# Greetings From McKinney



## KnH (Jan 20, 2011)

Greetings

I have had fresh and reef setups but New to the planted aquarium thing
We have put down a deposit on a used150g bow-front for my next project, Wife wants some discus
So planted Discus tank it will be, I am wanting to get a handle on the planted part before adding 
the discus.

Doing a lot of reading, any hard don't even try or things I should stay away from

So far leaning towards using Co2 with low to moderate light(LED's another project)

Are there par readings that define the different light set ups between each step, low , moderate, high lighting.

From my reading more light = more growth and more work, how do you find out what works

Thanks 
Ken


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Welcome to APC! Alot of figuring out lighting is trial and error. PAR is a better measure of light, but most light companies don't mention it...they just stamp on the watts and that's supposed to give you an idea of how much light you're getting...hmph.
LED's is a whole other subject altogether.

You might try starting off with low light and low-light plants and gradually work your way up. A good reference to start (on a 150 gallon) might be something like 1 - 1.5 watts per gallon (of PC or normal flourescent bulbs) for low light or 0.5 to 0.75 watts per gallon of t-5HO with individual reflectors...maybe even less (the t-5HO are quite efficient at getting light into the tank).

Of coarse, you aquarium's height will affect the amount of light you need to reach the bottom. My suggestion above is based on a typical 18" to 24" tall tank.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

on discus, here is some advice I use to be a big big discus guy. I would get a 55g have it bare bottom, and just paint the back,sides, and bottom blue... grow out your discus. in this tank till they are at least 3.5 inches big. then put them in the 150g tank. also discus are not hardy fish.. 

so they need harm water, and clean water. 
age the water for 24 hours be for doing a water change, and do a water change 2 times a week.

for low to medium light, I would get 2 36 inch t5 ho light fixtures. I like wavepoint bulbs, and uv bulbs ati are also good. lower end would be coralife and zoo-med.

c02 is not needed.. discus would love amazon swords, java fern, anubuis nana, and cryptocoryne species. 

know what you help me with my saltwater tank, and I will help you with your planted tank...

I'm having problem with aqua scaping my 55g with live rock, and getting the salinity right... also need help hooking up my ro/di water maker.

also what are some fast growing hardy corals. that 2 bulb t5 ho would work.

thanks my name is joey.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Ken,

Welcome to The Addiction, or, as I like to call it The One True Way.  With your prior reef experience you'll be well equipped to get into the plant hobby. It already looks like you're asking the right questions. For a beginner I would *highly* recommend getting a copy of The Simple Guide to Planted Aquaria; written by Terry Anne Barber and Rhonda Wilson, TFH publications. It's got easy to digest sections on CO2, light, substrate, and water chemistry. 

Keep doing your research and planning. Just like a reef, nothing good ever happens fast in a planted tank. Stability is key! Thankfully, unlike a reef, instability will just cause algae issues rather than wipe out hundreds or thousands of dollars in animals. You're in luck too, John Nicholson is one of the best discus breeders in the region and lives not too far from McKinney. When you're ready to add the fish go to him. I promise you won't be disappointed. 

I've kept large planted discus tanks successfully in the past and would be more than happy to meet with you and the Mrs. to talk about pros/cons and what I believe is the best way to set up an aquarium for success with both plants and those lovely fish. 

Cheers and welcome,
Phil


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Don't listen to them. They are horrible people.

They will take you places you never imagined!

Better give your $20 membership fee to me and I will show you the quickest way out of all this!

If you can - join the field trip to the San Marcos river on May 21. I bet you can't think of anything better to plan and do that day! Seriously.

--Nikolay


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

:welcome: KnH! Glad to have you. We have a great group of hobbyists in the DFWAPC club. I take it you have joined our club? Niko is such a joker, if you haven't figured it out by now. Our web site is below. I've taken you to the basic beginner's info page. There is also a place where you can join up.

http://www.aquatic-plants.org/articles/basics/pages/index.html

We have an upcoming filed trip to San Marcos River May 21st. We are pretty excited about it. See this thread. You have to be a member to go. There are links to pxs of our time 2 years ago.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/dallas-ft-worth-aquatic-plant-club/77882-may-meeting-field-trip-haaps.html


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