Reefer wanting to try freshwater

[Ricordia]

Hey gang,

Now that my nano reef is going strong, and my 150 is recovering from the aiptasia invasion, I want to try something a bit different. I bought a used, drilled 30g Oceanic cube system over the weekend: 10g sump, 150w heater, Mag 30 for the return pump.

I've got it filled with water and running the loop. Everthing looks good so, I'd like to try a planted freshwater tank in this. Will discus do well in this kinds of a tank? If not, what other fish would you suggest? Also, what kind of plants would do good in a tank this tall? Any good reference sites I should take a look at?

In case you're not familiar with the Oceanic 30g cube, it's 21" tall, 20" wide, 18" deep.

Thanks!

[edit: Oops! It's an Oceanic, not Eclipse ]

 

[fishfanatic2]

You could probably put a pair of discus in there and create something of an Amazon (I think) tank, with cardinals and/or rummy-noses and maybe a few corydoras. I wouldn't put more than 2, MAYBE 3 discus in there. Also, discus require higher temperatures (like 84) and soft, acidic water. For plants, well basically it all depends on lighting. Species like bolbitis and java fern require less light where something like cabomba (sp?) requires more light. I would use one of the commercially made plant substrates like Eco-complete or FLourite for plants instead of just regular gravel.

 

[Ricordia]

I dug out my older issues of AFM (I usually ignore the freshwater articles) because I remembered seeing a cover story about Discus. They talk about keeping one adult discus per 8 - 10 gallons, so I should be OK with three right? I've read that cichlids in general prefer long tanks to tall ones, so the "per gallon" rule doesn't apply to all tanks. Discus are generally more sedentary though, right? They shouldn't need long swimming areas, if I understand it correctly.

I really appreciate your suggestions for other fish to go along with the discus; I'd like this to be an Amazon tank, despite the fact that most discus are tank raised and haven't been anywhere near the Amazon in generations. My lighting at the moment is the basic lamp that came with the tank. I can upgrade that to whatever is necessary for plants/fish to thrive.
that brings up another question though: I've got this tank sitting next to my 150g reef. The MH lights over the reef spill into the 30g, though it's filtered through the salt water. Anyone know if this will have any affect on the freshwater plants? Good, bad or whatever?

 

[Anonymous]

I recommend you get the plants thriving sooner rather than later. Then do the rest.

Not familiar with discus other than a few articles I have read. Perhaps a 30g will be large enough. But what I remember is that for getting say six and letting them pair off would require a larger tank.

I think you will find that by maintaining plant life as a first priority, the system will be extremely stable and easy to care for.

Keep us posted.

 

[Anonymous]

30 galllons is to small for even a pair of discus long term. You will either stunt their growth, or end up with VERY crowded fish - or both.
Please consider their adult size.

Jim

 

[Ricordia]

Hmm, I've read many conflicting opinions on that, some "experts" claiming 1 per 8 gallons is fine, others saying 1 per 20 gallons, and many in between. Oh well, it's a moot point anyway; since posting my original question I've found some good information on the internet and Discus are just too damn finicky for me. 4 water changes per week? 8O Forget it! Plus there's the fact that there doesn't seem to be any Discus for sale in Northern Utah and I refuse to buy any fish I can't observe first hand.

So now I'm looking for another biotope to set up, or just about anything planted I suppose.

Ricordia

 

[Anonymous]

Yea four water changes per week is ridiculous. but then I don't do any

I understand they are hard to breed which could also be why they are so expensive.

I'de just keep it simple and see what you come up with.

you might try a google search for planted tanks. I came up with www.plantedtank.net which I know nothing about :lol:

There are several planted tank threads here also.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm, I've read many conflicting opinions on that, some "experts" claiming 1 per 8 gallons is fine, others saying 1 per 20 gallons,

Yeah, that is just silly. That would mean you could keep one adult in an 8 gallon tank - even a 20 is too small.
Careful where you get your info from.


Jim

 

[Ricordia]

Well, this is where the "rule of thumb" really breaks down in my opinion. The expert I mentioned has been raising Discus for more than a decade and has a 75 gallon tank with 9 discus in it, which is roughly 8 gallons per fish, that's been running fine for some time apparently. Obviously the size of the tank and the size of the fish is what's important, not some overly general rule.

I'm having trouble decided on a new centerpiece species though, now that I've decided against Discus. Anyone have any suggestions, keeping in mind the size of my tank?

Ricordia

 

[Anonymous]

I kinda think fw angels are cool and had 4 in a 15g hex for a few years.


But they were cramped.

Just an idea.

 

[fishfanatic2]

Well, this is where the "rule of thumb" really breaks down in my opinion. The expert I mentioned has been raising Discus for more than a decade and has a 75 gallon tank with 9 discus in it, which is roughly 8 gallons per fish, that's been running fine for some time apparently. Obviously the size of the tank and the size of the fish is what's important, not some overly general rule.

I'm having trouble decided on a new centerpiece species though, now that I've decided against Discus. Anyone have any suggestions, keeping in mind the size of my tank?

Ricordia

I don't care for angels much, except altums, which are kinda hard to get. For a planted tank, a pair of rams, keyholes, maybe, maybe kribs would be a decent 'centerpiece'. If you go non-planted, such as rift-lake type habitat, then a harem of shell-dwellers is really cool.

Schools of fish such as rummynoses and stuff also make good centerpieces.

 

[Ricordia]

I'm glad you mentioned the Ram Cichlid, that one's on my short list. I'm going to look up the other two you mentioned for a planted tank. Thanks!

Ricordia

 

[Anonymous]

May I suggest Badis badis, a very cool little fish.
Also, some of the Tanganyikan shell dwellers do just fine in those water conditions believe it or not.

 

[Ricordia]

Ooh, a Chameleon Fish! I'll see if anyone can get them locally. Thanks for the suggestion!

Ricordia

 

[Anonymous]

Well, this is where the "rule of thumb" really breaks down in my opinion. The expert I mentioned has been raising Discus for more than a decade and has a 75 gallon tank with 9 discus in it, which is roughly 8 gallons per fish, that's been running fine for some time apparently. Obviously the size of the tank and the size of the fish is what's important, not some overly general rule.

I'm having trouble decided on a new centerpiece species though, now that I've decided against Discus. Anyone have any suggestions, keeping in mind the size of my tank?

Ricordia

have you seen the 9 x 8-12" discus in that tank ? if they're healthy, that's the size they should be, after 'some time'

 

[Anonymous]

Well, this is where the "rule of thumb" really breaks down in my opinion. The expert I mentioned has been raising Discus for more than a decade and has a 75 gallon tank with 9 discus in it, which is roughly 8 gallons per fish, that's been running fine for some time apparently. Obviously the size of the tank and the size of the fish is what's important, not some overly general rule.

I'm having trouble decided on a new centerpiece species though, now that I've decided against Discus. Anyone have any suggestions, keeping in mind the size of my tank?

Ricordia

the rule of thumb works very well, as long as you understand it properly...

1" of fish to a gallon of water, where the fish is the same height and thickness as a 1" tetra"

calculate how many serpae tetras can occupy the same volume of space as a full grown discus, and you will get quite the accurate gallonage that discus will require for proper life support




hth

 

[Ricordia]

Hey, I'm agreeing with you here! But, nobody has ever explained the 1 inch per 1 gallon to me in the way you have here. At least not in any pet/fish store. I was simply pointing out that different, so-called experts, have said contradicting things about tank size and discus population. I've given up on discus anyway.

I'm now looking at dwarf gourami. Any suggestions? There are a lot of color morphs available locally, but all male unfortunately. I wish I could find some female gourami.

Ricordia

 

[fishfanatic2]

Gouramis are a good choice, however plan ahead to what you will be stocking in the future. Fin nippers seem to have a ball on their 'streamers' (lack of a better word), and they aren't terribly speedy fish. Gouramis aren't aggresive themselves, just don't let them be picked on by other species.

 

[Ricordia]

I've been told that rainbowfish make good tank mates for gouramis. Any other suggestions? What about algae eaters?

Ricordia

 

[fishfanatic2]

Rainbows are great, the problem is size. They are active schooling swimmers, so you need several, and the ones most commonly available grow between 4-6". However, there are a few species that if you are willing to spend, will be great, very nice too. Check out the linky-

http://species.fishindex.com/species_29 ... wfish.html

Liveaquaria has them here-

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod ... CatId=1059