Finally got my tank going (56K warning)

[Diamond Discus]

set up looks so beautiful.............

Thanks Liz!! Had to remove the ghost for a while until the plants take root. He was uprooting a few each night. LOL He is in the 40 breeder by himself with several caves and seems to love the accommodations. He has been out pretty much constantly day and night. I didn't put a light on his tank. I think I'll work on hand feeding him while he is so accessible. Wish me luck!

nice

Thanks!

Nice job! Once the plants fill in and become a little more dense the tank should look great!

thanks a lot. You should see how the Ulvaceus has grown already!! I'll post a pic. It's only been 7 days...compare to the last pictures! I'm going to have to move it to the center back of the tank. LOL I have green algae on the tank walls now. Tomorrow is water change day...I guess I'll have to pick up the slack for the bristlenose. I think they are getting too old and lazy.

 

[Red Devil]

i think he is better in there for awhile anyway... you can feed him better and he will get to know you... you can also get him use to different foods... floating and sinking type too... he will be a pro at it from your lessons... so what ever he faces later he will have experience..

 

[Yanbbrox]

Personally I hate discus, the look so nice and match a planted tank perfectly, they are one of the most beautiful tropical fish there is but then don't get on with me, they look nice settle in for a few weeks, occasionally a few months then die. If I could get back the money I've put into trying to raise these beautiful fish I'd be a rich man.

I wish you well with your plans to add adult discus to complement a very nice setup already. You clearly have the experience to do it. Congrats on the tank

 

[Diamond Discus]

i think he is better in there for awhile anyway... you can feed him better and he will get to know you... you can also get him use to different foods... floating and sinking type too... he will be a pro at it from your lessons... so what ever he faces later he will have experience..

Thanks Liz, that makes me feel better about moving him. I was afraid the tank was too small. He's around 8 inches. Not that the move stressed him at all. I picked up his tube with him in it and sealed the end with my palm, then set him in his new tank. He knew he had taken a flight to somewhere, because he peeked out right away. LOL I fed him immediately and he cleaned it all up. The 40 is the same tank hed been in since I got him except for the 3 weeks he was in the big one.

Personally I hate discus, the look so nice and match a planted tank perfectly, they are one of the most beautiful tropical fish there is but then don't get on with me, they look nice settle in for a few weeks, occasionally a few months then die. If I could get back the money I've put into trying to raise these beautiful fish I'd be a rich man.

I wish you well with your plans to add adult discus to complement a very nice setup already. You clearly have the experience to do it. Congrats on the tank

Thanks. I'm really sorry to hear about your Discus dissapointments. Sounds like you would really love to have some. The best way to acclimate new Discus is to put them in a quarantine tank by themselves for 6 weeks, hike the temperature to 88 degrees for the first 4 weeks then cut it back to 86 for the remainder of the time. Make 50 percent water changes daily using water that had been aged, aerated, and heated to the same temp. as the tank for at least 24 hours, dechlorinating the new water about 15 minutes ahead of using it in the aquarium. You really should be able to keep Discus alive. They just need time to acclimate to your water paramaters and you need the time to make sure they are all eating and that they don't get sick from stress or diseases they may have been carrying prior to your purchase before you can introduce them into a communtiy environment with other fish. The Discus have to develop immunities to the bacteria other fish carry and may already be immune to; and vice versa when stock is mixed. Also you should buy from a good breeder vs a pet store. I can give you some names of great suppliers if you are ever interested. And I'd be glad to help you with any questions you may have.

Best Regards!
Sue

 

[Diamond Discus]

OK guys, please forgive the staghorn and brown algae. Even though I am battling algae because I have not had my CO2 levels as high as they souuld be, I'm excited about the tank. Last night a fellow MCA member stopped by to pick up his blue rams and deliver some plants to me. I should say "a boat load of plants". It took me from 8:30 this morning until 11:45 to get them all planted. I had to re-scape a bit and I never dreamed they would all fit in the tank as I looked at the swarm of plants about the size of a 5 gallon bucket floating in the a clump in middle of the tank!! Here is a list he provided of the plants he brought me.
Narrow Leaf Java Fern
Bolbitis - the fern attached to the driftwood
Anubius nana
Crypt walkeri
Alternathera reinekii - the red plant
Rotala colorata and rotala rotundifolia - you probably won't tell the difference until they grow - I couldn't even tell them appart in my tank.
Blyxa japonica - I like this plant a lot. Works well in the midground. Once it grows it will form multiple shoots that you can split appart. In fact, you can split appart some of those stems I gave you
Fissidens fontanus - the mossy looking plant - use som thread, fishing line, or rubber bands to attach to driftwood
Dwarf Red Lily
Low-Grow Hygrophila -
note from the guy who gave me the plants: Here it is in my tank - http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/sale-trade/56296-fs-low-grow-hygrophila.html
Don't confuse with 'Porto Vehlo' - They are both short, but different

Oh, and I forgot to mention the baby tears, sunset hygro and giant hygro in the back right center are from another forum friend at IAA. I picked them up Tuesday and planted them today also.

We traded plants for blue rams and cherry shrimp. I think he got the short end of the stick....and I told him as much. LOL

I see a Ghost in the lower right corner (clear Ghost House surrounded by plants)

Let me know what you thinK!!

 

[Diamond Discus]

Here is my current plant list
Anubias:
Anubias nana
Anubias Coffefolia
Cryptocoryne:
Wendtii v.red
Wendtii v.green
Crypt walkeri
Aponogeton:
Crispus, Longiplumulosis, Ulvaceous, Aponogeton boivninanus
Sagittaria:
narrow-leaf tall Subulata
narrow leaf dwarf Subulata
Vallisneria:
Corkscrew Vals
Sword Plants
Echinodorus Amasonicus
Sunset Hygrophila (Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig')
Giant Hygrophila
Low-Grow Hygrophila
Baby Tears
Narrow Leaf Java Fern
Bolbitis
Alternathera reinekii - the red plant
Rotala colorata and rotala rotundifolia
Blyxa japonica
Fissidens fontanus - the mossy looking plant

 

[Red Devil]

incredible amount of plants.. wow

 

[Diamond Discus]

incredible amount of plants.. wow

Thanks Liz, I was rather taken back myself when I made the list. I think there are 2 plants I have no idea of what they are, so they aren't on the list.
I think one might be Pipewort -ERIOCAULON SETACEUM
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=84

Also I have some salvina oblongifolia for a floating plant that is in the 40...I just found the name on the plastic bag it came in.
http://www.plantgeek.net/images/plantpics/soblongifolia.jpg
http://plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=273&filter=3

 

[jcardona1]

looking good! what are you using to monitor your co2 levels?

 

[Red Devil]

Thanks Liz, I was rather taken back myself when I made the list. I think there are 2 plants I have no idea of what they are, so they aren't on the list.
I think one might be Pipewort -ERIOCAULON SETACEUM
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=84

Also I have some salvina oblongifolia for a floating plant that is in the 40...I just found the name on the plastic bag it came in.
http://www.plantgeek.net/images/plantpics/soblongifolia.jpg
http://plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=273&filter=3

You be an expert at planted tanks after this.. you will be able to tell us how all the plants do .. what each require... which ones grow the best.. start your own plant sticky... keep us updated.