MissMTS

As many of you guys know, I recently set up an 80 gallon tank (about a month or two ago). I stocked it with an oscar, JD, convict, and blood parrot. My husband picked the fish because he wanted big "Tough" fish. I had always wanted an oscar, but after we got ours, I realized that they don't excite me that much. They are also so dirty which I didn't really like. Plus, they require such plain tanks with no plants or smaller schooling fish (which are two of my favorite aspects of aquariums). I decided yesterday to redecorate the tank, take the fish back to the LFS, and start over.

I did some reading and decided to try a discus tank. I am taking it really slow and making sure that I plan everything perfectly because I know how delicate they are. This morning I cleaned out the tank really well and did a water change after I took my fish back to the LFS. I then went to my favorite LFS to get a few discus. The guy there was really nice and told me that he wouldn't sell me any fish that was less than perfect because he knows how expensive they are. Out of the 10-12 discus that they had, he found only one that he felt was in immaculate condidtion. I bought that one and the guy said that he would order in another batch of discus that should be in the beginning of next week so that I can get a few more that are good quality. I really appreciated his honesty because it would have been easy for him to sell me unhealthy fish.

I think that the discus I got is a turquoise snakeskin discus (I'll post a pic tomorrow once I turn the tank lights on). Then I picked up 15 black neon tetras to go in my tank since discus like having schooling fish moving throughout the tank. I also saw some turquoise guppies that caught my eye, so I got five of them. I am acclimating them slowly using a drip system to get them used to the warmer water. Hopefully they'll adjust alright.

Eventually, I want this to be a fully planted tank. Right now I just have driftwood and plastic plants because I need to save up a little money first.

I decided to start this thread so that I can post my progress with this tank. I am anxious to hear everyone else's ideas and suggestions. Please feel free to give me your opinions and advice because I really want to make sure I am doing this right. Thanks!

MissMTS

Today I turned on the lights and fed my fish. They all ate well except for my discus. He is swimming around and active with good coloration, he just didn't seem interested in the bloodworms. I figured that not eating for the first day or so is pretty normal right? He also seems very preoccupied with his reflection. I wonder if he thinks it is another fishie...

Fish Addict

Sounds cool! I'd love to hear how it goes and especially see pics!

Lucy

It sounds like a good combination of fish, I can't wait to see the pics!
I know you replaced larger fish with smaller ones, so I'm not sure this would matter, but just in case keep an eye on your water parameters since you added so many at once.

MissMTS

Thanks! I will take pics tomorrow hopefully. I have to replace the memory card in my camara cause I lost it. I also ordered some assorted discus from somethingsphishy.com. I have ordered from them before and they have a very good reputation so hopefully they will arrive alive and healthy. Since they are assorted, I don't know what kind I am getting, but hopefully they will be pretty. I ordered a couple more than I will keep once they get bigger so that I can keep my favorite ones. At 9.95 per fish, its a pretty good deal.

MissMTS

I definetly am keeping an eye on the water parameters. Right now though, there is less of a stocking density than before because I had a medium sized oscar, blood parrot, jack dempsey, and convict. All of these are thick bodied fish and produce a ton of waste. You should have seen how thoroughly I had to vacuum the tank before putting the new fish in. It was nasty. My single discus in the tank is only 2.5 inches at this point and the tetras and guppies are tiny and slender of course

MissMTS

Here's an update:

My discus did not eat much this morning. He acknowledged the food and nibbled at it a bit, but he seems to shy away when the tetras go after the food. Hopefully as he gets hungrier, he will eat a little bit more. I tried feeding him daphnia this morning.

My other baby discus have shipped and are on their way. I only have one problem. The company that I bought them from say to quarantine them for two weeks in a seperate tank or a plastic container. The problem is, my quarantine tank is only 10 gallons and I don't think that the fish would be to comfy in there. Would it be horrible if I put them in the main tank since all of the fish are new and they will be the more comfortable?

I did water tests today and my water parameters are:
ammonia:0
nitrite:0
nitrate:5.0

I also did my first partial water change today. I changed out 20 percent of the water and I plan on continuing this ritual every other day to keep the water really clean.