Plants and Discus

as40

as40

Give it to us raw and wriggling!
Oct 12, 2003
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Ventura, CA 93003
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Hello All...

I'm new to the whole internet forum thing, but here it goes...
I'm a bit confused as to what I should do. I'm in the middle of re-setting up my 40 gal. freshwater tank. I've been keeping fish for 16 years off and on (since I was 8) and have decided that it is time to advance from plastic plants and your average run-of-the-mill freshwater fish to live plants and discus, both of which I've been researching for some time now. I have a few questions as to how I should go about doing this, however.

1. I know with plants the more light, the better, but from what I've read discus don't prefer brightly lit tanks. I've thought about floating plants, but they'd get shredded by the current from my filter as it syphons water back into the tank at the top. Suggestions?

2. I read at a few places that discus best prefer a gentler current. I currently own a tetratec pf150 filter/heater, but have been thinking of upgrading to the pf300 model to better regulate the temp. and increase the filtration of my tank by doubling the amount of water that gets filtered per hour. Would that be too much current for the discus though?

3. I've checked out simplydiscus.com to find out some more information, but a lot of the people there seem to go overboard with the daily water changes and prefilter sponges on the intake valves of the filter. How much of this is too much precaution? I was thinking more along the lines of a weekly 10% water change (I'd use r/o water treated with kent r/o right and discus essential) and just changing the front filter pads within the filter (leaving the back ones with the benificial bacteria alone).

4. Any other words of wisdom, suggestions, etc.?

5. Lastly, anyone from the Ventura CA area, or know where good places are to get plants and discus from around here? I've become frustrated, having recently moved here, with the traffic, pollution, and crime, but more so with the apparent lack of good LFS's. I'm surrounded by Petco's and Petsmarts (and would rather eat my shorts than shop them)!

Thanks for taking the time to read this and for any help anyone can give.
 
wow I have been working on the live plant thing for a couple of years now and am just now beggining to think I have a handle on it... now granted I didn't have aquariacentral as a reference when I started.

me personally would want to have the planted tank up and running smoothly for at least 6-8 months befor I felt the tank was stable enough to add discus... you don't want to cycle the tank with discus and with plants there is another cycle besides the amonia/nitrite/nitrate one that can take longer to settle down

look up 80gJoe and his planted discus tank for some tips
 
If you're just starting up the tank you need to load it with plants and clean up crews(algae eaters and cats) and get it established before adding any Discus.
You're going to have to do better than 10% if you're going to do only one water change a week. Discus need clean water. They are tougher and easier than some people would lead you to believe, but they need clean, warm water.
They also like dimmer tanks, but I know people who keep them in high light tanks. They, like any other fish can adapt to conditions once they acclimate themselves.
If you intend to have a high light tank you shouldn't have any problems with floating plants to shade it.
I mentioned algae eaters, but be careful what kinds you get. Certain ones like the slime coating that Discus excrete and can drive them nuts by attaching themselves the their sides.

Len
 
I have a couple of opinions on your proposed setup:

1) I would not try keeping Discus in a 40 gallon tank. I'd do no less than a 75 gallon. The water is more stable, they have more room to feel secure, and you can have a few more (roughly 1 per 10 gallons is pretty standard). They also would appreciate a little more depth (top to bottom) than the smaller tank sizes come with.

2) I'd do a minimum of 25% weekly, just my opinion. I'd go for 50% weekly with plants and higher light anyways.

3) I would NOT try my hand at both live plants and Discus at the same time! I'd get a handle on one or the other first, preferably plants, since they can affect the environment in a big way. For instance, SnakeIce was talking about a "longer cycle" for planted tanks, which can be tough to get through with only minor problems. Most people seem to have some big algae problems within the first 6 months or so, and many continue after that (like me!). If you want to go high light, you will also REQUIRE CO2 injection, which again, affects the water environment in a big way if you are not familiar with it's use. If you don't find the "magical" balance of light/fertilizers/CO2 on the first try you may end up battling some serious algae problems (which happen quickly in high light tanks) and the algae stops the plants from using up nutrients and producing oxygen, which could bring you to bleaching all the plants and decor and re-plant, while seriously stressing your fish. Not to mention that you now have too much ammonia/wastes being produced for your bacterial colonies to deal with without the help of the plants. This causes further stress to your Discus, which are already weakened. In the end you get sick of the whole daily water change, pruning algae, water change (which you already said you didn't want to do) schedule, which is enough to drive most people back to guppies and fake plants!

This may be a hypothetical situation, but trust me, you wouldn't have to try hard to make that happen! That being said, I do hope you give both the Discus and live plants a try, but probably separately is best, and with a larger tank, which is more forgiving of errors. I have had quite a challenge with my tank, but I tried to go high light too quickly and was only using DIY CO2, which just couldn't cut it. I have learned much, and don't regret the scenario, but I have heard too many stories of people quitting the plant thing because it's too difficult. Take your time and plan twice, plant once (kinda like measure twice, cut once:rolleyes: ) That tank is a good size to get your feet wet with plants, so I'd suggest going with some Dwarf cichlids, or maybe a nice large school of your favorite tetras/etc. These will still require some decent water care, and you may find the plants themselves to be rewarding enough! I do!
 
Welcome to Aquaria Central

I think you've gotten some really good advice so far. IMO you would be better off adding a few easy to grow plants to your tank and gradually upgrading your lighting & CO2 until you have a stable environment for the discus.

Keep your eyes on these forums, there's a lot of learning going on. You may also want to read www.thekrib.com www.skepticalaquarist.com and www.aquabotanic.com
 
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