Greenfinger2
Member
Hi Redsteveo, Wonderful looking fish mate 🙄🙄
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'The Full Monty' Has Left The Building last photos
- Thread starter REDSTEVEO
- Start date
REDSTEVEO
Member
Just in the middle of a 50% Water change. One thing I have noticed is the glass has a lot more slippery feel to it when I am wiping it down with the sponge. Possibly looking to install an Eheim Reeflux UV steriliser on the second Eheim filter.
CO2 only coming on twice a day for one hour, lights set to low to medium on the LED. Fish feeding okay, photo update to follow.
Cheers,
Steve
CO2 only coming on twice a day for one hour, lights set to low to medium on the LED. Fish feeding okay, photo update to follow.
Cheers,
Steve
REDSTEVEO
Member
Hi All,
Use of UV Steriliasation??
Please forgive me if this topic has been thrashed to death in another thread somewhere. If anyone has a link to further information on the topic of UV Sterilisation on this forum please add it and I won't pursue it any further here.
By now you will know on Friday last week I picked up 9 x Wild Red Spotted Green Discus (Rio Nannay in Peru) and they are now in my tank and so far so good. They seem to have settled in quite well and are eating fine.
Current Water Parameters are:-
PH - 6.8
KH - 5DKH
GH - 8DGH
NO3 - 15 PPM
TDS - 170
Temp - 28 degrees
Low tech LED Lighting on 7 hours a day
Plants: Amazon Swords, Crypts and Anubias Barteri
Feeding Beefheart every other day. Other foods include Tetra Prima, Tetra XL Flake, PISCINE Mysis Shrimp, and Freeze Dried Californian Blackworm.
Water change is twice weekly around 50% using a combination of HMA Filter and a RO Water.
I am told by the so called 'Wild Discus experts' that UV Sterilisation is essential so I have been looking at the 20 watt version from the D-D UV Range which use Quartz bulbs and sleeves which are supposed to be more efficient with less UV transmission loss than standard glass bulbs and sleeves. Because of this the 20 watt version is supposed to be the equivalent of a standard glass 40 watt type of UV. See link below for details.
http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/p...uv-sterilisers
I also watched the video on Youtube of the presentation by SimplyDiscus but I think the guy omitted the bit about UV Filtration even though it was on his slide.
My question really is before I go and splash out £124.99 on a UV unit, is it going to make a difference in the maintenance of the health of my discus? Curiosity fuelled by paranoia may well mean that I go and get one just to see if there is any difference...unless anyone out there is going to persuade me otherwise.
Some photo updates below. The large piece of wood floating at the top to the left has now been removed as it served no purpose and was beginning to smell. Hence the curiosity about UV Sterilisation.
Evening Dusk setting on LED
Cloud cover setting on LED
Normal daylight setting on LED
Cheers,
Steve
Use of UV Steriliasation??
Please forgive me if this topic has been thrashed to death in another thread somewhere. If anyone has a link to further information on the topic of UV Sterilisation on this forum please add it and I won't pursue it any further here.
By now you will know on Friday last week I picked up 9 x Wild Red Spotted Green Discus (Rio Nannay in Peru) and they are now in my tank and so far so good. They seem to have settled in quite well and are eating fine.
Current Water Parameters are:-
PH - 6.8
KH - 5DKH
GH - 8DGH
NO3 - 15 PPM
TDS - 170
Temp - 28 degrees
Low tech LED Lighting on 7 hours a day
Plants: Amazon Swords, Crypts and Anubias Barteri
Feeding Beefheart every other day. Other foods include Tetra Prima, Tetra XL Flake, PISCINE Mysis Shrimp, and Freeze Dried Californian Blackworm.
Water change is twice weekly around 50% using a combination of HMA Filter and a RO Water.
I am told by the so called 'Wild Discus experts' that UV Sterilisation is essential so I have been looking at the 20 watt version from the D-D UV Range which use Quartz bulbs and sleeves which are supposed to be more efficient with less UV transmission loss than standard glass bulbs and sleeves. Because of this the 20 watt version is supposed to be the equivalent of a standard glass 40 watt type of UV. See link below for details.
http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/p...uv-sterilisers
I also watched the video on Youtube of the presentation by SimplyDiscus but I think the guy omitted the bit about UV Filtration even though it was on his slide.
My question really is before I go and splash out £124.99 on a UV unit, is it going to make a difference in the maintenance of the health of my discus? Curiosity fuelled by paranoia may well mean that I go and get one just to see if there is any difference...unless anyone out there is going to persuade me otherwise.
Some photo updates below. The large piece of wood floating at the top to the left has now been removed as it served no purpose and was beginning to smell. Hence the curiosity about UV Sterilisation.
Evening Dusk setting on LED
Cloud cover setting on LED
Normal daylight setting on LED
Cheers,
Steve
I included some link on UV sterilization in this thread (post 16)
There are benefits to UV, it's just not quite how it's presented by the glowing brand ads 😉
Manufacturer should be able to answer as to level of sterilization provided by their lamp, ie Level 1 or Level 2 (likely you'll need to contact tech support though rather than sales)
There are benefits to UV, it's just not quite how it's presented by the glowing brand ads 😉
Manufacturer should be able to answer as to level of sterilization provided by their lamp, ie Level 1 or Level 2 (likely you'll need to contact tech support though rather than sales)
that's a pretty cheap "quartz" sleeve in there 😉 - while transmission is certainly greater than borosilicate glass, it's far from the sort used in lab grade UV sterilization systems
- but you don't want to even start with the costs of the quartz sleeve nevermind the UV lamp or other components ... problem is that the UV systems sold into the pet trade tend to borrow off the literature from substantially more robust systems 😕
Manufacturer should be able to provide energy specifics for their system & exactly what it's going to "kill"
REDSTEVEO
Member
I have had a conversation with Manuel on this subject.
He replied with a very detailed and informative reply. He has confirmed what I have thought all along, I think I just needed a few second opinions to make my mind up.
I will monitor the situation and see how things develop. One thing I agree on is the creation of the natural biotope which is something I am going to progress towards gradually, a steady transformation of siphoning out the substrate and replacing it with more sand, removing the plants from the substrate to attach them to Manzanita wood to suspend from above instead. The plants are too dense and I believe may be harbouring food and other waste which is potentially having an effect on the water quality.
I will keep you posted.
Cheers,
Steve
He replied with a very detailed and informative reply. He has confirmed what I have thought all along, I think I just needed a few second opinions to make my mind up.
I will monitor the situation and see how things develop. One thing I agree on is the creation of the natural biotope which is something I am going to progress towards gradually, a steady transformation of siphoning out the substrate and replacing it with more sand, removing the plants from the substrate to attach them to Manzanita wood to suspend from above instead. The plants are too dense and I believe may be harbouring food and other waste which is potentially having an effect on the water quality.
I will keep you posted.
Cheers,
Steve
Why not just remove fish to a holding bin (50% tank water, 50% fresh) with filter & strip down the tank, rescape etc, then return fish to completed tank (bin water + fresh)
In this way there's no chance of exposing fish to waste trapped in substrate & released into water column (as you remove plants/ADA etc), also wild fish can be much more stressed by manipulations in the tank, so take note of how your fish react.
In this way there's no chance of exposing fish to waste trapped in substrate & released into water column (as you remove plants/ADA etc), also wild fish can be much more stressed by manipulations in the tank, so take note of how your fish react.
REDSTEVEO
Member
Hi Alto,
Thanks, I am leaving the big Amazon Swords in the Substrate, the plants in the centre of the tank aren't in the substrate, they are sitting on top of the substrate attached to bits of rock, some Manzanita wood etc. It is these plants mixed with Java Fern, some moss etc which I think need to be lifted off the bottom and suspended from above. I plan to move these very carefully a bit at a time and attach to more Mazanita wood and fix along the back of the tank.
This will leave the Amazon Swords to the sides providing cover, the centre would be opened up giving more swim space and cover provided from above by the suspended wood with Anubias, Java fern, and some Trident.
That's the plan, but if I find the discus are getting freaked out then plan B is to do as you suggest. Removing the centre ground plans wouldn't take too long so hopefully no need to remove the fish. I will be startng this on Monday next week.
Cheers,
Steve
Thanks, I am leaving the big Amazon Swords in the Substrate, the plants in the centre of the tank aren't in the substrate, they are sitting on top of the substrate attached to bits of rock, some Manzanita wood etc. It is these plants mixed with Java Fern, some moss etc which I think need to be lifted off the bottom and suspended from above. I plan to move these very carefully a bit at a time and attach to more Mazanita wood and fix along the back of the tank.
This will leave the Amazon Swords to the sides providing cover, the centre would be opened up giving more swim space and cover provided from above by the suspended wood with Anubias, Java fern, and some Trident.
That's the plan, but if I find the discus are getting freaked out then plan B is to do as you suggest. Removing the centre ground plans wouldn't take too long so hopefully no need to remove the fish. I will be startng this on Monday next week.
Cheers,
Steve
REDSTEVEO
Member
Hi All,
Spent most of yesterday carrying out maintenance and moving things around. Did a huge water change, cleaned all the glass, took out all the plants that were not planted into the substrate and have now suspended them from above. I have tied Java fern, Trident, Anubias and a small amount of moss to some Manzanita wood.
I used suction cups, drilled holes on the stem end of the wood and used plastic covered wire to fix them in place from the bottom of the tank. I did all this very carefully and slowly, and as a result did not freak the fish out once. An hour after I had finished the discus were swimming around and feeding as though nothing had happened.
I am trying out a few new products from Tropical in Poland. Torfin, Blacklarin, Kettapang Extract, and some new Flake and Pellet food. I will update later how I get on with them.
Just waiting for the slight cloudiness to clear in the water before I take some photos and post an update.
In the meantime on the subject of UV, I emailed DD at Aquarium Solutions to ask a few questions. A chap called Leigh Dawson replied. Here is his response on the subject, "Is UV Sterilisation a Absolutely Necessary"
Dear Steve,
Thank you for your email.
I also keep wild discus and use a DD uv system on my aquarium. I have 11 discus, six heckel and five green/brown and other fish in a 600 litre system.
Wild discus are usually very hardy once settled and can be more resistant to disease than captive raised fish, but they are wild fish and can still become stressed in a captive environment.
I am a firm believer that prevention is better than cure and as we both know wild discus are not cheap to buy, so I always want to protect my fish from any possible disease or stress. Fitting a uv system does help in disease prevention and for me is just peace of mind. You invest heavily in livestock so it is good practice to provide the best environment for them to be in. Problems can occur when you mix wild fish with mass produced or captive raised fish as diseases that normally the wild fish would not get can be introduced to them and this is where the problems can start. I mix my wild discus with F1 Rio Nanay Angel fish ( bred from wild stock) and captive bred cardinal tetras plus corydoras sterbai. I have had no disease issues but do use Ro water and run a uv and the fish are well fed.
You may end up mixing your discus with captive raised fish yourself so I would certainly consider fitting a uv. I have a group of ten corydoras in my tank and they are a fantastic clean up crew and feed on all the food particles the discus leave behind. I never have to clean my sand as the cory's do it for me. As you are keeping your discus in a planted aquarium you will need some fish to help keep the tank clean. It is really hard work keeping a planted discus aquarium. I know as I ran one and the additional fish help keep things in order. I also have otto catfish as well to keep on top of any algae and all the fish live together without issues.
I also run Rowa Carbon as this helps to keep the water clean as well as I have a fair amount of wood in the system.
You could get away with the 10 watt unit but if you went for the 20 watt uv then it would be fine if you upgraded your aquarium. I usually over size my equipment just incase I upgrade plus it is more than ample for the aquarium it is running on. The 20 watt is better suited to your sized aquarium.
I am sure there are many people running without uv and say they have had no issues but
I think it is worth fitting one to prevent possible future issues. If the people who have kept wild discus for a long time recommend using a uv and understand the benefits of running one then I would certainly consider their advice.
Good luck with your new wild discus. They are an absolute joy once settled and can be easy to keep if you give them what they need.
Kind regards,
END
Cheers,
Steve
Spent most of yesterday carrying out maintenance and moving things around. Did a huge water change, cleaned all the glass, took out all the plants that were not planted into the substrate and have now suspended them from above. I have tied Java fern, Trident, Anubias and a small amount of moss to some Manzanita wood.
I used suction cups, drilled holes on the stem end of the wood and used plastic covered wire to fix them in place from the bottom of the tank. I did all this very carefully and slowly, and as a result did not freak the fish out once. An hour after I had finished the discus were swimming around and feeding as though nothing had happened.
I am trying out a few new products from Tropical in Poland. Torfin, Blacklarin, Kettapang Extract, and some new Flake and Pellet food. I will update later how I get on with them.
Just waiting for the slight cloudiness to clear in the water before I take some photos and post an update.
In the meantime on the subject of UV, I emailed DD at Aquarium Solutions to ask a few questions. A chap called Leigh Dawson replied. Here is his response on the subject, "Is UV Sterilisation a Absolutely Necessary"
Dear Steve,
Thank you for your email.
I also keep wild discus and use a DD uv system on my aquarium. I have 11 discus, six heckel and five green/brown and other fish in a 600 litre system.
Wild discus are usually very hardy once settled and can be more resistant to disease than captive raised fish, but they are wild fish and can still become stressed in a captive environment.
I am a firm believer that prevention is better than cure and as we both know wild discus are not cheap to buy, so I always want to protect my fish from any possible disease or stress. Fitting a uv system does help in disease prevention and for me is just peace of mind. You invest heavily in livestock so it is good practice to provide the best environment for them to be in. Problems can occur when you mix wild fish with mass produced or captive raised fish as diseases that normally the wild fish would not get can be introduced to them and this is where the problems can start. I mix my wild discus with F1 Rio Nanay Angel fish ( bred from wild stock) and captive bred cardinal tetras plus corydoras sterbai. I have had no disease issues but do use Ro water and run a uv and the fish are well fed.
You may end up mixing your discus with captive raised fish yourself so I would certainly consider fitting a uv. I have a group of ten corydoras in my tank and they are a fantastic clean up crew and feed on all the food particles the discus leave behind. I never have to clean my sand as the cory's do it for me. As you are keeping your discus in a planted aquarium you will need some fish to help keep the tank clean. It is really hard work keeping a planted discus aquarium. I know as I ran one and the additional fish help keep things in order. I also have otto catfish as well to keep on top of any algae and all the fish live together without issues.
I also run Rowa Carbon as this helps to keep the water clean as well as I have a fair amount of wood in the system.
You could get away with the 10 watt unit but if you went for the 20 watt uv then it would be fine if you upgraded your aquarium. I usually over size my equipment just incase I upgrade plus it is more than ample for the aquarium it is running on. The 20 watt is better suited to your sized aquarium.
I am sure there are many people running without uv and say they have had no issues but
I think it is worth fitting one to prevent possible future issues. If the people who have kept wild discus for a long time recommend using a uv and understand the benefits of running one then I would certainly consider their advice.
Good luck with your new wild discus. They are an absolute joy once settled and can be easy to keep if you give them what they need.
Kind regards,
END
Cheers,
Steve
REDSTEVEO
Member
Hi All, (From Peru to North Wales via Northants and Hull)
Just thought I would share some photographs of my Wild Red Spotted Green Discus from the Rio Nannay in Peru.
These were bought from Chris Brampton at Northants Discus by Prapasn 2 (Stuart) and about a year later have finished up in my tank in North Wales.
They have been in the tank now for about three weeks and have settled in well and are eating a very mixed diet of Tetra XL Falkes, Tetra Prima, Freeze Dried Australian Blackworm, Tropical Discus Gran D-50 Plus, Discus Gran Wild pellets, a bit of Yorkshire Beefheart and some Mysis Shrimp.
After much pfaffing about I finally installed a 25 watt TMC Vecton 600 UV to one of my filters last night and did a 60% water change at the same time.
All the fish are looking good except one, which has a white spot / lump on the side of its head just above the eye. It had been doing a bit of flicking and darting over the last few days. I am hoping whatever it is the UV will help it, was thinking of treating the whole tank but the instructions on the meds say to switch off the UV during treatment, which I don't want to do because the UV will hekp eradicate any Ich or Whitespot. I am thinking of giving it a medicated bath in some tank water and salt or a generic White Spot Treatment instead.
Enjoy the photos assuming they all load up, if not I will put the link up to the Photobucket page.
Cheers,
Steve
None of the images have been photo shopped or enhanced in any way, but the changing light intensity of the LED does have an effect on the colouration so I have posted a few in different lights. I would have liked to put larger photos up of all of them but a few look a bit blurry.
Just thought I would share some photographs of my Wild Red Spotted Green Discus from the Rio Nannay in Peru.
These were bought from Chris Brampton at Northants Discus by Prapasn 2 (Stuart) and about a year later have finished up in my tank in North Wales.
They have been in the tank now for about three weeks and have settled in well and are eating a very mixed diet of Tetra XL Falkes, Tetra Prima, Freeze Dried Australian Blackworm, Tropical Discus Gran D-50 Plus, Discus Gran Wild pellets, a bit of Yorkshire Beefheart and some Mysis Shrimp.
After much pfaffing about I finally installed a 25 watt TMC Vecton 600 UV to one of my filters last night and did a 60% water change at the same time.
All the fish are looking good except one, which has a white spot / lump on the side of its head just above the eye. It had been doing a bit of flicking and darting over the last few days. I am hoping whatever it is the UV will help it, was thinking of treating the whole tank but the instructions on the meds say to switch off the UV during treatment, which I don't want to do because the UV will hekp eradicate any Ich or Whitespot. I am thinking of giving it a medicated bath in some tank water and salt or a generic White Spot Treatment instead.
Enjoy the photos assuming they all load up, if not I will put the link up to the Photobucket page.
Cheers,
Steve
None of the images have been photo shopped or enhanced in any way, but the changing light intensity of the LED does have an effect on the colouration so I have posted a few in different lights. I would have liked to put larger photos up of all of them but a few look a bit blurry.
Ryan Thang To
Member
just pure joy looking at them. would be amazing to have them one day
cheers
ryan
cheers
ryan
REDSTEVEO
Member
Hi Ryan,
Glad you like them. You are right it is a joy looking at them! A fair bit of extra work to do in looking after them, but the pleasure I get from watching them is worth it. When I think about it, anyone who owns a dog has to walk it every day, possibly twice, plus feed it, clean it after muddy walks, treat it when it is unwell etc, so as I haven't got a dog...
If you ever fancy getting some, give Clive Brampton a ring at Northants Discus or better still contact him through his Facebook page.
Cheers,
Steve
Glad you like them. You are right it is a joy looking at them! A fair bit of extra work to do in looking after them, but the pleasure I get from watching them is worth it. When I think about it, anyone who owns a dog has to walk it every day, possibly twice, plus feed it, clean it after muddy walks, treat it when it is unwell etc, so as I haven't got a dog...
If you ever fancy getting some, give Clive Brampton a ring at Northants Discus or better still contact him through his Facebook page.
Cheers,
Steve
Ryan Thang To
Member
thanks for that steve. definitely keep that in mind. last time i own a 400 litre tank i did say never again hahaha.
REDSTEVEO
Member
Thanks Cooling, I guess that's why Discus are called 'King of the Aquarium'
😉😉
😉😉
REDSTEVEO
Member
Well Folks, I think it is finally time to draw a line under this Journal, The Full Monty is well and truly over now, so probably best to put it to bed.
Since I invested in the Wild Discus I have had to adapt things so much for their environment that I don't think it is fair to call it a planted tank any more, at least not as we in UKAPS know it. A few weeks ago I started having some issues with a few of the discus fish, I won't go into great detail, but I lost one to 'whirling disease' and one to Hole in the Head Disease, so it was obvious something had to change.
So change it did, out came all the fish, the plants, the substrate and the water. A complete blitz clean of everything, all wiped down in an Acriflavrine solution. Then the tank was briefly dried out before putting things back in. The discus during this time were in a holding tank, all the other fish except the corys and the ottos were taken to a local LFS. The plants, those that were left were cleaned discinfected and placed in another tank while the main tank was being put back together.
First thing to go in was a good layer of ADA Penac W all over the base of the tank, followed by a good sprinkling of ADA Power Sand Special Small Grain size. Then came just over half an inch of JBL Sansibar River Sand, followed by a good sprinkling of Penac P, and lastly another 3/4 inch cover of the JBL Sansibar River Sand. Here comes the bit where everyone takes a sharp intake of breath before they make loads of tut tutting sounds. 😱I had seven or eight plant pots in neutral colours, in each of which I had put a layer of Power Sand Special, followed by a layer of JBL Special Planting Substrate. Each of these pots was seeded with clean tank water, and left until the tank was refilled.
Once the tank was refilled with 50% fresh RO and HMA filtered water and 50% retained tank water, I then re-planted all the remaining plants into the pots and topped them off with a layer of the JBL Sansibar River Sand before placing the pots in various positions around the tank.😱😱😱
Both filters had been left running with heaters and areation so that the tank water was in good condition and both filters kept well seeded. That said I did decide to clean one of them completely before connecting it back up to tank water again. After 24 hours the water was smelling sweet, at the right temperature, and all water parameters spot on. So in went the corys and the ottos plus a few shrimp, and left for a couple of hours to see how things were. Everything seemed to be fine so I then acclimatised the discus in a large barrel by adding tank water into the barrel and topping up the tank with HMA Water. Over the next hour or so I gradually added the discus back in and "voila" they loved their new environment, and within an hour were shoaling around exploring their now surroundings and feeding.
Strangely enough they seem to take comfort from the pots, and it is as if they are using them as 'landmarks', as coincidentally, the way the pots are situated they swim around them in a sort of 'S' bend from one side of the tank to the other.
Now I know when you read this and see all the photos, someone is going to say, "Well Steve, this doesn't look like a very 'wild' Wild Discus biotope to me, all looks a bit sort of artificial like." Well yes, you know what, they may well be right but I have seen people with bare bottomed glass tanks and plastic plants inside with both wild and domestic discus, (no offence to anyone with a bare bottom) 😉😉, so this has got to be one step better than that at least. The only thing I have done too make it slightly more natural is hang three pieces of Manzanita Wood with Java Fern and Anubias plants attached from the back of the tank. The added bonus is that it is now so easy to maintain the water quality and keep everything really clean. I can see the fish poop much easier so can vacuum it out dead easy, plus I do 50% water changes twice a week with RO/HMA water and use Tropic Marin Discus Pro Re-mineral Powder. I am adding Calcium, Magnesium, plus esHa Optima Vitamins once a week after the second water change.
I am no longer using Co2 or adding any ferts into the tank whatsoever
Water paramaters are:
Temp 28/29 degrees c
PH 6.8
KH 6
GH 11
TDS 263
So that's it folks, 'The Full Monty' has left the building.
Here are some photos of the finished tank, the photos have been taken during different phases of the LED Light change hence the difference in colour and appearance. I also took photos of the 'change over' process but haven't uploaded them yet to Photobucket.
Feel free to ask any questions.
Cheers,
Steve
Thanks for all your comments and support in the past.
Steve
Since I invested in the Wild Discus I have had to adapt things so much for their environment that I don't think it is fair to call it a planted tank any more, at least not as we in UKAPS know it. A few weeks ago I started having some issues with a few of the discus fish, I won't go into great detail, but I lost one to 'whirling disease' and one to Hole in the Head Disease, so it was obvious something had to change.
So change it did, out came all the fish, the plants, the substrate and the water. A complete blitz clean of everything, all wiped down in an Acriflavrine solution. Then the tank was briefly dried out before putting things back in. The discus during this time were in a holding tank, all the other fish except the corys and the ottos were taken to a local LFS. The plants, those that were left were cleaned discinfected and placed in another tank while the main tank was being put back together.
First thing to go in was a good layer of ADA Penac W all over the base of the tank, followed by a good sprinkling of ADA Power Sand Special Small Grain size. Then came just over half an inch of JBL Sansibar River Sand, followed by a good sprinkling of Penac P, and lastly another 3/4 inch cover of the JBL Sansibar River Sand. Here comes the bit where everyone takes a sharp intake of breath before they make loads of tut tutting sounds. 😱I had seven or eight plant pots in neutral colours, in each of which I had put a layer of Power Sand Special, followed by a layer of JBL Special Planting Substrate. Each of these pots was seeded with clean tank water, and left until the tank was refilled.
Once the tank was refilled with 50% fresh RO and HMA filtered water and 50% retained tank water, I then re-planted all the remaining plants into the pots and topped them off with a layer of the JBL Sansibar River Sand before placing the pots in various positions around the tank.😱😱😱
Both filters had been left running with heaters and areation so that the tank water was in good condition and both filters kept well seeded. That said I did decide to clean one of them completely before connecting it back up to tank water again. After 24 hours the water was smelling sweet, at the right temperature, and all water parameters spot on. So in went the corys and the ottos plus a few shrimp, and left for a couple of hours to see how things were. Everything seemed to be fine so I then acclimatised the discus in a large barrel by adding tank water into the barrel and topping up the tank with HMA Water. Over the next hour or so I gradually added the discus back in and "voila" they loved their new environment, and within an hour were shoaling around exploring their now surroundings and feeding.
Strangely enough they seem to take comfort from the pots, and it is as if they are using them as 'landmarks', as coincidentally, the way the pots are situated they swim around them in a sort of 'S' bend from one side of the tank to the other.
Now I know when you read this and see all the photos, someone is going to say, "Well Steve, this doesn't look like a very 'wild' Wild Discus biotope to me, all looks a bit sort of artificial like." Well yes, you know what, they may well be right but I have seen people with bare bottomed glass tanks and plastic plants inside with both wild and domestic discus, (no offence to anyone with a bare bottom) 😉😉, so this has got to be one step better than that at least. The only thing I have done too make it slightly more natural is hang three pieces of Manzanita Wood with Java Fern and Anubias plants attached from the back of the tank. The added bonus is that it is now so easy to maintain the water quality and keep everything really clean. I can see the fish poop much easier so can vacuum it out dead easy, plus I do 50% water changes twice a week with RO/HMA water and use Tropic Marin Discus Pro Re-mineral Powder. I am adding Calcium, Magnesium, plus esHa Optima Vitamins once a week after the second water change.
I am no longer using Co2 or adding any ferts into the tank whatsoever
Water paramaters are:
Temp 28/29 degrees c
PH 6.8
KH 6
GH 11
TDS 263
So that's it folks, 'The Full Monty' has left the building.
Here are some photos of the finished tank, the photos have been taken during different phases of the LED Light change hence the difference in colour and appearance. I also took photos of the 'change over' process but haven't uploaded them yet to Photobucket.
Feel free to ask any questions.
Cheers,
Steve
Thanks for all your comments and support in the past.
Steve
Attachments
Last edited:
REDSTEVEO
Member
Here are some photos taken during the changeover.
Keeping the Filters Cycled
Storing about 50% of the tank water. Before doing this I had done a few huge water changes in the days preceding the change over.
Making the usual mess!
More mess.
The tank emptied and cleaned at last. Took about three hours.
The second wheel barrow full of the original substrate! I was going to bag this up and take it to the re-cycling centre, and then I decided to add it to the borders around the garden, couldn't do it any harm could it?
Plants cleaned and soaking in Acriflavine Solution
HMA Filter doing overtime. I am about to change this for a new one from Devotedly Discus.
The second lot of JBL Sansibar River Sand gone in.
Tank finally filled with the other big filter and heater on.
I kept the substrate pretty shallow and have a spare bag for topping it up whenever needed.
Cheers,
Steve
Keeping the Filters Cycled
Storing about 50% of the tank water. Before doing this I had done a few huge water changes in the days preceding the change over.
Making the usual mess!
More mess.
The tank emptied and cleaned at last. Took about three hours.
The second wheel barrow full of the original substrate! I was going to bag this up and take it to the re-cycling centre, and then I decided to add it to the borders around the garden, couldn't do it any harm could it?
Plants cleaned and soaking in Acriflavine Solution
HMA Filter doing overtime. I am about to change this for a new one from Devotedly Discus.
The second lot of JBL Sansibar River Sand gone in.
Tank finally filled with the other big filter and heater on.
I kept the substrate pretty shallow and have a spare bag for topping it up whenever needed.
Cheers,
Steve
tim
Member
Shame the journal has come to an end Steve, still planted IMO 🙂 please keep Us updated on these lovely fish.
Hi all,
Larry Waybright ("Apistomaster") <"uses potted plants with his Wild Discus"> and he is a pretty good reference point
cheers Darrel
I don't see why it shouldn't work.
Larry Waybright ("Apistomaster") <"uses potted plants with his Wild Discus"> and he is a pretty good reference point
cheers Darrel
Commiserations on this - must've been devastating
(FWIW the HITH is unlikely to have had much to do with your care, it's a long term issue; similarly the "whirling disease" in wild angels (& likely discus) is thought to be a (long term) virus ... both may've triggered just through the stress of moving etc but it's always good to take preventative measures 🙂)
I hope you continue to journal your experiences with these amazing fish
