plant question

[bigbrad73]

I have my 55 gallon breeder setup with the discus already in there. I know you all sugest planting first and then putting plants in. Well I have already got the fish in their permant home. So is it safe to go ahead and plant? and how to approach since fish are already in there? go ahead and fill it up or 1 plant at a time or what? Thanks, I want to do this right and not harm fish.

[Yassmeena]

I have my 55 gallon breeder setup with the discus already in there. I know you all sugest planting first and then putting plants in. Well I have already got the fish in their permant home. So is it safe to go ahead and plant? and how to approach since fish are already in there? go ahead and fill it up or 1 plant at a time or what? Thanks, I want to do this right and not harm fish.

Hi there,

You won't harm the fist by adding plants as long as you follow due practice.

But first we need to know more about what exactly you want to achieve (i.e. what is your ultimate goal, high tech, low-tech, heavily planted, lightly planted, etc.)?

Also, what kind of setup do you have now? Is it bare-bottom or is there a substrate (if so, what kind)?

Lastly, how many discus do you have in there, and what size are they?

Answering those questions should get things moving in the right direction!

Yasmin

[bigbrad73]

I want a low tech deal, No co2. I have a glo T5 36" 2 blub 39 x 2 I think. I have black sand bottom. 3 discus, 7 neons, 6 corys, and an albino bristle nose. the discus are about 3.5" right now.

[Yassmeena]

I want a low tech deal, No co2. I have a glo T5 36" 2 blub 39 x 2 I think. I have black sand bottom. 3 discus, 7 neons, 6 corys, and an albino bristle nose. the discus are about 3.5" right now.

Ok, so you might want to get 2 - 3 more discus in order to keep the group harmonious, but that's a separate issue and unrelated to converting to a planted tank.

Are you happy with your substrate? Exactly what kind of sand is it? Most people feel very happy with switching from a dark to a light colored substrate. Is that something you see yourself doing?

If so, that would be your first task... carrying that out using due process again. Substrate is an important part of the biological media and you can't just take it out. There's a process you need to follow...

Your lights may be ok depending on the plants you want. You can try them and if you feel they are not providing sufficient light then upgrade.

You havent mentioned what kind of fertilizer you want to use (dry or liquid, i.e. Excel). Figure that out, along with your substrate preference, and obtain it before u start planting.

HTH

Yasmin

PS - If you are really itching to add plants, it seems like you can go ahead. You might want to include nitrogen-compound sucking plants to reduce algae outbreaks (like wisteria). You can plant light or heavy, whatever you want! Just make sure to do either a bleach dip or PP dip before adding plants to prevent snails and pathogens from entering your tank. neutralize the bleach and PP before placing the plants in the tank: water rinse very very very well, and then add some extra prime to the plant bucket if bleaching, or some hydrogen peroxide to the plant bucket (note: NOT the discus tank!) if using PP.

[bigbrad73]

i was thinking about fert. tabs. what is PP? and How do I figure out what are nitrogen-compound sucking plants are(besides the wisteria)

[Yassmeena]

i was thinking about fert. tabs. what is PP? and How do I figure out what are nitrogen-compound sucking plants are(besides the wisteria)

pp is potassium permanganate, apowerful agent to be used a care. Fert tabs alone may be insufficient. You should consider dozing the water as well. Plants are classified by many ways one being growth rate. Usually fast growers do a good job of leaching nitrogenous waste from the water. If u buy plants from the planted tank forum u can mention that u want algae buster plants. Oftenppl may just give them away! HTH