Discus tank conversion, bare bottom to planted

[Yanbbrox]

I hope you know that lite blue type is killing my eyes thank you very much! The thanx I get for doing your research for you.

I know you love it when Lou posts I get the same joy from reading your black text posts, can't find the just watched too much tv smilie


I did thank you, I raised a glass across the pond but I know you did the same thing as me reading about the home brew c02 disasters
I'm not saying go with the DIY C02 thingy, I'm telling you you should be able to purchase most of the hardware for the Canister C02 for about $250 USD and build the reactor thingy yourself. It's just that I can't really refer you anywhere for the hardware because everywhere I checked they state ONLY to be used in NORTH AMERICA, either because of fitting standards or because you people use some strange form of electrical power or plug.
So it's your fault I need a travel adapter to go on holiday
I think you missed my point on the home brew, I do like the idea of setting the system up myself rather than buy off the shelf and you've given me some ideas to research from this side. There's a big gas place near to where I work so I should be able to find most of the stuff


Or you could go the way of Carbo-plus but I think that isn't the best way for you to go, though Carbo-plus is made on that side of the moon. It maybe be cheaper.

Googling as we speak, curiosity and all

.

 

[DigThemLows]

Ok, here is the good and the bad:

The java moss has gone completely brown and seems to be acting like a natural filter, so much crap seems to gets into it. The Echinodorus Tennellus seems fine with no signs of wither or for that matter growth, the same can be said for the Cryptocoryne Wendtii :
View attachment 190896


The other wood moss also brown just after a fish had brushed past it with the resulting cloud of debris coming off it. The Vallinseria Spirallis seems ok in the foreground, but the Aponogetum Crispus is turning brown and dieing off:
View attachment 190898
Another shot off the Aponogetum Crispus and moss but the fish wanted feeding and to get in on the action as well so I fed them just after so I could take the other shots:
View attachment 190897

General:

I've changed the water changing schedule due the flourish. I used to do a 8 gallon change every other day, this has been cut dramitcally to about a 4 gallon change every 5 days or so, everything is still in params for the fish. I just add a top up of flourish into the new tank water. I see no point adding the course of flourish just to take it out with too much water change, as long as the fish(and eventually the plants) are happy then so am I.

When doing the change I lightly vac the gravel over the place where the fish are fed, by lightly I mean no longer than a couple of second at most, hose goes in and is taken straight out again, just to clean up the excess food waste that builds up there.

Not even remotely enough water changes! You need to do 40% every other day..........why are you doing so little?

 

[Loulou]

Not even remotely enough water changes! You need to do 40% every other day..........why are you doing so little?

Excuse my ignorance but do planted tanks really require 40% water changes every other day? Or is it because of the sensitive discus?

 

[Tequila]

Not even remotely enough water changes! You need to do 40% every other day..........why are you doing so little?

Question..........huh, why, what? This should be fun to read.

 

[Yanbbrox]

Not even remotely enough water changes! You need to do 40% every other day..........why are you doing so little?

Listen man no offense, I appreciate the response but I don't want to change this into the whole water changing debate on keeping discus.

If I was trying to achieve the best ever show case display tank for super huge breeding discus then I would happily be changing water by the tank load in a bare bottom tank but this is not what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to create an environment where the fish live happily within a planted tank that also are happy.

My priority is always with the fish over the plants but it can be done and it will be done, I've just got to take things easy, why do think it's take me so long to start c02 injection , because I'm learning all about it and when I think I got enough info I continue to read and learn until I'm 100% certain the fish will be fine.

I've done the whole bare bottom thing, the ro thing, the reminerazlied ro thing, the 80% daily changes, the 40% every other day changes in the past and I swear I've seen the fish happier swimming around the plants and occasionally digging at the flourite and that is the main thing for me.

I've been keeping discus for at least 3 years and only lost one fish since I changed from bare bottom and fish was not well at the time and the process was too much for it the others are fine, healthy and growing. I lost more fish doing it the 'right' way(whatever that may be).

The main reason for the reduced amount of water change is the liquid ferts I don't see the point in adding a new batch every other day because I've just taken them out again verses the topping up.

If you do 40% bi daily changes on your discus then thats fine with me. What ever works for you and your fish and everyone else's for that matter is also fine with me as long as the fish are happy then I'm sure all of us keepers are happy as well

 

[Yanbbrox]

Excuse my ignorance but do planted tanks really require 40% water changes every other day? Or is it because of the sensitive discus?

No they don't read above, sensitive discus are relatively a thing of the past unless you get true wild ones. Most captive breed discus are fairly hardy these days.

Last comment on the water change debate, I only answered because you asked

 

[Tequila]

Oh well I guess I'll never get an answer to the 40% wc thingy from the poster. Because I knew it had nothing to do with it being a planted tank. Plants are natural filters.

 

[Yanbbrox]

Oh well I guess I'll never get an answer to the 40% wc thingy from the poster. Because I knew it had nothing to do with it being a planted tank. Plants are natural filters.

Java moss only filters are the future

 

[Yanbbrox]

Oh well I guess I'll never get an answer to the 40% wc thingy from the poster. Because I knew it had nothing to do with it being a planted tank. Plants are natural filters.

Time zones dude, give the dude a chance

 

[DigThemLows]

Sorry bro, don't wanna get into it........obvious we have a difference in opinion! My tank works, my plants and fish are healthy and grow.......so to each his own. I believe it doesn't hurt, and many plant folks say water changes are good for plants too.....Yeah plants are natural filters to an extent, they don't filter out all the organic waste though.....it's about balance......I'd also like to point out that the majority of really nice tanks out there that are planted and have discus have folks changing water more often than what's been suggested..........again, IMHO.......
Here's what the changes do to my tank, no ferts, no CO2, no florite....

Oh well I guess I'll never get an answer to the 40% wc thingy from the poster. Because I knew it had nothing to do with it being a planted tank. Plants are natural filters.