My 180 planted discus tank

[saltydog]

I am new to the whole FW thing since about January. i have been a Saltwater reefaholic for about 12 years or so. I have always wanted to have discus but always been too scared to take them on. So in December i dove in with both feet and sold off my reef and started up a planted discus tank in january.

Here are the very beginnings of the tank the end of January first of Feb about three weeks after set up.
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/camsan92/DSC00557-1.jpg
About a month later
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/camsan92/DSC00695.jpg
A couple of recent FTS's
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/camsan92/DSC00916.jpg
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/camsan92/DSC00917.jpg

From the side
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/camsan92/DSC00919.jpg

Some of the fish
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/camsan92/DSC00931.jpg
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/camsan92/DSC00937.jpg
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/camsan92/DSC00936.jpg
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/camsan92/DSC00928.jpg
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm140/camsan92/DSC00861.jpg


A few things I would have done differently and still may....I have had some peppering although i do not mind it and most of it was present when I bought them, I may would have put some lighter sand on the top of the eco complete. the background was already painted black but I would have liked a faux rock wall and then placing the plants a little differently. the Val has taken over. I am going to be cutting it back here soon so the other plants can continue to grow. Other than that I am pretty pleased for the first time doing a FW tank.

I have no regrets at all and actually prefer this so far by far over my reef. I am still learning LOTS and enjoying the adventure!!! I am not sure how old my fish are but I do know the person i got the majority of the from said they were young. the ones i got first are the biggest ones and they have grown quite a bit and the smallest ones are the most recent additions but have still been in there for a couple of months or more. There colors are really starting to come in. they were quite small when i got them.

Anyway I just wanted to share.
Thanks
Cammie

[Spardas]

You can try to cover the foreground with carpet plants. It's a good way to cover up the black substrate.

I'm glad everything worked well for you and this being your first planted discus tank; I'd say good job since everyone seems happy and growing.

They may not be at their full potential but it's still good considering you only feed them twice a day while they're juveniles, ^^.

Also, you won't be disappointed in Mal's FDBW. They're like crack to fish. What size did you order and did you order cube?

[saltydog]

Yeah I got them from Al and got the 50 gram cube. Any other suggestions on food I can try. I have tetra bits, new life spectrum flak, PE mysis, hikari mysis etc... i try all of it but it is a no go...nothing but blood worms. Do you really think they look that bad??????

[saltydog]

Oh and thanks for the tip on the FDBW :) I do only feed them twice a day but I feed pretty heavy. They do eat like PIGS though. I will switched to feeding them three times a day though....that is no biggie and I do not mind at all. Once in the am, about 4 and then later in the evening.

Maybe that will help. I am not sure what you mean by they do not look their full potential. Can you help me out here. i am very willing to learn.

Thanks

[yikesjason]

The tank looks great. The plants fit well in the set up. Hind sight is 20/20. That is why first tanks are first tanks. You already have some ideas of what you could improve on. A carpet would be nice, but it can be difficult. Carpets can be more demanding than the plants I see in your tank. What do you have in terms of equipment? Do you fertilize?

You can also work around the dark tank issue with they type of discus you have. Albinos will not be affected by the dark like the pigeon bloods that have the peppering now. Some discus look better in some people's opinions. I really like the look of San Merah and red covers in dark tanks.

As for foods, I really like AngelsPlus. I feed their color bits and 1.5 mm fry starter. I also used their deworming flakes to great effect.

[saltydog]

Yes I use dry fert mix on the tank and CO2. my lighting is 2x 250 watt MH. I have 10k on one side and 14k on the other. funny though i intended to switch both to 10k but one of then busted. the plants on the 14k are growing much better than the 10k side. I started out with 14k and was told to switch to 10k. Thinking now to switch the other one back to 14k.

Yeah I have only a few more to add and I think I am going to finish it off with 3 of Sabres1 fire reds for a b-day present to myself :D They will go in my 60 gallon though I think to start with until they grow out a bit. I was thinking of putting them in the 180 but still not sure if that would be best to start with since they are so much smaller than the rest. i will also likely be pulling a pair out of my 180 and putting them in a tank of their own. They have laid eggs about 15 times and wigglers once. but of course they are not able to fend off all the other sharks in the tank.

Thanks for the suggestion on the foods.

[rickztahone]

plants do better with bulbs in the 6500k range. i'm no expert though. great looking tank though, and great stand/canopy

[saltydog]

Thank you. Yes I was told that but already had the mh set up with de bulbs and could not find 6500k de 250 bulbs to go in it and wanted to use my same retro kit without having to buy another. They seem to be doing ok though, but I am sure not as good as they could under a different color spectrum. Oh well. I have had very little to no algae issues so I am thankful for that....knock on wood. I have 2 plecos (1 royal and 1 rubber nose) 4 Siamese algae eaters, some ottos and nerite snails so I think they all keep things in check for me. I use my glass magnet maybe one time a week if that. Things may go to hell in a hand basket tomorrow but so far so good. I also think the co2 and ferts help me to keep all that in check too. Like I said this is all a learning experience and I have certainly had my days of feeling overwhelmed, but for the most part it has been a great ride and I look forward to continuing to grow and learn :)

[calihawker]

Very nice job on the tank and aquascape!

[Steven Turitz]

Hi Saltydog
Nice planted setup. Looks very natural with the large rocks, branches and plants.
I like the furniture (stand & canopy), is it Marineland Monterey Series in Red Oak?
How about posting some of pertinent and specific details, like aquarium size, filtration,
heating, water change setup. I'm interested, I'm sure there are many others.
We all can learn form everyone in the Community.
And by the way, you are at the right place. SimplyDiscus has some phenomenally
experienced, talented and knowledgeable Discus experts and afficionados.
Steve

[saltydog]

Hi Saltydog
Nice planted setup. Looks very natural with the large rocks, branches and plants.
I like the furniture (stand & canopy), is it Marineland Monterey Series in Red Oak?
How about posting some of pertinent and specific details, like aquarium size, filtration,
heating, water change setup. I'm interested, I'm sure there are many others.
We all can learn form everyone in the Community.
And by the way, you are at the right place. SimplyDiscus has some phenomenally
experienced, talented and knowledgeable Discus experts and afficionados.
Steve

Thanks Steve. The canopy and stand I had custom made through Walts woodworking here in NC made form Oak.

Heating= I have a Finnex Titanium heater and keep it at 84.

Filtration= the tank is drilled with dual overflows and I have a sump where I keep pot scrubbers and some blue filter pad in the chamber where my water come sin to the sump before going into the return, but my main filtration is the plants. I also use a filter sock for a micron filter. I change the sock every three days or so. I use a UV sterilizer also.
I have a 20 lb CO2 set up that runs with lights on

lighting = As I mentioned before 2 x 250 watt MH one is 10k and one is 14k. Going to be making both the same here shortly.

Water changes= I do about once a week at 50%. I was doing them twice a week but I was finding I was stripping the plants. My nitrates stay so LOW that even at once a week I am pushing it by almost totally depleting any that is there. In my bb tank i will be setting up i will plan to do a wc everyday. I need to find some other happy medium here for my 180 though as I am sure there are other impurities in the water. I use RO/DI water.

On another note...i had another two discus pair up tonight and lay eggs!!! Whoo hoo. At this point it may be two females. but time will tell. it is the two in the last pic, i think they are pigeon bloods?? My other pair has had wigglers in the past and they keep laying too, so i will be setting them up a tank here soon but i will wait on this other pair and see what happens and if they are truly a "pair" before I set them up a separate tank. all new for me so any input is greatly appreciated and i can say i have learned much from you all already just reading and browsing.

[saltydog]

Very nice job on the tank and aquascape!


Thanks

[Steven Turitz]

Thanks for all the specific details and info about your system, it seems you have successfully transitioned from reef to Discus.
Congratulations on the pairing up and the eggs.
You probably are now officially on your way to a fishroom.
Discus are addictive, watching fry cling to the bodies of their protective parents can bring one to the point of Discus obsession.

[saltydog]

Thank you i feel pretty fortunate to have found this hobby. I do think though as a couple of people have pointed out, i have some discus that may not be up to par as far as the growth rate. :(. They look fat but apparently they may not be where they should be as far as size. I have increased my feedings and have ordered some earthworm and beef heart flake as well as some bits from angel foods and i also ordered some FDBW's from Al. So hopefully i can get them off of an all bloodworms diet. I fear that it may be too late on some growth spurts for some but many of these guys are still very young so I hope it is not too late to get some growth out of them. I hope my inexperience has not been a detrimental mistake at the cost of the health of the fish. I figured since they looked good, fat,eating like pigs, laying eggs, getting wigglers all was good.
I am getting some new babies hopefully this week and if i do i will be putting them in my 60 cube and getting their bellies good and fat and good size to go in the 180 :)

[Spardas]

It's good that you got some new food. Hopefully, you'll be able to get them to eat the new stuff although I'm pretty sure they will take the FDBW easily. Flakes and pellets can be a bit more tricky, but in due time.

So in the future, you just need to provide a more balanced diet and increase the frequency of feeding and your discus will grow like weed. Sure, not all discus are made to grow out the same and be big, but you'll get a nice consistent size in the group if you feed well and keep up with water quality.

Who are you getting fishes from this time, a local breeder?

[saltydog]

Thanks for the input and suggestions. this time I am hopefully getting a few fire reds from sabres1 and maybe one or two from Kenny on his next batch. I was really wanting an albino red cover that Kenny had but yikes i will have to save up for a couple of those :). I am glad i found you guys, however my checkbook may not be.....

[saltydog]

Ok got a question or two. I have been contemplating switching from RO/Di water to tap water for my 180. The reason to change:

1. My PH in my RO water is 6.0 and very soft water but in my tank it is about 7.6 which is where I use my RO/DI water ( never had anything but).....after test as to why this is, I came to the conclusion it was the eco complete. this has also raised my Gh and KH. The only things I have in there that could cause it are the eco complete and the big rocks. I tested both sitting in a tub of Ro over a 24 and 72 hour period. the rocks changed nothing the eco complete planted substrate however changed both.

So now the PH, GH and KH in my tank and tap are a pretty close match

2. It would make it much easier doing water changes

Reasons not too:
1. My phosphate levels in my tap are ~.50 - 1.0 from my RO/DI it is 0
Now with this being said I have a planted tank and I am not sure how much benefit the phosphate would be or on the other hand how much harm it would do. I know in a reef tank any amount of phosphate is no good.

2. I have no idea what other contaminants are in my tap water. I use it on my indoor pond and it stays crystal clear but I also do not have any lights over it and we are talking about goldfish ;)

3. Everybody is doing really well!!

So I am thinking if it ain't broke don't fix it but i keep thinking it would be really nice to hook a python up to the kitchen sink to drain and fill the tank during water changes instead of Large water holders for my RO.

Anyway any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[yikesjason]

I am no civil water engineer, but if it passes standards for drinking water, it can't be horrible. Two common treatments for tap water are; aging it in a barrel with an airstone and heater, and treating it with Prime or similar chemical water treatments.

[wesleydnunder]

Nice-lookin' tank and fish.

Mark

[saltydog]

Thanks! Still debating on the tap vs RO. sticking with the RO for now since this is what I have been using since the get go. We will see. Maybe I will top off with Tap a few times and see how it goes.