karen's discus journal

[jeb102385]

what kind of rock is that it looks like holy rock which isnt good for discus i had my discus befor i had my cardinal and i never had any problems with them chasing the cardinals also dan said next week he is getting in a whole bunch of discus around 2.5" he said he would be selling them for around $15 each so keep your eyes peeled

[thekarens]

As I previously said it's not Texas holey rock. I don't think you can get that for .14 cents a pound :)

[JGUERRA]

As I previously said it's not Texas holey rock. I don't think you can get that for .14 cents a pound :)

wow great tank!! where do they sell these rocks at?? thats pretty cheap per pound.. beautiful tank

[thekarens]

I got them at the landscapers yard near 290 and Telge.

[wesleydnunder]

As I previously said it's not Texas holey rock. I don't think you can get that for .14 cents a pound :)

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it is the same composition as Texas holey rock; limestone. It doesn't have the large holes favored by aquarists, so sells for much less than at the lfs. Basically it's the same stuff though.

Mark

[thekarens]

Guess I'll have to keep an eye on the PH then. So far it hasn't risen but that doesn't mean it won't.

[wesleydnunder]

Guess I'll have to keep an eye on the PH then. So far it hasn't risen but that doesn't mean it won't.

Normally, dissolution of the rock only becomes an issue when the Ph drops enough to dissolve it. With weekly water changes (or more often) you shouldn't have to worry about the rock adversely effecting the water chemistry, unless your source water is acidic to begin with.

Mark

[thekarens]

I'm going to attempt to do water changes every other day, though I know there may be days when that doesn't happen. The tank is only maybe 10 feet from the sink so with a python it should be easy enough.

[PlanB]

One time I added some small tetras to my discus tank and they thought I was feeding them. They gummed a few of them, but when they realized they wouldn't fit in their mouth, they lost interest and have left them alone since.

If I'm not mistaken, Golden Sunrises have pigeon blood genes so it is possible to get peppering in them as well. But the ones that Dan have are very clean and am very happy with the one that I got from him. Also, the substrate and decor in your tank is pretty light so I don't see that becoming an issue as pigeon blood strains tend to pepper up in darker surroundings.

[thekarens]

The manzanita kept wanting to float away so here's a little different aquascaping. This time it's been zip tied to the center brace. The zip tie is plastic so no rusting and it's not going anywhere.





PS.............I've been informed that my picture taking skills are lacking so you may see another (ie better) picture later.

[jklntx]

My .02 and with it you can't buy a cup of coffee.

Because maintaining water parameters are so critical to Discus I would not include anything that may spike changes at any given time.

Though the tank looks great, you may want to rethink the aquascaping. You are keeping fish that like Discus, cardinals, and rams , regardless that they can be kept in hard water, that are inherently from soft water environments.

[thekarens]

I've asked around including people who have kept discus long term and also people who have bred them and they all say those 7 rocks should not cause any issues, especially if I am dilligent with water changes. Our Ph started out at 7.0 and is still at 7.0. It will be fine

[cichlid1409]

very nice clean look!!! Those are fake plants? i had to double take. i would put a couple more in there if it were me but very nice. cant wait to see the fishies in there.

[thekarens]

We added a few more this last time and may add even more a little later. Still have some left and it only cost me 9 at Hobby Lobby

[PlanB]

I didn't realize the plants were artificial and from Hobby Lobby. My concern would be whether they'd be "fish safe" since they weren't made with fishkeeping in mind.