Do Discus Jump

[-=Joel=-]

Hiya,

Abit of a dilemma here. The cheapest and easiest way to get more lighting for a 5ft planted tank is to have overhead T5 unit consisting of 6 bulbs.

However this means no lid for the tank. So my question will the discus be prone to jumping out of the tank?

Not toooooo worried about tetras jumping as the are cheapish to replace but a £40 or more discus would crush my heart if it jumped.

Regards,

Joel

 

[annka5]

Yes, they do. If they get spooked then they can absolutely hurtle round the tank, and when they hit something (e.g. the wall of the tank) it's not unusual for them to jump. Personally, I'd avoid an open tank with them.

 

[kev_kb]

Not sure I've ever heard of it, but I would think it's possible. They could certainly splash water over the sides if the water level was near the top. When they get spooked they can be very very quick and don't seem to look where they are going...

You can buy T5 and power compact lighting to fit inside hoods and are you sure you need all that lighting? Interpet do some good power compact units, but I'm not sure if they go large enough for such sized tanks.

 

[BigIan]

you could lookinto one of the arcadia I bard that sit inside the lid of the tank and so thusly you ave t5`s with a lid,

or alternatively how about building your self a lid out of ply or mdf or perspex to go over the lights and encase your tank

 

[-=Joel=-]

The I bars would work out at around £300 for 2 sets giving me around 200watts which equals 2wpg approx which is needed to have a nice planted tank.

The overhead lighting would cost around £150 for a lighting total of around 2.5wpg approx.

I dont do DIY sorry ... it would never get started or finished and would look a total mess. If your offering however

Joel

 

[BigIan]

you couldn`t afford me! |

where you getting the over tank thingy from? as it sounds like a good deal to me and i would`nt mine some,

 

[kev_kb]

I'd look into T8 tubes instead, if you already have a hood then you can mount them directly in it, if not build/buy one, haven't done any sums, but it'll probably be the cheapest option.

 

[BigIan]

i already have a pair of t8`s but i`m wanting to turn it into a planted tank eventualy and i`m thinking a pair of t5`s would take me up to something like 3.2 wpg wich shoule be plenty of light for plants then i was going to move on to co2 injection then once i have that working i was going to look in to E.I

 

[-=Joel=-]

Im getting them off a friend ... If you want one please pm me and will pass on details.

Joel

p.s

My hood is that made by juwel ... basically it sucks Lol. No room to add extra lighting unless I want screws sticking out of the hood, which I dont.

Joel

 

[BigIan]

hmm i may let you know in future about the lights, but i`ll probably just go with the i bar as it will sit in the tank nicely with no major trauma. if i upgrade to metal halide however then i`ll be building a new hood

 

[Nickelback]

hmm i may let you know in future about the lights, but i`ll probably just go with the i bar as it will sit in the tank nicely with no major trauma. if i upgrade to metal halide however then i`ll be building a new hood

Discus DEFINITELY DEFINETLELY jump out of tanks My mum lost a Blue Diamond discus about six months ago she accidently left the back off the tank and later that day when she returned she found him/her dead on the floor So just reasuring you that the person in this topic that said they do is absolutely right Cheers