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  • Planted Discus Tank Setup

    All.. new to the site and just getting back into my tanks.  I am planning on setting up a newly acquired 135 (too good a deal to pass up) as a planted discus tank with the usual suspects for tankmates.  

    My last discus tank was a fairly bare bones 75 that I kept soft and acidic with much success.  After doing a fair share of reading I have come to the conclusion that the new tanks wants 100uS water at ~6.7 to get a good comprimise betwen the wants of the fish and the wants of the plants.

    To achieve this with my water, I would need RO/DI for the majority.  I then get concerned about pH swings due to the low alkalinity... I then start thinking about bicarb to buffer.....

    Long story short.. I would love to hear where y'all keep you tanks and any of your other 2 cents that you want to throw in. Love the site.

    G

  • #2
    Re: Planted Discus Tank Setup

    Hi,
    What kind of discus are you planning to have in your new tank? Domestics or Wilds? What is your pH and hardness? What size are your discus going to be?

    If you have domestics, then it is not necessary to have "soft and acidic" water, despite what many people claim.

    I keep my domestics in pH 7.8, GH 12, TDS 200-250uS with no problems at all. They will mate and lay eggs in this water, but in order to have a good hatch rate, the GH should be reduced to at least 6 or 7.

    The only time i have to use RO/DI (actually DI is not necessary for discus applications) is for my wilds.

    Cheers
    Marc
    www.ventralfins.com

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    • #3
      Re: Planted Discus Tank Setup

      I had great luck using a PH controller and CO2 injection. I aged my change water in a barrel. I would adjust the PH (while in the barrel) to around 7.1 using murratic acid. Actually I was monitoring the KH, but it usually ended up around 7.1. The PH controller kept the at around 6.5 I think. I can't remember exactly 6.5 or 6.7 one. I used baking soda in the main tank to adjust the KH if needed. tried to keep 20-30ppm CO2 in the tank.
      Smokin_Cache
      Planning a new 150+ tank. Any suggestions?
      Lets see what the imagination fruits.
      Check out my last tank

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      • #4
        Re: Planted Discus Tank Setup

        agreed. Discus Dan at gulfcoastdiscus.com keeps his in less than ideal PH/KH and still has incredible fish.

        For plants a regulator and controller is the ideal way to keep PH very stable.
        a 50/50 mix  of RO and tap (more or less depending on your tap water) will give pretty good results also.
        "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety" -- Benjamin Frankli
        n

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        • #5
          Re: Planted Discus Tank Setup

          Thanks for all the input!!!  I will have domestics so I feel a little better abouth the harder water....  I tend to over analyze these kinds of things so I appreciate the words of wisdom...  

          G

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          • #6
            Re: Planted Discus Tank Setup

            Well with the discus,if i where you i wouldnt worry abouth the hardness r/o water right now .Actually discus grow faster in hard water jmo.You only have to be concerned with the softness of the water when breeding.Other than that you should be ok.Just do water changes every other day minumum, and once you get it down, they are not hard at all to keep.hth

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            • #7
              Re: Planted Discus Tank Setup

              I keep my discus in tap water, filtered with charcoal when refilling only. My tap water is municipal well water, and so is moderately hard, GH of 11 if I recall, KH maybe 10, it's been forever since I tested that stuff. High in calcium, not much magnesium tho.

              If you have a community tank, not likely that you need to worry about breeding and therefore about hard water vs soft. Small fish and snails will eat eggs, if the parents or other discus don't get them first (mom and dad will eat them to conserve their energy for the next batch, in hopes that territory can be better defended next time.)

              Your bigger problem will be with basic tank sanitation, what to feed to keep the waste to a minimum. Traditoinal discus food of beefheart is a disaster in a planted tank, often leads to bacterial problems.

              The hardest part is how to keep tank population low enough to keep both plants and discus. 15 to 20 gallons per adult fish is hard to stick to. I compromised by keeping a bare bottom tank while growing the juveniles to adult size. Then slowly added planted driftwood only -- mostly anubias, now some moss and narrow leaf java fern.

              Mother Nature took over when I let the tank get overstocked. Mother Nature can be so cruel. She always takes out the biggest ones if you let her decide. So, 15 nice sized small adults becomes 10 -- did I ever mention how well water has low oxygen when it rains a lot?  I have a separate planted tank for the real planted tank look. Now I am down to 8 big fish, I don't want to lose any more, ever.

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