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    Hi Mauro,
    Great to hear from you - and I do recall you very well !
    No, I don't keep discus anymore - I've taken a final pause into what I think is my last foray into discus-keeping - after 40 years of keeping them on & off, they got to be a bit too time-consuming at my advancing age. But I'm still active in this forum and on simplydiscus, as well as several others.


    My wife and I are doing just fine despite this COVID crisis. How about you ? Any problems with your most recent hurricane ?
    I closely follow your US politics on a daily basis and fervently hope all you americans and your great democracy will survive the "Trumpian" scourge you're currently undergoing ! I love the U.S., and really feel bad for all of you during this very unfortunate 'disabling' time in your lives.


    Tata for now,
    Best regards,
    Paul

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    Hi Paul,


    As you might recall, I used to keep wild discus and interact with you at simplydiscus. I just came back to the hobby and o this forum. Good to see you are still active. Do you still have discus? I have given up discus keeping for now, but I have just set up a new 55g tank, shown in this thread:



    https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/100-low-tech-forum/1312841-new-55g-low-tech-tank-cycling.html


    Just wanted to check how things are going. I have remarried and I am doing quite well here in New Orleans. I hope you and your family are doing well, despite the global pandemic.



    Best,


    Mauro

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    7. Also want to add a few shrimp and or snails to help clean.
    8. The light that came with the aquarium is a basic LED - Marineland® LED Bright Lighting System 36" to 48" - not sure if its enough for plants or too much
    for discuss. It seams like there is a fine line that one must walk between plants and discuss when it comes down to light. Any suggestions?
    9. Is the filter I got plenty or should I consider getting a second filter like a smaller canister or an HOB? I'm planning on doing a 10% water change weekly and cleaning the canister every 2 weeks at first and eventually every three weeks.
    10. Should i add plants first and let the aquarium run like that for a month and then add some snails and shrimp? A month later add some more fish (Red Nose tetras or Rasboras) another month after add Discus?
    I'm sure you have answered this stuff before but please share your opinion with me.
    THANK YOU!

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    3. I saw how people clean sand, by stirring it up first, then letting it settle and vacuuming half an inch above the sand. But wouldn't mixing all that nitrates
    and debris and gasses be bad for discus?
    Should I use gravel instead? I just dont like bare bottom tank and plants in pots. And Gravel doesn't look so grate to me either. Compared to sand.
    4. I wanted to paint the back of the tank dark blue or black but read that it can cause some discoloration in discuss. Is that true?
    5. A lot of people suggest Cardinal Tetras as companions but some say they will get too stressed and one tertra at a time will disappear.
    What do you recommend as best mates for cardinals.
    6. I was thinking its a good idea to get some bottom cleaners like plecos, catfish or gobies(so pretty and tons of color options). Any suggestions?

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    Hello Discuspaul!

    I'm new but decided to get discus. Here is what I bought so far and what my thought process is.

    1. 75 gallon tank 48" wide, 18" long and 21" tall (thinking of gettin 6 or 7 Discus fish, all adults 4.5" to 5")
    2. Ehiem Canister Filter Professional+4 600 + Bihome media + Ehiem prefilter
    3. Ehiem 250watt heater
    4. Driftwood 20" long 15" tall (cured by me)
    5. A few pieces of Dragon Stone and some small local river rock.

    1. I love how sand looks. Should I use pool filter sand or pay more for aquarium sand? Should I add some Flourite Black in the back of aquarium and sand
    in front and keep all plants planted in Flourite by Seachem?
    2. I want to add a few plants not a lot, and a little bit of moss on the driftwood. What plants do you recommend (a few tall, a few small ideally) that will
    work well with sand and discus)?
    I have some more questions but cant fit them in here (1000 characters max)

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    Hi! discus Paul. I am still enjoying my 75 gal tank more than I could have ever imagined. I healed from my left knee surgery (OK) but still need to have the right knee done hopefully this fall. I almost got some discus in but thought it wise to wait until this last surgery is over with so I don't have to have rely on a caretaker for the fish who may not quite understand the fish needs (not that I would either necessarily) but am still very anxious to get my first discus fish. Here is a recent photo of the tank. I think the reactor works very well with the canister system. Am thinking of possibly upgrading my Wave pump to a smaller unit (supposed to have lots of power) not inexpensive however - SicceXstream-E Wave Pump made in Italy. Best wishes and thanks for all the helps along the way.

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    Hi Ed - No bother at all - always glad to help if I can.
    I can't recall how many discus you have, what size they are,
    where you got them. And also if your tank planted or not -


    Is that discus eating at all ?


    Just off the top of my head for now, it sounds like a water quality problem, and wcs only every 3 or 4 days usually doesn't cut it - .
    What quantity/percentage of water do you change with wcs ?
    Also, perhaps your tank cleansing routine isn't quite what it should be. These things can affect water quality.
    If the situation continues, you should consider isolating that fish in a small bare-bottom tank for a week or so, with large daily wcs, to see if his condition improves and he eats.
    Let me know the answers to the above questions if it's not too much trouble.

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    Hi Paul,really hate to bother you but have a problem with one of my discus.I know it is not possible to diagnose the problem from a 500 miles away but any input will be great.
    The problem is it looks like his fins are rotting away and he is a little thin.Other than that he seems normal but not always eating like the others.I've observed them hours at a time and have never seen any attacks on his fins just the usual posturing and pushing around that they all do.I can't download pics so am sending you my email so if you want you can email me and i can send pics.I have researched and the only real suggestions are more water changes so am doing 50% water changes every three or four days.again thanks for your time Ed dauzye@sbcglobal.net

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    (part 2 of 2)

    I do have a walstad system, topped of with eco complete. My water is 3/4 RO-DI and 1/4 tap water, so my KH is aound 3 and GH 8. I do a 40% water change each week. I have a filter suited for a 160 gallons aquarium, with no chemical fitration (only mechanical and a lot of bio filtration).

    My discus are juvenile ranging from 2 inches to 4 inches. I have actually 6 of them. I feed them by automatic feeding 3 times a day with high quality fakes and a couple of time a week, I give them bloodworms, brine shrimps or beef heart mix.

    They do not grow and they are often kind of dark. Once and a while, one dies, usually from hexamita (I see the white feces, and they start losing weight).

    For the record, I have some cardinal tetras and hatchet fish and they are doing extremely well.

    So, would you have some advice for me ? If you need other information, don't hesitate.

    Thanks a lot.

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    (part 1 out of 2)

    Hi!

    My name is Jocelyn and I saw that you seem to be pretty expert with discus. I have a planted tank with discus in it and I pretty much always some kinds of problems with them.

    I lost quite a lot of juvenile discus, from mistakes ou because of severe bullying leadin to stress and mainly hexamita. Recently, I saw that my discus had fin rot, since a lot of them had their fins kind of eated.

    The problem is that my aquarium is really high tech and my water perimeters are solidly stable. At one point (like 8 months ago), I even had a lot of spawning between a pair and some fish were growing slowly.

    I have an 80 gallons tank. My ammonia and nitrites are at zero since the begining and my nitrates are always below 5. My phosphates are low and my water is at 28 celcius. I have co2 injection, so pH is maintained between 6,45 and 6,5 (I own an Apex neptune system). There are some ph spike in the morning, but by spikes I mean... 6.6.

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    Hi Paul. I am back at the studio a bit with short trips. My total to the left knee went very well but still have a significant amount of pain yet and more recovery time. Brother Louie has kept the tank very well. It went through some kind of darkening? no algae though and crystal clear water. It probably could use a WC to clear up the lighting effect but won't do that just now and all the water perimeters check out OK anyway. I think I can safely go to a bit longer hours of lighting now that the plants are taking off. The waterlily has gone to town. I also need to learn how to take better photos to avoid all the glare but have to study up on that methods etc. On the mend here.

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    You need to add more ammonia than that. Try a teaspoonful, wait a few minutes, then test & see what it registers. Add more if need be, to get a reading of 3-4 ppm's. You'll soon get the feel of how much, or how much less, you need to put in, to maintain a daily reading of 3-5 ppm's. It's not rocket science.

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    Hi Paul,
    I have the 75 gal. tank filled and circulating with the Aquatop- last night... and this morning we put the amonia in - one drop per gallon ratio. Today I took two amonia readings and the water is clear? I have the canister set up with bio-balls, removed the charcoal, and have purigen in a bag at the upper most tray. Shouldn't I begin to see some color on the test files, or perhaps I just need to add a bit more increments at a time and try and get the reading of 4 or 5 ppm. The white sand looks nice and I have the heater going as per your information for beginning to cycle the tank.
    Llewellyn

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    I've mixed warm & cold tap water for many years for tank fills or for water changes, and never ran into a bit of a problem, or even a small concern. If your Fargo fish people have no problem with that either, that doesn't surprise me, because while younger I lived & kept tropical for years in Winnipeg (where I was born & raised) & I would imagine the 'Peg water was not dissimilar to North Dakota water.
    So I really think you needn't be concerned.

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    I have my pool sand on hand and the thermometer. The canister filter arrived and the glass vial around the UV light was broken in shipping so I am waiting now for a replacement for that. Meantime I tested my aerated tap water and get a pH 7.6. I am re reading how to calibrate my electronic pH tester, although it may not be necessary as the ease of liquid pH works very well. I am only doing this for my own experience and to see if I can get that equipment to work.

    I understand the need to condition water for fish but still not sure about the temperature thing. I don't think it is wise or possible to use ones (warm) tap water? I thought the fish people in Fargo said they just turn the tap on both (warm and cold) and that works for them. I need to sit down with the test kits and read and get some readings for various water quality anyway and see where I am at and how it compares to the API test results.

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    Hi Paul
    I ordered the aquaclear 70 from big Als up in Canada, they were the best price
    So once the filter comes, I can start the cycle
    Mark

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    39 Posts
    well, the 135 is now clean and ready.
    I haven't ordered the filter yet, I am hoping they will have them on sale for black friday

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    someone asked the strength of the ammonia, no one answered the question.
    I looked at the walmart then put in clear ammonia, found the right bottle
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