Malta Aquarist Society

 The tank is still under construction. Thanks for your remarks which i will gladly action. DIY = Do It Yourself CO 2 using sugar and yeast. Any suggested plants ( low /medium light ) for the foreground friends.

martin

As Jon. suggested earlier, I would go with some Crypts. These plants grow slowly, especially without a lot of Co2 & are very beautiful. Try to do some research before, as there are quite a lot of different Crypt species for sale. 

  Hi marin

One of the local tropical fish shops had really some nice crypt , I bought some to try them out again, DO not know if they will become vegetable soup again in the tank. They were inported from europe and were very good value for money

 Thanks for all the info friends. I appreciate all the help as I am all new for the humble planted tank. As I told you before, I am only after very simply, low/medium light, easy to have plants. Took a couple of photos today and introduced a couple a discus.

 hi Martin

Good luck for the new tank. Well the discus seem to be doing well as the fins are wide open. OF course you will have to add some more. I am not so sure about the moss balls the way you put them together though.:) maybe you should spread them around a bit. I hope your plants will grow not like mine, Even the cabomba seems to have dissapeared.

 Frank

 I have separated the moss balls further as you suggested Frank. The other plants are doing quite well except for the amazons which are still a bit dull. The cabomba is doing fine and growing fast. I have introduced 3 of my smallest discus to see how they go in the new tank. They are still a bit shy and still investigating the surroundings sort of. I noticed that they are more relaxed when the lights are switch off and go searching for food at that time.The water parameters are still being monitored regularly. You are more then welcome at the house Frank any time and your suggestions are highly appreciated.

martin 

 Hi martin.

 Well the fact that they are looking for food is a very good thing. I remember when i transfered my to their new tank, they were so scared that they all hid behind the bog wood for days. And still did not eat for some time. I remember when i bought a couple of discus from one of our club members it did not eat for a couple of weeks, till i thought it would die, and after that it still did not eat in front of me. FInally i gave it some beef heart and it started to feed in front of me. Only then i was sure that it was eating well. Now in fact it has just paired up with another discus and laid eggs on the bog wood at the front of the tank. Ofcourse these eggs are destined to be eaten at some point unfortunately, and for the moment i do  not have space were to put them as a pair .

My discus still seem to be shy in the morning but in the afternoon when i come home from work and switch on the light the come to the front to be fed. It is good sometimes to leave them a bit hungry.

 Maybe they're shy in the morning because you switch on the lights when they're still in darkness?

btw yesterday I went to Martin's and saw this great setup. Some final touches and you can leave everything as it is for now. Just leave the plants to grow and then its time to wet your hands again.

Yes the tank has been running for nearly a month now. Things are looking good although I am always monitoring the water just in case. As I told Frank, I am still afraid to introduce the other discus in this tank as they are doing just great in the smaller aquarium. Well I am to reach a decision fast. I'll keep you informed. 

martinI

 Well you will have to move them one day if you want to keep them all in one tank. I know it is always a risk, but if you are using same type of water for both tanks it will be less of a problem. They might be shy at first, so leave the lights off for a few days, anyway the room you put them in has plenty of natural lights. SO i am sure they will settle down soon. And if they do not just have a bit of patience. I remember one of my new discus took weeks to settle down, and i was sure it would die in the end. But finally i started giving them some beef heart and it soon would come to the front to be fed. It is now so tame that is has formed a couple and together they laid eggs three times. OF course being in a big tank the fry do not survive.

 You have some nice specimens so it is a waste not to enjoy them.

 Frank

 I finally have transferred 3 more discus in the new tank. They are searching for food and looks ok. It took me an hour to acclimatize them from one tank to the new one. The plants are doing quite well too , although as you know I have opted for low/medium light, low maintenance plants. I will post some more pics very soon.

martin 

 Well glad you took the step and put three more discus in your new tank. I like to take a long time when transferring discus from one tank to the other. At least one hour of mixing water from one tank with the other. ( i take a bit more time if i have bought a new discus)

Even though i have practically the same water for my discus tanks. Last week Adrian, who is also a discus enthusiast came and helped me catch two pairs of disus which have formed a couple and laid eggs in the same tank. I have put them in a 4 foot tank, and even after a week they are still very shy and hide. So you are lucky that your new discus are already out and feeding.

Frank

 Thank Frank. The discus have settled in their new environment and this is how they presently look.

 Hi Maritn

  Your discus really look great. I am sure soon you will have a breeding pair, as they seem to be getting to the right size now. They look much tamer than mine, but that is because you have them in the living room, so they get used to  seeing people around them. That is the best way to keep them. I once read that you do not adapt your life to them, but they have to adapt their life to yours. By the way i hope the big ones are not all males as you would have a problem to breed them .:)

 Cikkus, what should I look for in discus in order to establish their sexes ???

martin