Our 90 Gallon Planted Tank

[timmac69]

Okay, so I have broken just about every rule in these threads, but we have our discus in a planted tank....and are you ready to cringe? If putting our discus in a planted tank wasn't bad enough, we have mixed strains of assorted sizes (4.5" and 5.5") and the tank is stacked to the gills (pun intended). Our tank is low tech and the fish and plants are all thriving. We couldn't be happier. The lotus are growing overnight and the large leaves provide great cover fo the fish, even though they are not the slightest bit shy (we just added 2 more bulbs each of the red and green ). The fish are incredibly passive with very little pecking order (I am surprised given the number of fish in the tank). They eat from my daughter's hands and we perform 60% water changes every 3-4 days to keep the water parameters perfect at a temp of 86.5 degrees. We have had no concerns with algae other than on the leaves of the slow growing plants (the key here is to ensure no direct sunlight ever hits the tank and you do not disturb the substrate too much when vaccuming) There is new growth with the fish and plants alike with little effort. We also have a dozen glo-lite tetras, 6 cories, a farrowella, 12 ottos and two bolivian rams. Everyone gets along great...i know, I know...too many fish....you can't keep discus successfully in a planted tank....you shouldn't mix strains....They should all be the same size....but all of that aside, we find ouselves watching our fish TV more than we watch our big screen....here are some pics ...
http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j399/timmac69/TankApril2012016.jpg
http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j399/timmac69/TankApril2012014.jpg
http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j399/timmac69/TankApril2012013.jpg
http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j399/timmac69/TankApril2012001.jpg
http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j399/timmac69/TankApril2012018.jpg

I really need to invest in a better camera!

Thanks for looking!

[Northwoods Discus]

Nice tank. It's not so much you "can't keep discus in a planted tank" Its you shouldn't try to grow out discus in a planted tank.

[wavesurfer]

Great work! I can imagine the enjoyment in watching your fish TV every night after work! :D

[timmac69]

Nice tank. It's not so much you "can't keep discus in a planted tank" Its you shouldn't try to grow out discus in a planted tank.

Thanks and I agree...just having a little fun after reading a thread on here somewhere regarding what people dislike most about disus tanks...as I read it I realized we broke just about every 'rule' on there. We obviously didn't do that intentionally, but rather to create something visually appealing to us while still ensuring we maintain the health of all the inhabitants. For those who desire a planted tank, I would certainly recommend buying sub adults or bigger.

[strawberryblonde]

Nice tank. It's not so much you "can't keep discus in a planted tank" Its you shouldn't try to grow out discus in a planted tank.

+1

I actually have NO problem with mixed strains in one tank and find that there are a lot of people on these forums who feel the same way. I have a great mix of blues and tossed in one marlboro red just for the heck of it. =)

You're a little braver than I am as far as overstocking the tank (I have 9 discus and a flock of cards in a 115) but so far it's working for you so good job! They still look young though, so be warned that one of these days you might have to buy them a bigger tank if they grow like mine did.

Mine looked like little dwarf discus when I put them in the 115g (all were about the size that yours are now) and now they make the tank look tiny. LOL

Gorgeous tank, can't wait to see more pics as the discus grow out.

[timmac69]

[QUOTE=strawberryblonde;885400]+1
You're a little braver than I am as far as overstocking the tank (I have 9 discus and a flock of cards in a 115) but so far it's working for you so good job! They still look young though, so be warned that one of these days you might have to buy them a bigger tank if they grow like mine did.

Thanks and as usual with this hobby, I expect I will soon be constructing another tank down in my man cave to account for the grow out of our current fish...thinking another 90 gallon so I can spread the fish over both tanks. We currently have 10 discus in our current tank and do feed them frozen beefheart daily (among other diet variety), but I am not sure how rapidly they will grow given they are in a planted tank. I am careful not to overfeed as I do not want the substrate to get poluted. It has only been three months so far with this tank and the most rapid growth has been in the two larger SS, although there hasn't been any struggle for the others to get their share of the food. I am shocked to see how harmonious all the fish are in this tank, even at feeding time.

[Skip]

Nice tank. It's not so much you "can't keep discus in a planted tank" Its you shouldn't try to grow out discus in a planted tank.

+3

[Teshi]

I love the look of a planted tank but don't think I'm experienced enough yet with Discus. Maybe in a year if all my fish are still a live I'll get a 120gal and have that a planted with my fish.

[BowRiver]

ice tank, beautiful fish, great work,love the look of planted tank.

[Larry Bugg]

Nice looking tank. Like everyone else, I don't think you broke any rules. Mixed strains - you will probably find just as many that like it as don't. Mixed size - most would pull this card out if you had 2" and 5" but 4.5" to 5.5" is cool. Planted tank - Not an issue but growing out juvies in one would be. Stocking - well ok maybe you are bending a rule here but you are doing a 60% water change every 3 or 4 days and keeping a eye on it. Nice job, keep us updated.

[Dlprice45]

wow, this planted tank looks a lot like mine! I also have a planted 90 gallon tank with 8 different kind of discus with rams, tetras, corys and chinese algae and bristenose pleco. And I have to broken many rules but my tank is gorgeous just as yours is and I really enjoy looking at it. I do make more water changes than youbut otherwise this one looks very similar. I have been trying to post pictures been have not been able to get it to work yet. Not very computer savy.obviuosly. I know this is an old post but I just had to make a comment. Good job.

[Elliots]

What kind of background is that? Where did you buy it?

[timmac69]

What kind of background is that? Where did you buy it?

The company is Universal Rock....it is a slim background so it doesn't steal more than 1" from the real estate in the tank but has an all natural mineral surface. It looks great in person. The best feature is it is some sort of resin versus rigid foam, so it can be rolled up to fit in the tank without removing the center brace, and then unrolled in the tank to silicone against the back glass. It is also a fraction of the cost of the Aquaterra backgrounds (that take up considerably more space)...here is an example (there are multiple dimensions avail) Highly recommend!
http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Rocks-30-Inch-Aquarium-Background/dp/B005GZ1X5A

[Mep1127]

I love your tank! Your tank is something that I want my 90G to look like after my discus have grown some more. It will be a while before I can start putting plants in, but your tank has already given me some ideas for mine.

[CrazyAngels]

Man I love your setup, and you are right, your crew looks very happy and passive. congrats my friend, keep it up.

[BABYJIZAY]

I myself have 12 discus in my 125 gallon and they range from 3.5 to 6.5 inches and each one is a different color/strain. I love the look of mixed fish!!! Your tank looks great :)

[timmac69]

Hi everyone...I have a quick update on our tank. All of the fish are doing great and the plants are truly thriving. I have to go in there to crop the lotus leaves with every water change. We have one confirmed mating pair and find eggs frequently, but we have not isolated them from the rest of the community, so nothing has come of that. There are 6 cories, 12 glo light tetras, 2 geophagus, 2 male bolivian rams, a farowella (and a partridge in a pear tree)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUQtmyKEhtY&feature=youtu.be

[Second Hand Pat]

Tried to play the video and got this

This video contains content from UMG, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.

[Oscarsx]

Not available in my country!!?

- oz

[timmac69]

It appears my prior video was blocked because I had my stereo playing in the background when recording....was flagged for copyright infringement...DOH! Well, trying out my new Galaxy sIII....and just figuring it out so apologize for the quality (but great phone!) It was interesting looking back at the pictures we took in April versus what our tank looks like now....
http://youtu.be/dRZgejgGRQ4

[Kal-El]

It appears my prior video was blocked because I had my stereo playing in the background when recording....was flagged for copyright infringement...DOH! Well, trying out my new Galaxy sIII....and just figuring it out so apologize for the quality (but great phone!) It was interesting looking back at the pictures we took in April versus what our tank looks like now....
http://youtu.be/dRZgejgGRQ4

I counted 12 discus including juvie, which IMO is a lot in a 90 gallon with just 60% water change every 3-5 days. It seems to be working for you as you haven't had any issue with your fish. I'm assuming growth isn't what you want so over nice job. I have now 9 discus in a 75 gallon ranging from 4"-5.5" but I do 50% every day and it's just BB setup. Once they start pairing I'll move the pairs out.

[NYjim]

Great tank, good luck with it

[shoveltrash]

nice tank. best of luck with it - and btw I think I'd choose to watch your 'fish tv' any day! :)

[rerdragon1977]

respectfully, i dont like you, LOL!!!

[1oscar]

Beautiful setup.

[1oscar]

amazing setup and discus collection:D

[damba]

Beautiful tank and fish. Thanks for sharing :)


Cymru am byth. Rydw i'n mewn cichlids nhw hi'n drud iawn.

[Oscarsx]

You use pressurized co2?

- oz

[timmac69]

You use pressurized co2?

- oz

Sorry, been offline for a spell. No co2. It is low tech and everything grows fairly slow, save for the lotus plants that I have to trim back weekly. I only have 2x54w HO lights ( 6500 full spectrum and a plant bulb) which keep the plants from growing out of control and no algae blooms to date. They are on a 12 hour timer. I have been really fortunate with this tank, as everything has grown out nicely. All of the plants were put in back in February with the initial setup and were very small. Now that they have grown out, I wish I had positioned them differently within the tank, but it is too late to move things around now....I don't want to leech volumes of nutrients into the water and throw everything off balance. I have a bubble wand running half the length of the tank which seemingly provides enough surface aggitation for the discus once the lights go out and the plants start competing for oxygen.

[timmac69]

Thanks everyone. Been offline for a bit. Appreciate you looking! I am a big fan of Hans' discus. They look like they are plugged into an outlet with their intense coloration (the video I posted is horrible and the fish are all washed out....pictures never do them justice...at least not mine LOL). You can see my Fire and Marlboro Reds from the street when my front door is open. The plants really make a nice backdrop for all of them. For anyone with a planted tank (or planning one), I really recommend the lotus, as their leaves are very light and sway whenever a fish passes. They really provide a nice, calming effect and the larger, mid-water leaves do a good job of catching food as it sinks to serve as a plate for the fish to eat from versus a dirty substrate. I purposely place the food over them for just that reason. They are thriving in 86.4 degrees and the only issue is the many runners that constantly shoot to the surface. They need to be trimmed back with each water change in order to allow light to sufficiently penetrate down into the tank. The swords have new eggs on them every couple of weeks, but none ever make it through a single nightime light cycle. I am not sure if it is the snails, ottos, Farawella or other discus eating them, but we are not looking to breed any at this time and would not do so in our display tank. We have had discus many years ago, but only got back into it earlier this year,and this is our first attempt at a planted tank. I can't think of a better way to decompress after a long day at the office!

[amilaurie]

Lovely! Where do you get your lotus? I did some checking, but had little luck. Thanks!!!

[timmac69]

Lovely! Where do you get your lotus? I did some checking, but had little luck. Thanks!!!

My LFS has both green and red...there are also dwarf which make great foreground plants. I also saw them online....Aquariumplants.com but not sure about their service or quality? I am sure you can get feedback on that site here in the forums...hope this helps!

[Oscarsx]

I'm still looking for my lotus hehe

- oz

[1oscar]

simply beautiful

[bigbutt]

Nice tank. I also have a 90 gallon planted tank.