Set up my water change barrel

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Okay so getting baby discus and your first time raising them expect a 50 percent mortality rate. Realistically this is what will happen. You're not out of the woods until they are 5" plus. You NEED to invest 300-400 dollars into a ro/di set-up to raise them. They need to be fed 4-6 times a day and they are very picky eaters. Expect to keep live blackworm, white worm, live and frozen brine shrimp, and garlic infused flake around.

Your food bill alone will be 20-40 a month until they reach 4-5" and become less picky and eat regularly.

Water changes need to be done twice a week until they are adults with ro/di and trace elements. Keep in mind these are ongoing costs. Filter cartridges are not cheap. Trace elements are not cheap.

Either way you go a uv sterilizer is almost a must and a decent unit from emperor aquatics or Aqua uv is not particularly cheap.

You need to have a heater that is capable of keeping the water at a consistent 86 degrees f. This can lower a few degrees to 82-3 when they are older. I keep mine at 85.

Personally i will never buy a discus smaller than 5" ever again.
 
thacarter546 said:
Okay so getting baby discus and your first time raising them expect a 50 percent mortality rate. Realistically this is what will happen. You're not out of the woods until they are 5" plus. You NEED to invest 300-400 dollars into a ro/di set-up to raise them. They need to be fed 4-6 times a day and they are very picky eaters. Expect to keep live blackworm, white worm, live and frozen brine shrimp, and garlic infused flake around.

Your food bill alone will be 20-40 a month until they reach 4-5" and become less picky and eat regularly.

Water changes need to be done twice a week until they are adults with ro/di and trace elements. Keep in mind these are ongoing costs. Filter cartridges are not cheap. Trace elements are not cheap.

Either way you go a uv sterilizer is almost a must and a decent unit from emperor aquatics or Aqua uv is not particularly cheap.

You need to have a heater that is capable of keeping the water at a consistent 86 degrees f. This can lower a few degrees to 82-3 when they are older. I keep mine at 85.

Personally i will never buy a discus smaller than 5" ever again.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure this will work out well enough and might just need to get adult discus to begin with.
 
I wasnt trying to be a jerk, just sharing my experiences and what I've learned. These lessons cost me thousands.

Also if you can try to locate your discus locally and try to get them all at the same time from the same batch.
 
thacarter546 said:
I wasnt trying to be a jerk, just sharing my experiences and what I've learned. These lessons cost me thousands.

Also if you can try to locate your discus locally and try to get them all at the same time from the same batch.
Click to expand...

I completely understand and I thank you for your experience. I'm really torn because I really like the satisfaction of having raised the fish from a very small size/early age into a large/older adult. I got my fire eels at about 4" and they are pushing 10"+ now and it has been really exciting to watch them grow.
 
Water change barrels,
They are sealed on a closed loop, water changes are done by closing valves and draining. The 75 gallon display tanks are never touched.
The left one is flows only about 5 GPM. Gravity from the sump. Kind of a hybrid continuous drip.
The right one can flow up to 600 gpm, it has a some bio filtration, soon to be built upon.
Adding in a swimming pool, container, full of K1.

20160703_150520.jpg 20161123_160228.jpg
 
Hello; One thing I have learned about having containers of stored water around is to deal with mosquitoes. (Ask me how I know about this.) I have containers used for WC with small necks of about 5 to 6 gallon capacity that I can carry. I like to have the tops open to the air and I stuff filter floss in the necks to keep mosquitoes out. With the large opening in your picture a mesh screen may work.
good luck
 
skjl47 said:
Hello; One thing I have learned about having containers of stored water around is to deal with mosquitoes. (Ask me how I know about this.) I have containers used for WC with small necks of about 5 to 6 gallon capacity that I can carry. I like to have the tops open to the air and I stuff filter floss in the necks to keep mosquitoes out. With the large opening in your picture a mesh screen may work.
good luck
Click to expand...

You think I have to worry about mosquitoes in my spare bedroom closet?
 
Fish Tank Travis said:
You think I have to worry about mosquitoes in my spare bedroom closet?
Click to expand...
Hello; Yes. I had an outbreak of them inside my house some years ago. Screens were good and I was puzzled. Eventually noticed larvae in one on my water containers.
I also keep at least one small fish in my QT both to help keep some beneficial bacteria and to eat the skeeter wrigglers. I do not see why a closet will be safe as they will find water wherever it is.
Will not be an issue if the container is emptied within a week or so.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom