Breeding My Discus

Hey DTD,

I am glad to see that you use co2 in your tank too!

My discus are due in a few weeks and reading around there are so many that say they must only be kept in BB tanks, no plant, no co2 that i was beginning to worry!

My co2 is like yours on a ph controller - how did you decide on that ph value?

Do you use anything for extra surface agitation apart fro the outflow from the filters?

Cheers

ainsy said:

Hey DTD,

I am glad to see that you use co2 in your tank too!

My discus are due in a few weeks and reading around there are so many that say they must only be kept in BB tanks, no plant, no co2 that i was beginning to worry!

My co2 is like yours on a ph controller - how did you decide on that ph value?

Do you use anything for extra surface agitation apart fro the outflow from the filters?

Cheers

Click to expand...

Rested water out of my tap has a pH of 7.5(which is ok, but I am fussy), and at first I ran the pH controller to keep it at 6.5, but it was burning gas! So I ended up at 6.8 and I get around 3-4 months from 2kg of Co2. When I had it set at 6.5 I got around 6 weeks from 2kg. It only costs me 4 quid for a refill, so no big deal, but the extra time adds more flexibility. I have 2 bottles so I can rotate, but my girlfriend cannot change the bottles(when I am away), as it needs spanner operation.......and that is mans work! ........ that should kick off some man hate from the girls here!!

We could go on about surface agitation and oxygen exchange, but I don't want to kick-start a big bun fight! I think I waffled some rubbish about pumping water and adding Co2 without making loads of flow, in a bit about my main tank? Is here on page 2: http/www.fishforum...nk/page__st__20

I just turn the water over at around 6 times per hour and never have oxygen issues.

My take on it, is keep your water nice by implementing a good water change program, and your fish will be happy. Make the water changes easy with some good planning, and life will be good for you and your fishes

Mum moving her brood and sticking them on the sponge filter turned out to be a very bad move, as they never became free swimming, and all perished. I think it was due to the fact that the filter surface was obviously not clean

The spin off from this was that I had a total rethink on what I am doing. Throughout this journey, I have relied a great deal on lady luck, and for whatever reason, she has been a cruel mistress ...... So I have made the decision to give up!.......NOT! I am going to take it very seriously now and kick lady luck up the butt. Every accident, mistake and stroke of bad luck which has plagued me I have given thought to, and worked out the best possible way to stop them happening again.

So, a big re-jig of the set-up consumed my day yesterday. I have set-up 2 tanks one above the other, and removed all potential problems from the tanks(filters, heaters, etc.). What I have put together is a total loss water system, so no filters or water changing will be needed. The way this works, is I have plumbed in a freshwater supply directly to the top tank. I then built an overflow, and this drains water from the top tank to the bottom tank, and a second overflow installed on the bottom tank runs to the drain. The feed water is coming in at 29C so no temperature control is needed, and the feed rate is a tiny trickle at about 10 liters per hour. So it is supplying the tanks with 240 liters per day, and given that the total volume of the 2 tanks is around 150 liters, I am replenishing the water almost twice in each 24 hour period. This will keep everything sparkling clean, with next to no effort on my part. All I need to do is siphon out the waste, and even then I don't need to put any water back in as the system replenishes itself. It is working brilliantly, and the fish look so perky and bright

Also today I picked up my new pair of Blues from the fish farm. They are a great looking pair, and have had 2 large broods of young that are now being grown on, so these guys are proven winners.....Even I couldn't fail with them.....could I?

.

Nice work!

I Like your way of thinking - Fortune favours the brave!

How does your overflow work? Is it driven by an air pump - air going into the rear half of the u-shaped tube?

ainsy said:

Nice work!

I Like your way of thinking - Fortune favours the brave!

How does your overflow work? Is it driven by an air pump - air going into the rear half of the u-shaped tube?

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Thanks mate.... The rear tube is just the priming tube and the air line you can see is actually coming out of the top tube through a check valve, and the end is free. I just tucked it away in that prime tube. I just sucked on it to extract the air and kick start the system, once started it doesn't stop or need re-priming even if the water level drops when I am vacuuming, as the water is trapped inside and no air can get in, so as soon as the water level rises again it restarts the overflow. It's a miniature version of those used on sump filters and marine set-ups, but as I am running a trickle I used skinny half inch pipe.

Would it be terribly inconvenient to draw a kinda flow diagram of that set up? I'm a novice when it comes to this kinda thing and it really interests me?

jojouk said:

Would it be terribly inconvenient to draw a kinda flow diagram of that set up? I'm a novice when it comes to this kinda thing and it really interests me?

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I could give it a go, but how about a short video, and I will try to explain it?

Here you go.....sorry if my explanation is a bit rubbish, but hopefully you will get the gist of it. I am sure there are better designs somewhere on the net, but this is one works ok

hero!

I have headed down to the coast for 48 hours of house hunting, but when I left this morning the pair in the top tank were going nuts cleaning the spawning cone. So I expect to get home to a batch of eggs tomorrow. If so then it will not end in failure this time!...... No more Mr Nice Guy

IcQb said:

hero!

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I 2nd this

G

garyspence84 said:

IcQb said:

hero!

Click to expand...

I 2nd this

G

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.... Thank you guys.... I am determined to crack this, not only for myself, but also for all you guys who have shared this ride with me. I can't think of anything else I can do to improve my chances. However, please send all ideas on a postcard to:....

I think you should get in the tank and act as a surrogate.

Now go get working on your slime coat!

ainsy said:

I think you should get in the tank and act as a surrogate.

Now go get working on your slime coat!

Click to expand...

I don't think there's much more you can do. I admire your determination!
I'm going for cory-spawn and syno petricola spawning... Not merely as hard as discus

Although sticking a bucket in my fridge for cooler 'rainwater' for my cory's is not sticking too well with the missus

That video was fantastic! It was a simple setup once you explained it, but most people don't think those kinds of things up. Now if only everyoen could have fish-ready water!