I THOUGHT ALL MY DISCUS FISH WERE GOING TO DIE!! DON'T DO THIS!! | MD Fish Tanks

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This is one of those things you really just don't think about. But I'm glad it happened because thank the lord nothing happened and I can document it so that hopefully it won't happen to you guys. 👍😊
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[@MDFishTanks]

NEW MERCH CLICK HERE: teespring.com/en-GB/stores/md-fish-tanks This is one of those things you really just don't think about. But I'm glad it happened because thank the lord nothing happened and I can document it so that hopefully it won't happen to you guys. 👍😊 Equipment (all links affiliate): GOOD BUDGET LIGHT:: US amzn.to/2MDfjk1 UK amzn.to/3iYlfQQ SMALL HANG ON BACK FILTER: US amzn.to/2Mw63OO UK amzn.to/39rx3b5 NANO INTERNAL FILTER: US amzn.to/3oxGBWm UK LED FLOODLIGHTS: US amzn.to/3t6HOHD UK amzn.to/3orIdRv CANISTER FILTER: US amzn.to/3iNeVtW UK amzn.to/2Fo774a GOOSENECK CLIP ON LAMP: (similar as product is now discontinued) US amzn.to/2IlwLVA UK amzn.to/2LNat13 MINI WATER PUMP: US amzn.to/2oAmf5y UK amzn.to/2mjHDez TANKS: US amzn.to/2SOocHG UK amzn.to/2SPA24i STRIP LED LIGHT: US (similar) amzn.to/2SNgbm7 UK amzn.to/2Fn9aW1 ASTA LED LIGHT: US amzn.to/3k9EmpY UK amzn.to/3p5XUPY AQUARIUM RACKING: Shelving: US amzn.to/2SrYZ5k UK amzn.to/2GFWKJ2 AIRPUMP (FILTER SYSTEM): US amzn.to/31z8FA9 UK amzn.to/37GIoUa FILTER SPONGES: US amzn.to/3dQLUfM UK amzn.to/3dS2k7K MEDIA BAGS: US amzn.to/34Kaf2N UK amzn.to/3lAj3z1 STAINLESS LILY PIPES: US amzn.to/2FqHpvR UK amzn.to/2RlfrnC BOWL AQUARIUMS: US amzn.to/2M4FwFO Amazo UK: amzn.to/2Vx73CL HARDSCAPE AND PLANTS: www.aquariumgardens.co.uk/

[@thatoneguy_0218]

I'd recommend an air stone for additional agitation because keeping discus means higher Temps and at higher Temps there is even less dissolved oxygen then a cooler tank.

[@nzkm4053]

too much surface agitation will reduce co2 in water which will be bad for the plants

[@thatoneguy_0218]

@@nzkm4053 I know m8 but less co2 or fish struggling to breathe, iI think the plants can tough it out

[@martiie4792]

Love that mountainous platy tank.

[@ladydiane6839]

Loved this one... as a newer tank owner, I just love the Ah ha! moments that tell a great story. You will always be first played in my list of videos in the morning 💕 Brilliant

[@lizpattonbass]

“Get up early, save things!” Rofl! Oh man, that needs to be on some merch.

[@littlemissive]

I would buy it. Totally pays to be an early bird. 🐦

[@fishtales2597]

Hi i found that surface agitation is one thing aquariums must have to disperse gases that get trapped. Ive had this happen to me with fish in my aquarium without plants, fish gasping is a common thing.... glad the fish are ok

[@MDFishTanks]

the thing is, an air pump is good for creating surface agitation, which is what then oxygenates the water. People think the air bubbles are creating oxygen, but they are out of the water way to fast to dissolve. So by adding the wave making creating huge amounts of surface agitation, am I not doing the same thing as an air pump? To be honest, I'm probably creating much more??

[@alecthenice8115]

I noticed plants still pearl with a ton of surface movement too

[@alecthenice8115]

@@MDFishTanks wave makers are much better, this is why salt water hobbyists don't consider a protein skimmer as adequate

[@treyreppe4348]

@@MDFishTanks at least in gas exchange columns we delt with when I was in school bubbling is more efficient (although surface agitation is more than sufficient). The gas exchange rate depends on the bubble size and time (smaller bubble exponentially increases surface area) so air stones are far from useless, especially if you get one that you can change the bubble size (usually a bit of sponge you can pinch smaller for smaller bubble size). The same principle is used with CO2 injection, thats why they have tiny bubbles (CO2 also has a higher capacity in water than oxygen)

[@traumahealingandprevention]

@@treyreppe4348 agree with you on this. @MD Fishtanks do you have access to the Ziss no clog air stone? Most of my tanks are cool water (67° to 75° F) and I can go old school (like 1920's dirted and the plants are the only filtration) because I have small dither fish that disrupt the surface tension and I program the lights to more efficiently utilize the naturally produced CO2. In discus tanks, which need to be closer to 82° to 86° F, they are going to exhaust the oxygen supply faster. A Ziss no-clog can easily be adjusted for tiny bubbles, and maximize your gas exchange without making the discus have to use up O2 by swimming harder against the flow.🤷‍♂️ Just a thought.

[@AquascapingCube]

Discus reaction to the tap in the glass was priceless :D

[@MatchuCT]

Must say that I really appreciate you showing us the "actual" lighting amount without exposure compensation by the camera. It's really helpful as if we were to match what WE see, our plants would die. lol

[@quentinpauwels1161]

md: i'll put it up on the screen md when editing: NO

[@MDFishTanks]

🤣🤣 I completely forgot this. My bad

[@18uprhea]

I LOVE the realness of your videos. Thank you!! Fishkeeping is so hard and seeing someone super experienced with you deal with issues makes me feel better lol

[@raygowers5524]

Consider an air pump in a timer set to come on just before lights out and goes off after the lights come on. Less oxygen in warmer water.

[@MDFishTanks]

the thing is, an air pump is good for creating surface agitation, which is what then oxygenates the water. People think the air bubbles are creating oxygen, but they are out of the water way to fast to dissolve. So by adding the wave making creating huge amounts of surface agitation, am I not doing the same thing as an air pump? To be honest, I'm probably creating much more??

[@xTraumaaBRYL]

I agree with this comment. A bubble stone is better than a wave maker for discus. This is because these fish usually hate the flow that they create

[@alexnoser6723]

I remember having my freak out moment when I had unplugged my power head during maintenance and forgot to plug it back in. I woke up in the morning and had this exact thing happen. (It’s scary!) Glad you got it worked out MD!

[@al44tec]

My discus just died 2 days ago. Didn’t give me any warning at all. I was baffled as well because my parameters were spot on. I’m guessing one of them died and just took the tank out. My best guess because there were no other issues up to them going belly up. Just something that sometimes happens in this hobby. We just do our best to give these fish the best lives we can. Had mine for a little over 5 years and been keeping discus for 25 years. Love those fish. Definitely worth all the effort but things can happen fast.

[@Cobra_Khan]

They’re not immortal, no matter how much we take care of them - sad reality

[@djperkins487]

So I came home today from 5 days away for a work trip…left all my tank lights off, but they had sunlight so there was some light for them throughout the day. Found all my fish were lethargic, and I couldn’t really figure out why. Did everything you did when you found your fish. I had no idea that the plants would take out all the oxygen until I saw your video tonight. Thank you so much for this video, and now I’ll remember this when I go out of town again!

[@havenaquatics3806]

That was a very helpful video! I always had a feeling that no surface agitation would cause some kind of problem like this, but I didn't actually know until now. Another reason for me to reccomend sponge filters or just a bubbler when people try to do a heavily planted tank without a filter.

[@Luis-qr8ui]

Hey MD, I had the same problem, and to solve it i found several ways, one is that you can move up the outlet from the filter to the waterline so it generates more surface agitation, the other way is by using a hang on the back or something similar to create a waterfall, and finally you can dose oxygen, the same way as Co2 or a söchting oxydator that also doses oxygen. And don't forget about the classic air pump. I personally use the oxydator as it doesn't make noise like an air pump.

[@shel.b.1090]

Love that mountain scape with the platys, 👀 ‘s amazing xxxx

[@McQuackeen]

That would have freaked me out so bad. Thankfully you managed to come in time and sort out the issue with that info you remembered.

[@danbyrne3098]

Love the channel 👍 The discus might appreciate the lid being lifted more often, perhaps twice a day, just to refresh the air but retain some humidity. Also, I think your pair of apistogramma in the higher flow tank would probably breed if the slow was flower 👌😉. Lovely tank. Very natural when it's well grown.

[@christiankomodo]

I love your videos! You get done discussing the thing the title talks about, and then on to all this other interesting content and tank talk!

[@PaulZyCZ]

I don't have a skimmer (thinking about it on some tanks), but I've been using drip pipe below the waterline. It's not completely hidden (black PVC pipe with drilled holes over black background), but it does it's job and agitates the surface.

[@julianaquascaped]

I went to bed at 5am “last night” lol I can’t imagine waking up at 4am!! I guess you’re motivated when you truly love what you do.

[@pkoppart]

I think I like the approach of starting with low light and increasing the intensity as needed like MD always does.

[@robmoore4126]

Great video as always. Discus tank looks amazing. The gasping on the fish, I've seen it before, can never have enough surface agitation! What's the powerhead you use? Can't see it in your links.

[@Christian-sr6pd]

Hey MD, don’t forget the more surface agitation = less CO2 in the tank which will affect plants. If anything maybe turn the wave maker at night. Just my 2 cents, cheers!

[@mauricederegt]

Your snail is up side down, you need to help him since they can't turn themselves!

[@MDFishTanks]

yeah all sorted

[@Box550]

Just an idea MD, why not put a spray bar on one of your filter returns. I use one on several of my tanks with skimmers similar to yours and don't have any issues. You get constant water agitation. Great videos, I think the platy tank was brillisnt.

[@nonaalic7892]

Your videos are the best If I was the judge in a aquascape competition I would rate all your designs 100.

[@shawnburns8190]

I inject air into my outlet at night to break the surface for hours to remedy this. No need for a skimmer during the day. Great channel.

[@polarablues64]

Ever consider an air stone that kicks on when the lights go out? That's what I do, I use a smart plug for one of those little aquarium coop air pumps

[@Gunnerfromends]

Hey MD! Love your videos. Would you ever consider doing a natural mangrove'esque habitat with fish such as keyhole cichlids?

[@MDFishTanks]

I'm definitely doing something for keyhole cichlids at some point!

[@Gunnerfromends]

@@MDFishTanks very excited to hear! They're my favourite fish.

[@henk4700]

@@MDFishTanks nice

[@henk4700]

@@Gunnerfromends same recomendet it a few vidoes ago for the amazon tank

[@richardjw]

Keyhole cichlids are so cool! I had a few in a tank with a pair of golden rams, an angelfish and a few other fish. The keyholes were so fun to watch!

[@VixinatorsVideos]

Ah so stressful! Good thing you caught it in time. Helpful thing to look out for, for sure.

[@dansReef9229]

I have the same inlet & outlet as you, but I always have the outlet higher to move the water surface always & the skimmer still skims perfect. Agree the skimmer does not take much to clog up, have to clean mine every week or so 😳

[@clairacres4650]

I learn so much from your videos. Thank you.

[@stevecooper6653]

CORRECT MD 👍🏻👌🏻how long do you have your lights on ? All mine are from 14.00pm---22.00pm (8 hours) all my tanks are planted also.

[@jonasdamien1762]

You can always use a oxydator of Söchting. In case your elektricity fails at night, you still have a back-up for oxygen. Just for the one tank with the expensive discus.

[@Mommamacnz]

I'm so glad your fish are ok.

[@littlemidwestrebornsdolls]

I can't believe you get up that early!! I use to have to get up that early for work. But, my hours have changed. Talking to the fish is natural. I talk to my fish. If they answer back, then you might be in trouble. 😉LOL. 🐠🐟🐠🐟

[@aquaticconceptsbringingwaterto]

Discuses have no particular environment other than the tank itself. Where they are located is adaptable to your situation. Discus can adapt to almost any environment as long as that environment has consistent elements of traffic, noise and your interaction with your fish. Maintenance, Water changes and feeding are all important activities that build trust. If you are netting your fish and scaring them more than necessary, each time you approach the tank your fish will be suspect about why. If you make the experience a good one you build trust. Plan long term for your fish so that they can continue throughout their life cycle to experience the same environment and not disrupt their life experiences and patterns. This is True with all Tropical fish but some more than others. Discus fish are in that category where great care in planning a safe and stable environment yields the best results. They are not that fragile, they just need your trust. Good Luck!

[@leekinsey5888]

I run a air brick with my discus, stendker do recommend it but obviously i'd prefer to be without for looks but no matter what agitation I create with the FX4 if I turn the air brick off it does seem the discus are heading up to the surface within a day so I just put up with the airbrick now

[@yesumuthu3579]

Thank you md, I learned something new. 👍💚

[@carolebraswell982]

Also, I am loving all the types of music in your VLOGS!

[@Aquafinity]

Same with me! The music is very enjoyable. Do you keep discus?

[@77slate]

If I use an internal filter in a planted tank I use the sprinkler attachment it work well to agitated the surface & breaks the power of the flow so the plants don't get blasted

[@lizardman2477]

That’s crazy I’m glad u caught it man cause I love your discus

[@musicfruitcake6442]

MD, have you consider to use lucky bamboo in ur next aquascape? They look super nice, easy to maintain and cheap. My mother kept them in vase with just water without direct light and it grew well lol

[@willit1972]

In my experience discus love a slight flow in the tank. Usually tends to be beneficial for aquariums having a bit for flow with surface agitation

[@WALSRU]

This is something I always worried about on a hot discus tank. During day I run CO2 and during the night I run a weak wavemaker on mine to make sure no gas exchange issues. 👍

[@dweaver1805]

Great info TY I love your channel my favorite!

[@Aquafinity]

I love his channel too! So entertaining and informative at the same time. He also inspired me to create a fishkeeping channel! 😊

[@LaurieDeBruyn]

You could also change the outlets to lilipipes, the ones you have now don't give flow on surface.

[@sergeiz.5815]

Got new fish yesterday.long tail Dalmatian Molly's and long tail black Molly's. Black ones are like half orange very cool looking

[@rimcreaper3500]

Watch out for too much surface agitation, because CO2 will leave water when the surface is moving. That's why you'll see a tank without plants with an air thingy. They need to get rid of CO2 dispersed by the fish by means of surface agitation. I know it's a tank without co2 injection, but plants need CO2 nonetheless. Now the only source of CO2 is the fish and bacteria and the plants use it all ( and need it too apparently!). Beautiful tank by the way! 👍 I wanted to warn you about this, because it happened to me once🙈.

[@carolebraswell982]

Thanks for sharing this info! All my tanks are very heavily planted!

[@Aquafinity]

Good job! I always like and prefer planted tanks. They’re natural and healthy! How many tanks do you currently have? 😃

[@Maxste-qy6pf]

I have 2 fx6's on my 8ft and the discus play in the outlets I honestly don't believe that they don't like flow mine love it

[@alexsss79]

if anyone doesn't have a skimmer u can simply raise ur outflow up so it's above the water should break the surface nicely

[@michellebastin5286]

Get up early & save things Love it MD 😘🥰

[@sebastian.k390]

Hi there, love your channel and thanks for the lesson, its quite important. I wanted to ask about those metal skimmers. Do they rust? I saw lots of those products on amazon and costumers say that they rust after sometime. What do you think?

[@tinyt6330]

Thanks for the awesome tip! In had no idea!

[@Aquafinity]

Neither did I! MD lead me to make my aquarium channel! 😊

[@charlieewing1810]

I'm surprised you haven't run into Hello Bleher yet. Discus do not come from parts of the world with plants in the water, and to maintain healthy plants usually makes it harder to maintain healthy discus fish.

[@cocotte9104]

Worth noting about oxygen issues : the beneficial bacteria in the tank also consume oxygen, so even if you don't have plants you should worry about oxygen deficiency in the tank. Some dechlorinators (the ones with Sodium thiosulfate) also consume oxygen so you can have an oxygen drop after a water change. On a similar topic, chloramine removers (not chlorine) will usually produce ammonia, so be careful if you have high chloramine levels in your water.

[@tiffanyefairfax8703]

Get up early and save things! Lol that was a good one!

[@MDFishTanks]

t shirt slogan for sure!

[@tiffanyefairfax8703]

@@MDFishTanks absolutely!!!

[@toddbigeasy]

Do you have a plant tour of the discus tank? Its beautiful 😍

[@daveflemmer3975]

Might be worth adding a CO2 drop checker like the ones used in tanks with injected CO2.

[@kevinbarroso3126]

Hey, thanks for the videos, I'm working a posible discuss tank, how often do you feed them and what ph do you keep?.

[@nextmoreinc]

love this dude haha, i talk to my fish aswell ^^ big up for man dem. Shout out from sweden

[@sharonlewis6258]

That flow is blowing the poor guppies.

[@dnrv4530]

You could just get an air pump and an air stone for cheap or air curtain and that fix the problem and I think it does it more efficiently and don’t make that more flow if the discus get stressed for the flow ( I don’t know anything about them)

[@GregsAquatics]

one thing you could do is put an airstone in the back of the tank for some more surface agitation

[@DHANISH5]

Any way They look like stress free now.... good job MD...

[@ReinhardvonHolst]

Love your vids. Peace from Berkshire.

[@Jinxed-jq6ew]

Would you ever consider getting an Oscar. I've got one with green and red terrors also parrot fish and blue acara. Be great to see you do a larger fish tank.

[@lukas181118]

Great vid bud as always. Correct my if am wrong but more oxygen into water means ph rise? If no doing co2 plants could be affected when ph rise.

[@Howsy91]

I hade 2 sterbi corys for ages.. they are such a beautiful looking cory. Then yesterday one started swimming in a corkscrew pattern, I separated it and tried some pease as I think it was a swim bladder issue but had no success. Was gutting to see it pass away so suddenly.

[@Howsy91]

Ps love your videos btw. So inspiring watching your tanks grow.

[@Lol27710]

Camera quality is on point 🔥

[@avilacanario]

You talking to your fish is kinda cool!

[@gmeadowcroft84]

Just out of curiosity, would an air stone not work better than the power head as that would disturb the plants less?

[@danielcockerill600]

I’ve had this happen to me last Friday morning, powerhead had become clogged and stopped agitating the surface and spray at was below the surface and pointed down! Mine is a heavily planted tank and I lost 5 Colombian Tetras in one night!

[@Kakaasipyro808]

May you do a video of your cleaning setup and how you built it? Thank you

[@andrewwilson8776]

Do you use straight tap water for your fish

[@alexanderlonigro2172]

Whst temperature do you keep your discus tank

[@obloj]

Hi since you do not have co2 how do you keep algae in check? How often do you replace your water in this tank. Your light looks very bright don't you have black beard algae? Thanks

[@traceyparker3248]

Which powerhead/wavemaker is that please in your discus tank. Thank you 👍

[@justaguyontheinternet9751]

you should put an oxygenator thingy(not filter) in the discus tanks...thats what i did to my 70g and its good now....

[@naegwut]

Beautiful discus

[@traceyanne73]

Can you tell me what brand of powerhead it is that you added? Thanks!

[@UrbanHafner]

Plants are living things and they always use O2. It's just that during the day the break down CO2 via photosynthesis and O2 is a byproduct of it. So during the day they produce more O2 than they use up.

[@drexr9098]

I had this same issue a couple of weeks ago, and I run c02, unfortunately for me I didn't make it in time and had a couple of losses.

[@dnbblaze291]

could you share the link for the controllable powerhead please

[@Smikkelsmit]

Hey, with which type of food do you work with for your fish?

[@professorm4171]

The easy solution is to point the filter outlet up toward the waterline. It'll create ripples.

[@ristyagni5020]

So cutes,, the discus 😍

[@Pafed96]

Is the wave maker too noisy? I’m setting my aquarium at my room so I’m worried it’s gonna be too noisy

[@deanmorier5353]

What temperature do you keep this tank at?

[@VisionsandRevisions]

Seems to me that my $5 (£3.60) sponge filter provides oxygen and surface agitation. I flinched when MD said “bladder snail”. My tanks are overpopulated with bladder snails and duckweed. And I never bought either. They all hitchhiked in on plants I bought.

[@AccessibleCruises]

Yeah my brain screamed noooooo.... To the 🐌 but MD never seems to have a snail problem. Everyone says it's because of over feeding...

[@grantgwyn1992]

Love this tank

[@demonprince5960]

Hey MD can you do a simple vid of plants that work good for a dirted tank eventho you have so many vids on the topic but like a list would be good (happy to see the fishes are doing good and as always good info ) ✌️

[@sathmikaliyanagunawardhana9186]

Nope , plants respirate both at day and night and produces CO2. But in the presence of light more O2 is produced by photosynthesis at day. Since there is no light at night, only CO2 is produced.

[@AccessibleCruises]

Thanks for the explanation.

[@Jesseusenich]

MD I’m so glad the fish are okay!!!!!!!!!

[@camillaheedart4992]

Any tips on how to get rid of brown algae? My plants keeps dying from brown algae

[@truthfactreality6814]

Put oase air diffuser in. The high temp will also lower oxygen levels

[@jesbenji9742]

I've experience this with a vertical tank. Tank is too deep for good O2 in water. Air pump solves issue.

[@jonathanperez4985]

How are you? What kind of water filter are u You using in this tank?

[@Andrew-ik3no]

Wow! Nice tanks!!! But…how do you kniw if one of your fish died? You have a lot of plants:)

[@vEGan1909]

Snails and Amanos will “clean up“.

[@joewebb1092]

I think there’s not enough space for the fish … as they r big fish to many plants. They do look healthy tho.