2,000 Liter Discus Tank

[MojoDex]

That filter set up is mighty impressive. 
 
One question though. Are  plants capable of photosynthesising 24/7?

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

That filter set up is mighty impressive. 
 
One question though. Are  plants capable of photosynthesising 24/7?

I do believe they are. Many horticulturalists use grow lamps 24 hours a day........especially those growing plants they shouldn't!!!

There's a company in the US called ecosystems who build refugiums! and they recommend that the lights stay on 24 hours a day.

It also helps with keeping the water temp up, as it is lovely and warm inside the cabinet. I have noticed that the heaters have hardly switched on and the water is sitting at a steady 29C.

Still early days though and I am sure It will take some tweaking over the coming weeks.

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

A bit about the lights I decided to run. I had looked at metal halide lamps, but they are mega expensive and also the only ones I could find that would cover the size of this tank were as ugly as my mother-in-law!
 
So I took a trip to my local DIY superstore and had a look around at what they had. I found what I think are cool looking units. They are the kind of light fittings that might be seen over a kitchen hotplate.
 
So I measured them out and opted for 4 of them to comfortably cover the tank. They are fixed to the ceiling and hang from chains. I fitted 4 of the largest energy saver(Daylight) bulbs they had. They are rated at 45 watts each, which is the tungsten equivalent of 250 watts. So in effect I have 1,000 watts of lighting, but only burning 180 watts of electricity. Don't ask me how many lumens they are...........I have no idea! 

 All I can say is they are bright! 

 
I will see how they perform with regard to the plants over the coming weeks and report back. They are controlled by a digital timer, and on for 12 hours....08:30-20:30
 
In the refugium I used the old light off my 450 litre.
 

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[Ch4rlie]

A bit about the lights I decided to run. I had looked at metal halide lamps, but they are mega expensive and also the only ones I could find that would cover the size of this tank were as ugly as my mother-in-law!

 

 
Sure hope your mother in law never reads your thread on this forum should you ever leave your laptop open on this page! LOL
 
But a simple but effective set up in regards to your lighting system. 
 
Sure hope it works out ok. 12 hours of lighting is quite a lot of time, may get some algae possibly? But with these type of bulbs, I honestly do not know.
 
Fingers crossed they should be just fine. 

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

Charlie, she's as short sighted as she is ugly, so she won't see my nasty comments. Plus, the closest she ever came to a computer was Julius Cesar's abacus!

Please don't use that swear word "Algae"! I have added phosphate remover to the sump, and hope that the plants in there will suck up all the nitrates and starve the algae.

Fingers crossed.

 

[Ch4rlie]

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

Will add Cardinals and more Corys tomorrow.

I did plan to get 5 more Discus, but now feel that there are enough in the tank and 5 more would be too many.
I found some @$%#}*¥~ snails in the refugium! They must have bummed a lift on the plants. I love snails so much that I want them all to live in heaven! Top tips on sending them there will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ch4rlie]

ah, snails eh!
 
Obvious answers really, assassin snails?
 
Put in lettuce, leave for a while, gather them and dispose at your leisure. Make take a few goes with lettuce before getting them all.
 
Hand picking them out......

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

I gave a bunch of them a loving strong finger and thumb hug today. They are not in the tank yet, so I will serve them a lovely salad as you recommend!

Any similar tips for my mother in law? I don't think attracting her with salad will work! I am not actually married yet, but my fiancé and her mother could feature on an episode of Life On Earth, with David Attenborough, solving the connection between prehistoric creatures and humans!!

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Sounds like you love your mother-in-law
 
Just curious, how much has your power bill gone up by with this new setup? 

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

Sounds like you love your mother-in-law
 
Just curious, how much has your power bill gone up by with this new setup?

Ummm...now there's a good question. I won't know until my bill arrives at the end of the month. I am guessing it will be quite noticeable.

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

30 Cardinals, and 20 Black Neon Tetras were added today. Also and extra half dozen Corys.
 

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[Ch4rlie]

Nice, all schooling tightly together at the moment, all new to them and a massive tank and big 'ol Discus swimming around too!
 
As soon as they settle in you should see them exploring more and will be nice and calm to watch them swim around happily pretty soon!
 

 

[IonaMcCluskey]

beautiful tank and beautiful fish, love the layout/scapeing
 
just wondered about your lights, are they hardwired or have you got them on a socket?

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

Nice, all schooling tightly together at the moment, all new to them and a massive tank and big 'ol Discus swimming around too!
 
As soon as they settle in you should see them exploring more and will be nice and calm to watch them swim around happily pretty soon!
 

I tried to get a photo of the Black Neons, but they won't keep still!!! Is really cool, because the cardinals are swimming together midwater, and the blacks are swimming together near the top. A great contrast. Will try to get some photos tomorrow.

beautiful tank and beautiful fish, love the layout/scapeing
 
just wondered about your lights, are they hardwired or have you got them on a socket?

Hi Iona, Thank you I wired the lights together and then have a lead running down to the wall socket. No light switch, but they are plugged into a digital timer. I suffer the odd power cut here when we get big thunder storms, so the digital timer never goes out of sync(as it has an internal battery) like a mechanical one does.