# Planted discus tank



## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

I got a deal(free) on a 45g tall all glass tank top and stand, well it got delivered as a classic oak canopy,tank,lights,stand and 200# of eco complete.

Leak testing in the basement, alright!









background installed with seaview









filter









planted









now we are playing the waiting game, discus will be in the tank at the end of march.

Been building it for a couple of week, tank was trashed took 3 days to clean with boiling water and vinegar, the tank now sits in my fathers office

it contains 7 glolights (red) and two juvenile true SAE's


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## Junglebetti (Mar 6, 2010)

absolutely lovely! I look forward to seeing your updates on this tank


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

I am tearing it down tomorrow, I am very unsatisfed with the layout of the plants. I added Co2 a week or two back.


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## Dmaaaaax (Nov 20, 2008)

Are you getting a lot of CO2 gassing off with a sump? The less agitation and exposure to air the better for CO2.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

not at all, the sump is the LAST place for any unused Co2 to gas off which isnt much. Ive got the aquariumplants.com 1000 reactor on there and now a DIY full length front AND rear spray bar. It takes me about 11 days to use 5# when the tap was used at a 8.8 Ph now I am using RO/DI 3:1 mix RO/DI to tap Kh is now down to 5 from 14 and gh is at 3. I use maybe 1-2 bubbles a second.

There is little to zero gas off at the sump, I got a drop checker in the tank and one in the sump, sump is always low and tank is always perfect.

I rescaped it already, my O swords got 7 new plants starting off them, my CS vals came back with a vigerous growth rate, I removed the mopani stump and added some twi driftwood, now not only does it look much much deeper then it is, the background now matches the decor in the tank and everything is popping.

still atleast 15 days off from getting the discus.


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## Dmaaaaax (Nov 20, 2008)

11 days to use 5lbs?! 

You are loosing some CO2 somewhere, and if that is a wet dry sump with bioballs like it looks like, then that is where you are loosing it. The kH and GH really don't matter as long as you are above 1-2. What is your daily pH change..from on in morning to off at night?

My friend has 5lb on a 75g and it lasts almost 2 months.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

that was getting the Ph(test sessions) from 8.8 using pure tap down to 6.8 with just Co2. 

Ive had the same bottle on for atleast 11 days already and it is still at 800psi in the tank.

Its all open, the sump and aquarium neither have a lid on those so I am assuming there is some gas off

at night it gets to a 7.0 during the day its at a 6.8, I am on RO/DI/Tap mix now with the correct G&Kh levels now, I was Kh of 14 when I used tap with Ro I am at 4 on Kh and 3 on Gh.

here is the newest pic










rescaped it, changed out the driftwood to get more space in there and it looks better IMO with the stick style driftwood over huge 4" diameter plus chunks.

I like it, othes think the BG looks like crap but take in mine there is ALOT of lights on it and the angle the pic was taken at dont do it justice at all.

Kh cant be above 6 from what I am reading, says it messes with the discus too much Its down now, not changing it but am I correct on that in what ive been reading on this specific species.


Oh quite possible there is HANS livestock in my future, like near future however its either get 4 hans now OR wait and get a 190g and have 15 HANS in there.


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## Dmaaaaax (Nov 20, 2008)

Oh, ok, I thought you used a whole 5lb tank in 11 days!

That sounds better, but I typically have a bigger pH change from night to day. Mine drops from pH ~7.0 to pH ~6.2 during the day once CO2 comes on. The rise overnight shows that I have good aeration and gassing off.

I keep my discus tank at kH 3 and GH 3-4. I'm not sure how long 4 Hans discus will be "happy" in a 29g tank, so it depend on how soon you plan to upgrade and how fast they grow.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

I did say 5# in 11 days, but that was just getting the tap water Ph down from 8.8 to 6.8, was messing around with the thing and getting it tuned in.
29g tank? its a 45 tall and 4 2-3" will be fine in there even as adults

already upgrading to a 150g predrilled in the early fall late summer.


my Gh is 3 and my Kh is 6, Kh is 3-6 and Gh is 1-3 for optimal.

I got a friend that breeds Hans I found out last night, he is 10 minutes away from me and all the fish I want for 25 bucks. I got 5 other tanks running right now this could be a godsend or a divorce waiting to happen.


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## Dmaaaaax (Nov 20, 2008)

Cool! Sounds great. Can't wait to see pictures of the new Discus, and now you save a ton on what it would have cost to ship....however they don't quite qualify as Hans.  What sucks is that before I moved down here to NC, I used to live up in MD and would visit Baltimore monthly. At the time I had freshwater tropical fish but was not interested in discus, so I never went to the Hans store! 

I must have mistook the 29g tank thread for your tank, whoops. Your quite right about a 45g tank being just fine for ~ 4 discus, especially since it is planted and can be "overstocked" compared to a bare tank.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

Dmaaaaax said:


> Cool! Sounds great. Can't wait to see pictures of the new Discus, and now you save a ton on what it would have cost to ship....however they don't quite qualify as Hans.  What sucks is that before I moved down here to NC, I used to live up in MD and would visit Baltimore monthly. At the time I had freshwater tropical fish but was not interested in discus, so I never went to the Hans store!
> 
> I must have mistook the 29g tank thread for your tank, whoops. Your quite right about a 45g tank being just fine for ~ 4 discus, especially since it is planted and can be "overstocked" compared to a bare tank.



pics tomorrow, get the fish at 930am and itll be around 2-3pm by the time they are done dripping then Ill take pics.

ehh, to be honest, a name is a name to me, Ok he has really top quality well so does the average joe breeder trying to make a name for themselves, you know. I saw better solid coloration with windy city discus then I did with any of the ones Hans or his dealers had to offer. Mine wont have bars or peppering its been completely breed out of the two strains I am purchasing, that alone is golden to me. I got angels with bars I dont want discus with them too, they detract from their true beauty IMO less the ghost strain, that is one sexy fish.

T-minus 14 hours and 37 minutes till fish day.


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