# 55 Gallon Discus Project



## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

Aqua soil, check! Driftwood, check!









I work 3-midnight so it took me 2 nights (or mornings) after work to plant all the hairgrass. Took 12 pots and 10 hours to complete


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

On 11/10 the plants arrived! Was lucky enough for them to come a few hours before work 









This a day or so later when I added the other piece of driftwood and moved somethings around.


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## MattPeryman (Jan 24, 2011)

Very nice tank! I can't wait to see progress.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

This is the tank on 11/25









Hairgrass as of 11/28 (after a haircut). Filling in nicely if I do say so myself lol


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

Tank on 12/5









12/9. This just shows how fast the DHG grows in just 4 days!









12/16









DHG just wont stop growing!


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

*12/20 DISCUS ARE HERE!! *









And here is the whole tank on 12/20. DHG needs a haircut ASAP!


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## alan7 (Sep 12, 2010)

that is a beautiful tank how many discus do you have in there and is there any other fish/shrimp with them ?


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

That is a really good looking 55 gallon. :smile: Why didn't you add a black background?


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## mountaindew (Dec 10, 2008)

Good job!
Nice clean healthy setup.
md


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## Jonno (Dec 2, 2008)

I have a 55 and im quite jealous! This tank is great! what are your running time for the lights and what bulbs do you have?


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## tunerz (Sep 21, 2009)

What are you fertilizing and how much?


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

alan7 said:


> that is a beautiful tank how many discus do you have in there and is there any other fish/shrimp with them ?


Thank you! 

I started out with two like you see in the pictures. About 3 weeks later I added 3 more.

EDIT: Forgot to answer the rest of your question.

Yes I did have 5 Amano shrimp to start the tank off with but soon after the Discus arrived they became lunch lol. I also have 2 SAE and 2 Sterba's Cory cats running around in there. I really wanted more Cory's but the LFS I got them at only had 2 good sized ones and the rest looked really juvenile. I plan on getting 2-4 more as soon as I can find them. 



VadimShevchuk said:


> That is a really good looking 55 gallon. :smile: Why didn't you add a black background?


Thanks!

I actually thought it would look OK with out one.. Really starting to regret the fact that I didn't put one up just to see how it looks.

Also when I first started I didn't think I was going to use the ledge in the back of the tank to store stuff and thought after the plants grew in it would cover the back anyways.

I also have several suction cups attached to the back of the tank and didn't think they would stick that well to a background.



Jonno said:


> I have a 55 and im quite jealous! This tank is great! what are your running time for the lights and what bulbs do you have?


I run the lights for 8 hours. 11am-7pm.

Both lights are from Zoo Med. One is an Ultra*Sun 6500K and the other is a Flora*Sun 5000K



tunerz said:


> What are you fertilizing and how much?


I fertilize using the EI method for my size tank.. 

I do use a little less KNO3. After about a week of dosing the 1/2 tsp I was getting readings of over 50-60 ppm. 

I think this may have been from the AquaSoil though?


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

mountaindew said:


> Good job!
> Nice clean healthy setup.
> md





MattPeryman said:


> Very nice tank! I can't wait to see progress.


Thanks!


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## jwm5 (May 9, 2010)

looks great, nice work making it look larger than a 55. at least the way you laid everything out looks a lot better than my 55


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## Tamelesstgr (Jan 11, 2008)

My 55 never looked that good in the 9 months I had it going. Really love the DHG, I am contemplating it for ny 75 I eventually want to start.


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## Hussain (Nov 17, 2009)

fantastic tank and discus,


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## Larry Grenier (Apr 19, 2005)

Wow, very nice work! Fish & plants look nice N healthy. 

Criticism - Bad placement of dart-board


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

jwm5 said:


> looks great, nice work making it look larger than a 55. at least the way you laid everything out looks a lot better than my 55


Thanks! 

The funny thing is I knew what plants I wanted from the start but really didn't know where I wanted to put them. Once they came in I kind of just put them in places that I thought would look OK. Find myself lucky that it filled in the way it did..




Tamelesstgr said:


> My 55 never looked that good in the 9 months I had it going. Really love the DHG, I am contemplating it for ny 75 I eventually want to start.


I always tried to get a nice carpet to grow in my 10 gallon but could never do it. The key is to separate them into very small bunches and trim the tops off by an inch/inch half and trim the roots.

The only pain is with this setup and fast growth I have to cut it every week or it grows 4-6 inches +!

When the tank started to get an algae outbreak I didn't cut it for 2-3 weeks. Ill post the picture sometime and I'm sure a lot of people will be amazed how tall it grew!




Larry Grenier said:


> Wow, very nice work! Fish & plants look nice N healthy.
> 
> Criticism - Bad placement of dart-board


Thanks!

Good eyes on the dartboard lol. Forgot it was even there. It hasn't been used since the tank was put up. Now its just used to take up wall space.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

*55 Gallon Project (updated 1/28, the algae begins!)*

Ok here is what the tank looked like on 12/29

I do admit the tank should have been trimmed a while before this. 

You can see what looks like BBA on the Rotala 'nanjenshan' on the back left. 

It all started when I would trim the tops of it. Then the whole stem that I trimmed would get an outbreak of algae. The new growth would be green though.










Dwarf hairgrass anyone! Never thought it would grow this tall!? Its around 8 inches tall after only 3 weeks.


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

DHG will continue to grow until it cuts itself out. You probably will have to trim it like a lawn to keep it shorter.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

fishykid1 said:


> DHG will continue to grow until it cuts itself out. You probably will have to trim it like a lawn to keep it shorter.


I knew it would grow but thought it would max out at some point. Before this I have been cutting it down once a week.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

Here is the hairgrass on 12/30 after taking off about 6 inches!



















And here are the discus chilling out on the lawn


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## semperfimrn1 (Jan 19, 2011)

Love the way it came out! Good Job!!


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

BradC said:


> I knew it would grow but thought it would max out at some point. Before this I have been cutting it down once a week.



Have you tried just literally cutting strips out of it? So i could spread out. THen cut the strips out of it again every month or 2?

All it's trying to do is compete with the other plants to get more nutrients, just like trees grow skinnier in densly packed forests. They need more light, so they grow up instead of out.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

fishykid1 said:


> Have you tried just literally cutting strips out of it? So i could spread out. THen cut the strips out of it again every month or 2?
> 
> All it's trying to do is compete with the other plants to get more nutrients, just like trees grow skinnier in densly packed forests. They need more light, so they grow up instead of out.


 
No didnt really think of that. I would think that it will grow vertical no matter what?

The right side where the grass ends it still cont to spread and grows vertical even though it is not surrounded by other grass.

I thought it was just the parameters I have that caused the DHG and every other plant to grow at least an inch or two a week?


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

Maybe a little of both. There is another type of hairgrass that will grow taller. I can't for the life of me remember the name, but I know there is...

You may just have to keep trimming it and taking small patches out otherwise it'll start crowding each other out.


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

Dude your tank is awesome! I wish I could chuck out the money for a CO2 setup like yours, but man it definately paid off for you! Looks beautiful and the discus look rad too.
Your pal,
Pianofish


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

Would also love to grab some discus from a local breeder once he gets his littleuns raised up big enough... 


The tank does look good though!


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## zyn1 (Aug 26, 2010)

looks awesome.....digging Dwarf Hairgrass


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

semperfimrn1 said:


> Love the way it came out! Good Job!!


Thanks! 



fishykid1 said:


> Would also love to grab some discus from a local breeder once he gets his littleuns raised up big enough...
> 
> The tank does look good though!


Hey thanks!

When you get them post some pics. Hope you get them soon and good luck!



zyn1 said:


> looks awesome.....digging Dwarf Hairgrass


Thanks!


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

I think they'll be a while until I get them. I'm working y way up to more expensive fish...

Are you going to add anymore different red plants to balance out the green?


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

fishykid1 said:


> I think they'll be a while until I get them. I'm working y way up to more expensive fish...
> 
> Are you going to add anymore different red plants to balance out the green?


 
To tell you the truth this tank is heading for a mojor makeover.

I just havent had the time to post all the pics I have to show the removal of some plants and stuff getting moved around.

I always wanted to try the high light setup ever since I had a a bunch of 10 gallon planted tanks. Now that I got it out of my system im going to go towards the low-high to medium light setup.

What had happened was since I got the discus I have raised the temp of the tank from 78 F to around 84-86 F and the temp is really starting to take a toll on my DHG, etc..

My new plan is to get a nice piece of Manzanita driftwood and stock the tank with swords, ferns, crypts, ect.. 

I will be taking pictures of everything along the way and will update the journal.

Thanks!


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

Lemme know when you wanna get rid of the DHG, if you are. I might take some off your hands 

If I ever have Discus, they'll have to be happy with 80 degree water. I've known many people to keep them in it, they just had to keep parameters straight.


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

looks amazing. i've got a 55 w/ that stand and light as well and i am dying to get it started this weekend!

how do you like the stand? i purchased my stuff second hand and the stand is a piece of crap. been waiting to get a new stand (this weekend) before setting my tank up


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

fishykid1 said:


> Lemme know when you wanna get rid of the DHG, if you are. I might take some off your hands
> 
> If I ever have Discus, they'll have to be happy with 80 degree water. I've known many people to keep them in it, they just had to keep parameters straight.


If the DHG is still in good condition when its time to tear it up you will be the first to know 

80 degree water is possible. But like they say everything else has to be good and stable. Prob be best to go that route if you do have lower temp plants and not make the mistake I did :icon_frow



scapegoatw said:


> looks amazing. i've got a 55 w/ that stand and light as well and i am dying to get it started this weekend!
> 
> how do you like the stand? i purchased my stuff second hand and the stand is a piece of crap. been waiting to get a new stand (this weekend) before setting my tank up


Glad to hear your almost about to get everything setup! 

As for the stand Ive had it for a long time (5 + years) and never had an issue with it. It is solid and has a great basic look to it. The thing I dont like is I wish it was taller, and had more room in the cabinet area.

Of course compared to other more expensive, high quality stands you cant really compare it. But for the money at the time when I baught it, it was a good deal.

The only reason I prob didnt get another stand is b/c I would have prob upgraded and baught a 75-90gal tank and stand. Not that its a bad thing but more $$.

Thanks!


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

Cool deal, when are you tearing the tank down?


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

yeah. the stand itself doesn't look bad. i suppose the person i bought it from didn't have it together correctly b/c the tank teeter totters on the center brace and i do not at all trust it b/c of that.

and yeah, it is a very very low stand


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

fishykid1 said:


> Cool deal, when are you tearing the tank down?


I want to say in the upcomming weeks. 

Im actaully just going to take out the plants, leave a piece of driftwood in there until I get the new one so the discus have something to look at. The AquaSoil is staying but might take the 1 inch of powder type off the top. Also might slope the AS as well.



scapegoatw said:


> yeah. the stand itself doesn't look bad. i suppose the person i bought it from didn't have it together correctly b/c the tank teeter totters on the center brace and i do not at all trust it b/c of that.
> 
> and yeah, it is a very very low stand


I think mine did that a little bit but not that much to worry about. I have it on carpet too so it pretty much leveled itself out.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

Ok time for a big update!

Unfortunatly the DHG did not survive the high temps  I also moved most of the plants that were not affected by algae outbreak into another tank. What is left now is the AS Amazonia II and the discus.

A few weeks ago I ordered driftwood from Tom Barr and am very happy with it  Below is how I think I am going to arrange it. It is actually 4-5 peices.



Right now the driftwood is soaking in the bathtube getting water logged.

I am going to replace the AS Amazonia II with Amazonia I. After a few months I realized the Amazonia II would break down and my cory cats would make my water column full of debris. Also going to use Miracle Gro Organic soil as a bottom layer and AS as a cap. Will prob do a 1.5" of soil and 1.5" of AS. 

Will be receiving plants this Thursday. Will be getting the following:

Amazon sword
Crypt Wendtti red and green
Java fern
Java moss
Vals jungle
Dwarf sag
Red flame sword
Anubias nana

EDIT: Forgot to add. I will be adding an additional filter, an Eheim Pro 3 2071 

More pics to follow!

Thanks for viewing


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

Why use topsoil and aquasoil. If your redoing it completely I'd put something like Pool filter sand over the soil/AS. I think it would make it look better with the fish and plants, more natural look..


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## Smitty83 (Sep 19, 2008)

Love that driftwood. I can never find any that look like that in my budget.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

fishykid1 said:


> Why use topsoil and aquasoil. If your redoing it completely I'd put something like Pool filter sand over the soil/AS. I think it would make it look better with the fish and plants, more natural look..


Actually was thinking about using sand but I think the darker substrate looks more natural IMO. If I wasn't going to have plants and just dim lighting and driftwood (like Matt - 100gal Wild Discus Bio-type) then I would def use sand.



Smitty83 said:


> Love that driftwood. I can never find any that look like that in my budget.


Driftwood really wasn't that expensive. Take a look at Tom Barr thread. He has great pieces and are not that expensive. I actually messaged him for a piece that would fit my tank.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/swap-n-shop/128042-gnarled-manazinta-9th-batch-new-updates.html


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

Ok after hours of browsing forums and the web in general I have decided to go with pool filter sand instead of Amazonia I. And yes fishykid you are right it does look more natural once I saw more examples of it roud:

Today (well yesterday) I called the pool place down the street from my work and the guy said he has a couple of bags and would just give them to me. Sure enough when I went down there on my break the guy gave me two 50 lb bags for free 

It is not pearl white either which I like. More of a light brown color. Who knows though maybe after I rinse it off it will be white. Either way I am happy with the decision to go sand instead of AS.

Right now I am painting the back of the tank black. A few more coats of that and it should be good to go. Soon after that ill try to post more pics.


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

Are you going to use the soil underneath it? If you don't you'll need to put a lot of fert tabs in otherwise you'll have nearly no substrate nutrients...I'm doing my 75G as a MTS and sand tank. Can't wait for the pictures!


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

fishykid1 said:


> Are you going to use the soil underneath it? If you don't you'll need to put a lot of fert tabs in otherwise you'll have nearly no substrate nutrients...I'm doing my 75G as a MTS and sand tank. Can't wait for the pictures!


 
Yup still using soil underneath it. Will prob do 1.5-2" of soil and 1" of sand.


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

Lemme know if your doing it before Saturday... That's when I'm finally setting my 75G up! Yip Yip! Got the heater today, so that's the last part. Everything else is in place and ready to go!


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

fishykid1 said:


> Lemme know if your doing it before Saturday... That's when I'm finally setting my 75G up! Yip Yip! Got the heater today, so that's the last part. Everything else is in place and ready to go!


 
Actually doing it tomorrow :hihi: 

Sweet! Must be as excited as I am!? I have all the equipment on the floor of my room with the tank laying on its side getting painted. As you can imagine I had to make little hallways so I could still get around my room lol.

Are you going to start a journal when you set it up?


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

I have a journal.. doesn't get much attention. I guess there's not many pics of the actual tank set up. I think I'm going to do a few 'DIY' threads on stuff I built for the tank and link them in. 

I'm kind of upset right now. My angel that I got from a friend passed away tonight, and a couple days ago I had a killifish decide to take a sailing trip out of the tank. I'm kind of bummed. 2 fish in a week due to stupid reasons is slightly irritating.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

OK time for an update!

Tank is all planted and going good so far. Will probobly be moving some stuff around but this is what I have so far  Below are some setup pictures. Enjoy and thanks for viewing 



















Eheim Pro 3 2071









Eheim Pro 2 2026 and its parts









Tank with Hydrokable and soil









Pool filter sand and equipment 









Tank with sand 









Tank with driftwood and fully planted 









I tried to keep it simple this time around. I got enough plants to cover some key areas but not enough to crowd the tank. Like I said I will prob position some of the plants differently (dwarf sag, which isn't as dwarf as I thought it was going to be)

Thanks!


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

fishykid1 said:


> I have a journal.. doesn't get much attention. I guess there's not many pics of the actual tank set up. I think I'm going to do a few 'DIY' threads on stuff I built for the tank and link them in.
> 
> I'm kind of upset right now. My angel that I got from a friend passed away tonight, and a couple days ago I had a killifish decide to take a sailing trip out of the tank. I'm kind of bummed. 2 fish in a week due to stupid reasons is slightly irritating.


Sorry about your loss 

I have seen your journal before just didnt realize it was yours till now :iamwithst

Setup looks good! Cant wait to see more once you start.


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

Thanks... I wish she was still here. Such an active lil' girl.

It looks good. My 75G is going to be pretty bare for a few months until I get more plants. Hopefully my MTS does some help on the plants I'm choosing. Right now they are giving me he**!

Are you planning any co2 or anything for this tank now, or just fish poo and breathing?



Can't wait til it fills in and you get those discus.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

Yes I have CO2 hooked up now. Its connected to an inline diffuser from GLA on the 2026. Also will be dosing trace.

Yesterday I realized I lost one of the bushings for the impeller on the 2026 so I had to order one. So up until I get that I wont have CO2 running.


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## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

BradC said:


> Yes I have CO2 hooked up now. Its connected to an inline diffuser from GLA on the 2026. Also will be dosing trace.
> 
> Yesterday I realized I lost one of the bushings for the impeller on the 2026 so I had to order one. So up until I get that I wont have CO2 running.



Ouch that's a bummer. I got the 75G up and running. Check out the pics after I upload them...I think I need some more plants/driftwood...


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

loved the original look, and love your discus. looking forward to this new layout 

i'd love to keep discus, but i dont think i have the discipline in me.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

zenche said:


> loved the original look, and love your discus. looking forward to this new layout
> 
> i'd love to keep discus, but i dont think i have the discipline in me.


Thanks! 

I liked the original look also.. Just was to high tech and was too much maintenance.

The new layout I like a lot better and the pictures don't due it justice. This layout the discus will feel right at home and have lots of grazing room.

Discus are not hard to keep. They are just a big ol cichlid's. As long as you keep up on the water changes and the water chemistry stays the same you are good to go!


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

OK tank and plants have been doing very good. Nice slow/healthy growth. Have the CO2 hooked up and diffused using the GLA inline diffuser. I have to say this diffused works very well. The bubbles are so small, you have to go up to the tank to even notice they are even coming out of the spray bar.

Recently I started getting these fly type insects around the tank. They almost look like mosquitos but are smaller and lighter in color. After a lot of research I found out that they prob are nesting in the filter. Where they originated from, I have no idea!?! I have had several tanks in the past in that same location in my house with no issue with bugs at all.

As the weeks went on it just kept on getting worse and worse. Last week I cleaned out both my Eheim canister filters completely. I was not looking forward to this b/c the tank had just finished its cycle. I took everything outside and washed it out with the hose. At the bottom of the canisters there where all the larvae wiggling around so it looked like this is what the problem was. After spraying out all the media and replacing the filter pads with new ones I poured boiling water into the filters and let that sit for a while.

Its been about 4-5 days since I cleaned them out and I dont see any flies. Im sure it will take a couple weekes to a month to really see if they are gone for good. Also got some guppies (two male, 2 female) b/c I read that they will eat the flies as they float around in the water column.

Will prob wait another couple of months before getting discus so everything will be stable.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

Ok here is an updated pic. I added two male and two female guppies a few weeks ago to help with the fly issue I was having. So far so good. The guppies mated and I have six guppy fry in a breeder box (at top of tank in pic). Also put in the two sterbai cory cats a few weeks back and everyone is doing great!



Thanks for viewing!


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

looks like your tank has gone through a lot of change too. 

guppies..hehe, i hope you never get sick of them.

i'm thinking i'm gonna have to end up going the CO2 route too...and i plan on getting the GLA diffuser when i do.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

zenche said:


> looks like your tank has gone through a lot of change too.
> 
> guppies..hehe, i hope you never get sick of them.
> 
> i'm thinking i'm gonna have to end up going the CO2 route too...and i plan on getting the GLA diffuser when i do.


Yeah it definitely has lol. Seems like everyone goes through some kind of change after there first serious planted tank..

I really liked how it looked before (except the driftwood) but was un-realistic for discus.

Guppies are cool and very active but they will be moved to another tank once I get discus in about 3 months or so.

The diffuser from GLA is awesome! The bubbles are so small you can barely notice them in the tank.. Might raise the light and move the CO2 to another tank when I get discus though, not to sure yet..

Thanks for viewing my thread and good luck on your tank.. Looks like you are off to a great start!


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

thanks 

well, good to see you're going back to the discus. they're so awesome, but i know they'd be too much for me to handle. pity they didn't go with the original scape...really loved that one. 

they'll make short work of any hiding guppy fry you might have  though make sure you check your filter too, lol.


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## TankedOut (May 19, 2011)

Do you think the hair grass will grow in a Low Tech tank with 1.6wpg and without CO2? I've been looking for a grass-like carpet like this. Looks great though!


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

TankedOut said:


> Do you think the hair grass will grow in a Low Tech tank with 1.6wpg and without CO2? I've been looking for a grass-like carpet like this. Looks great though!


When you say 1.6 wpg can you be a little more specific as to what type of lighting you have (T5, T8, etc..), tank size/gallons and how far you have the light from the substrate.

I have grown it in low light with no CO2, it just grows very slow and takes some time to fill in.

The key is to separate it into small strands of around 10 blades each and plant them .5-1" away from each other. I also trimmed about an inch off the top and clipped the roots a little bit to promote new growth.

Thanks!


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## SylvesterGraham (Apr 19, 2012)

Where on earth did you get that piece of driftwood for your second tank. Very nice, I live in your neck of the woods so if there's a store about that sells pieces like that I might stop by.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

SylvesterGraham said:


> Where on earth did you get that piece of driftwood for your second tank. Very nice, I live in your neck of the woods so if there's a store about that sells pieces like that I might stop by.


I got it from Tom Barr (plant brain) who is a member of this forum and lives in CA. He usually has a thread where he sells all kinds of this driftwood. I private messaged him and told him what size tank I had and what I was trying to do and he sent me some.

Thanks!


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## carpalstunna (Mar 22, 2012)

looking good! is that a standard sized 55 gallon. It looks taller than mine.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

carpalstunna said:


> looking good! is that a standard sized 55 gallon. It looks taller than mine.


Thanks! And yes it is a standard 55 gallon. Beleive the dimensions are 48x12x21, give or take a inch.


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## ILernDaPlantz (May 26, 2014)

Looks SOOO nice. Good job man.


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