Amazing. Id like to travel to Singapore sometime.
That's why I decided to wipe the plants for the sake of admiring their colors
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Amazing. Id like to travel to Singapore sometime.
Anytime you are welcome to come
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I see almost no activity on this thread anymore so I will share some recent pictures of my convension of planted tank to hardscape.
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Overall I'm more happy with the hardscape since it's a breeze to change water and to clean the bottom sand compared to maintaining the plants thriving. I refocused my priority to the well-being of discus and it has given good results. I could never see such of nice color contrast on my wilds when they where among plants. I have noticed two disadvantages tough . They behave way more shy ( maybe they don't have this sense of having a shelter anymore ). I had PH swing issues and I noticed only after I saw them behaving so skittish. I continue using 100% RO water. On them but now I have added a very small ammount of coral chips ( maybe about 30 gramms) . with coral chips PH stays stable around 6.5 PH. with the planted tank ( probably because if the JBL pro flora substrate) I never had PH drop issues. I have notice as well that they used to eat way much more when in the planted tank . although they eat very well they are more picky now
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Very nice! Looks 1000 x more natural, and to me 1000x better than any planted tank, in which discus is to be the main focus of attention. Not sure about the 100% RO, I would add in some buffers if I were you.Even with the coral chips, when large water changes are performed, it will take time for the chips to react.
-Rick
Ex-President-North American Discus Association-NADA
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Beautiful!!! Really pretty I too would look for Rd right or make you own buffer against PH crates but those fish look happy
- Marnie
www.bootcamprescue.com
I keep both BB & planted discus tanks. I like them both. I feel a planted discus tank is a beauty to behold.
In order to obtain a succesful planted discus tank (imo of course) comes from a careful setup and patience. I have a 6' heavily planted that has raised, kept, bred and reared discus. I have wigglers that attached to mom n dad today in there. Ive got a batch from in there that is now 33days old. This didnt happen overnight. For my setup hardware i yse 2 fluval Fx6 cannisters. 1 for each side. I use a 72w 4' uv sterelizer. I do keep mylasian trumpet snails to help churn the soil. Which is fine black diamond blasting sand. I do not Co2 this tank. I just use my own homemade root tabs & light. After this was all in place... I chose plants and planted. Root tabbed and let run empty. This is where patience is key. A good planted tank is a balancing act in the beginning. No ones act will be the same... Remember this because no one chooses the same plants or same amounts or fertilizes the same way, etc... You must find your tanks chi. Once youve got your levels holding and everything is where youd like it... Then you introduce discus. Ive never seen discus work in a newly planted tank , but thats just me. It can be done. I do it. I breed in it. I raise them.
And this one is from today.
These were the eggs. On a plant!
I just read Your comments and agree with what you say I have been struggling with my plants for awhile now and have come to conclusion that. The Eco complete I am useing is not best for my discus tank and I am thinking of going to sand and root tabs which I found much easier to clean in tanks I have had befor . . I have keep plants before but in this tank have been struggling with algee . I must admit I don't use a bubbler at night and plan to set one up . I have my temp at 82 which I think is. Fine for my plants and discus . Some plants that did not grow will I have removed so bit of trial and error .
My discus are doing great it is the plants I struggle with. Bear bottom or planted guess it all depends on what you want to work with both can work
Ryan, that's one of the heslthiest looking discus planted tanks I've seen. Your discus having fry testifies to your success.
Last edited by LoGeek; 12-20-2016 at 10:07 AM.
very well said i tried the discus planted thing twice, here is what i learned from experience, low carpeting plants need so much light it is easier to do in a shallower tank with CO2 than a deeper tank with discus, the low plants capture alot of food waste and they do not gobble it up like one would expect at least i thought they would, needless to say i love the plants but love the fish more maybe a java fern or anubia for me from now on driftwood and sand
How anyone can say that a bare bottom or hardscape tank looks better than a planted tank with discus is beyond me. I know nothing more beautiful than healthy discus in a planted scape! The fact that it's one of the hardest things to keep and maintain is another subject...
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