New and starting a new tank. Trying plants?

[Dokholiday44]

Hi all,

I kept discus when I was younger and I am returning to the hobby.

I plan on the following:
120g tank with aqueon model 3 sump
Polisher fed from the sump.
Zoned plants. Thinking of in opposite corners
80g bare bottom quarantine tank in the garage

How many discuss can I have? I was told 6 with tank mates was good. Thinking cardinal tetras with Rams

What's substrate should I use for the plants? How do clean the area with the substrate?

I was thinking white sand everywhere else. Not sure on the size. All I heard was not 16 which is fine.

I have a saltless water softener with whole house filter from pelican water systems. It's supposed to pull all chemicals used to treat the water by the water company.

82F at 6.8ph sound about right for targets?


Thanks in advance
Matt

[Acerrato]

Hi Matt - I'm new to the forum, so I'll just share my personal experience with you. I keep 15, 4" Discus in my 125g and they all fit nicely in my tank. If your budget allows, I'd suggest 10-12 Discus in your 120g. If you get your Discus smaller than 4", I wouldn't suggest just dropping them into the 120g tank - they may get swallowed up and feel unsafe. I've always heard that they should be kept in groups of 6 (at a minimum), and the ideal number would be 10-12 or more (depending on tank size). I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to be adding tank mates aside from corydora's. If I didn't need some bottom feeders to clean up after the big guys, I don't think I would have even been adding them at all. I prefer the look of a Discus only tank =)

As far as plants, (please note that this is my personal opinion), I've had bad experiences in keeping my water immaculate while having a planted tank - I do not plan to plant this tank, aside from maybe a couple of potted plants (after my QT period is over).

82F is on the low end of the temp range for Discus - I'd aim for 84-86F. The pH sounds great but remember that a stable pH is most important- a fluctuating pH can harm the fish (using pH up/down to hit an exact number)....

Hope I helped!

Amanda

[bluelagoon]

If you're considering a planted tank, you'll want to buy grown out discus. Young discus don't do as well in planted tanks and tank mates. I would think 10 would work well in a 120 gal. I had eight in a 6 foot tank and they looked crowded at times.

[Willie]

If you're considering a planted tank, you'll want to buy grown out discus. Young discus don't do as well in planted tanks and tank mates....

To reemphasize Mervin's point, 2" discus will not survive in a planted tank with substrate. Every one of us here started keeping discus in a planted tank. No one would want to do it again that way.

Adult discus will survive in a planted tank, but don't expect a lot of growth. So 10 X 2" discus will run ~$350 while 6 X 5" discus will run ~$900 (plus tax and freight). Going with smaller discus would also require setting up a system for large, regular water changes.

My recommendation would be to raise your discus in a bare bottom tank. Put in a couple pots of Amazon swords and see how it goes. Otherwise, it can be a risky financial move.

Good luck, Willie

[Dokholiday44]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the previous input. I actually did go with grown out discus and they are all happy.

I ended up using RO/DI water for my tank

My new problem is the pH. The ph likes to be at 7.2 with a Kh of 3. Any lower and my kh drops to a level I am not comfortable with. I use seachems bicarb based buffers. I called them and they couldn't figure it out. My other parameters are gH 5, no3 10, and I have plenty of Driftwood.

Thoughts?

Matt

[bluelagoon]

The stuff you use that brings the ph up won't stay there. It swings. When Kh is low to begin with, it don't take much food and plant metabolism to bring it back down (exchange of + and - ions). I have a low KH and need to change water in frequent large amounts to keep it up. You can also use crushed coral for a more steady release of carbonates/bicarbonates. Or mix tap and RO.

[pablos]

I have KH = 2.5 out of my tap and as Mervin suggested I’m using crushed coral as a buffer plus seachem equilibrium during water change

[captainandy]

You might want to not use the RO/DI water. What are the parameters of the tap water.

[Metalnbass@gmail.com]

Are you adding plants for aesthetic purposes or for nitrate absorption? If it's solely for nitrate absorption you could always keep the plants in your sump as a refugium. This will keep the substrate they need out of the main tank, while providing a means of natural filtration that plants provide. This is an idea and not based on experience, as I've never kept discus and still learning the in's and out's. But I do have extensive experience in keeping planted aquariums.

The challenging side of this is finding a temperature suitable for the plants you're keeping and your Discus fish.