Breeder/ Grow out system

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.

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great system for those lucky enough to be able to use well water

Very nice.

wow, i like this setup. when do you pull the parents?feed the fry, whjat and when?
what% w/c done everytime?

alan j t wrote:

wow, i like this setup. when do you pull the parents?feed the fry, whjat and when?
what% w/c done everytime?

I pull the parents sometime after 2.5 weeks maybe a little longer. I start the fry on decap brine. I make sure they are taking to that well. i like to keep them with the parents as long as possible but dont let them over stress the parents. Sometimes I do 1/2 water change daily. sometimes I do several smaller changes in a day. my water is good but I dont age it so it stresses them slightly.

This is amazing totally well put together and an awesome hands down nice setup for keeping and breeding quality healthy fish Happy fish keeping and let me know when you are ready to part with a school of Discus.As I wanna fill my 75 with Discus of show quality bright brilliant species

Very nice. Thank you for sharing.

PHISH HEAD wrote:

This is amazing totally well put together and an awesome hands down nice setup for keeping and breeding quality healthy fish Happy fish keeping and let me know when you are ready to part with a school of Discus.As I wanna fill my 75 with Discus of show quality bright brilliant species

You got it! I have some now if you would like.

Curious, most well water is hard and alkaline, is this true of yours or lucky enough to have exceptional ground water? ph? kh? You have a really nice set-up!

very nice. I always respect someone who isn't scared to go big and bold on the tank setup

Is there a way to Isolate individual tanks?

Awesome set-up looks well thought out and constructed.

Elrollo wrote:

Is there a way to Isolate individual tanks?

Awesome set-up looks well thought out and constructed.

yes there is. all I have to do is cut the ball valve off going to any of the tanks and no more water in. I can divert the water going out via another ball valve or drop in a sponge. The tanks are dilled in the upper right corner so I just make sure the water is lower than the bulkhead. it only lowers the water by about 1 inch.

Dan W. wrote:

Curious, most well water is hard and alkaline, is this true of yours or lucky enough to have exceptional ground water? ph? kh? You have a really nice set-up!

My water is 7.o ph and my kh and gh is 3. yes I have good water to deal with. Before my fish lay I start bringing the ph down with acid buffer only. I keep it there with adjusted aged water until almost free swimming. I then do continual small water changes with regular non aged 7.o water at 85 degrees. And that is all the get from there on out. I do dose with calcium at free swimming until about 3 inches.

That is a great looking set up!Great job!

very nice!!!

wow awesome setup!!!

thanks for sharing!!

sounds like you know your stuff

Thanks for sharing with us!! Very nice!!

WOW- Impresive! I love your set up! I wish I could come by and look it over!~ One day, I am gona have a Nice grow out set up like that! I just gona have to DRUG up my wife to get the OK. lol

I wanted to ask where you got the trough from. I have been looking for roughly a 100 gallon one to act as a water holding tank that is easy to clean.

strikingthematch wrote:

I wanted to ask where you got the trough from. I have been looking for roughly a 100 gallon one to act as a water holding tank that is easy to clean.

My sump is a 75 gallon ruubermaid stock tank for live stock. You can find them on clist and sothern states or any agri supply place. They are very rigid almost 1/4 inch thick. about 65 bucks new.

Amazing!!! I want to do this one day!! Love It!