[hedge_fund]

Hello. I am looking to set up an identical discus tank. Seems that ADA is out of the tank that I want (90-H) so wondering whether there are other alternatives. Money is not an issue but I'd like to keep it under 2500. I do not see it getting expensive since I only need the tank, light, filter, driftwood, sand, heater, lily pipes and probably a few misc items.

Is there a comparable tank company to ADA? I would like a "high" tank that is anywhere between 60-90 gallons.

Any recommendations on sand? Or is the ADA one just as good?

Where would I even attempt to get this type of driftwood seen in the pic?

I've had aquariums my entire life, used to breed angels/cories/bettas in high school so keeping discus would be a new challenge.

 

[ngrubich]

for the driftwood, check out Tom Barr. I believe his name on this forum is PlantBrain, if I'm not mistaken.
You can also check out his sales threads here (provided that the link doesn't get removed): http://www.barrreport.com/showthrea...-Manzanita-driftwood-batch-3-posted-8-13-2012

If you don't see what you want, just shoot him a PM (http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/member.php?u=1333) or check out his other sales threads on his site.

 

[Axelrodi202]

A trick used in the ADA type tanks is to arrange several pieces of driftwood to appear as one. I imagine it'd be much easier to take that route then to try to find a single huge piece of driftwood that looks like that one.

 

[UDGags]

Axel is right. Take multiple pieces of wood and use twist ties to arrange them. Once they are arranged use 316 SS screws at the bases to hold them all together. The bases will be covered with plants, dirt, rocks, etc. in the tank.

 

[Diana]

tank: Usually most economical to shop nearer to home, shipping on a single tank can add a lot to the cost. Even if you have to drive an hour or so from home, are there any upscale tank builders near you?
light: Have a look in the lighting forum, there seem to be quite a few threads about LED and other newer lights. The slim style of the fixture can sure add to the elegance of the overall set up.
filter: Well, Eheim has a name for itself, but I do not like them. However, it ought to be possible to swap out the green tubing, get clear tubing.
driftwood: Manzanita will look like that. Tom has some awesome pieces. There are other suppliers, too. Just make sure you get good pictures with a tape measure in the picture so you get a really good idea of what you are getting.
sand: Pool filter sand is probably one of the better ones, and available locally. Check the color. Another way to go is to look into the Pebble Tek product line. This is fine quartz particles that are added to swimming pools to make it different colors. Avoid the ones with real sea shells, the pure quartz ones are good. Available in many colors
heater: Many people will go in line heater for this sort of set up, and I hear the name Hydor more than any of the others.
lily pipes: This might be where you really want to stay with the ADA product line. Look for others, but also look at the reviews and comments in the equipment forum. Look also in the DIY forum.

 

[semperfimrn1]

i really love that tank!

 

[ngrubich]

I used pool filter sand in my SA cichlid tank before and didn't like the way it turned out. The color when it first went into the tank was nice, but I kept having diatom issues with it, resulting in a darker/more brown/algae covered substrate. Just something else to keep in mind, but then again, I had an algae issue with the tank the whole time it was the SA cichlid tank.

 

[hedge_fund]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Keep them coming.

The reason why I said that "money is not an issue" is that I do not want to cut corners by saving a few bucks here and there. I pretty much want it done right without trying to jerry-rig things in order to save a few bucks.

 

[discuspaul]

Would be great if you could find a used, but good condition, Fluval Osaka 320 tank/stand/light kit (84 gals) - I have the Osake 260 kit - just over 70 gals. Alas, they've been discontinued and not available new anymore.

I highly recommend quartz-based silica PFS for a discus tank if you want some DW as well, and don't care for the bare-bottom look.

Perhaps you would care to have a peek at mine, to give you some idea of the Osaka look:

http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/discuspaul/lolliblues2

 

[talontsiawd]

ADA has exceptionally high quality that I haven't seen rivaled. However, it's much more evident in their nano's. When the tank gets bigger and the glass gets thicker, it just doesn't stand out as much. Oceanic makes some nice rimless tanks that are much more widely available and if I remember correctly, the glass is beveled unlike ADA which I like on bigger tanks, not sure about that.

 

[hedge_fund]

Thanks for the suggestions. This thread is great.

Please keep it going.

My concern here is the driftwood. Unless I order 50 pieces and play around with them, it will not look good. I wish there was a store close to me where you can actually build it inside the tank, take a picture, and bring it home.