150 gallon almost there!!!

[alxjss]

Hi Eileen,

An extremely well put together project.

It will help you tremendously with the sump as the water param's will remain low compared to single set up tanks.

Wish you all the best with it.

Regards Armandi

Thanx armandi. I don't no about extremely well, its totally not finished. I want to take out some sand. I think i went alittle over board. I put in 150lbs of sand Does anyone no an exceptable amount of sand?

[RockHound]

I use just enough sand to cover the bottom of the tank, plus a little extra here & there to cover the base of plastic plants & decorations in the tank. I would guess on average the sand depth is about 1/4 to 3/8ths of an inch & a bit deeper here & there to hide the base things in the tank.

[alxjss]

Hi Jim. Would that be enough for real plants? I want to try that "real plant" thing. I don't no how good it will be, but its worth a try.....

[Darrell Ward]

Thanx armandi. I don't no about extremely well, its totally not finished. I want to take out some sand. I think i went alittle over board. I put in 150lbs of sand Does anyone no an exceptable amount of sand?

I think the amount would be a personal choice thing. A lot of people would go with just enough to cover the bottom, easier vacuuming. I wouldn't worry about it. You'll likely lose some over time from tank vacs anyway, I know I do, despite being careful.

[Harriett]

Thanx armandi. I don't no about extremely well, its totally not finished. I want to take out some sand. I think i went alittle over board. I put in 150lbs of sand Does anyone no an exceptable amount of sand?

I guess not me--I have about 200 lbs of it in my 180---sometimes I think I should pull a bit but haven't done it yet either...
Harriett

[RockHound]

Hi Jim. Would that be enough for real plants? I want to try that "real plant" thing. I don't no how good it will be, but its worth a try.....

1/4 to 1/2 inch is not enough sand substrate to hold LIVE plants in it.

I've done live plants a few times.
It's fantastic looking.
But, requires so much hands on time & effort to stay that way.
I gave up on it.
As I could not balance my life, with everyday extensive tank maintance

I can get the water right & keep it that way.
But, adding live plants to the mix created other issues.

Once, plants brought in some parasites.
Another time, a snail factory.
Another time an algae war.

Thats not to say, don't do it.
I take 2 or 3 week trips often.
Which is away to long at a stretch, to manage live plants.

[alxjss]

wow, thats scarry. I would like to try it tho. Maybe i can set up a small tank and start there to see what happens.

[Highland]

Nice job with the tank. Live plants would look fabulous, but you will need to do quite a bit of research. Regarding the sand -- not enough nutrients in pure sand, plus sand is often too fine for good growth, may need gravel. I'm not an expert, but you will need to add supplements -- or you could try keeping the plants in pots that have soil and other minerals. The light level and quality is very important. Also few plants like the high temperatures required by Discus.

The Tropical Fish Hobbist had an interesting article in the June 2008 issue, page 124 on setting up a 110-gallon custom discus aquarium with plants. There is a long list of plants that grow at higher temperatures.

It isn't easy, but the result can be worth it.
Good luck, Jim

[Harriett]

Nice job with the tank. Live plants would look fabulous, but you will need to do quite a bit of research. Regarding the sand -- not enough nutrients in pure sand, plus sand is often too fine for good growth, may need gravel. I'm not an expert, but you will need to add supplements -- or you could try keeping the plants in pots that have soil and other minerals. The light level and quality is very important. Also few plants like the high temperatures required by Discus.

The Tropical Fish Hobbist had an interesting article in the June 2008 issue, page 124 on setting up a 110-gallon custom discus aquarium with plants. There is a long list of plants that grow at higher temperatures.

It isn't easy, but the result can be worth it.
Good luck, Jim

Many of the substrates sold are inert--as is silica sand; you just add ferts either to the water column or directly as a root feed tab or both, depending on what you are growing. Silica sand is completely fine for plant roots--they travel well. I keep malaysian trumpet snails in there--I NEVER see them, and they move around and aerate the sand. There are all sorts of more expensive nutrient loaded substrates available as well, such as Eco-complete, so you can go that route as well. A python cleaning once a week is all it takes to keep the sand looking good. There are many plants that do just fine at discus temps. Do some research on SD, we have gone over this question lots and you will find good info for planning.
If you are inexperienced with plants, it may be a good idea to set up a smaller tank specifically to learn aquatic gardening on. It is all about the balance of nutrients, light, filtration, CO2, etc. Your basic water params to begin with figure in as well. It is a hobby unto itself. Nothing finer looking than a big gorgeous planted discus tank, in my book!
Some plants are much easier to grow than others--as it happens, sword plants [Echinodora family] are natural for discus, thrive in 82 degress temps, don't need much work, and are not expensive--you can start there, if they appeal to you?
READ! Go to the planted tank sites online!
Best regards,
Harriett

[alxjss]

Thank u both for the info. I will do research befor i plant. I have NO clue when it comes to aquatic plants. I still am not sure yet what i will do