# Finally my Dream 180g Discus show tank



## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

hello every one,

I have always wanted a big planted discus tank since I got into planted aquariums about 6 years ago but never had the space to have one. So that gave me lots of time to dream and research on discus. So now I have just bought a new home with lots of space and so the journey starts!!!

I got a nice 180g with stand and canopy with dual over flows (first thing I bought for the new house lol its a piece of furniture right) on craigslist. I will be setting up a 40g B for the refugium with fast growing steam plants as well as, having the roots of some pothos plants hanging in there as well. Im going for a nature/natural planted aquarium look (low light) with rocks and sand. This will be a community tank with a few German, Electric blue, Gold Rams, Apistos, Rummy Nose Tetras, Clown loaches, Peacock Gudgeons, and 50-100 Cardinal Tetras. Might want to look into others, also how many Cardinals and Rummy can I get away with?



As for the Discus I want to know how many can I have in an 180, I was thinking of getting about 12-17 juvies and grow them out in there own 75g bare bottom tank with daily water changes, until adult size and then will be transfer over to the 180.

I will have an RO unit which I use for shrimp but I'm thinking of using dechlorinatored tap water, since other members here in Miami, FL are doing just find, even breeding with my same water conditions (ph 7.6)

I will be setting up the 180 and 75 grow out tank in about a month or so, once I buy new furniture and stuff. So will with continue to post updates of my build to share with every one.


DAY 1 6/28/2016




HERE'S AN UPDATE VIDEO AND PIC 12/28/2016


****VIDEO****



UPDATE 5/18/17

***VIDEO***


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## NotCousteau (Sep 25, 2014)

Just stopped by to say that's awesome! Good luck to you!


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Great-looking tank set-up, and it'll make a dramatic discus display tank - no question !

Your intent to grow out some discus in a 75 gal bare-bottom is a real good approach - you just need to consider how many discus, and of what size, you want to do that with.

My suggestion would be not to get them too small - ideally as near to 3" as your wallet permits. But if doing that, 17 fish might be pushing the envelope somewhat - think about a dozen or so, perhaps up to 15, to give them a lot of growing out room without worrying too much about the bio-load in the 75 when they approach maturity, and you're ready to move them into the large community tank.

Your eventual stocking plan is good, except I'd recommend omitting the Clown Loaches. They're active, fast-moving fish, with questionable nocturnal habits, and could tend to stress the discus over time, particularly as they grow larger in size.

Depending on the numbers of the other fish you want to stock with, you could certainly consider going with 3 or 4 dozen, or more, of each of Cardinals & Rummy-Noses.
Just keep in mind the overall bio-load you'd be creating when it's all said & done.
Hope this helps.
Best of luck to you.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

NotCousteau said:


> Just stopped by to say that's awesome! Good luck to you!


 thank you, I have been dreaming about this for years!



discuspaul said:


> Great-looking tank set-up, and it'll make a dramatic discus display tank - no question !
> 
> Your intent to grow out some discus in a 75 gal bare-bottom is a real good approach - you just need to consider how many discus, and of what size, you want to do that with.
> 
> ...


 Yes I'm planning on getting them around 3" to 4.5" I was thinking the same about ding 17 might just stick to 15 of them.

I know clowns are real active but heard they were ok with discus as long as you don't get a bunch of them. Seems like I might just go for some corys then to make it easier on the discus.

As for fish I was thinking 2-3 pairs of each ram and peacock gudgeon, a lil school of corys like 10, then do like 60 cardinals and 40 rummys. idk yet I have time to think about it but more or less something along those lines.

?Thanks for your input


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

nice and congrats!!! what are the dimensions of the tank?


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

II Knucklez II said:


> thank you, I have been dreaming about this for years!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Going with larger discus of 3.5" -4.0" is very smart. Less prone to health issues, and they need less time in the 75 before they're mature and ready for the larger tank.
Despite what you've heard though, Clown Loaches are generally not good-tank-mates for discus. Yes, some folks have done it successfully - perhaps more through luck than anything else, but it's an 'iffy' proposition.

One of the secrets of keeping discus successfully is to keep things as simple (and compatible) as possible. That means avoiding 'stressors' for discus, and in my book, clown loaches are one of them - sooner or later.

If you decide to go with them, get small young ones and watch them closely when they get larger and fatter, and a touch more aggressive.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

chris.rivera3 said:


> nice and congrats!!! what are the dimensions of the tank?


 the actual tank is 6ft, 2ft, 2ft but the height of the whole thing is about 6 ft



discuspaul said:


> Going with larger discus of 3.5" -4.0" is very smart. Less prone to health issues, and they need less time in the 75 before they're mature and ready for the larger tank.
> Despite what you've heard though, Clown Loaches are generally not good-tank-mates for discus. Yes, some folks have done it successfully - perhaps more through luck than anything else, but it's an 'iffy' proposition.
> 
> One of the secrets of keeping discus successfully is to keep things as simple (and compatible) as possible. That means avoiding 'stressors' for discus, and in my book, clown loaches are one of them - sooner or later.
> ...


Ya I have heard that before and I don't think I will get them just to be on the safe side.

I'm going to get them from Jack Wattley which he is down here so I have luxury to go over his place and pick out what I want.

Thanks again


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

it will be a great setup! good luck getting it all going


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

Don't know Discus, but do know they ain't cheap.
Sounds like a fairly high stocking level.
A generator for a power backup will save your tank/fish.


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## Lowe (Nov 11, 2011)

Good call on Wattley's discus. They have some great stuff.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

andrewss said:


> it will be a great setup! good luck getting it all going


 Thanks super excited



Raymond S. said:


> Don't know Discus, but do know they ain't cheap.
> Sounds like a fairly high stocking level.
> A generator for a power backup will save your tank/fish.


 yes I do that's why i'm getting them as juvies (3.5inch to 4.5inch) which are cheaper then adults.



Lowe said:


> Good call on Wattley's discus. They have some great stuff.


 Yes they do I have been to his hatchery before its awesome. BTW lowe might be looking for some light for the tank, low light fixture is what I'm looking for but I know at 2ft deep it should be find with one fixture on each side.
What do you recommend?


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## Solid (Jul 19, 2009)

Should be a sweet set-up!


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

I'm doing the exact sane thing over the next couple of months. What plants have you decided to stock. I hear that alot of plants don't like the 84* temps. I had planned on Corkscrew Vals, needle leaf java fern, and Anubias Nana petit 
I was curious about growing the Discus out in the 180 and only adding other inhabitants once they are larger. So nothing but plants and discus in a low tech setup. Why do so many advise against this?


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

The Dude said:


> I'm doing the exact sane thing over the next couple of months. What plants have you decided to stock. I hear that alot of plants don't like the 84* temps. I had planned on Corkscrew Vals, needle leaf java fern, and Anubias Nana petit
> I was curious about growing the Discus out in the 180 and only adding other inhabitants once they are larger. So nothing but plants and discus in a low tech setup. Why do so many advise against this?


well I'm growing them out in a 75g then switching them over to the 180g once adults. I wouldn't do the vals, I had them before and the are fast growing and shoot runners every where and with a 180g its a pain to stick your arm in there every 2 weeks to do work. So that's why I rather have slow growing plants that don't need much tlc. I'm mostly going to do low light plants that do ok in hot water like anubias, java ferns, swords, some mosses, crpyts, etc. still got to look into that but I have an idea. But I will have the 180g already set up with all the other fish.

well from what I have read is while growing discus they can only reach their full potential unless you do close to daily water changes, vacuum poop and left over food (using a bare bottom tank), and feed high protein foods(which means water change daily lol). Once adults then its doable to put them in a planted aquarium


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## Brian Mc (Feb 9, 2012)

Nice tank! I think 15 would be ideal with the rest of your bioload. Sounds like you have done your research and have a great plan. Just looked at Wattley's strains, those red snakeskins look sweet. What strains are you thinking? Can't wait to see this come together.


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## Lowe (Nov 11, 2011)

II Knucklez II said:


> Yes they do I have been to his hatchery before its awesome. BTW lowe might be looking for some light for the tank, low light fixture is what I'm looking for but I know at 2ft deep it should be find with one fixture on each side.
> What do you recommend?


How high of a substrate? For me, a MonsterRAY is a must if going w/ discus. It puts out around 14 at 24" deep which will sadly put you at the low low end. Possibly supplement it with a cheap StingRAY.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Brian Mc said:


> Nice tank! I think 15 would be ideal with the rest of your bioload. Sounds like you have done your research and have a great plan. Just looked at Wattley's strains, those red snakeskins look sweet. What strains are you thinking? Can't wait to see this come together.


Ya that's what I was thinking and as for which ones I really don't know. I'm going going to go and pick out what I like and they will all be different.



Lowe said:


> How high of a substrate? For me, a MonsterRAY is a must if going w/ discus. It puts out around 14 at 24" deep which will sadly put you at the low low end. Possibly supplement it with a cheap StingRAY.


substrate will be about 1-2 inches high but I am going to have high rock work on one side of the tank but I am looking to do low light, since I want to do as less maintenance as possible to the actual scape. Is there any data on par for those lights? Because at 14 par @ 24" doesn't sound bad


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

OK so took a lil more then a month to set up everything up and I'm still not done. Of course life happen and having other things come up plus we decided to remodel the house so its almost been a year but better late then never. 
Just finished plumbing the tank and got wood in from Mr. Tom Barr (thanks Tom!) So i just have the wood in there, to let it sink and release all the gunk. 









As for the specs on the tank i used all 45 degree elbows and pipe is 1" as for the pump I'm using ehiem compact plus 5000 (1350ghp) which is perfect and quiet. 
Lights i got the two 36 inch 24/7 planted led from finnex. I have it on a Mr. Aqua tank right now and i love it. 
I bought a 75 g on Craigslist for $20 and bought the refugium kit on eBay for $100 if i remember correctly. For Media, i just ordered two 8x8x1 inch marine pure blocks and got a pack of 8 200 mircon socks. 

Next need to buy rocks from a local rock place and need to find good sand anyone have experience with sand and where to buy. I don't like the play sand you find cause it has a lot of stuff that isn't sand like silicone, dirt, etc... 
As for fish i have 6 GBR and 6 gold rams in a holding tank waiting for tank to be cycled. Water will be 75% RO/DI and 25% tap because my tap water is at 9 Ph and 360+ TDS.


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## Grendel (Jan 17, 2003)

Very cool setup - and that wood looks awesome! What exactly did you ask Tom for? Just a random package or something specific?


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

I actually went over to Cali for the Superbowl and do a road trip down the Pacific coast hwy so i asked Tom if it was OK to pass by his house to pick out what i wanted. But u can send him pics of other tanks with wood u like around the size u have and he could pick them out for u


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## r45t4m4n (Feb 12, 2014)

Going to Bernie's for stone? I'm trying to find a good stone yard with ying stone down here. May end up having a pallet shipped.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

r45t4m4n said:


> Going to Bernie's for stone? I'm trying to find a good stone yard with ying stone down here. May end up having a pallet shipped.


Lol yes i am its right by my house but they don't have the bigger size I'm looking for so i was going to settle for getting a bunch of smaller rocks and pileing them up. 

If you find a place that carries ying stone let me know. BTW does that stone effect water chemistry?


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Want to see close up of the child in playpen in previous photo.
No fair croppin out pictures of children.
Never had none of my own,(I don't think) but have gobs of nieces and nephew's.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

roadmaster said:


> Want to see close up of the child in playpen in previous photo.
> No fair croppin out pictures of children.
> Never had none of my own,(I don't think) but have gobs of nieces and nephew's.


Lol have to start them young.










Got some rocks for the tank came out to $100 for all this.

Going to make the scape like two small islands on either side of tank with wood coming for them to the middle.

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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Re; your inquiry about good sand with discus:
I use nothing but #20 grade density, quartz-based silica pool filter sand, obtained only from a pool or spa supply store ( don't get it @ a big box store, because you never really know what you're really getting- despite what they tell you).

So I strongly recommend true PF Sand to you - large-grained and dense enough so that it won't get siphoned out when vacuuming, won't free-float into the water column when disturbed, so won't get into & clog up filtration units, and won't compact heavily like play sands, so the risk of development of anaerobic gas pockets is far less than other sands - just don't layer it to more than approx. 2.5"- 3.0" max. - enough depth to grow rooted plants well - and it's very easy to keep squeaky clean.

I prefer the white PFS - here's one of my tanks to give you some idea of the look:


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

discuspaul said:


> Re; your inquiry about good sand with discus:
> I use nothing but #20 grade density, quartz-based silica pool filter sand, obtained only from a pool or spa supply store ( don't get it @ a big box store, because you never really know what you're really getting- despite what they tell you).
> 
> So I strongly recommend true PF Sand to you - large-grained and dense enough so that it won't get siphoned out when vacuuming, won't free-float into the water column when disturbed, so won't get into & clog up filtration units, and won't compact heavily like play sands, so the risk of development of anaerobic gas pockets is far less than other sands - just don't layer it to more than approx. 2.5"- 3.0" max. - enough depth to grow rooted plants well - and it's very easy to keep squeaky clean.
> ...


Awesome great info and I'm glad u said that cause that's what I got. Also glad to hear its easy to clean up!!! Nice tank btw!!

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## Seetide (Feb 25, 2016)

Driftwood in the tank looks awesome! Can't wait to see this one progress.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Seetide said:


> Driftwood in the tank looks awesome! Can't wait to see this one progress.


Thanks I'm really excited, should have plants in a week to set up scape


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Looking forward to seeing your first approach to starting your set-up - I expect it will be good !


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

Great setup, I really like the driftwood. Have you chosen your discus yet, will it be a mixed discus tank or just one color? Personally I would do a group of all the same color, has a lot more of a visual effect IMO.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

discuspaul said:


> Looking forward to seeing your first approach to starting your set-up - I expect it will be good !


Thanks I hope so I have planned/dreamt about this for years


exv152 said:


> Great setup, I really like the driftwood. Have you chosen your discus yet, will it be a mixed discus tank or just one color? Personally I would do a group of all the same color, has a lot more of a visual effect IMO.


Thank you, I really like how it looks with all one color but I know myself I am going to want a bunch of different ones in there. I haven't really picked out what I want but I will be getting all of there different color. 

Depends what jack wattley and angelfish USA have in Stock at the time when I go to get them.

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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

Good for you man. Can't wait until I can start my dream tank (8ft planted piranha tank)... Will be many years for sure!

Really like your hardscape thus far - good luck with the tank!


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## lksdrinker (Feb 12, 2014)

very cool! and kudos to you for taking your time and not rushing the process. A true labor of love!


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

lksdrinker said:


> very cool! and kudos to you for taking your time and not rushing the process. A true labor of love!


Thanks glad I can share this with people that understand the love of the hobby, unlike my wife [emoji28] 


klibs said:


> Good for you man. Can't wait until I can start my dream tank (8ft planted piranha tank)... Will be many years for sure!
> 
> Really like your hardscape thus far - good luck with the tank!


If I could the tank would be bigger but I'm happy with the 180 lol.

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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Finally started the set up. Putting in plants tomorrow 

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## AdamTill (Jan 22, 2015)

Great job, looks fantastic.

You sure those rocks won't affect your water chemistry? Not sure if you're going low pH, but if so, be careful with the rocks.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

AdamTill said:


> Great job, looks fantastic.
> 
> You sure those rocks won't affect your water chemistry? Not sure if you're going low pH, but if so, be careful with the rocks.


Thanks and ya I have used them before so I should be good


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

90% done planting

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## abrooks12376 (Nov 5, 2015)

This pleases my senses. I will sleep well tonight. Thanks!

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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

abrooks12376 said:


> This pleases my senses. I will sleep well tonight. Thanks!
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk


I was going to say that I liked the layout, but I think abrooks sums it up so much better. :grin2:


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## r45t4m4n (Feb 12, 2014)

Whats the name of the rock you got? Planning on visiting Bernie's soon to buy some.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

r45t4m4n said:


> Whats the name of the rock you got? Planning on visiting Bernie's soon to buy some.


Don't know the name but they are in the back right of their garden on the floor.


abrooks12376 said:


> This pleases my senses. I will sleep well tonight. Thanks!
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk


Once I set it up I didn't want to go to bed [emoji7] my girlfriend was not happy let's just say that


longgonedaddy said:


> I was going to say that I liked the layout, but I think abrooks sums it up so much better. :grin2:


Thanks lots of planning went into it

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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Some close ups still lil foggy 

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## JuanSan (May 20, 2014)

best of luck to you! Can't wait to see what you do with this behemoth. What is your battle plan? Have you already purchased necessary items or are you buying them piece wise?


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

JuanSan said:


> best of luck to you! Can't wait to see what you do with this behemoth. What is your battle plan? Have you already purchased necessary items or are you buying them piece wise?


Thank u.

Well right now I have a filter from another tank running along with the refugium to help cycle the tank a lot faster. I also put some water from another tank. Just bought the finnex 600w heater and putting a 24" finnex Ray 2 I have laying around for the refugium light. And that's about it got everything so far ready but one more thing I do what to make my life easier 
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/tunze-osmolator-universal-3155-auto-top-off.html

I have 5 gold rams, 6 GBR, a few SAE in another tank that I will put in here in a few days and just leave it like that for about a month or two then once the tank is cycled I'm going to get 200 or 300 cardinal tetras, don't know how many just yet, add some apisto as well. Also want to look into bottom dwellers. Then I should be ready to get 15 or some Discus at about 4 inches or bigger.

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## JuanSan (May 20, 2014)

II Knucklez II said:


> Thank u.
> 
> Well right now I have a filter from another tank running along with the refugium to help cycle the tank a lot faster. I also put some water from another tank. Just bought the finnex 600w heater and putting a 24" finnex Ray 2 I have laying around for the refugium light. And that's about it got everything so far ready but one more thing I do what to make my life easier
> Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155 - Bulk Reef Supply
> ...


Intense! I can't wait to see how this goes!!


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## patfat (Oct 23, 2015)

I'm glad i subscribed to this thread!! every thing looks great so far with the style of plants rock and wood you choose!! now with all this types of fish its gonna be sweeeet!!1

also I know what you mean about the whole girlfriend thing..When I set up my 40g I was happy seeing every thing come together and surviving and thriving she gets annoyed from time to time when I pay a little more attention to the tank then her even though she makes suggestions for fish to plants and other things hahaha!!!




II Knucklez II said:


> Thank u.
> 
> Well right now I have a filter from another tank running along with the refugium to help cycle the tank a lot faster. I also put some water from another tank. Just bought the finnex 600w heater and putting a 24" finnex Ray 2 I have laying around for the refugium light. And that's about it got everything so far ready but one more thing I do what to make my life easier
> Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155 - Bulk Reef Supply
> ...


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

patfat said:


> I'm glad i subscribed to this thread!! every thing looks great so far with the style of plants rock and wood you choose!! now with all this types of fish its gonna be sweeeet!!1
> 
> also I know what you mean about the whole girlfriend thing..When I set up my 40g I was happy seeing every thing come together and surviving and thriving she gets annoyed from time to time when I pay a little more attention to the tank then her even though she makes suggestions for fish to plants and other things hahaha!!!


[emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23] 
Exactly they get jealous and I'm like be glad this is one of the hobbies that keeps me at home cause I play on a paintball team which I have to travel to national tournaments every two months plus practices that take up the whole weekend. I have to do maintenance on all the tanks when she isn't home lol that's a rule in my house [emoji58] 

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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

II Knucklez II said:


> Thank u.
> 
> Well right now I have a filter from another tank running along with the refugium to help cycle the tank a lot faster. I also put some water from another tank. Just bought the finnex 600w heater and putting a 24" finnex Ray 2 I have laying around for the refugium light. And that's about it got everything so far ready but one more thing I do what to make my life easier
> Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155 - Bulk Reef Supply
> ...




Your stocking plan has been looking quite good to date, up until this post above. Just be careful with your total numbers. Your tank is only 180 gals, not 300 or more. lol
So with 15 near adult discus, the GBRs, the SAE's, some Apistos, maybe some bottom dwellers, AND 200-300 Cardinals, imo you'll be quite heavily overstocked from a bio-load standpoint, and especially considering your intended big $$$$ investment in discus, some of which I'd hate to see you lose to stress and ensuing health issues over time, in that difficult to properly manage environment.


In your shoes, I wouldn't even consider as many as 100 Cards, never mind 200-300.
Just something for you to consider from someone who has your best interests for success in mind.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

discuspaul said:


> Your stocking plan has been looking quite good to date, up until this post above. Just be careful with your total numbers. Your tank is only 180 gals, not 300 or more. lol
> So with 15 near adult discus, the GBRs, the SAE's, some Apistos, maybe some bottom dwellers, AND 200-300 Cardinals, imo you'll be quite heavily overstocked from a bio-load standpoint, and especially considering your intended big $$$$ investment in discus, some of which I'd hate to see you lose to stress and ensuing health issues over time, in that difficult to properly manage environment.
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for ur input and I will take that into consideration that's why I post on here just for that because even tho I have been in the hobby for 5 years done lots of research I still like to get other opinions. Knowledge is power! Might go down on the tetras or others, we will see but I do have a 75g refugium added to the system which is about 80% filled so that would put me at roughly 240 g total so that helps.

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## patfat (Oct 23, 2015)

Hahah yup I say the same thing!!! That's funny I have to do the same when it comes to maintenance when she's out or asleep...

Oh seriously?!? Pro team? Play in the NPPL? I used to watch all the time when dynasty, xsv, avalanch, all those Cali teams played.. 



II Knucklez II said:


> [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23]
> Exactly they get jealous and I'm like be glad this is one of the hobbies that keeps me at home cause I play on a paintball team which I have to travel to national tournaments every two months plus practices that take up the whole weekend. I have to do maintenance on all the tanks when she isn't home lol that's a rule in my house [emoji58]
> 
> Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7 using Tapatalk


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

I play on a semi pro/division 1 team in the NXL, NPPL is no longer around but ya those are classic old school teams!! I know most of those guys but they don't play any more expect for Dynasty.

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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

patfat said:


> Hahah yup I say the same thing!!! That's funny I have to do the same when it comes to maintenance when she's out or asleep...
> 
> Oh seriously?!? Pro team? Play in the NPPL? I used to watch all the time when dynasty, xsv, avalanch, all those Cali teams played..


[emoji115] 

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## randym (Sep 20, 2015)

You have a wife AND a girlfriend? No wonder you're so busy! :-D

Tank looks beautiful. Are you still planning to put in all those tetras? They'll look amazing in a tank that size, while the discus grow out.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

randym said:


> You have a wife AND a girlfriend? No wonder you're so busy! :-D
> 
> Tank looks beautiful. Are you still planning to put in all those tetras? They'll look amazing in a tank that size, while the discus grow out.


I want to put as many as I can I love how they look in a big school like u said so might cut down on the other fish expect for the discus. [emoji16] maybe 200 or less. I think I should be able to do it since I have a refugium to help with fish waste.

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## aja31 (May 25, 2013)

Tank is looking pretty great! Excited to see it once you have fish in.

Might want to take a look at your numbers though. The fish you list puts you at 130% stocking level on aqadvisor for 240g tank. For a 180g tank with large amounts of filtration it puts you at almost 170% stocking level and gives a warning that your fish will probably all die. 

I would suggest adding the cardinals in batches of 50 or so and see how it goes and stop once the fish start to get stressed. 100 should be fine, maybe even 150 if you have lots of oxygen producing plants on a reverse photo period, but I think 200 may be a stretch with all those discus.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Didn't know about aqadvisor interesting! Definitely looking to add them in slowly and try to see what is the maximum I can put in without stressing the fish. Just so focused on having a big school of tetras with discus but I will definitely take it slow With adding more fish later on. 150 wouldn't be bad at all.

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## patfat (Oct 23, 2015)

HAHA see its been so long that I didnt even know that the NPPL isnt around any more..damn..Well thats awesome though!! 




II Knucklez II said:


> I play on a semi pro/division 1 team in the NXL, NPPL is no longer around but ya those are classic old school teams!! I know most of those guys but they don't play any more expect for Dynasty.
> 
> Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7 using Tapatalk


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## Mikeygmzmg (Mar 19, 2015)

Wow scape is world class. Great job man. Love those pieces of wood. Are you going to tie some moss to the branches? (sorry if i missed that somewhere in thread).


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

patfat said:


> HAHA see its been so long that I didnt even know that the NPPL isnt around any more..damn..Well thats awesome though!!


Lol Ya been a while but cool to find someone that has an idea about what paintball is, not what everyone thinks it is a bunch of guys in the woods lol


Mikeygmzmg said:


> Wow scape is world class. Great job man. Love those pieces of wood. Are you going to tie some moss to the branches? (sorry if i missed that somewhere in thread).


Thanks, Ya I did tie some rare mini weeping Moss to some branches but didn't have a lot of it so I put little pieces here and there so it will grow in time. 

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## j03yYunG (Mar 26, 2013)

Love the scape with the driftwood.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Happy mothers day to all the mothers! Tank is cleared up and put few fish in.

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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

I have read up on why anubias is melting and Java fern having black spots, might be change of water conditions(seller tank to my tank), also read on Java fern appears to be very hard to keep that lush green without co2 according to Tom Barr. I'm using 50% RO 50% dechlorinated tap water. 

So I have added co2 to the tank at .25bps to start off using aquatek paintball co2 solenoid and will be running it on a timer for 8 hours in the day. I have used co2 for a long time on other tanks and feel comfortable using it with discus in the future. From what I have read, you just have to be very careful using co2 with discus, not to suffocate(to much co2), large ph swings to fast, etc. 

Also the mini weeping moss is a dark green and I don't see any new growth so the co2 should help, even though I know it's grows very slowly.

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## pebesiteuthis (Mar 12, 2014)

0.25 bps in a tank that size is practically nothing. i have 2 bps on a 20 gallon with no fish issues.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

pebesiteuthis said:


> 0.25 bps in a tank that size is practically nothing. i have 2 bps on a 20 gallon with no fish issues.


Just want to start low and keep it at a balance so when I put discus in it won't harm them. Do u have a pair of discus in ur 20g? Cause other fish are less sensitive to co2 .

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## fietsenrex (Oct 8, 2014)

II Knucklez II said:


> Just want to start low and keep it at a balance so when I put discus in it won't harm them. Do u have a pair of discus in ur 20g? Cause other fish are less sensitive to co2 .
> 
> Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7 using Tapatalk


discus are indeed sensitive fish, especially when it comes to water conditions.
CO2 shouldn't be a problem with a higher amounts than .25BPS
I've seen people running 25mg/l concentrations with discus without problems


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## nel (Jan 23, 2016)

But they need to get used to such an amount. So starting with 0.25BPS doesn't sound stupid. When discus will arrive you can slowly increase BPS, but really slowly


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## patfat (Oct 23, 2015)

Better to be safe then sorry!! Your doing it right just as others and yourself have said!


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

fietsenrex said:


> discus are indeed sensitive fish, especially when it comes to water conditions.
> CO2 shouldn't be a problem with a higher amounts than .25BPS
> I've seen people running 25mg/l concentrations with discus without problems





nel said:


> But they need to get used to such an amount. So starting with 0.25BPS doesn't sound stupid. When discus will arrive you can slowly increase BPS, but really slowly





patfat said:


> Better to be safe then sorry!! Your doing it right just as others and yourself have said!


Ya since I haven't had discus before one thing is doing so much research on them and another thing actually having them at home. And since I might be getting them at 4"+ ($$$$) I don't want to make any mistakes.

Idk I might just do my original plan and get them at 3" and raise them out in a bare bottom 75g. Just have to make sure I will have the time to feed multiple times a day and daily water changes. [emoji16] 

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## patfat (Oct 23, 2015)

The best person to get info is a dude name discusPaul..he's a member on here and I remember when I first joined everyone talked about him when it came to the questions about discus lol..so if you wanted you could get some real insight from that man lol

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/members/38080-discuspaul.html


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## DW Sites (Mar 4, 2016)

II Knucklez II said:


> large ph swings to fast, etc.




I was under the impression that CO2 actually helps stabilize PH.
I could be wrong.


But looking at the way there are holes in plants it looks like Potassium deficiency. Do you add fertz's for the plants?


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

DW Sites said:


> I was under the impression that CO2 actually helps stabilize PH.
> I could be wrong.
> 
> 
> But looking at the way there are holes in plants it looks like Potassium deficiency. Do you add fertz's for the plants?


Well I know co2 lowers ph but to much at once will swing ph to quick ND stress fish out. 

I don't add fertility but I was reading and seems like your right. What product to u recommend? Should I get those all in one NPK or potassium by its self?

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## DW Sites (Mar 4, 2016)

II Knucklez II said:


> Well I know co2 lowers ph but to much at once will swing ph to quick ND stress fish out.
> 
> I don't add fertility but I was reading and seems like your right. What product to u recommend? Should I get those all in one NPK or potassium by its self?
> 
> Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7 using Tapatalk




I just ordered the set from Green Leaf Aquarium.
It comes with 4 jars for about $25 shipped and I believe they are right in Florida.


Comes with Jar of Nitrate, Phosphate, Sulfate (The one you need to fix holes) and CSM+B. You want to make sure to test Nitrates (Want about 10PPM) and Phosphate (About 1.5PPM). You can add Sulfate and the CSM+B every other day. (Cant Overdose) If you overdose Phosphate you will have algae issues. (Wont hurt fish though) Nitrates too high will stress fish. 


Hope this helps.

Bump: Also you may want to look at how discus handle chems. 
I know they are quite touchy.
And now that I think about it, the CO2 actually helps lower PH and Discus I believe are high PH fish?
Something to think about.


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

DW Sites said:


> Bump: Also you may want to look at how discus handle chems.
> I know they are quite touchy.
> And now that I think about it, the CO2 actually helps lower PH and Discus I believe are high PH fish?
> Something to think about.


Discus are actually fish that live in acidic, soft water in South America.
But, yeah would be careful with dosing with discus, I'm sure there is someone out there who does it so hopefully they arrive with answers.
I was thinking though, if you lower the light intensity it should slow the growth rate of the plants and therefore lower their need for nutrients, so you don't need to dose. Your plants should be able to survive without heavy dosing and CO2, anubias etc., they're low-tech plants. Those plants should be able to survive purely from nutrients provided from the tap and fish waste. And I would assume not dosing would be safer for the discus, but again I know very little about the care of the fish, just the basics hahaha.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

patfat said:


> The best person to get info is a dude name discusPaul..he's a member on here and I remember when I first joined everyone talked about him when it came to the questions about discus lol..so if you wanted you could get some real insight from that man lol
> 
> The Planted Tank Forum - View Profile: discuspaul


Ya I have been talking to him on another forum. Thanks



DW Sites said:


> I just ordered the set from Green Leaf Aquarium.
> It comes with 4 jars for about $25 shipped and I believe they are right in Florida.
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info and ya its not recommend to dose but since i'm not getting them fro a while I don't mind dosing now to get plants healthy. 

Discus like ph soft acidic water around 6.5 like opare said



Opare said:


> Discus are actually fish that live in acidic, soft water in South America.
> But, yeah would be careful with dosing with discus, I'm sure there is someone out there who does it so hopefully they arrive with answers.
> I was thinking though, if you lower the light intensity it should slow the growth rate of the plants and therefore lower their need for nutrients, so you don't need to dose. Your plants should be able to survive without heavy dosing and CO2, anubias etc., they're low-tech plants. Those plants should be able to survive purely from nutrients provided from the tap and fish waste. And I would assume not dosing would be safer for the discus, but again I know very little about the care of the fish, just the basics hahaha.


That's what I thought since I only have a finnex 24/7 led light which peaks only for about 6 hours a day, plus the depth of the tank(2ft) seems to only be mid to low light. I should get a PAR meter.


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## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

I keep a 240 gallon planted discus tank, 60gallon wet/dry sump and CO2 injection. I dose EI method. and My CO2 target is 30ppm, although I'm probably a good bit over. I get a 1.1 - 1.2pH drop vs a degassed sample. 

As I understand it, and as Tom Barr has explained, the pH drop from CO2 is not an issue for fish, discus included. CO2 is not a salt, therefore it does not impact TDS. It's rapid changes in TDS that can cause issues with stressing fish, due to it's impacting osmoregulation. 

Not to be confused with overdosing CO2 and not having sufficient gas exchange. Also as I understand it, having higher O2 levels adds helps fish tolerate higher CO2 levels. Increasing CO2 concentration does not in turn decrease O2. 

Here's a quick youtube clip showing my CO2 bubble rate this morning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPjW_TqC54I&feature=youtu.be

As well as a recent pic.


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## DW Sites (Mar 4, 2016)

Opare said:


> I was thinking though, if you lower the light intensity it should slow the growth rate of the plants and therefore lower their need for nutrients, so you don't need to dose.



You would have to get low level light plants. If you lower the light dose on a high light level plant you will just kill it and in return get high phosphate from decay and in return bad algae.


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

DW Sites said:


> You would have to get low level light plants. If you lower the light dose on a high light level plant you will just kill it and in return get high phosphate from decay and in return bad algae.




Yes, but he is using all low light plants from what I can see, java fern, some Anubias species and moss...


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

So I felt like there was something missing in the middle of the tank. It has been bothering me for a while so I decided to add so more rock and get creative with a cave. 

Also added a red flame sword and red melon sword between the left side and the new rocks in the middle (cave)

Before









After


























I have ordered some gold powder blue rams which should be here next week. 
Here's a pic










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## DavidZ (Nov 17, 2009)

Interesting stuff, risky, but looks good.
When it comes to discus I use caution.
Did you treat the wood?
I know getting wood from Tom is nice, but still it is not treated.
Same goes for the stock.
Why do you need Co2 for plants that would do well without it.
In this case simple is better.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

DavidZ said:


> Interesting stuff, risky, but looks good.
> When it comes to discus I use caution.
> Did you treat the wood?
> I know getting wood from Tom is nice, but still it is not treated.
> ...


You are correct it wasn't treated but I did pour boiling water on all the pieces of wood as well as let it sit in the tank for about 2 months before I actually scaped the tank to get as most of the tannins out as possible.

As for co2 I agree my original plan was without it but java fern gets black spots on it and turns a darker green without co2. Which it bothers me and more importantly my wife (you already know she has a say in this since she allowed it ) plus I also got some rare mini weeping Moss which grows really really slowly. So that will help it grow a little faster. Finally since I have experience with co2 on other tanks and never had a problem (paintball co2 solenoid on timer) I decided to go ahead with it.



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## DavidZ (Nov 17, 2009)

Well it looks like you are half way there, this was the easy part, good luck with the discus.
Where are the rams from?


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

DavidZ said:


> Well it looks like you are half way there, this was the easy part, good luck with the discus.
> Where are the rams from?


Thank you and the German blue and gold rams I got from David at ANGELFISH USA and the gold powder blue are from Joe Gargas.

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## DavidZ (Nov 17, 2009)

Very good choice of suppliers.


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## second (Jan 31, 2005)

Nice tank


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

second said:


> Nice tank


Thanks 

I have added about 80 cardinal tetras and about 25 rummy nose tetras. Here's a video for you guys 

https://youtu.be/vs9n2cEzVHI

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## ScubaSteve (Jun 30, 2012)

II Knucklez II said:


> Thanks
> 
> I have added about 80 cardinal tetras and about 25 rummy nose tetras. Here's a video for you guys
> 
> ...


Love the schools of tetras! Looks so good! Are you going to add any more plants?


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

ScubaSteve said:


> Love the schools of tetras! Looks so good! Are you going to add any more plants?


Thank you very much I have put a lot of thought and work into this tank.

As of right now I don't think so I'm going to let the plants grow in really good and go from there.


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Tank looks fantastic! When are planning to stock your Discus? I understand you must be letting the tank mature before you get them.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Opare said:


> Tank looks fantastic! When are planning to stock your Discus? I understand you must be letting the tank mature before you get them.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you. In a few months hopefully but Im going to have them in a 75 gallon bare bottom tank first to grow them out then put them in after their fully grown.

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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

II Knucklez II said:


> Thank you. In a few months hopefully but Im going to have them in a 75 gallon bare bottom tank first to grow them out then put them in after their fully grown.
> 
> Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7 using Tapatalk



Very wise approach.


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## skanderson (Jul 25, 2010)

love watching the tank develop. I would bump that new cave off center a bit. it looks like it is dead in the middle of the tank and draws too much attention there. it would look better in my opinion closer to one of the existing groups of rocks. however if you like the look then it is in the perfect spot.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

skanderson said:


> love watching the tank develop. I would bump that new cave off center a bit. it looks like it is dead in the middle of the tank and draws too much attention there. it would look better in my opinion closer to one of the existing groups of rocks. however if you like the look then it is in the perfect spot.



Yup I thought of that Thanks for pointing it out to me I moved it over and took out one piece of driftwood from the right side. I think it was to much on that side.

Here's and update pic


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Wow the tank is looking just beautiful! Really, really nice work.

Just one question.

Where are the Discus???????


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

****UPDATE VIDEO****




bunch of fish died on me but I learned from it!!!




Greggz said:


> Wow the tank is looking just beautiful! Really, really nice work.
> 
> Just one question.
> 
> Where are the Discus???????


lol I will be getting them very soon but in my video I explain why I don't have them. but I will be growing them out in another tank until they are adults


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

So I will be getting the Discus very soon so its about that time to find out how many I'm going to get. So heres my current stock list and what else I'm going to add besides Discus.

*Current Stock list:*
~50 Cardinal Tetras
~40 Rummy Nose Tetras
1 SAE
8 Sterbai Cory's
1 Dwarf Gourimi

*Adding besides Discus:* 
4 Long Fin Electric Blue Rams
4 Long Fin Gold Rams
4 Apistogramma Macmasteri

Total approximate gallons (tank and sump/refugium) 240 g

I was thinking any where from 10 to 15 Discus, what do you guys think?


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

I have no idea how many Discus that tank can support.

But I do know regardless of how many I can't wait to see all those fish in that tank.


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## Kampo (Nov 3, 2015)

II Knucklez II said:


> So I will be getting the Discus very soon so its about that time to find out how many I'm going to get. So heres my current stock list and what else I'm going to add besides Discus.
> 
> *Current Stock list:*
> ~50 Cardinal Tetras
> ...


stocking seems a bit heavy. i'd prolly pull one of the tetra schools


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## aja31 (May 25, 2013)

Aquadvisor puts you at ~120% stocking level with that list. Might want to cut down on a school. Rummynose also generally like cooler water. They may not live long in the very warm water the discus required. 

AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Greggz said:


> I have no idea how many Discus that tank can support.
> 
> But I do know regardless of how many I can't wait to see all those fish in that tank.


Thank I'm really excited!


Kampo said:


> stocking seems a bit heavy. i'd prolly pull one of the tetra schools


Yes it is a little heavy but I have a lot of filtration with the 75g refugium, which I will be adding more marine pure blocks (20,000 Sq ft. Of surface area for beneficial bacteria) plus almost all the plants in the tank/refugium take their nutrients from the water column.

Also i have watched the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels after letting the tank go without a water change for 3 weeks and levels where very low. I do a 50% water change every week so I know they will be find plus I add a small group of fish at first for about a month and then check the levels again to make sure everything is find. 


aja31 said:


> Aquadvisor puts you at ~120% stocking level with that list. Might want to cut down on a school. Rummynose also generally like cooler water. They may not live long in the very warm water the discus required.
> 
> AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor


Rummy nose tetras are known to do well in higher Temps. Lots of discus owners have them for that reason. Don't know why Aquadvisor has them at a low temp.

Also in the Aquadvisor I see you only had the total gallons of the 179.5g and not the other ~60 gallons of water in the refugium, which would change that %.

That's cool though didn't know about Aquadvisor. 

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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Just keep an eye on the nitrates, and the physical overcrowding. Proper water management,which I assume you'll be doing with the discus, will likely control and water quality issues. Just make sure all those fish have room to move around freely. That would be my bigger concern.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Keep your stocking to not more than 10 discus, and you should be just fine without needing to reduce the stocking of the discus tankmates.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

longgonedaddy said:


> Just keep an eye on the nitrates, and the physical overcrowding. Proper water management,which I assume you'll be doing with the discus, will likely control and water quality issues. Just make sure all those fish have room to move around freely. That would be my bigger concern.


Ya I don't think that would be a problem might cut down on some future tank mates. 


discuspaul said:


> Keep your stocking to not more than 10 discus, and you should be just fine without needing to reduce the stocking of the discus tankmates.


Thanks for ur input Paul, that's what I was thinking. Just hard cause I know I'm going to want more but that will have to do.

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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Even though I suggested limiting the discus number to 10, if it were me I'd probably push it to 12 and still feel pretty comfortable even when they're fully grown adults.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Just bought a 135 storage tank to make my water changes easier and faster. Going to fill with half RO/DI and half tap. Thinking of getting a heater but I live in Miami where my garage (water storage is in the garage) is always super hot even during our 75° winters.

Still have to run plumbing through the attic to the other side of the house which isn't that far away. 

Also have an update video of the Cory's in the 180 and me trying to find best way to feed them.

https://youtu.be/-9XLmSH1fkQ

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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Just bought me some Discus 

Discus!!!!!

I will be adding more but these are all the ones Dave had at AngelfishUSA.com that were 4 to 4.5 inches. I will be adding more once he gets more from Tony Tan in about a month from now and just have to make sure the ones I get are the same size.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

They are finally home and eating! I can't wait till Dave at angelfish USA get more in so I can get a few more around this same size! 


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

They're beauties !
Well done, man. Good for you - there's little doubt you'll succeed at discus-keeping.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

I've gotta stop following this thread.

Every time I see pictures like that of beautiful Discus in a large tank, it makes me want to try keeping them.

They really are stunning, and I find it harder and harder to resist. 

Keep up the nice work and keep the updates coming.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Greggz said:


> I've gotta stop following this thread.
> 
> Every time I see pictures like that of beautiful Discus in a large tank, it makes me want to try keeping them.
> 
> ...



Well, if you like it that much - don't resist it any longer - just go ahead & do it !


I'd be more than happy to help you out, every step of the way..... from setting up the right-sized tank, and how to do it..... to getting your discus from the highest quality source(s).... to what size they should be... etc. - hope you're following me - I want you to be successful keeping these magnificent fish !


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## Eric Mraz (May 17, 2016)

Discus look great, good luck with everything.


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## Wendy1B (Jan 8, 2017)

Your dream tank is also mine! I have been fantasizing about a 180 g Discus display for over 6 years. I also am a huge believer in the sump/refugium on the opposite light schedule as the main display. I have been told I am crazy for setting that up in the 43 gallon Red Sea Reefer I'm expecting on the 23rd, but screw that noise! It makes sense to always have some plants producing oxygen in your system. I would also choose the same tank mates you have, and I would suggest adding Malaysian Trumpet Snails to help out with that algae on the sand problem you mentioned in your video. Also, when I used to have problems getting food past the tetras, down to my cories, I found it helpful to first distract the tetras with either freeze dried cubes of food pressed against the tank glass, or frozen cubes of food in a cone feeder. The frozen food smells far more intense than the bottom feeder pellets, so it makes a particularly useful distraction. What about a shoal of Otocinclus to help with the algae issues you have (which seem minor)? I only have room for a footprint of 20x 24", so no discus for me unless we win the lottery and get a much bigger house, so I am TOTALLY jealous of your set up. Also, have you considered any dwarf water lillies to add some low-light, high-temp color to your plants? They do well at discus temps, thrive in lower light setups as long as you use root tabs, and they are just so gorgeous. Another thing: I used to have a low-tech 55 gal tank with all of your plants, and my crypts did awesome in the sand as long as I gave them each a new root tab each month. Have you ever tried root tabs? They're awesome for many plants in your set up. So awesome you get to realize your dream tank here!


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Wendy1B said:


> Your dream tank is also mine! I have been fantasizing about a 180 g Discus display for over 6 years. I also am a huge believer in the sump/refugium on the opposite light schedule as the main display. I have been told I am crazy for setting that up in the 43 gallon Red Sea Reefer I'm expecting on the 23rd, but screw that noise! It makes sense to always have some plants producing oxygen in your system. I would also choose the same tank mates you have, and I would suggest adding Malaysian Trumpet Snails to help out with that algae on the sand problem you mentioned in your video. Also, when I used to have problems getting food past the tetras, down to my cories, I found it helpful to first distract the tetras with either freeze dried cubes of food pressed against the tank glass, or frozen cubes of food in a cone feeder. The frozen food smells far more intense than the bottom feeder pellets, so it makes a particularly useful distraction. What about a shoal of Otocinclus to help with the algae issues you have (which seem minor)? I only have room for a footprint of 20x 24", so no discus for me unless we win the lottery and get a much bigger house, so I am TOTALLY jealous of your set up. Also, have you considered any dwarf water lillies to add some low-light, high-temp color to your plants? They do well at discus temps, thrive in lower light setups as long as you use root tabs, and they are just so gorgeous. Another thing: I used to have a low-tech 55 gal tank with all of your plants, and my crypts did awesome in the sand as long as I gave them each a new root tab each month. Have you ever tried root tabs? They're awesome for many plants in your set up. So awesome you get to realize your dream tank here!


That's awesome! Thanks you and ya it just makes lots of sense to me to put more plants that get their nutrients from the water column while the plants in the main tank are sleeping! Thanks for the info on the cories, I have figured out how to feed them.

As for the algae on the sand I don't seem to have that problem any more, looks like since the cories sift through the sand all the time, algae doesn't have a chance to grow. Oto's I know will take a max temp of around 79 degrees, I'm just going to get more nitrite snails.

Never thought of those lilies before might have to look into them and I will be trying some root tabs for the crypts in the near future to get them growing nicely.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Woke up today to a surprise!!! 

All the other discus are still in there as well. I don't know if I should move them out to another small but I don't have much room at the moment for other tanks or go buy that white ceiling eggcrate to separate them on this side of the tank?

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## fietsenrex (Oct 8, 2014)

Wouldn't worry about it, generaly the first couple attempts fail.
I would keep them in this tank and put the others in the show tank when they are ready


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

fietsenrex said:


> Wouldn't worry about it, generaly the first couple attempts fail.
> I would keep them in this tank and put the others in the show tank when they are ready


Sounds good let's see what happens from this

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## aja31 (May 25, 2013)

Tank is looking great, love the discus!


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Hello thought I would do a spring update on the discus and the 180g. 

*Here's a* ***VIDEO UPDATE***

I have added some Apisto's (Macmasteri & Hongsloi) to the tank as well as peacock gudgeons which I know can do ok at temps around 82 but I will see how they do if not take them out. I also added two Tunze 6015 (475 ghp) powerheads to the tank to add flow behind both rock piles on either side. That way, food or waste will not get stuck back there. I seem to be having some issues with spot algae and some kind of purple algae so I'm adding more flow to the tank to see if that might help a little. Also might get a tunze 6055 which is controllable, so I can add very little flow across the tank but not in the open areas where Discus will be.





As for the Discus they are growing, I'm guessing around 5 inches now and still doing every other day to every day water changes when I have the time. They actually laid eggs a second time for me but like the first no wigglers. Also the second time around the Red San Merrah paired up with the Leopard instead of the Eruption but lets see what happens in the future when I put the unproven pair in their own tank.


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Spot algae usually seems to go with a bit more phosphate dosing for most.


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## Axelrodi202 (Jul 29, 2008)

Very nice! How big are you going to grow them out to before transferring?


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Opare said:


> Spot algae usually seems to go with a bit more phosphate dosing for most.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Ya I don't know why it's showing up just thinking it might be due to low glow in the tank.


Axelrodi202 said:


> Very nice! How big are you going to grow them out to before transferring?


Hopefully I'll be able to grow them out to 7 inches but around 6 to 7 inches I'll more them over. Also will get some more discus in the near future.

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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Been a year and still haven't put them in yet but very soon I will once I feel like they are full grown. I got some new ones and sold some of the ones I didn't want. They are in the range of 5" to 6" right now. 

The 180g is looking really good, plants growing in nicely. I recently added 40 harlenqin rasbora's to the tank to get some movement at the top of the tank. 

Here's a quick video of both Discus and tank https://youtu.be/miWJ49qxI30



























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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Wow those are gorgeous.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

You sir have a great deal of patience.

I would have those fish in that tank today. But I have very little impulse control.

Really looking forward to seeing this completed.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

The Dude1 said:


> Wow those are gorgeous.


Thanks I have found out best way to get the ones u really like is just go to a breeder once a month and see what they got lol. Lucky I got Jack wattley 30 mins away!


Greggz said:


> You sir have a great deal of patience.
> 
> I would have those fish in that tank today. But I have very little impulse control.
> 
> Really looking forward to seeing this completed.


That's what my good friend and girlfriend say to me. It's hard but I know myself and I will think to myself what if I could get them bigger?

Because once they go into the 180g I will not be feeding 5 times a day anymore. Really want to see where I can get them because if I ever do another tank or get more discus I will spend the money and buy them as adults. It's way to much work for someone with a family and regular job.

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## Koenig44 (Aug 19, 2016)

Great tank vid. I love it. Why are you waiting for them to get bigger before you put them into your DT?


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

II Knucklez II said:


> Thanks I have found out best way to get the ones u really like is just go to a breeder once a month and see what they got lol. Lucky I got Jack wattley 30 mins away!That's what my good friend and girlfriend say to me. It's hard but I know myself and I will think to myself what if I could get them bigger?
> 
> Because once they go into the 180g I will not be feeding 5 times a day anymore. Really want to see where I can get them because if I ever do another tank or get more discus I will spend the money and buy them as adults. It's way to much work for someone with a family and regular job.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930T1 using Tapatalk


I wish I had a fraction of your patience. I can't wait to see them in their display tank.
I wasn't able to find specific mention, but are you injecting C02? By the look of your plants I would assume so. Also can you give a recap of your stock currently? I've got a 265 that I am gathering equipment for and as I'm sure you would agree Discus are the pinnacle of freshwater. I also recently got a group of Peacock Gudgeons and I love them. Do you think they will be safe with your adult Discus? What temp do you plan to keep your Discus at and are you currently keeping the tank at that temp? I would like nothing more than 12 Discus, 6-8 German and Electric Blue Rams and 150 Cardinals.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Koenig44 said:


> Great tank vid. I love it. Why are you waiting for them to get bigger before you put them into your DT?


Because they won't grow much more in the 180 g due to me not being able to feed as often as a barebottom tank.


The Dude1 said:


> I wish I had a fraction of your patience. I can't wait to see them in their display tank.
> I wasn't able to find specific mention, but are you injecting C02? By the look of your plants I would assume so. Also can you give a recap of your stock currently? I've got a 265 that I am gathering equipment for and as I'm sure you would agree Discus are the pinnacle of freshwater. I also recently got a group of Peacock Gudgeons and I love them. Do you think they will be safe with your adult Discus? What temp do you plan to keep your Discus at and are you currently keeping the tank at that temp? I would like nothing more than 12 Discus, 6-8 German and Electric Blue Rams and 150 Cardinals.


I did when I sent up the tank to get a head start but no more co2 and I have the tank at room temp right now cause I'm trying to grow back some mini weeping Moss that I loss during the hurricane.

As far as stocking I have 40 harlequin rasbora's, 40 cardinals, 20 rummy nose, one pair of apistogramma macmasteri, 1 dwarf powder gourami, and 4 peacock gudgeon's (which will do find with discus as long as temp isn't over 84). With plans to add 2 pairs of golden face electric blue rams. 

I know it's a lot but I have a 75g refugium with three 4 inch marine pure blocks (best in my opinion to grow beneficial bacteria because there is A LOT of surface area for it to grow) also I'm planning on modifying the refugium to be able to add another four 4 inch blocks of marine pure.
CerMedia MarinePure Block Bio-Filter Media for Marine and Freshwater Aquariums, 8 by 8 by 4-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HYUY35W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_tpiaBbBDDZJRX

I plan to keep the tank around 82 to 84 once discus are added but I will up the temp of the tank 1° a week until I get to 84 then add discus.












































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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Just a suggestion:
No need to raise the temp to 84 F - near adult or adult discus in a community planted tank will do just fine @ 82 F, and that temp will be easier on all the discus tank-mates, and better tolerated by all the plants as well.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

discuspaul said:


> Just a suggestion:
> No need to raise the temp to 84 F - near adult or adult discus in a community planted tank will do just fine @ 82 F, and that temp will be easier on all the discus tank-mates, and better tolerated by all the plants as well.


Will do

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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Very nice discus. I have never bought discus from Watleys. I have some Stendkers from Hans that I just got recently, but Im on the west coast so primarily buy from vendors on this side of country. 
It is smart that you are growing them out in a barebottom-- as you well know. Good job on them-- they are very nice like I said. I really am impressed with the Golden Albino- so often you see them stunted or ill-shaped. Albino's are notoriously harder to get above 6 inch size.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Discusluv said:


> Very nice discus. I have never bought discus from Watleys. I have some Stendkers from Hans that I just got recently, but Im on the west coast so primarily buy from vendors on this side of country.
> It is smart that you are growing them out in a barebottom-- as you well know. Good job on them-- they are very nice like I said. I really am impressed with the Golden Albino- so often you see them stunted or ill-shaped. Albino's are notoriously harder to get above 6 inch size.


Thanks ya I rather be able to pick out exactly what u want rather then just getting something the breeder picks. I feel really lucky everytime Gabe at wattley post something I like I just go over and see for myself.

Thanks it's not easy keeping up with them. I know see why the adults cost so much because of the time and money that goes into growing them out

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## paige350z (Feb 18, 2020)

So, I found this thread and read all the way though, getting more excited as I neared the end, in anticipation of seeing the finished tank.

And then nothing? 😫😭

Updates, please! 🤗😍


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

paige350z said:


> So, I found this thread and read all the way though, getting more excited as I neared the end, in anticipation of seeing the finished tank.
> 
> And then nothing? 😫😭
> 
> Updates, please! 🤗😍


You know the last post in this thread is from May of 2018.........right??


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