what dimensions?

hey guys,

i was researching keeping discus and due to having a spare 3 ft tank i thought i could use this.

however i have come to realise that this tank would be too small for adult discus and i wouldn't want to stress them out later by moving them to a larger tank.

i have advertised my tank and am now looking at upgrading.....SO.

i need recommendations.

i can only accomodate a 4 ft and as i already have a 6 ft running i didnt want 2 tanks the same size.

what dimensions would you recommend and also who do you recommend to build this.

i have considered the ffg :

120(l)x50(h)x55(w)....water vol +-330l

120x50x50=300l

120x55x55=360l

120x60x60 = 430l


what size tank (above)would be ideal for approx 5 adult discus. and can i get away with using 6mm glass and 8mm bases for all the above.

can you please provide tank builder details if any of you have done a custom build.

please advise me as i dont want to risk losing fish due to bad builds etc.

thanks.

 

I don't know much about discus but I remember reading a post by the Prof. that each adult needs 70l of water. So you could use a 300l tank with a 100l sump and get away with 4.

 

Correct @Firefly ,but you also need to keep Discus in groups of 6 or more... aka the 1.2 x 60 x 60 is a dead minimum for 6 fish...reason for the larger groups is to prevent the biggerand most dominant fish bullying the others...

@Catfreak - PM f-fish - he's got a nifty safety calculator for glass thickness...

also remember that sucsess with Discus only comes with a lot of work from your side... Regular large waterchanges with the correct water...feeding high quality food round 6 times a day...

G'luck mate...

 

@azurekoi - lol it is not my calculator .. but I do dream of that big tank I will build ...

http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium

Now to find a glass supplier in my area .. that is a story for another thread.

Later Ferdie

 

Thanx @f-fish ... And here I thought you were keeping your hard written software all to yourself...he,he - thanx mate!!

 

Nope azurekoi - I do not like the idea of redoing things that are already done and dusted when it comes to ICT stuff ... in this case the site has some good tools - true one day it might not be available and I am sure that people have already copied some of this guys scripts but the web is huge and finding something that will be a good resource is probably 90% of the trick. I must add that I like doing the calculations on a safety factor of 3.5 not 2.5 as the default settings indicate. I have validated the results against several other sources and xls files a few years ago and it seemed accurate but use at own risk.

@Catfreak - I see you are wanting to get a custom build. Might be cheaper to get one that is already done and then stick to those dimensions - also check the adds - I seem to remember DBN having some big tanks at good prices on gumtree over the years. BTW what is currently in the 6ft? Can you not move that to a standard 4ft and then make the 6ft your discus tank ?

Later Ferdie

 

hey f-fish,

checked the site you linked.

it seems pretty spot on with the advice of the tank builder i spoke to.

awaiting quotes from him.....not keen on a 2nd hand tank....prefer going new so i know what the deal is with the tank + no scratches are a big bonus.

the 6ft is currently my catfish tank...so no possibility of using that tank....i have 2 pangasius that i grew from 5cm to their current +-55cm sizes and they not gonna be happy downsizing and currently growing out my red tail cat whom i got at about 6cm and is now roughly 6cm wide at his mouth....lol.....(ps the red tail will eventually have a nice big pond for himself)

ight now the 4ft will have to suffice for discus.