Planted Discus Tank No Co2 LED

[greengreen84]

Hi guy's I'm new on here and thought I would share my planted Discus tank with everyone here I'll start with spec list
Tank - 4x18x18 curved bow frount tank 60 gallons
Substrate - 27litres of ADA Amazonia II
Filter - 2400LPH canister with 9 watt UV
Heating - Jager 150 watt
Lighting - T8 LED 40watts
Fish - 13cm Red Melon, 11cm Yellow Diamond, 10cm yellow Millieum, 6cm
Red melon, 6cm Blue diamond
Plants - Hygrophilla Polysperma, Hortwort, Japonica Blyxa, pygmy sword chains,
red cyrpt, HC, japonica hair grass, green lotus also have added but havin't
got any battery power for the camera to take pictures will update later, I
have added red lotus, rotala green, rotala wallichi, Staurogyne sp,
Limnophila aromatica I'm not so sure about the last one but seams to be
growing now but green lol

here's a few photo's from start to finish I started it in mid november
at 2 weeks

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/ADAsoiltanks022.jpg
http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/ADAsoiltanks026.jpg

5 weeks

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/ADAsoiltanks041-1.jpg

8 weeks

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/DSC01403.jpg
http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/DSC01397.jpg

15 weeks at this point I sold all my Pygmy chain swords and started to growout the japonica blyxa as it looked a lot neater than the chain swords and also tryed HC

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/DSC01459.jpg
http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/DSC01438.jpg
http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/DSC01418.jpg
http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/DSC01434.jpg

19 weeks soon to come

[greengreen84]

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/DSC01427.jpg
http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/DSC01425.jpg
and another picture of my golden millenium
http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/DSC01413.jpg

[Second Hand Pat]

Very nice, love the progression. Which lighting fixture are you using??

[saltydog]

very nice. do you dose anything. My larger tank is running CO2 but my smaller one is not and i see good growth in it as well but i do dose in the smaller tank.

[greengreen84]

thanks Second Hand Pat to answer your question it's not really a lighting fixture just a couple of wires conected up to 4 T8 end caps or are you asking about the light it self? thanks salty dog and I do dose I was using the EI method at the start but phosphates and nitrates got out of control so i just use seachem Equilirum 1/4 teaspoon and half a 1/32 teaspoon of Fe3 chelated iron for the week, mix it with water from the tank it turns into a blood red in a 14mil test tube and I do daily doses everyday when I feed the fish but I do try to feed the discus 2 to 3 times a day so the plants are getting alot of nitrates and phosphates so I don't need to do the potassium nitrate and mono potassium sulfate and I am using the the dried black worms, dried brine shrimp and algae flakes or sera flora you would call it for their food and I do give them frozen blood worms and frozen brine shrimp once a week I try and not give too much of the stuff that can sink and hide in the plants area's and i change the water every 2 months lol i try and go longer but I get too nervious the best I've done is 5 months and thats because of a major rescape but i have learned that small discus are not a good idea for planted tanks I'm just hoping these two in there are tough enough for it otherwise I'll have to move them and buy two more so they don't stress out

[wannafish]

Hi!

I have been dosing with the Ei method also, although I don't use the phosphates, I think it is the PS04. I am getting
algae. Are you saying that your nitrates and phosphates were high because of the EI method and you got algae
outbreaks as well? I thought Equilibrium was for adding to RO water. How or why have you chosen that as your
fert choice?

Thanks, Jeff

[Second Hand Pat]

I was curious about the LED part, are they just moonlights?

[greengreen84]

Hi!

I have been dosing with the Ei method also, although I don't use the phosphates, I think it is the PS04. I am getting
algae. Are you saying that your nitrates and phosphates were high because of the EI method and you got algae
outbreaks as well? I thought Equilibrium was for adding to RO water. How or why have you chosen that as your
fert choice?

Thanks, Jeff

It's not so much the EI method that gave me algae it was the high fish load with the EI method I guess you have to find out how much your tank needs I still use it but just not the part about putting in nitrates and phosphates because my fish do a job of it but to find out what you need just check your phosphates if they are rising then cut back on the mono potassium sulfate until it's stable and if nitrates keep rising then you ether stop using potassium nitrate and see how long it takes to get to 0ppm and adjust the dosage to keep it steady and if it keeps going up than you have cut back on your fish load.

The one problem I have is that I get is too much phosphates so I have to put in phosphate remover in the canister so I don't get algae problems and calcium deficiency's, the phosphates will block calcium being absorbed by the plants if it gets too high like 5ppm but not quite sure could be less? but my nitrates are good and steady at 5ppm and climb up to 10ppm some times if I feed hevy and frozen foods as well.

I use seachem Equilirum because a few websites said that you can use it instead of CSM+B as well as Tom Barr the man himself said that you can use it as a trace mineral as well, it looked more simple back then just to buy the seachem Equilirum but I want to try the CSM+B but it's taking too long to finish the bottle it's been almost 2 years since I bought it lol and I still got about 20% of it left

And one other thing if your getting algae problems then maybe you might have unstable Co2 I know algae will adjust to different levels before plants will and this can happin if you change the water too often if you have no Co2 on your tank that is. But I always get brown algae after a water change and disapears after a few days to a week but I do notice that algae seems to apear when when nitrates start to rise to 10ppm but that's just my observations.

[greengreen84]

I was curious about the LED part, are they just moonlights?

no moon lights on these ones lol, the ones I bought go straight into a T8 fixture just have to remove the ballast and starter and I only got these ones for the pure fact that they have a 3 year warranty with no hassles if you complain and it had awsome reviews on a forum for reef tanks which is the masa forum in Australia it has a huge thread on the 120 watt led aquarium light models you will see it as BSLED Led that's the company name.

They use the bridgelux led 1 watt HO (high output) led models the only other led i would go for is the 3watt Cree and they can do that too lol but not in the T8 LED model, they cost me $120 for the two 20watt T8 LED's tubes and doing alot better than I expected.

[jimg]

looks nice!

[retiredsailor]

the plant growth looks great. the discus are beautiful as well, but its the plants that really pull my eye. mainly because i'm planning a planted tank.

[greengreen84]

thanks guys the plants in there are really simple and easy to grow it was more of a test see how well the led can do but I've never really had a niece looking display until I got the fertilzed substrate keeps the ph down to 6.4 and buffers it really niecly but the plants I just bought should test the lighting and seems to be doing alright but if you want to do a easy planted tank the hygrophilla polysperma, hornwort, java fern and pygmy chain swords are all easy to start with in my experience.

[DiscusLoverJeff]

Just an amazing setup! Your plant growth is exceptional. I wish you continued good luck. Think of me when you have more plants that you can handle, providing you would ship to the US, Lol.

[wannafish]

Hi!

Thanks greengreen84 for your explanation. I too have high phosphates in my water and have tried to lower it
with phosphate remover. Do you still use it with the Equilibrium? I use municipal tap water and age it in a
barrel. But my phosphate levels are way high. That's why I am thinking about RO water.

[greengreen84]

thanks Jeff for the kind compliments and will try if your willing to send a postage cost as long as customs don't come back to me and say it's a ileagal weed lol.

and Wannafish i do still use the phosphate remover but plan to take it out soon to see the difference in what it takes out, I know the the equilibrium has potassium sulfate but they say it's not but have to list it as that because of laws in that industry. But if it's costs less or does better with RO water with equilibrrium to buffer it then do it!

[JL15219]

Nice progression, the plants filled in very nicely....Awesome Job! And no CO2.....very very nice!

[waters10]

Nice Tank!

How's your HC doing? Everything I read about this plant is that it loves CO2 and does quite poorly without it, unless you dose excel as a CO2 replacement.

My experience with HC has been less than optimal. Algae took over it and fish kept uprooting it ... I still have some left, but not even close to becoming a carpet. I do have pressurized CO2 though.

I'd be interested to see how your HC progress! Good luck!

[greengreen84]

Nice progression, the plants filled in very nicely....Awesome Job! And no CO2.....very very nice!
thanks you just have to be very very very patient some times but this Staurogyne sp plant is so slow it hasn't even started to grow yet it's been 2 weeks and it's still adjusting to the low Co2 in the tank and developing a root system I guess, But I look at it every day to see if it's growing I might be looking at it too often to notice lol


Nice Tank!

How's your HC doing? Everything I read about this plant is that it loves CO2 and does quite poorly without it, unless you dose excel as a CO2 replacement.

My experience with HC has been less than optimal. Algae took over it and fish kept uprooting it ... I still have some left, but not even close to becoming a carpet. I do have pressurized CO2 though.

I'd be interested to see how your HC progress! Good luck!
It hasn't been so good with the HC I had about 10 pieces grow lol, I've replaced most of it with Staurogyne sp Tom Barr suggested it as it would compete better for Co2 with the blyxa.

But I hear people are doing DIY substrate with crushed mable on the bottom and it creates a Co2 carbon in the water for the HC, but I havin't had much luck with the ADA so I've pulled out most of the HC and growing it emersed again so I can get money back from it lol.

[waters10]

thanks you just have to be very very very patient some times but this Staurogyne sp plant is so slow it hasn't even started to grow yet it's been 2 weeks and it's still adjusting to the low Co2 in the tank and developing a root system I guess, But I look at it every day to see if it's growing I might be looking at it too often to notice lol


It hasn't been so good with the HC I had about 10 pieces grow lol, I've replaced most of it with Staurogyne sp Tom Barr suggested it as it would compete better for Co2 with the blyxa.

But I hear people are doing DIY substrate with crushed mable on the bottom and it creates a Co2 carbon in the water for the HC, but I havin't had much luck with the ADA so I've pulled out most of the HC and growing it emersed again so I can get money back from it lol.
Yeah, I love Staurogyne repens, but it grows slow in my tank with CO2. I can only imagine how it would grow on non CO2 tanks ... But as long as it's healthy and you have patience, it should work well! I think it's much more suited to your tank. I just love these 2 plants, so I'm trying to carpet them both in my tank.

Post pics of your stauro!

[greengreen84]

I was very lucky the Stauro I posted a add on a forum for some and then a hour later some one was giving it away for free!!! and didn't even ask for postage he gave me like 10 pieces, Then I was ordering a few stems off another guy and he chuck a few piecs in as well for free so I got like 12 pieces for free lol it would cost me $120 on a online plant shop over here so was stoked about it.

but the misses is getting some rechargable batterys today for the camera it's so old like 5 years old lol, but way better than the phone camera so hopefully have some new pic's of the new plants tonight still having some trouble with one plant but it's still there just so there's hope :)

and is there a certain direction you place the stauro in like all in one direction or does it look niece any way you put it in?

[greengreen84]

hi guys here's the update I promised, please ignore the amount of blyxa on the left side it's waiting to be picked up 20 or more, I also have some new plants in there as well to try something a bit more difficult to grow such as rolata sp green, rotala wallichi, red lotus, stauro and limnophila Aromatica.

I've have takin out the driftwood and will be getting a bigger piece soon to suite this tank better, I also have a tempory powerhead for extra flow for oxgen until I get a nano wave pump and i have to amit the plants on the other end of the tank are doing alot better with extra flow but enough rambling here's the pic's

tank Full shot

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/22-03-20114ftadatank104.jpg

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/22-03-20114ftadatank105.jpg

left side

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/22-03-20114ftadatank094.jpg

Right side

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/22-03-20114ftadatank095.jpg

and The new Plants
Stauro

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/22-03-20114ftadatank096.jpg

Limnophila Aromatica

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/22-03-20114ftadatank106.jpg

Red lotus

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/22-03-20114ftadatank107.jpg

Rotala sp Green

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/22-03-20114ftadatank109.jpg

I also have rotala Wallichi as well but it's hard to see as it still starting to grow only had 2cm growth and for the last 4 weeks my discus have been breeding and starting to get wigglers now so the next step should be swimmers this is their 4th time, i'll let them practice for a little longer before i move them into their own tank
thanks for looking

[waters10]

Nice update!

What's the problem with the blyxa on the left? Looks great!

Stauro will look nice when it fills in!

You don't dose anything for carbon? Excel or Metricide?

[greengreen84]

I only dose a trace such as seachem equilibruim and mix with a chelated iron (Fe3) to 0.5ppm for a daily solution, but no carbon just the Co2 from the fish really the tank is heavly stocked

[waruna]

Well done, Blyxa looks very happy:-)

[greengreen84]

Thanks waruna i've trimmed the Blyxa over 50 pieces and sold it as well as sold 53 pieces with root systems so it has made back it's money and alot more lol so very happy with it, i noticed the other the day that i had UG as well it was given with the stem plants didn't even realise it till the other day seems to be growing slowly you can see it the Stauro picture a bit blurry it's in the middle to the right, I will very surpised if it grows niecly in my tank, but I have to cut back the hygrophilla polysperma it's getting to thick now to allow flow for the nutreints to get in and getting brown leafs inside yuck :P

[Darrell Ward]

Nice tank, but I think it would look much better without the discus. The discus look out of scale to me in the smaller tank with all the plants. Larger schools of small fish would look much better, and bring a more balanced look to the tank IMO. Just being honest. :)

[greengreen84]

i know what you mean I'm setting up a 5x2x2 120 gallon curved glass setup and having it BB with some drift wood and some plants attached to it for the discus but I have to resupport it and relevel the tank first as before it had a lean from the floor, didn't really think much of it until i had a leak in the sump and the 1 degree lean turned into 2 or 3 degree lean over night and was scared that it would fall though the floor lol, so i have to rebuild the insides and will replace the discus in that tank with red cherry shrimps and endlers but i need alot to replace the waste load of the discus

But i have Every thing in the office tank all is populating too fast as the red cherry shrimps are at 120+ and 12 are carrying eggs at the moment so if they don't get a bigger tank soon the 18 gallon will become quite busy lol and will have some pure female endler to go with my pure endler males soon so it's going to be a hot breeding house soon lol and the discus will have there own massive and clean tank to enjoy and hope to buy some small 2 inch discus 6 to 10 will be niece to have off rod on his next shippment.

And this tank 5x2x2 will be running off a DIY algae turf scrubber and two 300 gallon per hour canisters, the Diy ATS is going to be a mission to build without going to the expense of a sump i'll see what happins could end up with a sump in the end lol should have a week or two before the cherry shrimp population explodies

[greengreen84]

Small up date just planted out the tank with staurogyne sp tropica been wanting a new foreground plant for a while now since the HC failed lol

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/DSC00230.jpg

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/DSC00229.jpg

http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz236/greengreen84/DSC00228.jpg

[AMAZING-FISH]

all these nice setup make me feel like i need to start working on my 225

[Chunks]

Wow I can't believe there's no co2? Is it the soil that is the key?