JustinKScott
Aquarium Advice Freak
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2011
- Messages
- 322
I have had a single turqoise discus living for 2-3 months in my 180gallon community tank. Up until a few days ago; he was happy enough. Meaning he would turn dark around once-twice a day for a few minutes but was growing and would always eat with the group. My wife and I decided we would cater a bit to him, and are building a really unique planted 70gallon for him (and a few more to come later).
Problem is my community has started to turn on him in the last couple days. The new discus tank is started, but as its custom, some parts are here some aren't; basically it won't be ready to hold water for probably a month... let alone cycling.
I pulled him out an put him in my hospital tank, which unfortunately was torn down therefore is not cycled. Its a 10 gallon with a marineland bio-wheel filter. So I pulled out some g-nodes (G6 bio-balls) from my 180 and shoved them in the hospital filter. I took the sponge filter from my breeder tank (unfortunately full right now), and put it on the intake. Pulled a bamboo shrimp and a cory cat from the 180 to keep the floor clean(-er).
But still I cannot keep my ammo in check. Nitrites @ zero, Nitrites just very low, seemingly to be starting to rise. My ammo rises 1-2 ppm / day; so I do 2-3 50% water changes / day just to get it <.25ppm. (I aim for <.25ppm as I don't think without a 100% change I can reach 0ppm w/o a working bio filter.
Starting today, I'm changing the hospital tank water with water from the 180, I don't know if that'll help the cycling process... but I can't think of anything else.
There is gravel on the bottom of the tank, perhaps it is generating ammo? I forgot to clean it before moving him to the tank. Should I remove it?
Is my discus just a dead fish swimming? He is always dark, and not eating. Is there something I can do that I'm not? I'm about to put him back in the community and let him take his chances.
Thank you in advance.
Problem is my community has started to turn on him in the last couple days. The new discus tank is started, but as its custom, some parts are here some aren't; basically it won't be ready to hold water for probably a month... let alone cycling.
I pulled him out an put him in my hospital tank, which unfortunately was torn down therefore is not cycled. Its a 10 gallon with a marineland bio-wheel filter. So I pulled out some g-nodes (G6 bio-balls) from my 180 and shoved them in the hospital filter. I took the sponge filter from my breeder tank (unfortunately full right now), and put it on the intake. Pulled a bamboo shrimp and a cory cat from the 180 to keep the floor clean(-er).
But still I cannot keep my ammo in check. Nitrites @ zero, Nitrites just very low, seemingly to be starting to rise. My ammo rises 1-2 ppm / day; so I do 2-3 50% water changes / day just to get it <.25ppm. (I aim for <.25ppm as I don't think without a 100% change I can reach 0ppm w/o a working bio filter.
Starting today, I'm changing the hospital tank water with water from the 180, I don't know if that'll help the cycling process... but I can't think of anything else.
There is gravel on the bottom of the tank, perhaps it is generating ammo? I forgot to clean it before moving him to the tank. Should I remove it?
Is my discus just a dead fish swimming? He is always dark, and not eating. Is there something I can do that I'm not? I'm about to put him back in the community and let him take his chances.
Thank you in advance.