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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WICKILEAKS" data-source="post: 14694336" data-attributes="member: 326944">I. CYCLING THE AQUARIUMYou have made your decision as to the size of tank and type of set-up you want, and you have bought the tank, stand,lighting, and the other necessary pieces of equipment. The tank has been set up in its permanent location in the room, youhave readied the filter, or filters, for operation, and you have placed the heater into the position you want it. If doing aplanted tank, you have also added your selection of rinsed substrate, driftwood, or any other décor, and put your desiredarrangement of plants in place in the substrate. As a last step before plugging in and starting the filters and the heater,you have filled the tank, at least to a 90 % level, with conditioned warm tap water of at least 28 C (82 F).It is now important to ensure the tank is cycled. NEVER, never introduce discus to an uncycled, or cycling tank. It can,and probably will, kill them. It’s cruel and expensive ! ‘Cycling’ can probably best be described as the growth of coloniesof beneficial types of bacteria, called nitrifying bacteria. They are necessary because they neutralize ammonia, convert itinto nitrites, and finally render the nitrites to produce nitrates. Ammonia and nitrites are toxic to fish, whereas nitratesare much less toxic, and generally harmless in moderately low concentrations. When you cycle a tank, you are reallycycling the filter materials, or media. While there will be some bacterial presence on the tank glass walls, on driftwoodor other decor, and in and on substrate, a majority of the bacteria will likely be in the filter(s), although a good amountmay be located in the substrate. Colonies of beneficial bacteria can only develop and survive in the presence of ammonia.In a cycled aquarium, these bacteria will maintain themselves in sufficient quantities to render harmless all the ammoniathat is being produced in the tank by fish, and by decaying plant matter, uneaten decaying fish food, etc.Fresh water from the tap has very little or no ammonia and no beneficial bacteria. One of the more accepted methods ofstarting the cycling process, called the fishless method, is to begin introducing store-bought ammonia (NH3) to a newlywater filled tank. Bottled ammonia is readily available in approximately 10% concentration with only water added.Read the label. It should contain only ammonia and water - no dyes, fragrances, nor surfactants. It should be colorlessand should NOT produce any foam when shaken. You can buy this ammonia at most discount or chain grocery stores orhardware stores.With the filter on and the heater running, add sufficient ammonia to your tank to produce an ammonia test reading of 4or 5 ppm. Start by adding five ml of ammonia for every 40 L (10 gal.) of water, or 25 ml in a 220 L (55 G) tank. Swirl itaround and let it sit. Please note that ammonia at the dosage level suggested above is the quantity needed when using a 10% concentration of ammonia in water. If you’re using 100% pure ammonia, the dosage will need to be reducedaccordingly, i.e., by 10 times, - only six to eight drops of ammonia per 40 L (10 gal.).Test the ammonia level and add more ammonia if necessary, two or three ml at a time, until a test shows a reading of 4 or5 ppm. Then test daily or every second day until the ammonia level has dropped to around 2 ppm. This indicates thatbacteria have begun to develop and neutralize the ammonia. Test for nitrites at this point; you should get a readingindicating that nitrites are present. Add more ammonia, five to ten ml at a time, to bring the level back up to 4 or 5 ppm,in order to maintain sufficient ammonia in your tank for the growing bacterial colony to consume and survive. Keeptesting for ammonia and nitrites daily, or every second day, while at the same time adding ammonia regularly until thenitrites have spiked up to a high reading. It will take a few more days for a high nitrite level to drop to a low range, asthe type of nitrifying bacteria that renders nitrites into nitrates take somewhat longer to grow and multiply.During the cycling process, it is suggested you regularly check the pH of your tank water. A low pH of 6.0 to 6.5 during thecycle will slow down the development of the nitrifying bacteria colony and perhaps even stall it’s growth. If your pH ismaintained above 7.0 during the cycle this should have the effect of hastening the process.Over time, when your testing regularly reads a ‘0’ level for both ammonia and nitrites anywhere from 12 to 24 hoursafter you have added your last dose of ammonia, you will know that the bacteria levels have developed in sufficientquantity to deal with the ammonia in the tank. At this stage, the nitrates level will be high. Do a large water change of75% to 90% to reduce the nitrates to 20 ppm or less. Your tank has now fully cycled and is ready for fish. Remember,you need to keep adding ammonia in small amounts every day or so while your tank is cycling and the bacteria coloniesare growing, so the bacteria will not die off, until you are ready to add fish to the tank.This process generally takes around six weeks. Bicarbonate of soda can be added to the water to raise the pH above 7.This ensures a quicker and more successful cycle and reduces the cycle time by one to two weeks.One final note, if you’ve opted to begin with a planted tank, consider allowing some further time following the cycle toacclimate and start your plants’ growth before introducing the discus. A total cycling and seasoning period of 45 to 75days should allow the plants sufficient time to become established.The entire cycling process can be eliminated if you can buy a cycled sponge from the discus supplier, or add a seasoned,colonized filter with all of its media intact from an established healthy tank to your new tank. In this case, fish can beadded immediately. If you do so, test your water daily for the first few days to ensure there is no ammonia or nitrites.This is to confirm that the size of the bacterial colony you have introduced is sufficient to deal with the fish bio-load youhave placed in your tank. If you add cycled media it should come from the fish supplier or from another tank you have,not another source like a friend or the LFS.II. WATER QUALITYDiscus are tougher than a lot of people think and they can be relatively easy to raise and keep healthy if one ‘follows therules’. Perhaps the most important of these rules is maintaining water quality at a high level. Discus are moredemanding, or shall we say, more intolerant in this area, than almost all other types of tropical freshwater fish. Here arethe conditions that need to be maintained on a consistent basis.A. Conditioning Your Tap WaterConditioning means removing, or neutralizing, those elements in your tap water that can be toxic to fish – mainlychlorine, chloramines, and other harmful elements. There are many effective water conditioners on the market. Followthe dosage directions on the container to condition tap water for your initial tank set-up and for all the water used forwater changes. Alternatively, use an HMA.B. pH of Your Water (Range of Acidity or Alkalinity)The vast majority of discus available today are farm-bred and raised, and can readily tolerate, if not thrive in, pH levelsranging from 5.5 to over 8.0. Many of you will find that the pH of your tap water is in the 6.5 to 7.5 range, which isperfectly acceptable.The key to pH for discus is to maintain a relatively steady level, avoiding rapid fluctuations up or down. Even moderatefluctuations in pH, occurring quickly, can be harmful, if not fatal, to your fish. pH will very likely change somewhat fromtap, or ageing barrel, to tank, between wc’s, and over time, but so long as this is gradual, there is generally no problem.The danger lies only when a large change in pH takes place over a short period of time. This is why it is recommendedthat beginners not attempt to modify or alter pH levels by using chemicals. If the pH of your water is 7.7, then stick withthat. Resist the temptation to try to change it!The first step is to test the water coming straight out of your tap. Then, fill a 20 L (5 gal.) bucket with tap water. Let thewater sit and ‘age’, aerated, for a 24 hour period and test it again. Tap water often contains a lot of dissolved carbondioxide. When water is released, the carbon dioxide dissipates and the pH then rises. If the pH rises by no more than 0.4,then it should be safe for you to use water directly out of the tap for your water changes, or for topping up evaporatedwater if necessary, but as long as that water is conditioned to remove chlorine, etc., and the temperature is within a degreeor two of that in your tank. If the pH rises by more than this, then the water needs to be aged before doing your waterchanges. Otherwise, your fish can experience dangerous, or fatal, pH shock. Many aquarists maintain water ageingbarrels of various sizes, usually in the range of 150 to 200 L (40-50 gal.) or more to accommodate their water changes, thuseliminating large fluctuations in the pH. Ageing barrels are most often simply inexpensive food-safe garbage pails inwhich aquarists store, aerate and heat their conditioned water before doing water changes. Ageing also ensures theconditioner (or dechlorinator) has had ample time to work. The length of time needed to age the water varies, and itdepends on how long it takes to gas off the carbon dioxide. If the pH in the barrel does not rise further after 12 hours, forexample, then the water should be aged 12 or more hours.C. Water Changes (WC’s)Frequent water changes are of singular importance for maintaining good water quality and chemistry – it’s the key tothriving, healthy discus. If raising juvies, your ideal routine would be daily wc’s of between at least 25%, to 50% or more.In a smaller tank, you can use a siphon hose and bucket, but you may want a hose with attached pump for larger tanks tomove the water from the tank to the chosen drain outlet, and from the ageing barrel, if needed, to the tank.Many discus-keepers do well with wc’s of 50% or more every second or third day, while others keep healthy and happydiscus with large, twice-weekly wc’s, ensuring fecal matter and uneaten food is siphoned off regularly as it accumulates.The efficacy of your filtration will also play a part in deciding on the frequency and quantity of your wc’s. In a displaytank, your plants will assist filtration to some extent by consuming, or utilizing, some wastes, and will help keep nitratelevels lower. However, the other side of the equation is that planted tanks are a great deal more difficult to keep clean andspotless than a bare-bottom. Substrate, in particular, harbors a lot of waste and other undesirable matter that evenregular vacuuming will not fully remove.D. General Maintenance (Overall Tank Cleanliness)In addition to consistently maintaining good water chemistry via your wc’s, you will need to incorporate some othermaintenance items in your daily, every second day, semi-weekly, or weekly routines. Wipe down the inside walls of yourtank when doing wc’s in order to remove algae and discus’ shedded slime coating, which film onto the glass. If your tankis planted, you will need to regularly vacuum your substrate. Semi-weekly or weekly might be enough, but some do itwith each wc if not more frequently than that.If you are using HOB filters, your filter media should be rinsed on a regular basis, no less than weekly, but better still,semi-weekly. Rinse the filter media in the tank water after it has been pumped out, or in conditioned warm tap water, soas to avoid destroying any significant amount of beneficial bacteria. If you were to concurrently rinse all, or most, of themedia in untreated tap water, for example, or discard most media items all at once for replacement with new, (such asvery dirty and deteriorating foam pads, sponges, filter floss, etc.) you would effectively be removing or destroying a verylarge portion of your biological filtration system (the beneficial bacteria). This could result in dangerous spikes ofammonia and nitrites. Change old, discard-ready media to new on a rotated basis, one filter at a time, and/or one mediacomponent at a time. The use of pre-filters on your water intakes will improve the efficacy of your filters, whether HOBor canister.If using canister filter(s), discus keepers will usually rinse media and   clean their filters on a less frequent basis, on averageevery second or third month. The use of pre-filters on their intakes, coupled with the size, power and efficiency of thesefilters as opposed to HOB’s, will make this more extended cleansing routine adequate.III. PURCHASING FISHA. Ages, Sizes, and AppearanceIf you’re thinking of growing out juveniles, or ‘juvies’, ideally you’ll want to acquire 8 cm (3”) size specimens which willlikely be about four months old. As a general guide, six to eight or   even ten fish of this size will do well in a 220 L (55 gal.)tank, at least until they approach maturity. At this point, you will do well to reduce the number to six or seven. Yoursecond option is to go for larger, older specimens, near adult or adult of 10 cm to 18 cm (4”-7”). You might like to seethem develop into at least one mated pairing, for breeding. In this case, you’ll need to limit the number to six or seven ina 220 L (55 gal.) tank. As a novice to fish-keeping, you should think carefully before buying very small discus less than 5cm long (2”) (fry). They require more frequent feedings and frequent large water changes, and they have a low tolerancefor poor water quality which generally leads to stunting.Look for fish that have a round body (not oval or ‘football’-shaped), clear eyes, and a respiration rate with gill covermovement that is fairly slow and steady. Their fins should normally be outstretched, not clamped, and they should beeating well. The size of their eyes should appear to be in an attractive proportion to their body size. A stunted fish willhave unusually large eyes compared to the body, which will be somewhat evident.When viewed head-on, the forehead, or brow should not appear pinched in, nor should the stomach/lower body areabelow the head. In a solid colored fish, the coloration should be bright, not extremely pale and washed-out looking. Avoidany discus that appear dark in color.They should be active and appear comfortable with their surroundings, not darting about and/or hiding. They should notshy away from the front of the tank as you view them. Ask your livestock source to feed them and then watch to ensurethey eat. Find out what they have been eating, how frequently, and the temperature and pH of the water they have beenkept in. Learn as much as you can of their background so that you are well-equipped to keep them yourself.</blockquote>

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