Hey everyone, another novacastrian!

[broadfoot]

Hello!

I'm from Newcastle, NSW and my name's Ben (Broadfoot is my last name).

I've been perusing discusforums for a while now, but I'm about to join you all in actually keeping these fish so it's time to join up properly :) I still have a few decisions to make, but I do now have a tank!

Sorry, they're all camera-phone pics.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8433/7506918272_f78b9d3d54_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/73898193@N05/7506918272/)
4'x2'x2' - the stand is raw pine, and I got it with one coat of undercoat on it already.

I bought it on Tuesday for a pretty sweet deal ($300 for the tank, stand, hood, 3ft sump, return pump and a protein skimmer!). I just had to remove the blue background (personal taste) and a bit of silicone inside the tank that the previous owned used to set up something for his frogs. It used to look like this.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/7506925434_679ca85bc7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/73898193@N05/7506925434/)
The guy who sold me the tank even phoned me that night to make sure I'd got it home safely :) Champion.

So now I've collected the bits and pieces I think I need to finish off the stand, then I'll put on a black vinyl background, find 2 cheap eheim 2217s, fill it up and get some fish in there! Barebottom juvies or planted adults... Decisions decisions.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8147/7506907214_ba2d0bb0de_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/73898193@N05/7506907214/)
These are my bits and pieces to finish off the stand and hood. Also you can see a black corner piece that fell off the aquarium after I got it home, and I've noticed that another one of these is missing. Are they structurally important or just to hide imperfect silicone jobs?

Anyway, here's my current tank, housing a few discus-friendly fish (sterbai corydoras, cardinal tetra, otocinclus and a dwarf gourami - I'm not sure if this fella is discus friendly, he may just stay in this tank or be given to a friend).

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8162/7506923162_f678f8f1ff_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/73898193@N05/7506923162/)

Thanks for reading, I'm looking forward to spending more time on the forums and learning heaps. Reading, reading, reading...

[Hooked]

Hi,

Welcome, sounds like you got an awesome buy. Those plants look great too.
I doubt the side pieces are of any real structural help. As you said more so cosmetic. Gives it a clean look though,

Cheers

[broadfoot]

Thanks Hooked.

That's good news about the corner, it means I can reattach it without needing it to be perfect, just look neat.

[Hooked]

Hi,

Just to clarify, if they came off so easily then I doubt the original person put them there with strengthening in mind. Sure, if they were really well siliconed on they would help beef up the tank corners but then they would have been really hard to remove. All the best with the set up,

Cheers

[Big Kahuna]

Hi Ben,

Looks like you joined about the same time I did so welcome. That tank was a good buy and cleaned up a treat, well done. How long until you can put some fish in :?:
Cheers

[rburrowes]

Hey Ben,

Welcome to the forum, you'll find it really useful.

On another note, would your dads name be Matt? Just curious.

Cheers

Rob

[broadfoot]

Hey Big Kahuna,

I've gotta get my hands on some filters and finish up the stand. Hopefully not too long!


And Rob, my Dad's name isn't Matt. It's actually Rob...

[broadfoot]

Apparently I'm pretty slow at getting tank stuff done!

However it's all painted now and handles are on the stand.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7124/7690015048_0a0a7ba93e_b.jpg

I'm ordering my two 2217s tonight and should have them within a week or so.

Have any of you got any good tips for leveling my tank? It's level from front to back, but it's about 10mm off from left to right. Any advice?

[Ghoti]

Have any of you got any good tips for leveling my tank? It's level from front to back, but it's about 10mm off from left to right. Any advice?

Will you be using a hood or collar? If so just leave it be and the hood/ collar will hide it. If not then your choices are to live with the water not an even distance from the top or use cabinet packers between the floor and the bottom of the stand on the low side. The packers are possibly less noticeable.

Cheers,
Scott

[broadfoot]

I have a collar that will hide it.

What are cabinet packers?

[broadfoot]

My gold vine came in the mail today. I'll have to chop off the top of the vertical piece to fit it under the glass covers.

Filters should arrive in the next couple of days!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7265/7732388414_e0a836980d_b.jpg

I used some spare tiles under the left side to level out the stand. I need something thinner, ~5mm, to go under the middle.

[broadfoot]

Ok, I've got my filters.
One came with a snapped shaft but the guy I got them from is sending me an entire head to replace it!
Half of the wood is still floating but it'll only be a few days away from sinking.

I now need to get some fish!
I'm definitely getting 5-8 of one strain of discus, I don't like the mix and match look.

I like the red-spotted greens, and red leopards. Also most turquoises I like. I'm trying to find out if any of these strains have pigeon blood backgrounds, because my black background will probably bring out their peppering.

But it's time to find, order and wait by the mailbox! Or go for a drive.

[Woodsie]

I love going and just looking at discus in the shops. Trying to sweet talk hubby into another tank just because the discus addiction has hit so hard lol.Have you had a look to see who is close to your area? Love the RSG and the red leopards.

[broadfoot]

Apart from keeping an eye on the member classifieds, I'm expecting I'll end up buying for Marlon.

Newcastle doesn't have any LFS that sell quality discus (as far as I'm aware). They're always overpriced and just in tanks of "assorted discus".

[broadfoot]

I've ordered my discus! 8 red turks at 6-7cm are coming in a week and I'm heaps excited.

Currently the tank is inhabited by 23 Cardinal Tetras, 4 Otocinclus, a handful of Cherry Shrimp and some driftwood & Java fern.

Here is one of the Cherry Shrimp hanging around on my goldvine which has a few spots of stuff like this on it. I'm not sure if it's algae or something from inside the goldvine.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8175/7999408875_9b760167f9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/73898193@N05/7999408875/)

Here are some of the Otos chilling out under the driftwood.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8171/7999435490_c333a4d50c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/73898193@N05/7999435490/)

And here is a FTS. Barebottom, 2xT5HO.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8437/7999411682_e82b081e5c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/73898193@N05/7999411682/)

The driftwood is arranged like that to hold down a floating piece, I'll rearrange it if it ever sinks...

[broadfoot]

Yay!

What could it be?
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8449/8025655740_c746d01b63.jpg

...?
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8312/8025655402_731f6c1483.jpg

Fish in a box
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8032/8025653065_81b2d43b1a.jpg

Fish in a bag
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8038/8025652787_eb7d5141a0.jpg

Fish in a bucket
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8457/8025654460_1a57405df9.jpg

Almost full up from a water change
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8459/8025652189_2b0a38ce19.jpg

Fish in the tank!
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8175/8025651855_fd9732c79b.jpg

This last photo is with no aquarium light and no flash, trying to make them feel a bit safe.
Some of them were keen to eat 10 minutes after making it into the tank.

Pretty excited!

[swifto]

Looks good,how ever the cherries will make a great snack.

[broadfoot]

That's ok, I have a million of them in my other tank...

[Hooked]

Hi Broadfoot,

I've recently started breeding Cherries and Taiwanese Shrimp. I'd love to put them in with my planted Discus tank too. Is it 100% that they will be munched? Or do the larger ones survive better? Or are they just harassed?

Cheers,

[broadfoot]

My personal experience of having discus spans a massive two days, so I can't give you much unique info there. My discus are 6-7cm and I haven't seen them eat any yet.

My understanding is that discus will eat pretty much anything they can catch and fit in their mouth, but shrimp colonies can be pretty hard to wipe out so maybe they'll breed fast enough to stay alive.

[swifto]

:lol: :lol: :lol: its gunna b a slaughter of the shrimp,i put 100 cherries in my discus tank as a clean up crew well the discus took care of the clean up crew.They lasted a month,the discus would circle the d/w and pick of any that were in reach.GREAT SNACK. :lol: :lol: :lol:

[broadfoot]

That might actually be worth watching...