Best Plants To Have...?

[swingn]

Hi All

I'm at a level where I can overhall my tank. Sadly I'm not running a very complex setup... I have an Aqua One all in one style tank. Has served me well, but would really like to get something better in the not to distant future.

That aside, my light tubes are 12 months old so I will be pulling everything apart to replace them. I figured it would be the right time to put in some plants etc.

I have not had much luck with plants over the years, fish keep eatting them or they gradually die off. Was wondering what would be the best plant option/s to simulate the Amazon, but also are fairly hardy & easy to keep etc...?

Cheers

[lpiasente]

I use dino pee dino spit and dino dung and I have great success with all my plants even some of the harder ones. I notice not many or anyone here uses it but I have found it to be great.

[Merrilyn]

The true Amazon biotope has no plants growing at all, just driftwood and overhanging branches with a few smooth river stones. That's about it.

Most people like the look of a bit of green in their tanks, and in that case Amazon sword plants do very well. Either plant them in a pot or straight into a rich substrate. They are heavy root feeders, so they'll appreciate some fertilizer under the gravel.

They don't need a lot of light, cope well with the high temperatures of discus tanks, and need very little maintenance.

When they're happy, they'll reward you by sending out runners of eight or ten tiny plants. Once they grow and show a good root system, snip them off and replant. You'll soon have so many, you'll be giving them away :P

[swingn]

Merrilyn, so in actual fact to get a true natural looking discus environment, I'm better off just putting lost of drift wood in?

Obviously my info is off :p , I always thought discus lived in lots of green growth.

I already find that my tank water goes brown with drift wood. Obviously if I was changing my water more often it would not be as noticable, however, the only way I've found to completely clear it up is running a product call "purigen" (Unsure of the spelling). Does the job, but its approx $25 a hit!

Is there another way to keep the tank looking nice & clear / clean while keeping a reasonable amount of drift wood?

Cheers
Matt

[lpiasente]

Carbon in you filter will take most of the tannin colour out but really it just takes time If you do very regular water changes that helps as well. After 6 months I have a bit of wood still coloring my water with tannins. I don't mind that look.

[Old Dave]

...the only way I've found to completely clear it up is running a product call "purigen" (Unsure of the spelling). Does the job, but its approx $25 a hit!

Cheers
Matt

From memory, Purigen and similar products can be "recharged".
Great way to stretch the $$$s.

Do a few searches and see what you come up with, or maybe someone will post a link :lol: :lol:

Good Luck,
Old Dave

[fud]

Purigen lasts for years.When the granules turn brown it needs recharging.Place the bag in a 1:1 bleach/water solution for 24hrs(can take longer as it gets older).It will go back to its original colour.Rinse it well & place it in a solution of2 tbs water conditioner(I use prime) to every 250ml of water for 8hrs(I go 24hrs to be safe).
I use 2 screwtop glass jars for this so I can really shake it up & make sure all the purigen is recharged.I also have 2 bags per tank so that when one is recharging I put the other one in.
Cheers,fud.

[jesx57]

I found that the "Ocean Free Zero Colour" sachets worked the best for me. Removed all tannins within a few days and lasted for around 6 months. Costs around $20 for the larger box which contains two sachets and treats 150L of water.

[Hollowman]

Obviously if I was changing my water more often it would not be as noticable,

Cheers
Matt

I feel caution is needed here. Ref: http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17551

Before you go ANY further, you need to think about what you are doing, and how you can cope with initial problems as above.

You have to consider that water changing and water condition is more important than anything FIRST. If you do not grasp this idea, you will always have problems with death and illness.

We can help you, but you need to read read read, then ask.

H

[swingn]

I found that the "Ocean Free Zero Colour" sachets worked the best for me. Removed all tannins within a few days and lasted for around 6 months. Costs around $20 for the larger box which contains two sachets and treats 150L of water.

Never heard of that product before.

Was it easy to come by? Main reason I went with Purigen is that it is fairly easy to come by & it works very well.

Haven't tried recharging it as yet, but I am aware it is possible. Main reason I haven't tried is becuase I'm not willing to take the risk of harming my fish should something go wrong.

[swingn]

Obviously if I was changing my water more often it would not be as noticable,

Cheers
Matt

I feel caution is needed here. Ref: http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17551

Before you go ANY further, you need to think about what you are doing, and how you can cope with initial problems as above.

You have to consider that water changing and water condition is more important than anything FIRST. If you do not grasp this idea, you will always have problems with death and illness.

We can help you, but you need to read read read, then ask.

H

Have just posted in the other thread... Have done a water change over the weekend & am on the way to getting the water chemistry back to perfect.

If you read my first post in this thread, I have asked for advice as I need to change lights etc on my tank shortly. As this can be a rather big job moving cables & possibly the filter, I thought it was a good oportunity to add somemore plants / drift wood.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am not new to keeping discus & fish in general. The issue I faced seemed to be a one off thing & came as a big supprise. As I was unsure of what the cause maybe, I joined this forum to get some more info... Which I feel I have received :D

[jesx57]

Sorry swingn, didn't see your post. Yeah, I used to see it at my LFS all the time bout a year ago. Haven't seen it since, probably because I don't need it any more, but it is handy stuff.