# Freshwater Aquariums > New To the Hobby ? >  Discus tank build/help

## tonykahrs

EDIT:
I thought I would edit this post to add a less conversation-like thread, because its more of a build for guys that are brand new to the planted tank/discus world and want to get the experience of building a tank without the mistakes. Also, if a mod would move this to a build section, I think thats where it belongs. (Word of advice, get the good stuff first, or you buy crap first, then the good stuff. Do it right the first time.) 
Now lets list the equipment.

Tank: 90 Gallon tank with a a footprint of 48x18x24. Drilled on the bottom with an overflow tower

Stand: custom built stand, refurbished and painted white with new hardware. (Waterproof paint) mounted the power strip to the inside above everything else.

Sump: 29 Gallon tank. Plumbing is soft flexible clear tubes. Originally had a 20l sump but it was chambered in a weird way and the evaporation kept running my pump dry in the return chamber in only a day. 

Lights: N/A ordering 2 finnex planted+ 24/7 lights, just waiting on that lottery ticket. 

Filter: 30 Gallon fluidized sump with filter screen. Originally decided to go with more of a chambered setup, but got my hands on a 29gallon tank and separated the tank between the media and equipment.

Heater: N/A thought about eBay to save money, dont do that. I got a finnex 500w heater, because of the LED temperature display. Awaiting arrival.

UV sterilizer?: still doing research on this one. An in-line is not an option, and I dont want an open light to kill off everything in the fluidized media. Will find a solution.

Reactor: trying to find a way to add a Carbon reactor to this setup, going for crystal clear water here

CO2: researching info on this one. Thought about going low tech, and budget. But this is the only tank I will have running, so I want to follow the pros.

Pumps: 600-800gph aquaeon return pump, and 2 800gph wavemakers. Giving a rough total flow of 2000gph. 

Controller: to be honest, I have no idea what these things do. Will report back. 

Now the hardscape and plant/stock will be put in when I get to it. Original post below. |
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Whats up guys! Im not new to the community for fish keeping, Ive kept many fish and many smaller tanks in my time. I recently had a saltwater tank that crashed and have decided to go back to the freshwater fish. Discus to be exact.

Ive had this random discus fish that is all red for about 3 months now, and hes in a tank way to small. So heres were I need help. 

Ive bought a 90 Gallon saltwater setup from a local guy, with a stand and sump. And want to convert it to a freshwater setup. For housing 5-6 discus, and if possible....planted. Not crazy, just lightly planted. So how do I start? 

Is there a special way I need to clean this tank and sump for conversion? I plan on sanding and painting the stand with waterproof boat paint. 


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## lost

I am sorry to hear that your tank has crashed it can be an expensive business , when mine crashed all i did was to make sure i gave the tank a really good clean with water and a little vinegar then plenty of fresh water afterwards .Best of luck with your new set up and remember loads of pics  .Fortunately i saw the light  :lol:  and went back to the salty side , welcome to fish keeping

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## tonykahrs

Alright, I got the tank in the garage. 

Its a 90 Gallon drilled tank with a 20 long sump. Its getting to dark and cold to do anything, so Ill start tomorrow. It only has the tank sump and stand. No equipment. 


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## Gary R

Hi Tony and welcome to fish-keeping.com

Your tank looks nice and should make a good Discus and planted tank.....

As lost as already said, you need to give it a good clean out and see how it comes up .......the sump will be ok as well as you will be able to put the likes of biowheels, carbon bags, and bioballs into it and have a nice filter running.

Do you have a lid for this tank as can't see one in the pictures above ?

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## tonykahrs

Hey buddy! No I do not have a lid for the tank yet, but I did manage to clean it best I could with water and a scrubby sponge. I also got the stand refurbished and painted, (even though the handles are uneven) 
Also, me and the wife dont plan on using it as a discus tank anymore. To expensive for my wallet, with all the substrate and co2 etc... we want to turn it into a Arowana tank. Now, disclaimer. I know its small for that fish, but we do plan on moving by the end of next year, to our own place so I can get a really big tank. Upwards of around 300 gallons. In the meantime he will just be in this tank alone. Growing up. I do have the funds to upgrade tanks if he gets too big. Wife only wants one tank at a time so Ill have to get one, cycle it, and switch over. Sorry for the long explanation but we have both really wanted one of these fish for a long time. 

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## lost

its looking good mate keep up the good work and remember plenty of pics :Big Grin:

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## tonykahrs

Hey hey! This is a update on the 90 Gallon Arowana tank.

Its full of water! Few leaks around the bulkheads that was filled with plumbers putty.
So basically it overflows down a flex tube into the first chamber of the sump, which will be full of bio media,
The second chamber which will be my refugium (because of bare bottom) 
And finally out of the return pump through a loopy loop back up into the tank. 

Super simple, but works! 


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## lost

coming on nicely well done, having a leak in the over flow would give me nightmares  :Wink:

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## tonykahrs

Hey! So I got a question for people that have kept discus before. The general public says to feed smaller discus (2-3) 3 or 4 times a day. But with those of us who have real jobs and work 10+ hours a day, how can we accomplish this? Auto feeders for frozen food? Or is 2 times a day just fine? Is there anything I should be supplementing? I feed my 2 1/2 discus frozen bloodworms once a day when I get home in the morning. 


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## Gary R

I would say 2 times a day should be ok as in the wild there is very little for them to eat.......i would feed them as soon as you leave for work and as soon as you get back and if you can just before the lights go out.....you will need to start to try and get them to take flake food as soon as poss as well....then you can set up a auto feeder.

Don't forget the more you feed them the more you need to do water change's

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## tonykahrs

Ok! Thanks for the food advice. Ive got the fish in a friends tank for the time being, as this sump is going through a redesign. Ive decided to do a full fluidized sump design. Ive upgraded the sump from a 20l to a 30 Gallon and split the tank using a divider to hold the media. Ordered 3 gallons of medium sized k1 media from eBay. Heres the link,

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F142024172515

Now, instead of using 2 smaller heaters, Ive decided in the interest of saving power strip space, to go with just 1 bigger one. Dont worry, Im picking up a backup. 

Now. The bigger thing. Lights.....um Im thinking about 2 finnex Ray 24/7 lights. Would that be bright enough for a deep tank like the 90? Any suggestions that wont rob me like kessil? I know they are the best but a price tag like that for 1...and I would need 3...


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## Gary R

To be honest i don't know any think about this light....just having a quick read up on it and as far as i can see there is only the finnex planted that i can find and not the finnex ray.

The finnex planted as far as i can tell will be ok upto 24" deep and if you are using two of them i can't see any problem with them and they come with a remote as well.

As for the heater i would say a 300w will do the job for you and can be left in the sump.

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## tonykahrs

Cool! Sorry about the Ray I meant planted + 24/7. My mistake. I may try just one and if its not bright enough for all the corners, Ill order a second one. As for the heater, thanks for telling me before I got two 200w ones. 


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*Gary R* (03-01-2018), *lost* (11-01-2018)

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