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im setting up a 75-gallon, im planning on putting 5x disucs,6x bronze corires, 6x khuli loaches, 12x R. Rasboras, and 1 Rubber nose pleco in there.

there are going to be plants in the tank, im planning on getting a HOB and a canister for the filtration. what percentage of water will i have to siphon for each water change and how often.

the HOB is going to be a Aqua clear 500, and not sure about the cannister though. which cannister filter do you reccomend. i will be adding c02 to the tank as well for the plants, so i hope that not to much c02 with escape from the tank.

The stocking sounds OK to me...

As for the water changes, discus need very clean water. So for maximum health and growth that need daily or every other day water changes of about 10-20%, and I'm sure someone is going to come and say they only do one a week or even one every two weeks, but I'm just going with what I've been told from professional breeders.

As for the filter, a Eheim 2026 would be more then enough with an AC500, the only thing you have to worry about is controlling the flow so it's not to stress the discus and plants.

Cories and rubbernoses shouldn't be kept at 85+ farenheit, and the rasbs won't appreciate it, either.

Har,

Stocking is fine. AC is great for one filter and an Eheim is a great choice for the cannister. Fluvals are also excellent.

If you go with the Eheim buy the add-on installation kit for the discharge and the sponge attachment for the Penguin powerhead. Use the longer basket and sponge from the Powerhead kit for the Eheim intake. It will trap the major floaties and prevent your Eheim from grunking up. This is very important when you have a planted tank. Pull the sponge and celan it under your tap once a week.

The installation kit for the Eheim gives you great choices for your discharge not just the ill-fitting spray bar that comes with the unit. You can run a horizontal standard spray bar or vertical or shift to a power jet.

Next, let's talk about water changes. Given your level of stocking, you should consider a daily, every other day or every third day water change regimen. Clean, fresh water is the key to keeping discus. Breeders will change do 100% daily water changes for breeding and growout tanks. With my planted 125, I strive for a 1/3 daily water change for the 9 adults, 5 juveniles, 2 rams, 6 corydoras and 4 BN.

Water changes are straight from the tap with the intent to keep the water within 1F of the tank water. I vacuum with the Python and wipe down the interior glass. When refilling I treat with Seachem Prime at half the recommended dosage.

Tank is maintained at 29C or 84F. Everyone is happy. Rams have spawned and guarding eggs. Six discus have practiced with weekly spawns that turn to caviar for the non-spawning members of the school.

Last item, CO2 for your planted tank is a great idea, but only if you know the amount of buffer in your water AND you have an automated system driven by a pH controller. The addition of CO2 can drive down your pH if your water does not have sufficient buffering. Lower pH sounds like a great thing since everyone says discus like acidic water. The problem is that CO2 may cause your pH to "yo yo" or bounce up and down. As pH falls from 7 to 6, your water becomes 10X more acidic. Fish tolerate increases in pH much more easily than decreases in pH.

Keep your tank at a KH of at least 3 degrees of German hardness (51 ppm) or more. Closely monitor the impact of CO2 and never, ever run the CO2 at night when the plants will NOT use the CO2.

Key thought - Keep discus and hope for great plants. Discus are much more expensive than plants.

Last edited by Bob Wesolowski at 21-Dec-2004 03:00

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