Suggestions for a planted 65 overhaul or addition
- Thread starter magpie
- Start date
It's so cool/rewarding when a new fish gets comfortable enough with you to let you interact with it directly. I got a colony of red head tapajos geophagus a little while back, and for the first month they were very shy and hung out at the bottom of the tank. Now when I approach the tank, they swim up and down the front glass excitedly awaiting their pellets.PS - the little leopard eats directly out of the bottom of a pipette for frozen food now.
Congrats on the new leopard, and on the progress with feeding! Well done.
PS - the little leopard eats directly out of the bottom of a pipette for frozen food now.
I have one too and he will eat anything I throw in there.
Also I wouldn't do anything to that tank. It looks awesome how you have it just get another and start something new and leave that one how it is.
I tried to do a planted tank with juvies and ended up removing them all until they got bigger. Discus are an incredibly rewarding fish to keep, and now that they are 5" I've added plants back in and am testing for nitrates regularly to make sure I keep it at a reasonable level. My tank has been running for a little over a year now.
I think you are wise to avoid discus unless you are getting adults. I do think you could get away with 6 in that tank, but it would be have to be dedicated to them, and yea, it would be a bit small for them. With enough (and the right) filtration, water changes and regular water testing, I think it could work. 6 adult wilds would look stunning, IMO. Otherwise I agree that you should keep this tank as is, it's an awesome looking tank! It's easy to sit back and say "just get a new tank" but really, if you have the itch that's what you should do
I think you are wise to avoid discus unless you are getting adults. I do think you could get away with 6 in that tank, but it would be have to be dedicated to them, and yea, it would be a bit small for them. With enough (and the right) filtration, water changes and regular water testing, I think it could work. 6 adult wilds would look stunning, IMO. Otherwise I agree that you should keep this tank as is, it's an awesome looking tank! It's easy to sit back and say "just get a new tank" but really, if you have the itch that's what you should do
They only had one at the store, so I just got him, but since he was tank-raised I'd assume they might come around again relatively soon. I have read that they do better together when brought up as little guys vs. adding another as adults so maybe I will if I can find another small one.
Livebearers - cool idea! Continued free food.
The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Endlers (likely to be eaten themselves), platys (not a fan) and swordtails (big enough to be eaten but not my favorite, but maybe i could find some cool looking ones.)He likes all of the plants, driftwood, rocks and caves for sure. I have one indian almond leaf in there now, I could add a couple more. Outside of those I'm not sure what leaves would be brown... Ideas?
Another tank really is the best suggestion in this whole thread.
I tried to do a planted tank with juvies and ended up removing them all until they got bigger. Discus are an incredibly rewarding fish to keep, and now that they are 5" I've added plants back in and am testing for nitrates regularly to make sure I keep it at a reasonable level. My tank has been running for a little over a year now.
I think you are wise to avoid discus unless you are getting adults. I do think you could get away with 6 in that tank, but it would be have to be dedicated to them, and yea, it would be a bit small for them. With enough (and the right) filtration, water changes and regular water testing, I think it could work. 6 adult wilds would look stunning, IMO. Otherwise I agree that you should keep this tank as is, it's an awesome looking tank! It's easy to sit back and say "just get a new tank" but really, if you have the itch that's what you should do
I will have to go poke around and see if you have pics of your discus tank! I was ready to commit to the discus but when the one person said he moved his from a 55 to a 90 or 100+ and they seemed so much happier, it kind of sealed the deal for me. For now... because I would love a planted discus tank at some point.
I think I just need more fish personality in the tank right now, hence wanting the change. The leopard has given me that already to some degree. I love schooling fish but I also always want interesting additions or those who are like little dogs and are interacive with you. Maybe I should just get a butterfly, maybe a buddy for the leopard. I do LOVE the idea of ropefish though. I could always get a group of Bolivian rams too. They are fun an interactive, and small enough for this tank.
I've been looking at different cichlids that will not rip everyone up, too. Maybe one that would be happy solo so I can avoid breeding aggression like I had with my Laetacara Araguaie.
Here's a thread documenting my tank's progress: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/my-discus-journey.648726/ ...it goes from beginning to current, and there's some pics in there. The last page has the most recent scape. The plants are all different strains of Anubias, and I just added some java moss as an experiment.
Discus are certainly "like dogs" coming to the front of the tank, even if they see you from across the room, greeting you with all the excitement a little fish can muster. They're not nearly as agressive as most cichlids, but you still want to keep them in groups of at least 6 because even if they aren't doing damage, they stress really easy. Even if it's not this tank, I hope you get a chance to try discus down the line, it took me a while to get up the nerve to do it, but I'm so glad I did. They are easily the most rewarding fish I've ever owned.
Discus are certainly "like dogs" coming to the front of the tank, even if they see you from across the room, greeting you with all the excitement a little fish can muster. They're not nearly as agressive as most cichlids, but you still want to keep them in groups of at least 6 because even if they aren't doing damage, they stress really easy. Even if it's not this tank, I hope you get a chance to try discus down the line, it took me a while to get up the nerve to do it, but I'm so glad I did. They are easily the most rewarding fish I've ever owned.
