converting a reeftank to planted discus...HELP!

[Sushiman]

Hello all;
I will be converting my existing 90gal reeftank into a heavily planted Discus set-up. I'm looking for feedback /pearls of wisdom /if I had to do it all over again I would:..., etc. :wink:
I have an extensive, black pond-foam aquascape along the back & side of the tank. I want to keep it as part of my new aquascape, anyone see any issues? The stuff is inert & I've kept corals w/o difficulty.
I've never kept Discus before, but have been into aquariums for years. I'm researching like a wild-man right now but any pointers would be fab.
My plan thusfar is to first fully convert to a planted set-up; grow out & maintain for several months to work out kinks & let the plants fill out, etc. Then add 8-10 adult Discus. I plan for a large shoal of Cardinals; a pack of clown loaches; a farowella; a nice show pleco; a few siamese algae eaters; & shrimps & snails to be living there prior to the arrival of any Discus.

[apistodiscus]

hi,
not entirely sure about your background. It probably has soaked up some salt so I'd get rid of it. There are several DIY alternatives out there.

90gallon is a nice tank and I don't see any problem with the fish you want to keep. I would leave the SAE out. They'll only get fat on the food meant for the discus rather than eating the algae. Not to gone on clown loaches myself but that's personal preference and I know a lot of people who keep them with discus.
Some discus will hunt for small tetras like cardinals. Mine thankfully don't and please consider that their natural food are small shrimp. Some Farlowella can handle the high temperature of a discus tank some can't. What species are you thinking about. As far as plecos go, I'd get a couple of L134 or if you can get them and want to spend the money, L46 (just don't let the pH slip below 6).
What kind of filtration are you thinking about?
Oh, and before I forget it. You will have to change your lightbulbs. Most marine set-ups run on light sources that have a colour temperature of 12000+ kelvin. Freshwater plants need about half that (average daylight temperature is 6400k)

[Sushiman]

Thanks for the input, I'm running a Solaris LED 20k lighting system & planning on keeping them for the new set up. I know it's not the best Kelvin but I'll try them out as the unit is ridiculously expensive. As far as I'm concerned, the Discus can chow down on the occational Tetra as they please (circle of life & all that :twisted: ), it's "their" tank after all.
I was going to keep my sump ( the overflow line is fully submerged), use a 10# CO2 w/ reactor & controller, 40W inline UV, Mag 7 return, Purigen in a in-sump reactor, dual 200W EJ heaters (in sump), filter floss as required, I understand carbon isn't the best in a Discus set-up, any other suggestions? The main source of filtration will be the plants. I'll keep a few of my powerheads to but instead of the turbulent flow of a reeftank, it will be throttled back to more of a gentle churn to keep detritus suspended in the water collum.
I plan on weekly to bi-weekly water changes via the sump to minimize time disturbing the display. I currently use A/P tapwater purifier for my reef but will invest in an RO unit n the future. I use Seachem products for my reef & plan to use their F/W line when I switch over.
I think I will get a smaller group of Discus, perhaps five to seven instead, let them have some space to strut & help keep the wastes down.

[apistodiscus]

Your 20k lighting system is every algae's dream. I know they cost a bloody fortune but are no use in a freshwater tank.

A sump is a great idea when it comes to filtration. Have a prefilter with filter floss that takes out the coarse stuff and change it every week. the other chambers should be filled with filterpads, siporax and bioballs. Very little maintenance except to change the filter floss every 2 weeks or so.

Your plants will not be your main means of biological filtration. Your sump will. You will have to rethink from marine to freshwater here. The plants will take up some nitrate and other nutrients but will by no menas solve all your filtration issues. I would also get rid of the UV filter if you are planning on a planted tank. First off all you will not need it unless you want to kill pathogens in the tank like whitespot. However, whitespot will not survive the high temperatures required to keep discus anyway.

You should aim for a density of 12 gallon per discus, so a group of 6 or 7 would be nice. You could stock a couple more depending on the size of your sump