Having plant trouble....

Discus are mot that difficult to keep. Discus juvenile fish are hard as they are can be easily stunted need daily water changes of 50% and low mineral water and 4-5 times a day feeding.

Adults can be kept in almost any water.

Your puffers will be the problem with stocking your tank. a large school of neons,cardinals or black neons is really cool in a large tank.

If you increase your lighting with out adding co2 and fertalizers you will have a big problem with algae burst.

Head over to theplantedtank.com and read up it has taken me a full year and lots of reading the forums to get to where I can not kill every plant I buy.

flourish excell is not a fertilizer it is a co2 supplement (there is more to it than that) and is often used as an algae control when you double dose for 10 days.

good luck (just have a lot of patients)
 
I agree discus as adults are not difficult to keep..neither are the juvies..in a large planted tank you do not need to do 50% daily water changes even for discus.
the assumption for discus is they are in a grow out tank..need 4-5 feedings and remove uneaten food.

in a planted tank..the plants will consume the waste(ammonia,nitrites and nitrates) in a large tank it is difficult to make shifts in the water condition..meaning the tank is more stable..they should get daily water changes..enough to remove the uneaten food and replace the water..
they will be fine in most water..the less hard the better but even they can adapt. young discus tend to be about 2" in size and should be raised in a Bare bottom..that said..they will grow in a large planted tank..mine did.

also sword plants are heavy root feeders..that means they do not derive most of their nutrition from the water column..you will need to add fert tabs for them..but they will be fine if you do that.
flourish excel has ferts its just heavier on carbon..
 
You need to get your water and plant situation well settled before you even think about adding discus. I have never done discus but have always been advised that this should not be a beginner's fish. One way around inadequate plant substrate is to plant plants in pots and then bury them in the substrate - bury the pots, not the plants :) Lights...if you need more, you need more. Has your tank cycled? What kind of filtration do you have? These things are not necessarily related to plants but you are talking about adding more fish, so you need to consider these things. RE: your plant that looks like bamboo, bamboo is not an underwater plant, even though many people try to sell it as such. If it is really bamboo you are probably lucky if it doesn't make it. If you look too many plants and need more look for creative sources of free/cheap plants. Check to see if there is a local fish club that will give/ sell for cheap some easy plants to help you continue. Also, if you have any ponds near your house consider them...but if you take plants from outside you should probably rinse them with a bleach solution first.

Congrats on taking this big step. Many people loose all of their stock and plants on their first attempt but the secret is to keep reading, asking and trying. You may have a lot of obstacles to overcome but once you have taken care of things you will feel really proud of your accomplishments...then you will be able to help people who post questions on this forum :)
 
Thanks guys! I appreciate all the replies....
I had written to a guy months ago about his discus and he just wrote me back yesterday that he has 2 red melons and 7 diamonds...which are EXACTLY the types I was looking for and for very cheap! So....believe it or not, I'm considering it! I appreciate the encouragement that they are not as difficult as some have said....the blues are about 1 1/2" and the reds are adults. I also like the pot the plants idea...that way I could just pull them out and add some substrate to the roots and wouldn't have to redo the entire aquarium....but could give the plants what they need. Don't worry....I won't add the discus until I get my plants happy! Then I will work on getting my water right for the discus! Holy cow...I LOVE this site! You guys ROCK!
Would angels and discus get along in this size tank? I guess my puffers may have to go up for sale....the kids will be sad...they love those fish! Ah well...when they start paying for them....I'll care! ahhahhaha
Oh...I've had aquariums for years....just never a huge one like this!
Thanks again!
Kim
 
Good luck on whatever you decide. Starting off with such a large tank & plants isnt the easiest way. I'd keep it low tech, and try and add plants that will be suitable for lower light and lower nutrient demands. For your swords you might add some root tabs like from Tropica, crypts, and java ferns would be good too. For tanks that size 2wpg will usually grow just about anything, for low tech I'd definately stay below that. CO2 will always help, but on low tech isnt as critical. And since no one has said it yet (I hate to be the stocking police) but the green spotted puffers arent really good comunity fish and is recommended to be in brackish and usually full marine as adults. Read up here, and here, just FYI. And BTW if you dont realize it yet but the link to your gallery in your first post requires a log in so we cant see them.
 
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Puffers

yeah....I'm a little confused about the puffers. I bought these little guys at Walmart and I honestly read about them and looked up everything I could about them. I had cichlids in my tank when I originally purchased the puffers and a couple of "odd" fish that people had given me....a danio, some tetras....anyways...the GSP's have NEVER gone after any of my other fish. At first the larger one chased the little one around and now....it honestly looks as if they are a couple! I know people say they are impossible to breed....but, the larger one is laying under a rock most of the time and the smaller one is "guarding" the area. Every now and then they will come out and swim around and eat....but mostly they just hang out under that rock. I'm not sure, but I think I have really unusual puffers who love everyone! hahahahaha I watch my fish ALOT and they seriously never go after anyone...maybe I overfeed them and they are too fat to chase others! hahahha
Oh...on a really great note....as I was getting ready to turn out the lights tonight....I noticed some new growth on my "bamboo" looking plant.....these plants that I bought on ebay were supposed to be low light and NO CO2 plants...which is why I bought them in the first place.....do you think maybe they were just going through a transplant phase? Just wishful thinking...but, it looks like the bamboo looking stuff is gonna make it ( maybe to my dismay! ) I'll probalby have a jungle in there next week! hahahah Ok....don't wanna make you guys sick of me....I've turned this into a flippin' novel! Soooorrrryyyy....!
Kim
 
red devil said:
You need to get your water and plant situation well settled before you even think about adding discus. I have never done discus but have always been advised that this should not be a beginner's fish. One way around inadequate plant substrate is to plant plants in pots and then bury them in the substrate - bury the pots, not the plants :) Lights...if you need more, you need more. Has your tank cycled? What kind of filtration do you have? These things are not necessarily related to plants but you are talking about adding more fish, so you need to consider these things. RE: your plant that looks like bamboo, bamboo is not an underwater plant, even though many people try to sell it as such. If it is really bamboo you are probably lucky if it doesn't make it. If you look too many plants and need more look for creative sources of free/cheap plants. Check to see if there is a local fish club that will give/ sell for cheap some easy plants to help you continue. Also, if you have any ponds near your house consider them...but if you take plants from outside you should probably rinse them with a bleach solution first.

Congrats on taking this big step. Many people loose all of their stock and plants on their first attempt but the secret is to keep reading, asking and trying. You may have a lot of obstacles to overcome but once you have taken care of things you will feel really proud of your accomplishments...then you will be able to help people who post questions on this forum :)
Click to expand...
Yes, my tank has cycled....I bought my tank used on ebay!!!! Got a great deal...only paid 611.00 for the tank, stand, 2 whisper power 60 filters, 1 magnum canister filter, lights and a bunch of odds and ends items! I was SO happy! Anyways...that gives you an idea of the filters and such! I will try again to link that kodak gallery here....
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=12466829608.521580432208.1189822755932&page=1
I think the password for it is 146336 and the email is feafur@yahoo.com
If anyone wants to see what is going on in the tank!
I am going to try some fertilizer and maybe the little potted plant idea too! Thanks a bunch!
Kim
 
Nice tank! You have your java fern's rhizome buried. It will die if kept like that. The rhizome is the horizontal bar that the roots come out of. If it's not above the substrate it won't have any circulation and it will rot away. Either tie the ferns to a piece of wood or a rock, or bury it so that only the roots are under the substrate. http://www.aquahobby.com/garden/e_javafern.php I can't see what bamboo-like plant you are talking about.
 
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