Checking out the Discus Digs! One of the best tips we can give towards successful aquarium keeping is to “tech your tuna”. In other words, use technology to your advantage when designing any aquatic system. Within recent years, the aquarium hobby has witnessed an emergence of increasing tech products all designed to aid aquarists in establishing and monitoring our aquatic ecosystems. Below is a list and summary of equipment which has been running on our 150 Gallon Discus Tank for the past year.
Coralife Turbo-Twist 12x UV Sterilizer - This sterilizer is rated for aquariums up to 500 Gallons. Operation requires a pump with 300 to 900 gph flow rate, so we have attached this unit inline with the outflow from the Eheim 2217 canister which houses very minimal media in order to increase its flow rate. A slower flow rate enables the UV light to have more time to kill parasites and harmful bacteria. (note: Coralife recommends that the bulb be replaced every 6 months.) Update (5/8/16): Both the Eheim 2217 & the Coralife Turbo-Twist 12x UV Sterilizer have been removed from our Discus Tank System. To find out why, check our our Discus Tank Blog.
Neptune Apex with Temperature Probe, pH probe and Moonlights - Many reserve the Neptune Apex for saltwater aquarium systems. However, we felt with the delicate nature of discus fish, we wanted redundancy and monitoring capabilities on our system. The Apex monitors the pH and temperature levels within our tank and can report to us when levels fall outside of designated ranges. But there is much more the Apex does beyond just monitoring. We currently have our three filters (The 2 Fluval Fx6 and Eheim), the TurboTwist UV Sterilizer and the two heaters plugged into the Apex Energy Bar. The Apex Energy Bar 8 has a total of eight outlets. Every piece of equipment plugged within the unit can be set to follow protocols established within the Apex Fusion (Neptune’s cloud-based service), as well as, follow commands given via computer or phone. This capability enables us to turn off all the filters during feedings (Feed Mode) to prevent food from being sucked into the canisters. If any food found its way inside the canisters, it could begin to decompose ultimately leading to a nitrate spike in the tank.
This is just a quick rundown on some of the primary equipment we use on our discus aquarium. If you are interested in constructing your own discus tank, many of these fixtures can be omitted at the onset of your build. However, this is the combination of equipment which we have found successful to date. Just keep in mind that if you are planning on keeping discus, the absolute minimum size tank we suggest for discus is 55 gallons. Though the 65 -75 gallon range is preferable. As we continue to tweak and modify the system, we will update with any changes. Do you have any questions regarding our 150 gallon discus aquarium? Or do you have any questions regarding discus in general? Let us know! We would be more than happy to assist you in constructing your own aqua paradise!
Until next time, Keep Krill'in!
4 Comments
james
1/24/2018 12:49:17 pm
I am planing a 220 gallon tank, Will this be a overkill for discus
Reply
Krill Aquaria
1/2/2020 05:17:01 pm
220 gallons would be great! Gives you room to add more fish. We recently started up another Discus tank that is currently 240 gallons.
Reply
Kevin
11/25/2019 06:35:13 pm
Hey Krill Aquaria thanks for the imfo .Your setup is almost the same setup i'm planning on .A marineland 530 and a fx6 the tank is a 150g. one question ,do you use lavarock in any of your canisters.
Reply
Krill Aquaria
1/2/2020 05:20:19 pm
We've never used lava rock in our canisters. We've used ceramic filter rings as surface area for bacteria in our canisters. But lava rocks should accomplish the same goal.
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |