Hello All,
Another AWESOME thread. You guys may have to get used to me. I promise to try to always try to "play nice."
I have had what I consider some success with discus in a HEAVILY-PLANTED CO2 injected tank and I was relatively ignorant at the time. In Slovakia 10 years ago, I acquired 6 or 7 Red Alenquers approximately 1 1/2-2" long, maybe tank-raised Czech origin. Over the course of a year and a half, they grew to 4-5". If I remember correctly the pH was around 5.5-6.0. The colors on these fish were top-notch. Could they have grown larger in a BB tank? Maybe, but it was only a 50 gal. breeder and they were aesthetically to scale with the tank. To me they were perfect.
A pair formed and they were successful at hatching and began to rear their fry. This was a heavily stocked tank with only air-driven sponge filters and only a 20% a week water change of pure RO water from the very basic RO unit that produced water in TDS at 15. The fry were eaten gradually over the course of a week, with if memory serves, jumbo Cardinal tetras being the main culprits. At this point, my daughter and I saw Finding Nemo and the planted tank stock was donated to the LFS. Next up Reef Tanks and many hard lessons.
In the planted tank, I had a population of Cherry Red shrimp which the discus loved to snack on. The thickets of Rotala kept them from decimating the population. Upon a discus "puff", if the shrimp swims downward it means safety, if the shrimp swims upwards it is dinner. I was unable to successfully to keep Crystal Red shrimp in this setup as they are more sensitive. After much reading on Reef Central, I later surmised that I was losing the Crystal Reds due to the high pH swings in heavily-planted tanks after lights out. When I continue my Discus experiment in the fall, I will have a sump with an opposing photoperiod from the main tank.
To me the biggest challenge of a planted tank is not disease. I had trouble with my reef tank after 2 years of high stocking levels and a deep sand bed. The buildup of Dissolved Organic Compounds over time is my enemy. I am NOT a big fan of water changes, but I believe in giving my animals the best of care. As I wrote, the EXPERIMENT begins anew in the Fall. Back to my freshwater origins.
Thank You so much for all the knowledge that you are kind enough to share with me,
andy