra plant substrate and co2.Crypts, anubias, java fern, ludwigia, rotala rotundifoli, hygrophilia polysperma rosanverg, Amazon swords, vallis, hydrocotyle lococephala are all palnts which I reccomend to start of with.

Lets see, stocking.4x2x2 is 120 gallons.

5 Discus- 60 gals
15 cardinals-20 gals
15 rummy nose tetras-20gals
2 L066-20 gals
5 cories 10 gals
130 gals.
With that stocking all the fish would be fine as adults together imo.Water changes would have to be carried out ATLEAST every week (I would say change 50%) when the discus are adults and for very young Discus everyday.When the tank is first setup you will need to first lay the substrate fill 1/4 of the tank, add the plants.Do a fishless cycle which will last about 3 weeks and then add your first few fish.Keep adding every week a couple more fish to slowly mature the filters.Then atleast 2-3 months on, when all levels are stable and all is clear you can add your Discus, it may be worth buying adult discus to prevent stunting them, smaller Discus require water changes everyday or two as i have said, and feeding 5x a day.Where as with adults you will be able to do waterchanges less often and feed the normal 3 times a day.


Forgot to add, Discus love mopani roots and bogwood, it is a must.Have plenty dotted around your tank to provide shelter for them.Feed discus 50-60% granules and flake and 40-50% frozen food.Ie glassworm, bloodworm and beefheart.

 

[rabbut]

Cheesy Feet

Thank you for your reply and advise. The stocking is more or less what I had in mind. Thanks for the heads up on the temporature. I would be more than happy to be doing dayly water changes, as I am in quite a lot. I find water changes are quite rewarding, when done correctly.
For the externals, I was planning on running a fluval, as I know many people who have been running these for years, and that say they are reliable and easy to maintain. I'm thinking a Fluval and the Eheim you recomended for filtration. What would you recon for this? I knew the water had to be top quality for discus, and that they liked a low flow rate, hence my origional idea of having two externals.
I am also planning on using RO to fill the tank, as this will ensure few inpurities in the water. Also, thanks for the tips on the substrate. This is one of the areas that I was wondering about, with going to planted. I will post in the planted section for advise on CO2, as you recomended.
Thanks for the help.
rabbut

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Definitely read up on Discus as much as you can before purchasing. The age/size of the Discus you purchase will affect the kind of decisions you make as well since young/small discus require more work and are better kept in a bare tank to aid with cleaning.

Since this is your first venture into planted tanks it might be best to set up the tank with the plants and other fish first to ensure that everything is working correctly and to iron out any problems before adding your main investment of the Discus. There are multiple ways of doing things of course, but this might be the safest route to go.

 

[rabbut]

Definitely read up on Discus as much as you can before purchasing. The age/size of the Discus you purchase will affect the kind of decisions you make as well since young/small discus require more work and are better kept in a bare tank to aid with cleaning.

Since this is your first venture into planted tanks it might be best to set up the tank with the plants and other fish first to ensure that everything is working correctly and to iron out any problems before adding your main investment of the Discus. There are multiple ways of doing things of course, but this might be the safest route to go.

Thanks Aphontic Pheonix. I planned to get the equipment running correctly through the fishless cycle, to ensure that the tank was stable and able to support fish before adding any live stock. I understand the discus need a mature aquaium, so I was not planning on adding them untill their other tank mates had been in at least four months.
You help is appreciated
Rabbut

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

Oh two more "tips" I guess...

1) Research your plants really well because some plants don't do as well in the higher temps that discus like.
2) Make sure to ask your discus supplier what the fish were being fed before you purchase. Discus can be really picky about trying new foods.

 

[rabbut]

Oh two more "tips" I guess...

1) Research your plants really well because some plants don't do as well in the higher temps that discus like.
2) Make sure to ask your discus supplier what the fish were being fed before you purchase. Discus can be really picky about trying new foods.

Thanks for two more excelent tips . It is greatly appreciated
Rabbut

 

[kev_kb]

I regard keeping fully planted tanks (inc CO2 etc) and keeping discus as two different skills to master. A planted tank is only suitable for discus 4" and above, the bigger the better though. If at all possible I would really suggest setting up two tanks, one for your plants and one your discus. Discus require stable water parameters and the CO2 injection can cause problems with ph, if you really want to use it I would invest in an automated system and not the DIY approach to CO2 injection. Once you have run them both for a few months you will have gotten over the initial learning curve and will be ready to mix the two.

As already mentioned research your plant selection carefully, the requirements of discus limit your choice. At the end of the day you need to decide which is most important and build a tank around that, do not try to bend one set of rules to fit with the other. Also fitting two filters isn't a bad idea, but it won't replace the need for regular water changes.

 

[rabbut]

I regard keeping fully planted tanks (inc CO2 etc) and keeping discus as two different skills to master. A planted tank is only suitable for discus 4" and above, the bigger the better though. If at all possible I would really suggest setting up two tanks, one for your plants and one your discus. Discus require stable water parameters and the CO2 injection can cause problems with ph, if you really want to use it I would invest in an automated system and not the DIY approach to CO2 injection. Once you have run them both for a few months you will have gotten over the initial learning curve and will be ready to mix the two.

As already mentioned research your plant selection carefully, the requirements of discus limit your choice. At the end of the day you need to decide which is most important and build a tank around that, do not try to bend one set of rules to fit with the other. Also fitting two filters isn't a bad idea, but it won't replace the need for regular water changes.

Thanks. From what I have read in research, and on this forum, I belive that 4" plus discus would be the best to start with. I intend to still run the two exturnals, with twice weekly waterchanges or when the nitrates get above 12.5ppm, which ever comes first. This should keep the nitrates and organic compounds to a minimum. Following your comments on CO2 injection, I am going to post on the planted tank forum for advise on running a planted tank without CO2, to see if there are may plants that would survive in my set-up longtearm. The fish will always get priority over plants, as it is my belief that the welfare of any of my pets is paramount. If the palnted tank section recon that CO2 is required, I will go with an automted system as you surgest, and run the tank without discus for a few months to ensure a stable environment.
Thanks for all the pointers
Rabbut