Questions about discus...

[The Zigman]

Hi,
I hear alot of people suggesting to remove the carbon from a filter is you are going to have discus because of some kind of plankton colonizing in the carbon? If I have this correct, then what if I have a UV sterilizer? will that kill the Plankton or whatever we are not wanting to live in the carbon? (don't we need the carbon? or is the biological filter going to be all there is?)
Also, i read alot about fish spawning in tanks, and was just looking for a generalized summary of:
1 How do you know when your fish (discus) are going to spawn?
2 How do I transfer the eggs / fry into the quarantine tank
3 Do I wait till they hatch and attempt to move the fry? or do you move the eggs?

Not looking to become a breeder or anything, but I am putting a lot of time, effort, and $$$ into this tank, and hopefully the fish appreciate it, and give me the satisfaction of spawning in there, to let me know I did it right. ( If not they are going to have to get a paper route or something to help pay the rent!!)

the tank is 125 gallons, plan to use 2 - 500 watt titanium heaters to maintain the 82 degrees or so.

any other insight would be very much appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[The Zigman]

Anyone?

 

[reptileguy2727]

No carbon, but not because of plankton. I don't use carbon in any of my tanks anymore. You will not have any ill effects as long as you are doing enough water changes. The biggest reason is because carbon will remove trace elements and micronutrients. These things are vital for fish and plants and long term can end up causing problems. HLLE has been shown to be associated with carbon in some cases. HITH can even be contributed to by carbon. HLLE and HITH can be contributed to by a number of things (water quality, diet (including trace elements and micronutrients), etc.). I make a distinction between the two in that HITH has Hexamita spp. and/or Spironucelus vortens present, even if they are not the main cause and HLLE doe snto have any of these protozoans present.

 

[The Zigman]

So then my filter should just have the foam, Some bio material, (i have biomax) and thats it? Should I fill 2 trays with Biomax? Will my new 16 Watt UV sterilizer adversly effect anything? I have had several small tanks in the past, but the 125 i have now is the biggest, it's still empty, but I want to be sure it is set up correctly (and cycled) before I add the fish. I hope to have enough live plants to keep the oxegneation level up.

 

[reptileguy2727]

What filter do you have?

I have Fluvals. I set them up so the water first goes through the course mechanical pads that come with the filter. Then the water goes through as much polyester pillow stuffing that I can cram in the next compartment. This serves as a very good fine mechanical/polishing media. The the rest is filled with Biomax. This is very economical in the long run. The only thing that needs to be replaced is the pillw stuffing, which is very cheap at Wal-Mart and other places. The course mechanical pads may need to be replaced eventually, but last a very long time.

 

[Star_Rider]

in regards to raising fry..do not remove the eggs do not remove the wiggler/fry
let the discus parent raise the fry.
the fry feed off of the parents slime coating..it will supply the fry with the nutrition they need until they begin to forage.

one thing tho..discus are very sensitive to activities around them. try to keep the parents isolated and do not disturb them too much.

 

[reptileguy2727]

Most breeders keep breeding pairs in their own smaller tank so that they have the isolation and peace they need, as well as an easier to manage tank. Most have an extremely aggressive water change schedule as well, which is easier to maintain on the smaller tank. So you may want to let them grow up and pair off in the 125, then move the/a pair to something like a 29-40.

 

[The Zigman]

Yeah, I was going to get some juvinile discus from a couple of reputable sources, and put them all in the 125. Hopefully some of them will pair off, not looking to breed any fishes, but I just thought if they paired off, and spawned, then I must have done it right. Anyway, i have a Fluval FX5, and a uv sterilizer. I put up some pics in the photo gallery section. Need to save some $$$ for a couple of good heeaters now..

Will the parent discus be able to defend the fry from other fish in the tank if they do spawn & hatch in the 125?

 

[reptileguy2727]

Definitely go with Stealth heaters. They look better, are very accurate, and are shatter-proof.

The FX5 is good, I have one on my 150. The water goes up the outer rings then down the center. I filled the bottom two inner circles with Biomax. The top half is half-filled with Biomax and on top of that I crammed as much polyester pillow stuffing as I could. This setup works very well, better than anything else I have tried.

 

[The Zigman]

Looks like I'll have to buy some more Biomax...
Any thoughts on the sterilizer? Bought it just to reduce the risk of any parasites or bacterial infections on the Discus...