Need Help With A Planted Discus Tank

[Steve-o]

Hey Guys... so i want to make a really nice planted discus tank... i have a 48x21x12/1/2 (55Gal) tank... im using florice substrate under playground sand and 2 store bought co2 yeast fermentors. what should i do as far as lighting?? i know discus can be skittish from light that is too bright... right now i have a standard duel florescent light... each bulb is 40 watts... what do you suggest... new bulbs? new unit? am I fine with what i have? I'm new to doing live plants so any suggestions would be awesome... :D

[ILLUSN]

Your unit will be fine for low to medium light plants, just remember to change the globes every 6 months, the best would be 2 sylvania growlux tubes, they're not too bright but put out alot of red light which is good for green plants.

other sugestion would be to plant the tank 1st, then just let it run for a month at around 26-27C, over the next moth gradually build the temp up to 28-30C before you introduce the discus.

keep an eye on your CO2 , yeast can be tempremental on bigger tanks.

[Greggy]

I don't think Discus are skittish under bright light, well not tank raised Discus. I have approx 260Watts of light over my 6x2x2 and my Discus are just fine, always at the front of the tank following me along begging me to give them food.

I've seen some very brightly lit Discus tanks and the Discus in those look ok too. As long as the water quality is good (absolutely no NH3 or NO2 etc) they won't mind at all so long as you have a dim corner here or there where they can go if they feel like avoiding the lime light.

Regards,

Greggy

[Steve-o]

Thanks for the tips guys... if i stick with my unit with the new bulbs what types of amazon plants are considered to be low to medium light plants... also if the yeast fermenters can be temperamental... what would be a good alternative for a reliable co2 producer??? also if i decide to step up to a brighter light so my plant selection is not limited, what unit would you guys suggest??? thanks again for your help

[ILLUSN]

If you wanted more light you really couldn't go past something like a twin T5 HO fitting, 2x54w tubes would do wonders for your plants, but 2 such fittings (4x54W) you could grow anything!

good low light plants are crypts, sowrds (esp bleheri/amazonicas, devils eye). many of the hygro spp will also do well.

to fix your CO2 you'll need to preassurised, but there really isn't much point unless your going to up your light, low light plants are generally slower growing plants and wont benifit all that much from excess CO2.

[Steve-o]

A friend of mine is telling me i need 3 watts of light per gallon (3.78 Liters)... seems like a lot to me... that would be 165 watts for a 48x21x12/1/2 inch tank... sounds like the fish and plants would be living on the surface of the sun! What do you think?

[ILLUSN]

I aim for a minimum of 3w/gal but preferably 4w/gal+, then again, i use ALOT of CO2 and used to grow alot of demanding plants.

2w/g is fine, with GOOD T5 fixtures even 1.5 will be ok.

if your willing to go full blown co2 and ph control then shoot for 3-4w/gal, if your going to stay low(er) tech then dont go too far above 2w/gal or you'll have algae issues.

[Steve-o]

does doing full blown co2 cause the ph to fluctuate? does it raise the ph? what kind of co2 kit would you recommend for a 55 gal tank if im doing 3 watts per gal? if you have the right mixture of light and co2 does it keep the algae from growing? I'm sorry for all the questions i just really wanna have a legit planted tank for discus when i'm ready for em

Thanks again :D

[ILLUSN]

if you can balance your lights co2 and ferts you wont have an algae proplem, IME if your co2 is a little higher then needed it will keep bba at bay aswell.

Co2 will lower your ph, this sin't a problem for discus.

for a 55gal id go a good quality reg and a 3,5kg bottle minimum, that should last you 4-6 months.

dont forget a good substrate as well, it goes along way to healthier plants.

[Steve-o]

thanks for all your help with this, it's helping me out tremendously... i have Flourite substrate in the tank now. This is going to sound stupid but what is a "reg" haha... thanks again for all your help. It's much appreciated!!!

[ILLUSN]

LOL :D
a reg is a regulator, its used on the cylinder.

have a quick read of this, this is how i put my systems together cheeply

http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12127

if i was doing it again now i wouldn't bother with fire extinguishers since you can now buy a nice 6.8Kg cylinder from ASA

[happygirl65]

I have been doing planted tanks for over a year and here are some of the most important things I have learned in terms of controlling algae:

1. Plant heavily from the start, and I mean PACK those babies in there....if you are going from no plants to planted (like I did) a few plants might look like a lot but you really need a LOT of plants when you first upgrade your lighting.

2. CO2 is great for plants but it is VERY difficult to maintain a good concentration in a 55 gal with DIY CO2, you will need several 2 liter containers and it might be more trouble that it's worth. If you keep your light around 1.5 wpg you can grow a variety of plants without the hassle of CO2 at all. You can supplement Flourish Excel in place of carbon if you need to but in terms of algae growth, inconsistant CO2 will lead to more problems than just leaving it out altogether. BBA is a plague from which few plants recover unfortunately. :(

3. It can take a while for everything to settle out and to discover what dosing of fertilizers works for you (although if you keep it low light, some root tabs might be all you need) but in the end it is really worth it. I find it more enjoyable than my outdoor garden :)

4. In answer to your question about CO2 lowering the pH, yes it does. :) My pH is 8.0 naturally but injecting CO2 brings it down to 6.8. I have a small tank that I got from a welding shop, and bought a regulator and controller on eBay. It works great and it is nice to be able to set the dial and have it all controlled for me. The pH meter that came with the controller lets me see what the pH is at a glance and in the last 7 months has been very reliable. (a 5 lb can of CO2 lasts several months)

In my experience it is the way to go if you want to add CO2, and if you dont want to mess with it (or invest in it as it can be costly) then go with low tech at 1.5 wpg with no CO2 and root tabs under your heavy root feeders (swords and crypts)

I have a lot tech and a high tech tank and enjoy both equally. The low tech planted stays more consistant as things grow slower so there is not as much pruning needed.

The high tech requires more messing with to trim and replant stems, and constantly replant or give away the baby amazon swords ;)

[Steve-o]

So this is what i got goin on so far... I just wanted to give you an up date on how im doin using all your suggestions... I'm open for any comments or suggestions :lol: i still need to upgrade my CO2 because I'm still only using a yeast fermenter as you can see because its just hanging in the middle of my tank! but for now its doing a pretty good job....

[Steve-o]

more pix soon...

[Steve-o]

More...

[happygirl65]

Nice pics! :) I like your large rock and driftwood! That is really nice piece! Your plants are looking good :)

I do have a couple of suggestions from a design perspective (only constructive I promise ;) )

I like the placement of your driftwood and I am assuming the large rock for now is holding it down?
So for now leave it obviously but when your wood is waterlogged I would move the rock to the right about 1/3 of the way across the tank and put a really large marble queen sword behind it! The large verigated leaves would be strikng against the color of the rock :)

I would also add a tall amazon sword (or two) behind and to the left of the driftwood, sort of framing it on the side and back. I like the placement of the rest of the plants you have in that area I think it just needs more filler in the background.

Looks like you have a nice sword on the right toward the back that will fill in and grow taller to hide the equipment back there.

And are those chain swords in the front? They are lovely I would not change them, I think they will grow in nicely.

Keep posting pics! Even if you change nothing it will fill in nicely in a few weeks :)

Really nice job!

I am so jealous of your driftwood! lol

[Steve-o]

thanks for the suggestions!! i will have to try that :D yeah im really excited about the driftwood... I found it at a local shop already pre leached so my water wont become brown

[Steve-o]

more pix

[Steve-o]

getting pictures on here is a pain bare with me here...

[Steve-o]

this should work...

[DiscusEden]

Lovely! What's the big yellow leaf in the last photo?

Was that a shrimp in one of the earlier photos? Will it survive discus?