discuss tank questions

neupane00 · August 4th, 2009

hey guys, setting up 55 gallon discus tank... few questions.

1) What is the best filter in market today for discus? i was considering:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...6&pcatid=10946

or
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=3639

or
2 aquaclear 50... or one of the above canister filters with my existing 2 aquaclear 50. please advise..

2) Do i need live plants? or can i have just fake plants? will fake plants harm discus?

3) i was going to put in 65 watt current usa satellite light system.

4) What kinda substrate is good? i was going to go with regular aquarium gravel. (i dont want bare bottom tank)

fish_newbie · August 5th, 2009

1) What is the best filter in market today for discus? i was considering:

I don't live in the US so i don't know what filter u guys use there, so no comments.

2) Do i need live plants? or can i have just fake plants? will fake plants harm discus?

I would recommend real plants, they look a lot better and add oxygen into the water, also reduce nitrate level, which reduce algae growth. Fake plants won't hurt i guess, but be careful with ones with sharp edges, discus eyes are big and stick out a bit, so you might want to be careful on that. You would need to do more research if you want real plants, as only a few can survive at discus's temperature

3) i was going to put in 65 watt current usa satellite light system.

Again, I don't no what you guys use over there, so another member will help you soon.

4) What kinda substrate is good? i was going to go with regular aquarium gravel. (i dont want bare bottom tank)

If you are not going with the pigeon blood strain, i highly recommend black gravel and black background, they make you discus stand out significantly. If you are going with pigeon blood, 2 inches of sand and a light colored background would look neat too. IMO any gravel should do as discus doesn't peck on gravels like goldfish do.

Slug · August 5th, 2009

Filterwise, go with something simple and easy to clean. I like Aquaclear HOB's myself. With discus you should be doing enough Water changes to really not need the highest tech filter on the market.

Plants, eh either or. I keep my tanks barebottom so i never mess with plants.

Lighting, same thing with plants...no idea as i don't keep plants.

Substrate. I'd use sand. Gravel traps a lot of wastes, which can in time harm or stunt the growth of your discus. With sand, the wastes stay on top and you can vacuum it out. However, not all plants do well in sand...so its really a matter of finding common ground.

Just be sure your choices are made thinking about the discus. They need frequent water changes and a nice clean tank constantly.

lew2000 · August 5th, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by neupane00

hey guys, setting up 55 gallon discus tank... few questions.

1) What is the best filter in market today for discus? i was considering:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...6&pcatid=10946

or
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=3639

or
2 aquaclear 50... or one of the above canister filters with my existing 2 aquaclear 50. please advise..

I have a sump setup for my discus tank (100gal) so that i can get approx 12x filtration. I use eheims though, just a personal preference. I think i have had only one impeller break in the 20 plus years i have used numerous eheims.
You will find on Fishlore and other web sites alot of discussion about water parameters and the difficulty raising Discus. Just my opinion, but Discus can adapt like other fish/animals to less than optimal conditions. However, i would recomend that you have at least 10x turnover of water per hour - at least 500gph - of filtration. Even if you plan to lightly stock at first - it is best to setup the tank with the maximum filtration at the beggining - saves trouble later on. To me the issue isn't only nitrification but also the removal of DOC's: dissolved organic compounds. I also run at 6.6pH and 85/86F. The higher temp also necessitates greater filtartion for nitrification as the higher the temp the more toxic ammonia and nitrite become.

2) Do i need live plants? or can i have just fake plants? will fake plants harm discus?

I personaly use silk plants nowadays - i can get more variety of shapes and colors - that are still based upon real plants. They are easy to clean and care for. Secondarily, Discus are timid, even though my tank is out of a high traffic area, i have decor and plants so that my fish can hide.

3) i was going to put in 65 watt current usa satellite light system.

I have about 2 watts per gallon on my tank - daylights

4) What kinda substrate is good? i was going to go with regular aquarium gravel. (i dont want bare bottom tank)

I used a black and off-white mix of gravel on my tank (rounded) though the Discus don't dig. I just use a gravel vac to clean. There is discussion as to wether sand or gravel develop pockets of gas - cleaning the substrate eliminates it as a concern. I go with approx 1-2" of substrate.

Neji · August 14th, 2009

Neupane.

I definitely recommend that you use live plants

especially the Amazon Swords. Since they do like to be near densely planted spaces. Although they do want some open space to swim in too.

Also, Aquaclear filters are great filters you can put 2 aqua clear 50's in if you want. People say if you have more than one filter in your tank that will keep the water very clean

more than one filter pretty much

that's what some people say, and the aqua clear filters are a lot better than the Penguin on my perspective.

And if you were asking about substrate, you can get sand since both the Discus and live plants will like them

regular gravel is okay too, but a lot of people use large gravel since they are somewhat easier to clean and plants will also stay weighted down too. It's pretty much the same as sand.

Similar Aquarium Fish Forum Threads
Thread	Fish Forum
Stupid Nitrogen Cycle...Questions, questions, questions...	Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle
2 tank questions.	Freshwater Beginners Archive
Is reverse osmosis filter Necessary for a discuss tank?	Discus Fish
Some questions about a new (first) tank	Freshwater Beginners Archive
About to set up my first tank (Questions/Help/etc.)!	Freshwater Beginners Archive

Fish Forum Thread Tools
Show Printable Version