tank setup questions

[Erika]

currently I have a 46 gallon bow front tank with an underground filter, and H.O.T filter on back, plastic plants, rocks..... 2 yoyo Loaches, 1 Devil Angel fish and a platty that wont give up.
I want to change out everything and start fresh with Dwarf Cichlids preferably the Blue Rams and possibly some Discus. Right now I think I have a alge problem not green but brown how do I keep this from happening in my new set up and how often are you supposed to take everything out of your tank and clean it ? right now i'm having to take everything out once a month and soak/clean the plants and rocks I'm not sure if that is normal it seems a lot to me.... and with the Dwarfs if I have fine sand and many caves for them it will be much harder to clean that way. What would be best filtration system for this kind of tank?

 

[Randall]

Hello Erika,

Removing decorations from a tank once each month to clean them does seem extreme indeed! I wonder if the brown algae is algae at all or possibly cyanobacteria, an algae look alike that is actually a bacteria. If so, treating with a propriety aquarium antibiotic (like Neomycin sulfate) should clear up the problem quickly. Under optimal conditions, you should'nt have to remove decorations for cleaning ever, let alone once per month.

For filtration, any appropriately sized canister or power filter will do (canister: Eheim, Fluval, Viaqua, Jebo; power: Haagen, Tetra (Whisper)). More and more, undergravel filtration systems are a thing of the past. They utiliize the substrate as the filtering medium, thereby trapping small particles that a canister or power filter would remove from the system completely. I remember reading some years ago a book by one of the big discus breeders discouraging undergravel filtration in discus tanks, claiming that they can potentially accumilate unwanted material.

You can use fine sand as a substrate, however, courser sand like river sand, a small sized gravel, or industrial quartz is less likely to produce anaerobic bacteria.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[Erika]

tank set up questions

Thank you Randall, How will I be able to tell if this "brown alge" is indeed the bacteria? and I'm assuming the H.O.T canister filter is to small for a 46 gallon tank all on it's own but i'm not sure if it's ok to "over filtrate" and add another canister filiter.

 

[Randall]

Filtration for a 46-gallon tank

Hello Erika,

My experience with Cyanobacteria is limited, but from what I've observed, this nuisance is considerably more slimy looking than algae. It appears to slim everything it touches and produces a kind of film. As for filtration, does H.O.T. stand for "hang on tank?" One canister or power type filter is all you need; using two filters is double the work come cleaning time. I've found that keeping maintenance and upkeep as simple as possible enables me to enjoy my fish more.

Enjoy!

All the best,

Randall Kohn

 

[nightowl1350]

Discus are schooling fish and you would have room for 4 that get along only. When very young they do better in slightly larger groups, but 4 would be fine.

Not sure what a "devil angel fish" is (assuming an angel with attitude) it would get along with rams and so would discus, but many discus keepers don't like to mix discus in with angels. Many keep them seperate, but not in the same tank as angels are more aggressive at feeding time.

 

[apistoireland]

Hi Erika,
sorry to break it to you but a 46 gallon tank is too small for discus. It probably is Ok to grow four small discus in it but too small for adult fish especially if you intend to keep rams with them. Per adult discus you should have 13-14 Us gallons of water. If you want to keep discus you should aim for a tank height of at lest 18-20 inches and I don't think a 46 gal tank can provide this.
Before you start keeping any fish in your tank you should sort your water out first. Brown algae could possibly bacteria even though this is usually the case with the green blue variety. If I was in your shoes I would completely clean out your tank and start fresh. Forget about using antibiotics especially if you are not sure if they are the right thing to use for your problem. You wouldn't swallow antibiotics if you weren't sure that they would help you. A cannister filter is absolutely sufficient for your tank. Just buy one big enough. This recommended maximum size of a fish tank is usually stated on the box.
Your undergravel filter might be the cause of your problems. Not the best way to filter any aquarium.

 

[david hui]

Erika,

Have you visit www.simplydiscus.com? They have a lot of information on discus keeping.

David

 

[TetraFreak]

Another way to control Algae is to go with live plants that absorb the nutrients that the algae needs to grow.

Anachairis, Hornwart, cabomba, & wysteria are all great plants for this. Besides, Live plants make the tank look so much better and your Dwarf cichlids & discus will love ya for it!

I'm setting up my 55 Gal with Live Plants and fish from South America Only! Kinda a broad range biotope.

If you need assistance with going Planted,
Check out:
Aquatic Plant Central