mastersdiscus
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This is designed for rearing Discus and substantial water changes.
Here is my discus grow out system. All this was completed for under $1,000.00. This system is 4 70 gallon drilled tanks with the possible expansion of 4 more 70 gallon tanks as it sits right now. If I add in on more trash can bio tower I should be able to get 16 70 gallon tanks total.. I will up the heat and the uv as I grow it. It is working amazingly well.. I can do a morning water change and vacuum in 15 minutes. I do a mid day water change only 5 minutes. The evening is the same as the morning. My plumbing allows me to flush the water into the garden in the back yard.. I am on a good well and am able to bring in as much 85 degree water as I need without aging it. All this is done without lifting a bucket or carrying water. I just flip switches and turn a valve. When i vacuum the bare bottom tanks I put a mesh sock over a drain tube above the sump and avoid solids in the sump as the pump will not pick it all up to purge it. Its been a great project and well worth the effort. I like to mess with my tanks all the time. With this I really run out of stuff to do. The gargage is being finished out and this system will go there soon along with about 30+ other 70 gallon tanks.
how do I vaccuum so quickly?
Do you see the almost horizontal pvc tube below the lower tank? it is at a downward angle to the sump. I use a regular siphon system with a primer bulb. As I move from tank to tank the hose is able to slide in and out of that tube to give me more or less length as needed. when I move to another tank I give it a squeeze and roll on. I never pay attention to the draining end, just the vacuum end. At the end of that tube above the sump I hang a tightyly woven nylon sock to catch solids. the water just falls into the sump When I am done with all the tanks I remove and rinse the sock and flip a valve and let the pump move the water to the garden. Sweet fish and sweet tomatoes.. When its all done I haven't spilled but maybe 20 drops of water. Most of that is becaues the hose to my siphon bulb leaks. Imagine that. I can figure out that whole sytem but havnt stopped that little leak yet. Isn't that how it alwas seems to go.
here is a little more information on the system and some photos of the vacuum process. it it quite simple and lets me move rather quickly. Here are also some shots of the bio tower. It is packed full of $30 worth of pot scrubbers versus $400 worth of bio balls. In disecting a scrubber and from other posts there may be more surace area in the scrubber. The tower is a 20 gallon trash can. Not sure what the service schedule will be on the tower. Years maybe. If I do need to rinse dead bio out, I can pop of the ends of the drain and lift the whole tash can out. because I am on a well I can dump all the scrubbers in to a large tub with 85 dergree water, give them a squeeze and back in the tower. estimated time 15 minutes. The drip tray is made from a round patio table turned upside down with the legs cut off. Under the drip tray above the grating I lay thin bonded floss pads cut from quilting material I get at Walmart. Cheap!! I may rinse that prefilter once a day and ususally replace it once a week. Ever have a hose pop out on you and dump water everywhere? notice the hose holder. Take a pvc pip larger than the hose cut it down leaving a long tab heat the tab and bend it over what ever shape you are trying to hold the hose into. I didnt figure this out beause I'm smart. I left the system during a filling and the hose flippe out and ran 20 gallons into my basement.
Here is my discus grow out system. All this was completed for under $1,000.00. This system is 4 70 gallon drilled tanks with the possible expansion of 4 more 70 gallon tanks as it sits right now. If I add in on more trash can bio tower I should be able to get 16 70 gallon tanks total.. I will up the heat and the uv as I grow it. It is working amazingly well.. I can do a morning water change and vacuum in 15 minutes. I do a mid day water change only 5 minutes. The evening is the same as the morning. My plumbing allows me to flush the water into the garden in the back yard.. I am on a good well and am able to bring in as much 85 degree water as I need without aging it. All this is done without lifting a bucket or carrying water. I just flip switches and turn a valve. When i vacuum the bare bottom tanks I put a mesh sock over a drain tube above the sump and avoid solids in the sump as the pump will not pick it all up to purge it. Its been a great project and well worth the effort. I like to mess with my tanks all the time. With this I really run out of stuff to do. The gargage is being finished out and this system will go there soon along with about 30+ other 70 gallon tanks.
how do I vaccuum so quickly?
Do you see the almost horizontal pvc tube below the lower tank? it is at a downward angle to the sump. I use a regular siphon system with a primer bulb. As I move from tank to tank the hose is able to slide in and out of that tube to give me more or less length as needed. when I move to another tank I give it a squeeze and roll on. I never pay attention to the draining end, just the vacuum end. At the end of that tube above the sump I hang a tightyly woven nylon sock to catch solids. the water just falls into the sump When I am done with all the tanks I remove and rinse the sock and flip a valve and let the pump move the water to the garden. Sweet fish and sweet tomatoes.. When its all done I haven't spilled but maybe 20 drops of water. Most of that is becaues the hose to my siphon bulb leaks. Imagine that. I can figure out that whole sytem but havnt stopped that little leak yet. Isn't that how it alwas seems to go.
here is a little more information on the system and some photos of the vacuum process. it it quite simple and lets me move rather quickly. Here are also some shots of the bio tower. It is packed full of $30 worth of pot scrubbers versus $400 worth of bio balls. In disecting a scrubber and from other posts there may be more surace area in the scrubber. The tower is a 20 gallon trash can. Not sure what the service schedule will be on the tower. Years maybe. If I do need to rinse dead bio out, I can pop of the ends of the drain and lift the whole tash can out. because I am on a well I can dump all the scrubbers in to a large tub with 85 dergree water, give them a squeeze and back in the tower. estimated time 15 minutes. The drip tray is made from a round patio table turned upside down with the legs cut off. Under the drip tray above the grating I lay thin bonded floss pads cut from quilting material I get at Walmart. Cheap!! I may rinse that prefilter once a day and ususally replace it once a week. Ever have a hose pop out on you and dump water everywhere? notice the hose holder. Take a pvc pip larger than the hose cut it down leaving a long tab heat the tab and bend it over what ever shape you are trying to hold the hose into. I didnt figure this out beause I'm smart. I left the system during a filling and the hose flippe out and ran 20 gallons into my basement.
Sweet setup.
