Malta Aquarist Society

 Wooow great list my friend !! Looking forward to see photos of how the tank looks at the moment...

we would appreciate an update on your 5 foot planted thanks friend. Have you added more fish from your last update ???  How are the plants doing ??

martin

hi there guys

It has been some time since i wrote here, been busy studying for an exam and also setting up my new fish tank. i have take some photos and as soon as somebody is kind enough to show me how to upload them i will post some photos.

It is a big tank, i would say  almost 2metres or 6 feet. and i bought a lot of plants since i wanted to plant it up a bit. Well i think i rushed because i did not bother to ask anybody about what plants i should buy. Robert one of our club members had given me his mobile number,  but i saved it incorrectly so could not contact him. So i just went and bought what i liked. I know anubias will do well and I have a few specimens.

i really need some help as it is going to have a high temperature, hopefully will keep discus in it. Most of the plants i have bought seem to be disintegrating and I am sure that i have a real nice vegetable soup to eat for a very long time.:) However that is the price one pays for being in a hurry,

I know we have a member on this site, Ram i think his nick is, so if you read this email any help would be greatly appreciated. Aslo i need to know what kind ot tubes i need to fit in. I have some in but i do not know if they are the correct wattage.

so i need help there too. So any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 Every one goes through these phases in our hobby friend. I am sure that Rams will be more then ready to help you in this field. Apart from this, there are some very interesting article on the internet about discus and live plants. By the way, hope you go through your exams with flying colours.

martin

Hi,

it is important that before buying plants check on the internet or ask whether they like hot/medium/cold water and high/medium/low light. In my case i have the 4.5ft tank planted and i am keeping 2 discus with schools of tetras and enders. i like to keep my aquarium temperature 26 deg celcius not more, because the majority of the plants will become yellowish and about hot temperature...........take care of algae! As an advantage of high temperature you may have lower risk of disease than when having low temperature.

I prefer the T5 lightning for planted auquarium and the wattage needed depends on the plants you are going to buy (or bought). for high light plants you usually have to install a 1 to 1 capacity t5 this means that if for example you are going to have 500 ltr, you have to install 500 w T5s. but just keep in mind electricity bills :).  Now an important thing is to keep weekly water changes to avoid algae on plants, and glass. what fertilizer have you used in this planted tank?

hi thanks for your advice, i should have done that in the first place not buy plants and than see what happens. lol  but i wanted to see some plants in it so i just went out and bought what i found. Not even the cabomba are happy in my tank and even more valinesneria is very sad looking.  I have put down the temparture to 28 and maybe will lower it a bit more, but with the discus in it i do not like to keep the tempature to low. First and foremost it is a discus tank, secondly it is a planted tank. i know it is possible to have both. In fact i have seen one of the tanks of our members and it was out of this world planted and with discus in it.

besides the high temperature i also have a lighting problem,. i had bought this tank second hand and the lights are not T5 so i will eventually have to change that as well.

As you can see so many problems that i have to tacke one at a time, not to metion the water change.

as regars fertiliser i have used like a substrate, they are like small balls, not sort of peat.

thanks and hope to get some more feed back

 frank

Any good news Cikkus ??  I am also going to make a 5 foot planted tank with discus. I am going to purchase some fertilizer as well. I am not that fond of live plants and really have no time to care properly for them. Can any one suggest common live plants that I can use in a discus tank. ???

martin 

i don't know if its proper to reply in this thread. Sorry Charlon.

 Well Cikkus, first you should have the basics ready...

 Adequate light ( 1 watt per 2 litres minimum imo) 2 T5 tubes should be ideal for low light- moderate light plants

A good plant substrate... this is very important, especially when  rosette plants are to be used like swords and crypts

 Some sort of Carbon. Its always ideal to use pressurised CO2. Some litle CO2 is good even with discus.

Good water supply... tap water can be nasty on some parts of the island due to salinity and tds

Fertilisation in water: Plants will need a constant fertilisation regime which you will have to find balance with your fish and light.

plants ideal for discus tank (higher temperatures) are:

Cryptocoryne species, Nymphea lotus, Hygrophila Corymbosa, Echinodorus species (including E. tenellus for foreground)

Sorry for not being prompt to answer, but having two fora may be difficult to manage plus that i am very busy at the moment with work.

I have seen several success with planted discus tanks... so its no big deal if you follow certail basic requirements... for the plants

hi thanks for your reply.

.Well yes i have everything wrong.LOL . Joking apart at least i have a very good deep substrate, But i am not giving up as it is a learing process and  my tank mainly is going tobe a discus tank and with plants as an extra. However i will keep in mind the plants you have mentioned and next time will not buy the plants which i fancy but those which will really do well.  I intend to get a CO2 too, but at the moment  I will have to set my priorities in the sense what should come first the CO2 or an RO. The water i have in my tank is mainly RO. Last time i carried in my house 7 30ltrs jerry cans to have some good water available. ANd i will have to do it again soon as i need to do some water change. So   far the discus i have moved to the new tank seem to be ok.

I wanted to ask about the lights as i am not too sure about that. At present i have 6 tubes, T8 i think they are. and the light seems to be very weak, apart from the fact that due to some big pieces of drit wood the water is not cyrstal white. I think my tank has the capacity of around 700 ltrs maybe a bit less. so what wattage should i get the tubes. 

 As regards the successful discus tanks you are right. I have had the opportunity to see a tank of one of our members, Alan and he has a beautiful planted tank with discus.

thanks

frank

Frank, from what I read here..... you need 350W of light for your 700L tank (1W per 2L).

Thanks for your reply

Well i will go and get a quote on the price to change to T5. I was also thinking of get LEd lights, they are very economical, however i do not know if they are good for plants. I know for sure that they are being used for marine tanks, so i guess if they good for coral, they are also good for plants. I was wondering if any members have started to use them.

Frank

 This is my 5Ft tank, in its initial stage, where I have attached the 3D background.

  Well i have finally taken the plunge and have changed the tubes of my tank. I had 6 to change, and since around half of the old ones  the t8 had gone i thought now would be the ideal time to change them. The difference in light is really great and now the tank is so well lighted. The fish seem to be adapting to it and are getting used to the relatively high light. But i am doing it in moderation and only put it on for a few hours each day and increasing it little by little. I guess the next step would be to get some more plants and start landscaping

Frank

 Good luck Cikkus with your project. Keep us updated.

martin