Discus tank draining concept

[andrewtyr]

I don't quite understand why discus farms use the long PVC tube at water level for draining of water. It is too long to drain off fish poo. Can anyone enlighten me?

[eddyq]

The vertical position pipe is meant to control tank water level and act as an overflow to a sump. I dont think is meant to clear waste. My 2 cents.

[valice]

Hmm andrew, mind if you upload the picture to the gallery instead of hotlinking for another site? Cannot see the picture.

[andrewtyr]

ooops, overlooked it. Thanks for the reminder

How do they clean and drain the tank then?

[valice]

It probably don't remove waste but more of a nitrate removal given that there is a possibility that water is constantly dripping into the tank..

So it is like constant water change... Waste will still need to be siphoned out manually...

[andrewtyr]

i noticed they have 3 tier tanks, it is not easy to clean the top tier tank if they really do it manually.
I also noticed that there is a shorter PVC pipe also at the tanks at Rainbowfarm. It is covered by plastic cups. Any idea how it works?

[valice]

The shorter PVC pipes are meant to do massive water change all the way to the height of the lower pipe.

If you remove the cup, the water will drain off... It will stop when the water level reaches that depth.

[Cacatuoides]

If small holes or slits are drilled at the lower portion of the long pipe, it may help to clear a little of the waste, nothing beats manual siphon as discus are known to eat and shit quite a bit....

[luenny]

Hi all,
Sorry to dig up old thread. If you are talking about the PVC pipe that extends all the way to the water level, it serves a few purpose:
i) To make sure the tank has constant water level. This way the owner can drip in water 24 hrs a day. Keeps ammonia and nitrate at bay.
ii) Most of those pipes are not fixed. They usually can be pulled out or some even consists of several shorter pipes. When the owner pull out the pipe (or part of it), it becomes a drainage hole. That way, the water will be drained until the level of the pipe. If you pull out the whole pipe (or most of it), and stir the water in the process, you will find a lot of fish waste actually goes out of the pipe. And one thing discus owners are famous for is frequent large water changes.

Hope this helps.
- Luenny

[andrewtyr]

thanks! that was very enlightening!