90 Gallon BowFront ShowTank- Wild Green X SS Crosses

[Love Discus]

Full tank shot. I am still working on getting the tank a little greener. The plants dont like my 25% daily water changes or the 7.6 ph that comes with that many water changes. Aged tap water in my area is between 7.6-7.8. It comes out of the tap at 8.2-.4ish!:o
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/7578/dscsimplydiscus1.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/i/dscsimplydiscus1.jpg/)

I love this angle. IDK why.
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/7790/dscsimplydiscus12.jpg (http://img256.imageshack.us/i/dscsimplydiscus12.jpg/)

This is my largest discus ATM. I call it a her. I love her shape/color, and I have never seen a turq like her. It's not a very good picture, her dorsal fin looks messed up but it's not; it's one of the WG x SS's dorsal fin. and her dorsal and anal fins have (an?) awesome red halo(s?) which the pictures don't show. Her body is also much more metalic looking in person. Definitly my favorite discus ATM. She is about 3 or 4 months old I think.
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/1142/dscsimplydiscus2.jpg (http://img251.imageshack.us/i/dscsimplydiscus2.jpg/)

Here is a pic of all 5 the WG x SS's. I aquired these little ones about a week ago. All are eating and wrestling constantly. I bought them from a local discus fanatic in my area who posted on an online classifieds site. He has an awesome fishroom to say the least. Thier dad is a decent looking SS. He had 14 bars and alot of red and blue color. Mom is a BEAUTIFUL wild green. she had alot of (big) red spots on her body, and a perfect shape IMO. I am a little suspicous because they don't have 14 bars. none of them do. They should have inherited dads 14 bars right? Anyway The only reason I believe him is the so called parents were in a 40 gallon bare bottom together and were both picking at breeding a cone. He said mom is a bad breeder and doesnt lay well and like to eat eggs which is why they only yeided like 30-40 fry. Anyway, I'm in love with them.
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/6834/dscsimplydiscus3.jpg (http://img687.imageshack.us/i/dscsimplydiscus3.jpg/)

Here is one of the little guys who is really catching my eye!
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/778/simplydiscus5.jpg (http://img64.imageshack.us/i/simplydiscus5.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Here are a few of their tank mates. Their tank mates include: 10 cardinal tetras (all of em almost 2 years old GO ME!), 2 mean friggen bully plecos, 3 1inch wild type feeder guppies (they are going to be a problem soon if I dont get them out, but last time I tryed I chased them around for 30 mins and didn't catch ONE!) Dont ask me how they got in the tank because I dont know??, and about 6 ghost shrimp (they are fascinating to me.)
http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/4729/dscsimplydiscus4.jpg (http://img39.imageshack.us/i/dscsimplydiscus4.jpg/)

Pics arent great because my dad and I share a camera charger an he is out of town on a golf trip! So I'm stuck with a AA eating p72 cybershot!

[Ed13]

I am a little suspicous because they don't have 14 bars. none of them do. They should have inherited dads 14 bars right?

Don't worry about this, ss being a mutant gene doesn't breed true so they'll be "throwbacks"(9 bars) in the offspring. Add to this that it's a small spawn also carrying wild genes.

I really want to see these fish as adults, they'll probably be really good looking!

[kaceyo]

I love the green sheen over their bodies. They should be very nice adults.
You have to have SS genes in both parents to get SS fry.
Also, two 9 bar offspring from SS parents won't throw SS fry.

[Ed13]

Also, two 9 bar offspring from SS parents won't throw SS fry.
Thought it did, but SS is not recesive right?

BTW, Love discus, got any pics of the parents?

[h2osanity]

Is that two HOB's on the tank for filtration as well as the sponge and the airstone?

[Love Discus]

Is that two HOB's on the tank for filtration as well as the sponge and the airstone?
Yes two hob filters each are good through 60 gallons. And the sponge filter has a 290gph powerhead on it. The air stone is for extra oxygen, just in case. I guess the airstone probably helps with the biofilter..

The HOB filters are nice because I can adjust them with a nob on the intake tube (acts like a choke on a carb), so when I feed I dont have to worry about the hob filters sucking up food.

[Love Discus]

Don't worry about this, ss being a mutant gene doesn't breed true so they'll be "throwbacks"(9 bars) in the offspring. Add to this that it's a small spawn also carrying wild genes.

I really want to see these fish as adults, they'll probably be really good looking!

I love the green sheen over their bodies. They should be very nice adults.
You have to have SS genes in both parents to get SS fry.
Also, two 9 bar offspring from SS parents won't throw SS fry.
That's good to hear.
Thanks for the feedback guys.

[Love Discus]

Thought it did, but SS is not recesive right?

BTW, Love discus, got any pics of the parents?
No, I do not have any pictures of the parents, I was so excited to get to this guys house I didn't think to bring my camera. I really wish I would have. MOM was just awesome though, she had very large red spots covering a high% of her body. She also had and that awesome wild looking black halo, which I am a sucker for. Dad was a decent looking SS he definatly had 14 bars, and great color (blues and reds). His shape is the only thing I didn't like about him, he was very gutty.. like his stomach area stuck out like breasts.

If he gets more fry from the parents he is going to call me, and I will definitly bring my camera!

[h2osanity]

If you want more 'green', you should go with low light, slow growers like java fern, mosses, anubias and crypts. Your HOB's and airstones will dissipate any CO2 you may have so the best option is really slow growers.

[Love Discus]

If you want more 'green', you should go with low light, slow growers like java fern, mosses, anubias and crypts. Your HOB's and airstones will dissipate any CO2 you may have so the best option is really slow growers.
Okay thanks for the advice. The mosses really seem to thrive in that water. That piece of drift wood in the back right corner that is hiding the airstone has some volunteer moss on it that I really like. The discus like it also, I don't know if they actually eat it or not, but they pick at it all the time.

And are water lillys considered anubias? I am a real novice when it comes to plants. I know they like co2, ferts, cool water, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia.

I was thinking of getting some lilly bulbs, and maybe some vals. Would vals do well in hard water, with 0 nitrite/ammonia, ph 7.6-7.8 and about 70WPG? Also 25% daily or every other day water changes?

I really like foxtail, algae/moss balls, vals, and also red plants..

What kind of red plants would thrive in my water h2osanity?

Thanks
-Tom.

[RudeDogg1]

Arnt the plants you have in there (the long frizzy ones) cold water plants? Got something very similar in my pond

[Jennie]

if your talking about Anacharis, it grows well in aquariums or ponds. If parrotfeather, then I'm not sure.

[JaVia]

Beautiful Tank, I love the black sand, its a great contrast!

[igor.Kanshyn]

Okay thanks for the advice. The mosses really seem to thrive in that water. That piece of drift wood in the back right corner that is hiding the airstone has some volunteer moss on it that I really like. The discus like it also, I don't know if they actually eat it or not, but they pick at it all the time.

And are water lillys considered anubias? I am a real novice when it comes to plants. I know they like co2, ferts, cool water, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia.

I was thinking of getting some lilly bulbs, and maybe some vals. Would vals do well in hard water, with 0 nitrite/ammonia, ph 7.6-7.8 and about 70WPG? Also 25% daily or every other day water changes?

I really like foxtail, algae/moss balls, vals, and also red plants..

What kind of red plants would thrive in my water h2osanity?

Thanks
-Tom.

I know that discuses can eat some plants, but still planted tank is a perfect thing to do. Look at this one (http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs081.snc4/35436_418485476896_656011896_4224937_6659421_n.jpg ), for instance.

Lillies will grow very slowly from bulbs, try to find established plants.
Anubias is the most undemanding plant. It can grow anywhere, and it a low light plant. It's bright green. The only disadvantage it has, it grow very slowly.

Majority of plants do not care about water hardness, temperature and Ph.

> 70WPG
Are you sure about this? It means that you have 70 watt per gallon light :)

What is your light? Light is the most significant part of the planted tank. It defines a set of plants you can grow and co2/fertilization you might need.

[Love Discus]

I know that discuses can eat some plants, but still planted tank is a perfect thing to do. Look at this one (http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs081.snc4/35436_418485476896_656011896_4224937_6659421_n.jpg ), for instance.

Lillies will grow very slowly from bulbs, try to find established plants.
Anubias is the most undemanding plant. It can grow anywhere, and it a low light plant. It's bright green. The only disadvantage it has, it grow very slowly.

Majority of plants do not care about water hardness, temperature and Ph.

> 70WPG
Are you sure about this? It means that you have 70 watt per gallon light :)

What is your light? Light is the most significant part of the planted tank. It defines a set of plants you can grow and co2/fertilization you might need.
Sorry it's been awile since I've posted.
Um yeah my bad i meant 70w for the whole tank. 40w @ just under 4000k, and 2 x 15w @ 10000k if that matters. The lights seem to work well enough for being low wattage. Uhmm I picked up a miniture water lilly for a buck, it's redish colored. It really like it, its really just balanced out the tank, idk I cant really descibe it.

I also think I diagnosed the major problem that my coontail plants were having besides 83 degree water. I think the water here is very low in iron. I bought an iron supplement at my LFS. I do not have an iron test, but I added a half dose at first, then abnother half, and then another half. So a total 1 1/2 doses. The coontails totally took off! I have had major success with those coontails before but in the last 3 months they had all turned yellow at the tops, and the become small (stunted looking).
Anywayy the coontails are growing about 1 inch per night so I am comfortably with my plants now.

I also got 2 more little juvies about the size of the crosses from an lfs. ( I got a deal 5 bucks for both of them. They wanted 35 each! haha (they were going to die cause that lfs only feed flakes) I know most of you hate rescues, but I think these little guys have potential. I may transfer them soon since they are coming around. they have been in QT for 12 days now. I am open to criticism about that!

I plan to get new pics up tomorrow. I really saticfied with my tank right now.

Oh and I got a ss from that same guys I got the 5 juvies from.
pics tomorrow!

[h2osanity]

Anubias is not a lily. Nymphea are lilies. They do well under med light.

[igor.Kanshyn]

It's strange that coontail (this is hornwort, right) not growing.
It's a medium light plant, but it because it's floating near the surface, it should get enough light from your fixtures.
This plant suck nutritions fast. You might have no nitrates in your tank and this makes its yellowish. I had this problem.
In other cases it should be good.

Look at my 20 gallons Sulawesi aquarium (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb8eCC6DXns). Hornwort grows perfectly there. And the tank has only 15W of light.