Newbie Help/Advice needed

[angel12]

I have a Jewel tank and am new to planting I purchased some plants From a major Plant Dealer in the UK and they seem to be doing well but I have a couple of questions

The tank is in the process of being cycled and to get the best of both worlds as it is my intention to put a 4 -5 Dicsus in it that I keep the substrate not very deep about 1.5"

Im not to clued up on the latin names for plants But im looking for some floating plants or some tall Background plants that will help to diffuse the light somewhat .. can anyone recommend some species also I have some java Fern which is attached to Bogwood is there a moss that I can use to attach it to Some rocks I have ?

Also what lighting should I aim for there are 2 tubes in my Hood and how do i work out the turnover rate of the water in my tank to make sure it isnt to high

[ChloroPhil]

Hello and welcome to the greatest forum on Simplydiscus! :)

I would recommend Vallisneria species, Java Fern, Giant Hygro (Hygrophila corymbosa or H. stricta depending on where you are), Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana), and some Rotala indica (Rotala rotundifolia) for some red. They're all good beginners plants and stand up to the heat of a discus tank well.

If you're going with a larger aquarium 48"+ long and 18"+ high Amazon Swords (Echinodorus species) are another great plant for discus. Your 1.5" of gravel is a little low, 2" would be better.

Other than that, enjoy your tank!

[angel12]

Thank You for your reply Biotypical Yes I agree my substrate may be on the small size so i will place my fish in another tank whilst i add more depth to it my tank is 20" high but for the water hight it is probably 16" I dont want to make the depth of the substrate to high do I ?

What I was concerned about was that if the substrate is to high I may have problems keeping it clean once I start to grow out the dicsus I will be placing inside it am i being unduly concerned ?

also what about the water turnover rate from what I can see the water is turned over very slowly in my tank ...how many Ltrs Gall should it be and do I need to add any kind of fertilizer to the tank on a regular basis .. what other chemicals should i look out for in my Tap water

if anyone would care to comment I would be gratefull

:) :)

[ChloroPhil]

Angel,

Read my article on Algae problems, it's also good for getting a handle on what chemicals to use and in what doses. I think it's in the Archive/Library forum.

[lorba]

not an expert here and I don't keep discus, well... :)

- water should be circulated roughly about 3 times / hr, so if you have 10l, the turnover rate should be about 30l/h. You can of course +- from this gauge.

- 1.5" of gravel is definitely too thin. Even plants like rotala roundifolia will put out deep roots when established. More so for other deep rooted stems plants and rosette plants. What most people (Singapore) does was putting in deep base fert and about 1/3 (thickness) more of gravel over it. For a 9footer, the gravel and base fert can be up to 10cm thick and more.

- You don't have to clean the substrate if the tank is heavily planted. On top of this, the plants will also help in the bio-filtration process and keep your water clear.

- If your tank is high and you are using normal FL, it would be good to chose plants that can survive will lower light. For background, cryptocoryne balansae will do wonders. Other shorter crypts, planted in big clusters, will look nice too, and they don't really need attention at all. One or 2 broad leave plants like Echindorus sp. among the balansae might be nice too.

just my 2cents. :)