First planted tank

[lilpenquin]

Okay so not completely. I've always used real plants in my tanks but nothing really great. Just there for the benefits to the fish. This tank though I really tried to do something interesting. I'm extremely limited as to what I have access to. (Petco)

 

[lilpenquin]

Oops. I forgot the pix! Lol

 

[CharlieKlein]

Nice! What plants?

 

[lilpenquin]

Java moss, amazon sword, Kyoto grass, and an "aqua fern." Not sure about that last one though. Looks kinda sketchy haha

 

[DanTheGuppyMan]

Looking cool! What kind of discus? I have always wanted a discus tank, but for now I am sticking with my angelfish

 

[Leonardo7689]

Very nice tank! I'd say keep an eye on the Kyoto grass. I believe they're not fully aquatic but I could be wrong.

 

[lilpenquin]

Yeah I'm not sure about the grass either. It doesn't look the greatest. Does anybody have a recommendation to replace it with? I love the effect of it! Oh I also have a Madagascar lace.

 

[lilpenquin]

Looking cool! What kind of discus? I have always wanted a discus tank, but for now I am sticking with my angelfish

2 male/female pairs. The larger pair are wild caught green Tefe and the small ones are blue snakeskin.

 

[brennae]

Looks nice! I think Discus are so beautiful, I would love to have some but I don't have a large enough tank and am afraid to try it.

 

[lilpenquin]

They're my babies lol. They are such sweethearts. They will all eat right out of my hand. what size tank do you have? These guys are in a 40 and very happy.

 

[Rivercats]

What your calling Kyoto grass is actually mondo grass, Ophiopogon japonicus, is not an aquatic plant and will eventually die. I would remove it from the tank so it does foul the water as it dies. Plants I've seen sold at PetCo that are aquatic are Bacopa, Rotala, Ludwigia, Amazon Sword, Crypts, and Junge Val. Oh I've seen Water Sprite and Wisteria there also. Write this list down and take it with you when you go to PetCo so you have a reference as to what you can buy that is really aquatic. Unfortunely many bog plants are sold as aquatic plants.

 

[dwayne.aycock]

The Kyoto and grass are not true aquatic plants. They will look good for a while but eventially they will begin to rot. I suggest keeping them in a pot that you cover with gravel. 2 weeks in the tank and 1 week out of the tank will help you keep them longer. If you are planning a Discus tank, you may want to consider plants that can take the heat. Java moss, java fern and amazon sword will be fine, but the others will rot or melt. Discus like a PH of around 6.4 to 6.7, and a temp somewhere around 84 degrees in slow moving water. They like a dark substrate and dark background. No sense in getting a dark background...I just used a latex black paint and painted the back of my tank. I have a Discus tank setup in my public pics. Maybe it can be a help to you.
Good Luck!!! Dwayne

 

[lilpenquin]

My discus are very happy with the tank conditions right now. As you see, there are plenty of hiding places but they're always out in the open and come to the front of the tank when I show up lol. Is there a true aquatic plant that is similar to the Kyoto?

 

[Rivercats]

Yes, I posted one which would be Jungle Val or Corkscrew Val. But I also listed many large plants that would work well. Here is a link with good discus plants and pic's... Warm Water/Discus Plants

 

[dwayne.aycock]

How long have you had your tank set up? Most fish appear to be doing fine initially, but as the tank matures, you will see a lot of changes. Basic water test kits are not enough for Discus. You have to know parameters like conductivity, total dissolved solids, hardness, phosphate and trace element levels. Iron is fine, but Discus are sensitive to phosphates. Additionally, many prepared water conditioners like rightstart, start right, Amquel plus and prime contribute to conductivity and TDS. The only prepared formulation that does not significantly affect these parameters is Amquel basic....not the plus. A good place to go for the skinny on water quality and hand raised discus (not from he big box stores) is aquaresearchcenter.com. There is a lot to learn, but Joe Gargas taught me volumes about water quality and the dangerous overuse of chemicals. Since I adopted his methods paired with the additional knowledge I gained from Rivercats, my plants and fish are thriving. I have about 26 Discus babies and adolescents and have not lost even 1.

 

[lilpenquin]

How long have you had your tank set up? Most fish appear to be doing fine initially, but as the tank matures, you will see a lot of changes. Basic water test kits are not enough for Discus. You have to know parameters like conductivity, total dissolved solids, hardness, phosphate and trace element levels. Iron is fine, but Discus are sensitive to phosphates. Additionally, many prepared water conditioners like rightstart, start right, Amquel plus and prime contribute to conductivity and TDS. The only prepared formulation that does not significantly affect these parameters is Amquel basic....not the plus. A good place to go for the skinny on water quality and hand raised discus (not from he big box stores) is aquaresearchcenter.com. There is a lot to learn, but Joe Gargas taught me volumes about water quality and the dangerous overuse of chemicals. Since I adopted his methods paired with the additional knowledge I gained from Rivercats, my plants and fish are thriving. I have about 26 Discus babies and adolescents and have not lost even 1.

That's funny you mention Joe Gargas. I have three dime size discus from him and he's given me a lot of advice. I have the API master kit and everything reads out fine for that. What kit can I get to measure the other things?

 

[dwayne.aycock]

joe sells a book called " Water and the Aquarium" that you can get from his website. It details all the math and other things one need to know before even attempting to rear Discus, as well as the myths and misconceptions about water conditioners and other things. He frowns on all chemicals with the exception of Amquel basic. In simple terms, you will need a conductivity meter to test micro siemens or (uS), a simple chlorine test kit, An alkalinity tester (for GH and KDH), knowledge of osmotic pressure ,nitrogen, temperature, and pressure induced embolism, a TDS meter and a digital PH meter as chemical tests like in the API master test kit can give a wide range of erroneous readings. On the acid scale, I cant tell the difference in PH from 6.0 to 6.6. My digital PH meter eliminates the uncertainty of liquid tests. Discus are a low conductivity and TDS tolerant fish. Discus require a conductivity somewhere around 50 and a hardness of about 5 degrees. I had never heard of these parameters before, and now that I am aware of them, I have had no more fish losses. Chemicals you add to your tank increase TDS and conductivity, causing stress to the fish eventually resulting in sickness and death. All I am saying is that there is a lot more involved in Discus fish than what may be required for say a tank full of tetras, guppies and mollies. I will be glad to assist you where I can, but the Discus tank is not as simple as you think. Water quality and filtration are eveything!