# Discus and planteds



## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

hi,
i'm still trying to put together a discus and plants tanks with some success and mostly failure... has anybody done this and point me in the right direction please.
i have a 5'x2'x2' tank.
i would like to setup a biotope tank with amazon plants but cheat a little with ferns, some mosses[like singapore/java moss] and bolbitis...[maybe a lot!]

the problem that plagues me are the temperatures discus like are pretty warm 28c typically.
dip to 26c and a lot of health problems come up and loss of appetite.[stunted fish]

over here in kuala lumpur malaysia we have on average 28-32c indoors. with a fan that range is a good 26-28c.

fertilisation i have decided to play by ear as i try estimative index hybrid when i'm around and hybrid PPS[my dad tops up water and dose a little macros] when i'm outstation. comments welcome...
currently doing fairly ok with altums


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

I have never kept Discus, but would love to oneday. Here are some links that should help.

Discus care...

http://www.devotedly-discus.co.uk/discus_care/discus_care.htm

Warm water/Discus plants... http://aquariumplant.com/cgi-bin/cart/scan/fi=products/st=db/co=yes/sf=prod_group/se=AQUARIUM%20PLANTS/op=eq/sf=category/se=Warm%20Water%3A%3ADiscus%20Plants/op=eq/ml=75/tf=description.html


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## holocron (May 29, 2005)

I run a planted discus tank with pretty good success. 

I have a pretty densely planted tank with DIY CO2 and I dose PMDD daily. I run my water at 28C and generally have pretty good luck with most of my plants. The discus seem very healthy, are active and eat regularly. 

The thing you are supposed to watch out for is the NO3 (nitrate) levels. Apparently discus do not adapt well to really high levels and it will stunt their growth. I currently have a high amount of no3, and they seem to be growing fine, so I am not sure about that. We'll see with time.

I do 2 water changes a week (on a good week, some weeks I just do 1) and it varies between 30-50%. I try to do more frequent water changes so the PH levels dont change to rapidly. If I was more on the ball i would do a 25% every other day.

feel free to ask any questions.


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

*another way*

I have discus in barebottom tanks with large driftwood that is sparsely planted with moss and ferns and anubias. The wood is branchy and sets up off the floor of the tank so that all debris rolls to one corner of the tank due to circulation patterns in the tank. The plants seem to need lower temps, and now at 81 degrees instead of 84 they are looking better and the fish are still OK I think. Adding CO2 has helped, I think, though the tank has pretty low lighting levels.


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

holocron said:


> I run a planted discus tank with pretty good success.
> 
> I have a pretty densely planted tank with DIY CO2 and I dose PMDD daily. I run my water at 28C and generally have pretty good luck with most of my plants. The discus seem very healthy, are active and eat regularly.
> 
> ...


hi guys,

thanks for the replies... i read in DPH using duckweed/water hyacynths to suck up the NO3 is feasible. the problem is i'd like a biotope tank[amazon] or at least one that looks like a biotope after many taiwanese designs...

may i know what you feed your discus? Bh-beef heart is a nono as the fine uneaten particles foul up the water very much.
i'm thinking of setting up a mini brineshrimp hatchery as discus loves these fellas as food and being whole it does not break into bits that foul the water.

i've read amano feeds his discus thru a colander type tool bloodworms. i've had little success with this. stupid discus stares at it like an alien spaceship. :lol:

do you experience browning of plants with the higher temps? what are the currents plants you are planting? sorry the 1001 questions...

aqnnapersona, i was really considering bare bottom tanks but don't look great but please share pictures of your tank so i can get a better idea.[not to copy but be inspired perhaps]
i have this nice piece of branchy DW and i tied ferns to it. turn out there's still bark on the wood and a lot of fungus was growing on it. have since been scraping the bark off in my spare time...

any advice and experience is much appreciated...


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## holocron (May 29, 2005)

standoyo said:


> hi guys,
> 
> thanks for the replies... i read in DPH using duckweed/water hyacynths to suck up the NO3 is feasible. the problem is i'd like a biotope tank[amazon] or at least one that looks like a biotope after many taiwanese designs...


I have seen these done fairly well using amazon sword plants and others of that type. There are a lot of great amazonian plants out there, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.



standoyo said:


> may i know what you feed your discus? Bh-beef heart is a nono as the fine uneaten particles foul up the water very much.
> i'm thinking of setting up a mini brineshrimp hatchery as discus loves these fellas as food and being whole it does not break into bits that foul the water.
> 
> i've read amano feeds his discus thru a colander type tool bloodworms. i've had little success with this. stupid discus stares at it like an alien spaceship. :lol:
> ...


I don't feed beef heart myself. I generally feed tetra colorbit in combination with quality flake and spirulina flake. I have smaller bit sized bits for the rummynose and cardinals. I also feed frozen blood worms, but I haven't really had much success with feeders and bloodworms. All the ones I have seen are for live ones.

I run my tank at 28C and I dont generally see much browning. Some plants just wilt and die, but most do fairly well. Some of the plants I have going are: Echinodorus quadricostatus, Echinodorus tenellus 'red', Eichornia diversifolia, Eleocharis acicularis, Eriocaulon setaceum, Glossostigma elatinoides, Hemianthus Micranthemoides, hetheranthra zosterifolia, Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides, Nymphaea zenkeri, Rotala macrandra,Tonina Fluviatilis,Bacopa caroliniana.

All of those are growing really well with the exception of the macrandra. Its so-so. The lotus is huge.

Hope that helps!

good luck!


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

*81 degrees*

I am running both discus tanks at 81 - 82 degrees now, plants are looking better and the discus are fine. Mosses really hate 84 degrees it seems.

I'll try to get a photo of the tanks, I may need help in posting it to the forum, I forget how.


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## Gonzofish (Mar 26, 2005)

*Discus sion*

Hi,

I keep a large 120g discus tank with great success. The parameters are: NO3 10-15 ppm, pH 7.4, and 82 degrees F. NO co2. The discus enjoy weekly 50% water changes with half tap/half RO. The discus dine once per day on frozen bloodworms through a cone-type feeder. They have adapted to this well, and constantly scan the feeder for any leftovers throughout the day. This feeding technique leaves me with very little waste and I assume that nutritional needs are met. The substrate is a flourite/Schwartz mix topped with Eco-complete and black sand. The bottom is vacuumed and any additional dietrus is removed manually.

The single most important tip for keeping Discus is consistency. They do not tolerate change well, especially ph and nitrate.

The only other consideration would be co-inhabitants. They are very sensitive to other, particularly active, fish.

Also, my plants have never suffered at this warm temp. Crypts, Swords and Java fern are doing particularly well.

Best of Luck!


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## holocron (May 29, 2005)

I agree with gonzofish about tank mates. I had 2 clown loaches, some danios and large SAE and they were just way to hyper. I had to sell them. I put them with somewhat familiar species now, rummynose and cardinals, apisto and a ram. I replaced the large SAE with baby ones (1.5"). The discus are the dominant species in the tank now which helps them relax.

Gonzo, what type of cone feeder is it? i have one used for live worms, didnt' work to well with frozen, can you describe it a little more?

thanks.


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## Gonzofish (Mar 26, 2005)

holocron,

The cone is a cheap "Lee's" worm feeder. I modified it to float by inserting styro under the ring. I simply drop one whole frozen pellet of Sally's bloodworms into it (which floats) and as they thaw they fall down into the cone. This allows the discus to slurp the worms through the perforations without any worms getting lost in the tank. I only feed once per day which is less than most experts suggest and my discus are not malnourished.

I did make the mistake once of introducing dwarf puffers into a discus tank. This worked for awhile and then some of the puffers turned on the discus, creating a mouse vs. elephant effect. Had I not removed the puffers the discus surely would have died from "fright".


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

hi guys,
great to hear more voices,

holocron i think you have a nice jungle! i'm still looking for this plant echinodorus quadricostatus magadalensis to use as carpet.
e tennelus is too sparse and not keen on the red colour.

IME dwarf cichlids[in pairs], wild betta, cardinals/simulans, rummy nose, gold tetra, hatchet fish, make good tank mates for discus. not necessarily all of them. enough colour to suit your taste.
shrimp, otocinclus[zebra ones are nice], whiptail catfish , bristle nose pleco, pygmy puffer[only one works best!] are some of the 'workers'.

SAE's bug my discus and eat my moss, lazy when grow large and is bothersome to catch though i have sure and easy way. loaches uproot my plants, CAE's suck on my discus.

temps at 81 82F-27-28c is fine and is a compromise between fish and plants...seems like a perfect range... mosses do ok.

Gonzofish, would like to see your 120g tank. mine about the same size...

thanks for all the input...time to prep...


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## Gonzofish (Mar 26, 2005)

*Tank*

I'm unveiling my 120 cube for the APC contest this year- getting very close to finished! I am removing 2 cobalts and 1 turk to make way for 3 more reds. That will leave me 4 red discus with plenty of room to breathe.

Also, E. tennellus "micro" has a pinkish color. On the other hand, the standard E. tennellus has broad, lime green leaves. I use plenty of E. tennellus as a foreground and it brightens up my 2wpg.

Consider yourself warned about dwarf(pygmy)puffers. Like I said, one day they're swimming side by side, the next day mouse vs. elephant.


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

hi gonzo, haha, my will be eyes peeled for your discus tank. your red discus i presume are melons? do you have probs with peppering?

anyway my tank has enough 'hidden] rounded small snails for the P puffer. not disturbing my altums...there's enough tetras for the fella to chase anyway.

my discus tank will only be ready next year as i plan for slow plants...

didn't know there is a red and green[broadleaf] version of e tennelus. just assumed brighter lighting made the plant red. amazonia, i can't wait.


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