# My new 240g planted discus tank!



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

My 240g upgrade came in and as of yesterday it is up and running! Sooo much room for more discus now! 

Anyway, here are a few pics. I'll apologize now for the shoddy quality. lol

60 gallon wet/dry sump. I had originally wanted 100g, but unfortunately, it would have taken up too much room in the stand.


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Here's the tank at the builder's shop, just before they were loading it up to deliver, it's 8ftx2ftx2ft:


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Freshly placed in the living room! We placed it directly on the concrete slab, which is why the carpet is ripped up around it. Part of selling this project to my wife was to make a deal. New tank for me = new flooring for her. The decision was made to put the tank on the concrete, and trim the new flooring around it. I have affectionately dubbed this tank "My Precious". haha! That's the old 125g sticking out on the right.


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Beginning the planting process. I had intended to take a more sequential progression of pictures, but I got too into my work!


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Freshly planted and all occupants moved over! The tank is seeded with all the water from the old 125g, and all the filter media and mulm from the (2) fluval FX5's are in the sump. Needless to say, I'll be monitoring water parameters like a hawk to make sure I don't encounter a mini-cycle. The discus hid for about an hour, but after that, they were out exploring and back to reaffirming their pecking order.


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Misc tank shots. Filtration is 60g wet/dry, pressurized CO2 with EI dosing dry ferts. EcoComplete Fine grade for substrate. (2) 72" 10K LED's for lighting:


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

And finally, link to a short clip I posted on facebook. Hopefully it works! :hihi:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10203622799914755&l=457232914962445286


----------



## FishStix (Sep 19, 2013)

That a really nice setup, great looking fish.

What type of wood is that stand? (I really like it, simple but looks very nice because of the wood.)
Notice you have only 1 center overflow, I plan to do the same, are you going to use herbie type drain? Are your returns out of the overflow as well?
What type of lights did you go with?
Do you have any pictures of your sump working and what type of pump did you get?


----------



## Whiskey (Feb 15, 2005)

Wow! What a tank! Your discus must love you.

Whiskey


----------



## du3ce (Jan 26, 2013)

how many discus? sweet tank


----------



## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Dude, where'd you get that sump?


----------



## ForensicFish (May 19, 2013)

Phil Edwards said:


> Dude, where'd you get that sump?


Is it sad that I am more impressed with the sump?


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

du3ce said:


> how many discus? sweet tank


Currently 12 discus, ranging from 4.5" - 7"+ :smile:


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Phil Edwards said:


> Dude, where'd you get that sump?


Same guy that built the tank and stand also built the sump. Local guy in Phoenix.


----------



## rdmustang1 (Oct 20, 2013)

Any more pics of the sump? That thing looks awesome. I'm considering replacing mine with a custom acrylic one.


----------



## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Fabulous tank & stand - great for a discus tank ! 
You've done a marvelous job. Congrats !


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Oh jeez.

Well, just 24hours later, and I've already found my first passenger to ride the overflow waterfall slide. :icon_roll

Was doing a quick eyeball of things and was rooting around in the sump, when I saw him swimming around the center chamber.

Which means he had to go through the overflow, down the drain, through the prefilter tray, through the bioball tower, then over two sump chambers. lol

Looks like I'll have to get some mesh to put over the overflow grills.


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

FishStix said:


> That a really nice setup, great looking fish.
> 
> What type of wood is that stand? (I really like it, simple but looks very nice because of the wood.)
> Notice you have only 1 center overflow, I plan to do the same, are you going to use herbie type drain? Are your returns out of the overflow as well?
> ...


Just realized I missed these questions:

The stand and canopy are oak.
I didn't go with a herbie drain unfortunately. Tank is bottom drilled. I didnt' know what a herbie drain was until just now after googling. I had never run a sump setup prior to this. It has (2) 1.5" drains.
The 2 returns are on the edges of the overflow, yes. Each return is split into 2 loc-line nozzles. Return pump is rated at 2150gph at 0ft of head, so maybe a shade under 2000gph at 4ft (internal pump).
The lights are from BuildmyLED. They are the 72", 10K original (not the XB). 
No videos of the sump in operation yet, as I'm still waiting for the custom filter pads to get in. The pads will be going between the baffles. I tossed all the Fluval FX5 pads and bioballs into the sump and wet/dry tower respectively, to help seed the tank.


----------



## chocological (Nov 13, 2012)

Wow, good thing he was okay. Discus are so pretty. I wish I could keep up with their needs..


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

chocological said:


> Wow, good thing he was okay. Discus are so pretty. I wish I could keep up with their needs..


Yeah those kuhli loaches are tricky little buggers! It was one of my black kuhli's that rode the waterfall. :red_mouth


----------



## Kntry (Dec 26, 2013)

WOW, that is a gorgeous tank and stand. You're a lucky guy!


----------



## CherryRed (Feb 6, 2014)

Oh my gosh, wow! What an incredible tank! Subscribed, I am looking forward to more pictures!

And I am glad everyone is okay, lol, what a ride that must have been! Fishy water park?



Saverio said:


> Oh jeez.
> 
> Well, just 24hours later, and I've already found my first passenger to ride the overflow waterfall slide. :icon_roll
> 
> ...


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Well after several days since set-up, it's become apparent that my biggest challenge will be getting my dissolved CO2 levels back up.

Once I get a few days off work again (I work 12hr shifts), I'll have to look into sealing up the dry section of my wet/dry sump.

Also, I'm using a pair of Rio 1100's with needle wheel impellers in the return section, and I must say, I'm not overly a fan of the micro-bubble mist that's flying around the display tank. Looks like I'll have to look at plumbing the outlets into a Cerges reactor. 

You can really see the micro-bubbles in these pics:


----------



## NyCzBuBba (Nov 16, 2003)

Very Nice, wish I can do a 240 gallon tank!


----------



## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

rdmustang1 said:


> Any more pics of the sump? That thing looks awesome. I'm considering replacing mine with a custom acrylic one.


I'm curious to see more of the sump also. I've been thinking about having a new one custom built for me also sometime soon. That looks really nice.


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

ua hua said:


> I'm curious to see more of the sump also. I've been thinking about having a new one custom built for me also sometime soon. That looks really nice.


I'm on the night shift the next few nights, but if I remember I'll snap some shots this weekend when I'm off. 

The filter pads I ordered should be in by then as well.

I asked for 3" spacing between the baffles, as I intend to put the filter pads (15ppi and 30ppi) in there for more mechanical filtration.

Stay tuned! :red_mouth


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Ok as promised, I snapped a few shots of the sump: 

This is the prefilter chamber, bioball tower, and sump area below the tower. Currently using 15ppi filter foam in the tray. There is a small gap all the way around the tray for spillover, in case the filter pad plugs up.


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

These are the 3" baffles, center chamber which can also be used as a refugium, and the return pump section. I asked for the 3" spacing between baffles, so I could add the filter foam for more mechanical filtration. First 2 baffles have 15ppi foam blocks, In the center (fuge), is ceramic bio media that came from the 2 fluval FX5's on my old 125g tank. The last 2 baffles have 30ppi foam. I also currently have all the filter pads from the FX5's as well, to help seed the new tank. It's been about a week and a half now, and ammonia is still undetectable. 

The return pump chamber houses a Rio 1100 needle wheel, which is where I'm injecting my CO2. The mist is being returned to the tank via the return pump, which is an Aqueon AQ8000 (2113gph @ 0 head). 

I mentioned earlier that I don't really like the mist blowing around the tank, so I'll be plumbing in a cerges dwell time reactor in the near future (once the filter housing arrives in the mail).


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Full sump shot. You can see my attempt to seal the dry section of the tower with duct tape. :icon_lol:

Another thing I noticed not long after the sump was installed, was that the guy didn't plumb in any isolation valves! :confused1: So I'll be doing that soon as well.


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

And today's full tank shot, with the light fixture mounting arms installed:

*edited to add* Man, my pic taking skills really suck! Stupid window glare! :angryfire


----------



## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Looks wonderful and that sump is a work of art.


----------



## ctaylor3737 (Nov 14, 2013)

Nice,tank! Love the discus

-Chris


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Newest additions:

Farlowella acus - twig cats! 
Also picked up some more juvenile denison barbs Puntius denisonii to add to the 6 I had.

An order of gold rams will be coming in next week, to complete my stocking plan.

The housing for my cerges reactor came in too, so I'll be plumbing that up this weekend when I'm off. I wanna get rid of the microbubble mist!


----------



## Fish_Bone (Jun 25, 2012)

Now that is quiet the upgrade!!! It looks like everything has come together nicely. 

I really like your layout of this tank. Congrats!


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Here's a short clip of my guys grubbing on bloodworms. Hope the video link works! :icon_smil
The poor old skinny guy (I call him Gramps, he's over 8yrs old, one of the larger ones, with the peppering) doesn't compete well during bloodworm feedings, but he gets his share when I feed beefheart, and tetrabits. 






The cerges reactor has been plumbed in as well. The microbubbles are virtually gone. My anubias pearling is actually the biggest source of microbubbles now. LOL


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Updated full tank shot from 4/25, shortly after a water change. Unfortunately, my 8+ year old discus passed recently, and I lost a red cover due to what I suspect was self inflicted eye trauma. 

I suspect that the red cover got spooked at some point one night because I saw it dark and hiding in some of the background plants. Closer inspection revealed that one of its eyes was popped out. I first thought pop-eye, but then I noticed that the lens looked cracked and the eye was partly filled with blood. It expired the following day. =( 

There was a pretty sharp piece of driftwood that jutted out in the middle of the open swimming space where they typically gather. I've since sawed it off and covered it with moss. 

Anywhoo, this tank has been up and running about 8 weeks now and plant growth has exploded. I've had to hack back the wisteria and cabomba several times now. The S.repens finally looks to be establishing it's root systems and the blyxa is looking lush. The alternanthera reineckii however is still looking less than stellar. It was originally getting some shade from the large driftwood piece on the right, so I've since moved it to an area getting more light. Still not looking all that great though...


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Wow, been over a year since I've updated this thread. Unfortunately, since that time I've created an instagram account. And that's where most of my tank pics go these days. 

If you are at all interested, and have an instagram, you are welcome to follow me there! I am @saveriovega

In the meantime, here are some recent full tank shots of the discus tank. I've since acquired a Nikon D5500 as my first DSLR camera, so I've been taking LOTS of pics as I try to learn how to get better at using it. =)


----------



## jimbo662 (Aug 4, 2013)

Beautiful tank!

Bump:


----------



## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

What is your total stocking now? I see some beautiful Angels in there. That is an absolutely stunning display


----------



## Dropped (Oct 14, 2014)

Yea that is an epic tank for sure! Love the fresh water sump, dont get to see that very often at all.


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

The Dude said:


> What is your total stocking now? I see some beautiful Angels in there. That is an absolutely stunning display


Total stock is:

15 discus
4 juvenile angels
15 denison barbs
6 Sterbai cories (I need to get like a dozen more at least)
5 albino BN pleco juvies
1 clown pleco
2 kuhli loaches that I've had since my first planted tank almost 9 years ago lol


----------



## mattsoccer20 (Nov 8, 2011)

Very nice tank! What kind of lighting and substrate do you have on this tank?


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

mattsoccer20 said:


> Very nice tank! What kind of lighting and substrate do you have on this tank?


Substrate is nothing fancy. Just a mix of Eco-Complete regular grade and fine grade. I really like the fine grade, but I think it's been discontinued, because I cannot find it anywhere these days. I kind of wanted a few more bags to build up the front a little more (it's only about an inch in some spots).

Lighting is a pair of 72" BML's. They are offset, as the tank is 8ft long. I got the 10,000k original series. I have them hooked up to BML's SoLunar controller, so the lights gradually ramp up and down during the beginning and end of the photoperiod.


----------



## ac0xr (Aug 13, 2014)

This is really cool! I recently got a good deal on a 210g on craigslist, and it has the same dimensions as yours except it's 7ft long. I'm thinking of doing angelfish in it.

Anyway, it came with a sump and a pump rated for 1200 GPH at 0ft head height. I'll probably have to add another pump, but I'm wondering what the flow is like on yours with 2000 GPH.

I'm also wondering what size CO2 tanks you use and how often you have to refill them. I'd like to do CO2, but I don't want to spend money on refills all the time either!

Thanks, and Great Job! :thumbsup:


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

ac0xr said:


> This is really cool! I recently got a good deal on a 210g on craigslist, and it has the same dimensions as yours except it's 7ft long. I'm thinking of doing angelfish in it.
> 
> Anyway, it came with a sump and a pump rated for 1200 GPH at 0ft head height. I'll probably have to add another pump, but I'm wondering what the flow is like on yours with 2000 GPH.
> 
> ...


I would estimate that I'm getting abouut 1800GPH max based on about 5 feet of head. The flow is pretty gentle, but seems adequate, especially since I have discus. I am considering putting a few small Koralias for supplemental flow. 

As for CO2, I use a 20# cylinder. I chew through it. My regulator has 2 outlets, both for this tank. One feeds a cerges reactor in the sump, the other just goes to a powerhead in the sump to chop it up. A 20# lasts me anywhere from 6-8 weeks. Fortunately, CO2 is cheap so it doesn't really bother me much. I pay $19 to swap it out at a local welding supply shop. 

Hope this helps, congrats on the new tank. =)


----------



## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

great tank!


----------



## Saverio (Nov 26, 2006)

Here's a recent clip I took. Sorry about the audio cutting out after a bit. Youtube flagged the music that was playing on the radio as copyrighted, so I just cut that section out. I don't even remember what song was playing lol.


----------



## Dropped (Oct 14, 2014)

Yea thats an epic tank, a heap of discus as well.

Looks great!


----------

