New to this. Just my ramblings on what i am doing.

[fern]

Just some rambling while I couldn't sleep.

Late 2016. Ordered a nice setup. Not big but it had to fit in a particular spot and also had to be a display furniture item, not just a big tank on legs.

Joined a Discus forum and a general aquarium forum. Read everything I could. Watched hundreds of youtube videos. Realised I don't know much. Had not heard of cycling. Didn't know much about water changes and their effect of removing nitrate.

Bought test kits, some plants, driftwood, a good air pump, a foam filter, stones and chemicals and 'designed' a possible layout.

I am attempting to get a 'mini' cycle going. I filled a large plastic storage box with tap water. Potted my small collection of plants in some of the red scoria I use with my orchids. Put some old frozen raw prawns in a milk container with some water. When I got the pump I connected the foam filter and put it in the storage box. Started using the water from the prawn mix - a little pour when ever I thought of it. The prawn water takes your breath away. I guess it is ammonia. Lucky this is all going on outside.

I havn't been overly impatient, christmas and new year in there, but .... It must be 4 weeks now. Told this week but it is Wednesday already.

The urge to get back into the fish hobby was inspired through a visit to a pet shop to get some dogwash. They had some tiny angelfish that were about $7 each. So expensive.

I started reading on youtube. Saw the discus. The ones I had in the past (pre 1990) were brown. You could get variations but they were still brownish.

That's what I want. Some of those beautiful colours new varieties. Thought I would get some of those smaller ones.

Apparently not a good idea according to what I get from my reading and advice from the online community. 'Get bigger ones'. 'The difficult work has been done for you'. Maybe that is why they are so expensive.

Like everybody else I want the best for the lowest price.

Well I searched my LF Shops. The big ones I remembered just don't exist anymore. Nothing much available. Some of the fish I saw were nice but for a beginner no way to justify that price. You get put off a bit when you see even one of the collection that has gone all black and is hiding in a corner.

So now I have been looking at the online stuff. The quality seems very high. As is the price.

I am not settled on what to get and where to get them. The reply from the seller I contacted seemed so friendly and made me feel he is someone I can trust. How can someone do that in just a single contact? I must search and see if he has any reviews.

Next I saw a big display tank (video not in person) that only had one variety. I think they were something like red map pigeons. Stunning. Something I would like but it isn't possible or sensible at this stage. Deciding now do I want an 'all the same small collection' or 'a mixture'.

[sayid]

It is a bit daunting and discus are not cheap .i think the second one that you have seen is a breeder , the other thing you can do is to get a small a small angelfish and practice on it later if you want you can sell it .
sayid

[mattgoanna]

Hi. Just a few comments.
You can use Seachem Stability to cycle the tank in7 days and have fish in there at the same time.
In relation to colours, my advice would be to stick to one colour, say all blue and then just include one other colour such as red. Mixing colours does not look as good as a school of a single colour.
Are these the old Brown Discus you are talking about? They are now the hardest to get!

[fern]

old Brown Discus you are talking about? They are now the hardest to get!
My memory thinks they are. I remember my motherinlaw wanted a second hand tank for some goldfish. When i picked it up it was neglected with no light and the old lady said there are 3 fish in there you can have. Yep 3 large brown discus. But that was a long time ago.
I have seachem stability ready to use.

[fern]

It is a bit daunting and discus are not cheap.
sayid
Very true. If I was a lot younger maybe go the easier fish.

[fern]

Well I got my tank. 225 ltr. This is 4th day. It is planted. Ph is above 7.2 below 7.6. Ammonia is about 1 ppm. Nitrite below but near 1 ppm. Nitrate about 5 ppm. I had been running a foam filter in a plastic container with my plants for 2 weeks and had been adding water out of a bottle which contained rotting prawns. Really stank so I think very much ammonia. I put that foam filter in the new tank without washing it. When I added water to the tank and planted I added the water from the plastic container as well. Probably 20 or so litres. Also added the gravel from the pots the plants were growing in hoping maybe some ammonia eating bacteria had started.
I am thinking that if I have nitrate then something good has started. Also I have added 4 goldfish and have been overfeeding them. They seem very happy and active and will go into a large outside pond as a reward later on.

So am I doing anything right or ...... ???? What level of nitrate would I do a water change? Or not at all until the ammonia and nitrate levels improve?

[fern]

21323
If no photo here then I didn't follow the instructions correctly.

The bottom front is clear to assist cleaning later on. The white plastic thing has rotting prawns in it. The net is just catching the circulating plant bits.

[sayid]

What a pretty tank you have got , the cycling will take about 4 weeks and you really can not hurry it up , you have got ammonia which means your cycling has started ,but ammonia and nitrite are both poisonous and you could loose your fish as the result ,i would not over feed the fish and just go easy ,you can stop the rotten prawn as well ,start small water change twice a week ,you are on the right track,

[mattgoanna]

Looks very nice. I would play will some black cardboard behind the tank and see if it makes the plants stand out even more. Goldfish may introduce gill flukes to the system, so check that they are using both gills.

[fern]

I would play will some black cardboard behind the tank and see if it makes the plants stand out even more. Goldfish may introduce gill flukes to the system, so check that they are using both gills.

pH maybe about 7. Am less then 0.25. Nitrite 0. Nitrate between 5 and 10. Did an 80% water change. So I think I am close.
The background - I have a shiny white plyboard behind the tank easily removed. I would like light blue but been too busy and will do something later. I read that a dark background can promote peppering so I went white.
I am thinking I need to leave the goldfish in the tank until I get real fish. Keep the ammonia coming.

Sayid - "you can stop the rotten prawn as well" - I did.

Thanks for both your help. I have read as many of your posts as I could find.

[sayid]

Hi fern ; peppering only happens to blood pigeon type discus but i understand where you are coming from ,having said that i am thinking of changing mine from a planted background to black.
good luck.
sayid

[fern]

Just had them for 1 day. Still hiding a bit but come out more if I turn the air off. Very happy with what Carlos sent me.

21349

[fern]

background to black.
good luck.
sayid
I bought the blue one side - black the other side background paper. I am using the blue. What I got are nearly all PB so will see what happens.

[sayid]

What a lovely set up ,your tank looks colorful and clean ,just watch your cleaning regime ,there are a lot of spots where fish waste and uneaten food can get trapped and effect water quality , well done .