New to Discus

[Mark Webb]

I am considering setting up a 220 gallon planted Discus tank. With the higher temperatures which Discus require is algae likely to be a big problem?

[dbfzurowski]

If you balance your lighting and co2 injections you should be fine. Some glass scrubbing here and there. For the free floating algae a UV sterilizer would help.
What kind of lighting are you planing on using?
Not sure if there's a relationship between temps/algae. I've kept aquariums at 72-82 deg with same minimal algae on glass here and there.

[Mark Webb]

Planning low light - 3 x 6' T5's to give me 234W. Low Tech low maintenance. I am successfully running a low tech 55g Crypt tank with no algae issues.

[judy]

The higher temps discus need hasn't caused me any algae problems in my 80 gallon, with six T5HOs running and low-tech pop-bottle CO2 supplemented with Flourish Excel. The landscaping's no great shakes, and neither's my photography, but the plants and fish are healthy... you shouldn't have any problem at all with algae...
http://www.wordsink.ca/tanknov09001.JPG

[hedut]

I don't know about plan tank but I keep my discus 85F up to 89F to avoid any sickness come by ;)

[ejhart]

The higher temps discus need hasn't caused me any algae problems in my 80 gallon, with six T5HOs running and low-tech pop-bottle CO2 supplemented with Flourish Excel. The landscaping's no great shakes, and neither's my photography, but the plants and fish are healthy... you shouldn't have any problem at all with algae...
http://www.wordsink.ca/tanknov09001.JPG

Very nice tank, I actually really like your scape. Ime the excel plays a big part in keeping algae at bay. Even if you don't overdose and use as directed on the bottle it acts as enough of an algaecide to keep most algae at bay (cept maybe bba). As far as high temps and increased algae, I have noticed this to be very much true. Some people say that at high temps plants grow faster and consume more nutrients/light/co2 which then snuffs out the algae. However I've found the opposite to be true in multiple planted tanks I've had over the years, both low and high tech. I've noticed at higher temps that algae grows faster. This is probably due to the fact that the plants take in less nutrients (after weeks of testing) and therefor use up less co2 which leaves excess for the algae to use (light and nutrients not co2). The only way I've been able to get around this in my tanks is a leaner dosing of both macros and micros, along with a light dosing of excel a couple times a week. This keeps the algae at bay and let's the plants grow at their own pace. Mind you I'm talking about temps in excess of 84deg. At 82 and below I've found this to be much less of a problem and usually not requiring any excel. Also one thing I wanted to mention is at 234w of light your looking at just under 1.3wpg (T12 equivalent assuming these are HO T5s, if not it's 1.45wpg). If possible you might want to use one more T5 bulb bumping it up to 1.5wpg. Also if the tank is over 24" high your going to require even more light. HTH

[exv152]

If you balance your lighting and co2 injections you should be fine (regarding algae).

I would add to that; balance your lighting, CO2 & nutrients. Too much, or not engouh, of any of these elements WILL cause algae. I have never read anything to suggest temperature can affect algae.

[rwong2k]

very nice planted tank judy
show us some more photos!

[April]

isecond that. nice tank. excel can be put righjt onto the bba with a syringe. it does kill it. i have a plant fertilizer i sell called tailored aquatics. made in victoria bc. it has better balances than seachem and works well. also their iron is chelated..so it lasts. the seachem is not chelated..it goes within a couple hours.
best to keep it as open and simple as possible and easy to clean. discus need open areas..and not too much bioload.
therse a great article stickied in the planted tank section. its a fine balance between happy plants..and happy discus.

[lemondiscus]

best to keep it as open and simple as possible and easy to clean. discus need open areas..and not too much bioload.
therse a great article stickied in the planted tank section. its a fine balance between happy plants..and happy discus.

I couldnt agree more... Plants are VERY hard to balance into an already "difficult" fish to keep... not that discus are hard to keep but they have requirements many other fish dont... and well, most plants dont like the needs of the fish.

IME It is pick the plants or the fish... if you pick the fish, balance the plants around the fish.... and if you pick the plants, balance the fish to the needs of the plants (this will ALMOST always exclude discus).

Lower lighting restricts the plants you can keep to only a small handful. I run 2.5 WPG on my 125 and still only have a handful of suitable plants for the PH, Temp and KH requirements of the discus....

IMO start out and learn discus first... add the plants later and IF you get babies DONT grow them in a planted tank! Add ADULT discus to a planted tank NOT babies!