Re: 500 Gallon project, Dreaming of keeping Discus but afraid!
I like your setup, but have you considered adding an overflow to a waste on the left side of the sump. It's where the return water enters and makes water changes super easy. You can just activate your top-up pump with a timer, and it's really safe.
I keep my storage water about one degree cooler than the aquarium, and instead of a spray bar, I use a pipe lower in the tank. This way, the fresh water takes some time to mix, and only the older water goes through the overflow and waste.
I also use pool filter sand as substrate and it works great if you get the right kind. My corydoras love it. Hope you'll consider these ideas and keep us updated on your progress.
500 Gallon project, Dreaming of keeping Discus but afraid!
Re: 500 Gallon project, Dreaming of keeping Discus but afraid!
Re: 500 Gallon project, Dreaming of keeping Discus but afraid!
Originally posted by Lippyton
HI Maged and welcome to the forum .
That's a on hell of a tank you are setting up there . The size is great and your planning seems nice too .
Is that your planned scape with the rocks on the photo ?
If you are willing to start with full grown discus and keep the bioload light (i.e. 15-20 full grown discus and a school of 100 diether fish ) than I would say sure , why not .
I would also try to find a way of keeping the bottom clean of debris , food and poop , and you'll have to figure it out how to do that with the stone structure you are planning to put .
I wish there was a bigger aging tank , at least doulble size , but if you don't have a big PH swing in your tap water , maybe you still would be able to perform 50 % WCs from time to time if you feel the need to do that .
Good luck Maged and please keep us updated with your progress on this excellent project .
Thanks a lot! I just used the photo to give an idea, actual scape will be simpler - white sand, rocks, and driftwood only.
Light bio-load is my plan, I prefer it that way, 20 discus max, maybe less. No schooling fish, just a few service fish like Placos or Red Tail Sharks, so around 25 fish total.
Aging tank is a space issue, maybe I'll use 2 large barrels in my laundry room for water changes.
Originally posted by Lippyton
HI Maged and welcome to the forum .
That's a on hell of a tank you are setting up there . The size is great and your planning seems nice too .
Is that your planned scape with the rocks on the photo ?
If you are willing to start with full grown discus and keep the bioload light (i.e. 15-20 full grown discus and a school of 100 diether fish ) than I would say sure , why not .
I would also try to find a way of keeping the bottom clean of debris , food and poop , and you'll have to figure it out how to do that with the stone structure you are planning to put .
I wish there was a bigger aging tank , at least doulble size , but if you don't have a big PH swing in your tap water , maybe you still would be able to perform 50 % WCs from time to time if you feel the need to do that .
Good luck Maged and please keep us updated with your progress on this excellent project .
Thanks a lot! I just used the photo to give an idea, actual scape will be simpler - white sand, rocks, and driftwood only.
Light bio-load is my plan, I prefer it that way, 20 discus max, maybe less. No schooling fish, just a few service fish like Placos or Red Tail Sharks, so around 25 fish total.
Aging tank is a space issue, maybe I'll use 2 large barrels in my laundry room for water changes.
Re: 500 Gallon project, Dreaming of keeping Discus but afraid!
Re: 500 Gallon project, Dreaming of keeping Discus but afraid!
Your plan seems solid. Diether schooling fish aren't a must, I just used them as an example for discus tankmates.
Red tail sharks are way too boisterous and aggressive for peaceful discus fish, so it's best to avoid them.
Plecos and Ancistrus can be good for keeping the tank glass and decoration free of algae, but there's a risk they might develop a taste for discus slime coat and start bothering them. They're also nocturnal feeders, so it can be hard to notice.
Coridoras sterbai are great bottom dwellers and can help with dispersing debris in the water column where your filters can catch it.
For larger water changes, I'd recommend measuring your tap water parameters and PH. Compare the PH of your 24-hour aged water to your tap water, and if the swing isn't too big, you might be able to do 50% water changes once a week with unaged tap water and a sponge prefilter to trap microbubbles and dissolved gases.
Your plan seems solid. Diether schooling fish aren't a must, I just used them as an example for discus tankmates.
Red tail sharks are way too boisterous and aggressive for peaceful discus fish, so it's best to avoid them.
Plecos and Ancistrus can be good for keeping the tank glass and decoration free of algae, but there's a risk they might develop a taste for discus slime coat and start bothering them. They're also nocturnal feeders, so it can be hard to notice.
Coridoras sterbai are great bottom dwellers and can help with dispersing debris in the water column where your filters can catch it.
For larger water changes, I'd recommend measuring your tap water parameters and PH. Compare the PH of your 24-hour aged water to your tap water, and if the swing isn't too big, you might be able to do 50% water changes once a week with unaged tap water and a sponge prefilter to trap microbubbles and dissolved gases.