Roy's 30 Gallon Red Spot Green Discus F1

Hi All,

2020-08-21

Today I did a six (6) gallon water change. The tank has a water volume of 24 gallons so 25%. Here are the water parameters after the water change:
pH = 6.8
dKH = 2.0
dGH = 3.0
NH3 = 0.0 ppm
NO2 = 0.0 ppm
NO3 = 5.0 ppm

I did a light gravel vac in the front again, added 3/8 tsp of CaSO4 for 3 ppm of calcium, 3/8 tsp of MgSO4 for 2.0 ppm of Mg, and 3/16 tsp of K2SO4 for 7.5 ppm of potassium. Why did I dose those nutrients? I noticed the deformed new leaves of the Bacopa colorata which is likely insufficient calcium. I also noticed the necrosis occurring in the older leaves of the Eriocaulon 'Vietnam; likely insufficient potassium or magnesium. Lastly the Limnophila rugosa was showing interveinal chlorosis on the older leaves indicating insufficient magnesium and the older leaves of the Bacopa colorata have their leaf margins curling (under in this case) also indicating a need for more magnesium.




Eriocaulon 'Vietnam' showing necrosis of older leaves



Bacopa colorata showing #1 deformed new leaves emerging and #2 curled under leaf margins



Limnophila rugosa showing interveinal chlorosis (dark leaf veins with lighter areas in between (sorry a little blurry)

 

Hi All,

2020-08-21

Today I did a six (6) gallon water change. The tank has a water volume of 24 gallons so 25%. Here are the water parameters after the water change:
pH = 6.8
dKH = 2.0
dGH = 3.0
NH3 = 0.0 ppm
NO2 = 0.0 ppm
NO3 = 5.0 ppm

I did a light gravel vac in the front again, added 3/8 tsp of CaSO4 for 3 ppm of calcium, 3/8 tsp of MgSO4 for 2.0 ppm of Mg, and 3/16 tsp of K2SO4 for 7.5 ppm of potassium. Why did I dose those nutrients? I noticed the deformed new leaves of the Bacopa colorata which is likely insufficient calcium. I also noticed the necrosis occurring in the older leaves of the Eriocaulon 'Vietnam; likely insufficient potassium or magnesium. Lastly the Limnophila rugosa was showing interveinal chlorosis on the older leaves indicating insufficient magnesium and the older leaves of the Bacopa colorata have their leaf margins curling (under in this case) also indicating a need for more magnesium.




Eriocaulon 'Vietnam' showing necrosis of older leaves



Bacopa colorata showing #1 deformed new leaves emerging and #2 curled under leaf margins



Limnophila rugosa showing interveinal chlorosis (dark leaf veins with lighter areas in between (sorry a little blurry)

Excellent work as always Roy do you think you can help me diagnose my anubias? I'm not sure what the problem is and you seem to know a lot about plants!

 

Hi Pfrozen

I can try to help. Start a thread in the Aquarium Plant sub-forum and mention SeattleRoy so I can find it. Any lighting, water parameters, and substrate information you can provide will be helpful along with pics of not just the Anubias but other plants in the tank as well.

 

Hi Pfrozen

I can try to help. Start a thread in the Aquarium Plant sub-forum and mention SeattleRoy so I can find it. Any lighting, water parameters, and substrate information you can provide will be helpful along with pics of not just the Anubias but other plants in the tank as well.

Fantastic! Thank you! My kids are asleep and the tank in question is in my son's room so I will take pictures in the morning

 

SeattleRoy I believe discus will grow best with water changes of at least 50% or larger...? Maybe consider upping the volume?

 

Hi FinalFins,

I am currently doing two water changes per week. On Mondays I do a 40% water change and on Thursday or Friday depending upon my schedule I do an additional 25% water change along with detritus clean-up. The ammonia and nitrates are zero and the nitrates are at 5.0 ppm and that is all fish waste....I am adding no nitrate ferts at all. -Roy

 

Roy my 2 cents on water changes. Being you’ve got 7 in a 30 you will have to up your water changes as they grow. Most will at that size change every day. Water can be reading fine but these fish release hormones into the water and they have to be removed. If not you will find fish that stop eating. I believe it’s Mother Nature. But when they stop eating they will need to be removed and but in a qt tank. Just keep an eye on all of them. Make sure they’re eating.

 

I'm a sucker for an aquarium with a black background. It makes everything pop. That aside I agree with 86 here.

Roy my 2 cents on water changes. Being you’ve got 7 in a 30 you will have to up your water changes as they grow. Most will at that size change every day. Water can be reading fine but these fish release hormones into the water and they have to be removed. If not you will find fish that stop eating. I believe it’s Mother Nature. But when they stop eating they will need to be removed and but in a qt tank. Just keep an eye on all of them. Make sure they’re eating.

I'd also add the following... Purchase an powered gravel vac. I use Ehiem's. And for water changes buy a pond pump that takes 22mm tubing. This will make the water changes effortless.

 

I'm a sucker for an aquarium with a black background. It makes everything pop. That aside I agree with 86 here.



I'd also add the following... Purchase an powered gravel vac. I use Ehiem's. And for water changes buy a pond pump that takes 22mm tubing. This will make the water changes effortless.

Hi RollaPear

I've always like black backgrounds too. Next time I'm going to try some of the VELIMAX Static Cling Total Blackout vinyl.

I have never been a fan of gravel vacs. In my much, much younger days when I worked in aquarium shops there were too many times that folks did a gravel vac and all their fish died. Why? They disturbed / removed too much of the beneficial bacteria and had an ammonia spike and / or 'mini cycle'. If the substrate is that dirty it is time to clean the tank and replace the substrate. I do a light siphon vac of the surface to remove detritus and that is it.

 

SeattleRoy Black backgrounds rock in my opinion.

Unfortunately what isn't an opinion is Discus' susceptibility to bacteria. In addition to what 86 mentioned about discus and the procedural release of hormones. Discus poop is also more nutrient rich and break down quickly. In an aquarium with substrate this has led to well documented cases of discus death.

Also while some BB lives in the substrate the vast majority live in your filter due to fast water movement / a supply of "food." As someone who lost discus to what I suspect was a similar oversight I'd implore you to reconsider your maintenance when keeping discus.

Ask fellow discus keepers on the forum:
Discus Gang Updates | 420110 | Discus Fish

 

Yes Roy I vacume with every water change. Just amazing how much debris comes out of the gravel. I can see why the battery vac would cause problems but when changing water there’s no problem. I’d say my success is do to the vacs and water changes. Next would be qt all new fish.
Planted tanks are frowned on by discus keepers. Most of the videos you see are just short term. They add the discus to a planted tank wait till the fish look good than film. Not many actually keep in planted tanks. None will recomended growing out in a planted tank. On the other site they say it can’t be done. It can be and I put up the photos to show them. But it does take more work. Clean new water is the whole thing.

 

looking good. I so wish I could have discus, I love them. I just can not commit to so many water changes. I will be following this thread...and dreaming...lol

 

Hi All,

2020-08-24

Monday and today is water change day for all my tanks! I have also been doing water changes on Thursday or Fridays as well however based on input on another forum I will likely increase the frequency. Today the tank got a little over 50% water change.

This last week the fish seem more acclimated. They are no longer staying in a tight school most of the time as they were the first week or so. Instead they are exploring and foraging more individually. All the discus are eating well (and continuously) and I've upped my food budget for the hobby.

I have received a lot of feedback on the forums where I have been posting this thread that "you can't raise discus in a planted tank" or "you can't keep discus in a planted tank, when you see pictures of discus in planted tanks they are only there for the photo and then returned to a bare tank". I honestly don't know if those individuals are sharing information based their own personal experiences or if just repeating something they have heard or read. In either case I propose to continue with this set-up unless the fish show signs of distress and/or I have trouble maintaining good water quality. Again, good fish growth and healthy fish are the primary concern....not the plants.

After the water change the water parameters in the tank were:
pH = 7.2
dKH = 2.0
dGH = 3.0
NH3 = 0.0 ppm
NO2 = 0.0 ppm
NO3 = 5.0 ppm

Other than the slight increase in pH which I attribute to the increased volume of the water change the parameters remain the same. After the water change I added 3/8 teaspoon of CaSO4 for 3 ppm of Ca; 3/16 teaspoon of MgSO4 for 1.0 ppm of Mg; and 3/16 teaspoon of K2SO4 for 7.5 ppm of K. I also did my weekly 15 ml of glutaraldehyde / Excel.

It's been almost exactly a month since I first added plants to the tanks and some are showing a strong ability to adapt to the low nutrient environment and some are not. Here are some pictures I took today.

Here is the obligatory full tank shot



The 'Trident' java fern and Cryptocoryne 'Green Gecko' are doing fine



The Persicaria sp. 'Kawagoeanum' (left rear) is not liking the conditions; the Eriocaulon 'Vietnam' are just sitting there



The Myriophyllum sp. 'Guyana' is doing fine with a couple of inches of new growth; I'm unsure if the Bacopa colorata will adapt or not; and the small Eleocharis (hairgrass) plants are starting to put out runners



The Oldenlandia salzmannii is adapting well (left), as are the few sprigs of Ludwigia arcuata however the Limnophila rugosa is not doing much



The Ludwigia sp 'Red' is growing very well but not much color with PAR@75

 

Hi All,

2020-08-25
Added 4.5 ml of Seachem Flourish Comprehensive

2020-08-26
Based upon recommendations from folks on the forums I have upped my water changes. I will be doing three a week on this 30 gallon tank (24 gallon water volume) with 12 gallons done on Monday, 9 gallons done on Wednesday, and 9 gallons done on Friday. This will be the equivalent of 1.33 complete water changes per week. I did a 9 gallon water change today, did a light vac of the substrate in the front, noticed some green spot algae (GSA) along the front glass just below the substrate line and cleaned that up. Magic Erasers (aka melamine foam) are great glass cleaners (be sure to get the ones with no detergent etc).

After the water change I added 3/4 tsp of CaSO4*2H2O for 6 ppm of Ca (hardness increase approx 0.8 dGH); 3/8 tsp of MgSO4*7H2O for 2.1 ppm of Mg (harness increase 0.5 dGH); 3/8 tsp of K2SO4 for 11.8 ppm of K; and 3/64 tsp of KH2PO4 for 2.0 ppm of P to hopefully reduce the GSA. I also added 4.5 ml of Seachem Flourish Comprehensive.

2020-08-29
I did a 9 gallon water change (approx 33%+) today. Also picked up some live adult brine shrimp to give them a little treat. Here they are 1/2 hour after feeding still looking for any BS they may have missed.



Also here is a picture of the big brothers and sisters of the fry I have, notice how the nice coloration is starting to emerge.
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Hi All,

2020-08-31
Today (Monday) I did a 12 gallon water change (50%) and added 3/8 tsp of CaSO4 for 2.98 ppm of Ca (hardness increase approx 0.42 dGH); 3/16 tsp of MgSO4*7H2O for 1.04 ppm of Mg (hardness increase 0.24 dGH); 3/16 tsp of K2SO4 for 5.93 ppm of K. I also added 15 ml of Excel/glut for algae prevention. All fish are active and eating well. They have finished off the three (3) portions of live adult brine shrimp I bought on Saturday with some help from the Turquoise Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia lacustris) that I am conditioning to breed. I try to feed at least one portion of dry food (FD tubifex, Krill flakes, Extreme pellets) and one portion of frozen or live food per day. I have a white worm (Enchytraeus albidus) culture that is not quite ready to harvest yet but I will add them to the food rotation in the future.

2020-09-01
Dosed 4.5 ml of Seachem Flourish Comprehensive for plant micro-nutrients and 3/64 tsp KH2PO4 (2.0 ppm of PO4; 0.66 ppm P; 0.8 ppm K) for GSA

2020-09-03
Today (Thursday) I did a 9 gallon water change (37%), added + 3/4 tsp CaSO4 (6 ppm Ca / 0.8 dGH); 3/8 tsp MgSO4 (2.08 ppm Mg / 0.48 dGH); 3/8 tsp K2SO4 (11.83 ppm K); 3/64 tsp KH2PO4 (2.0 ppm of PO4; 0.66 ppm P; 0.8 ppm K) for GSA. I did a light gravel vac in the front of the tank and siphoned any detritus on the rest of the substrate. It was time to clean the canister filter so I rinsed all the bio-balls and Purigen in tank water as well as one of the two sponges in the filter. The other sponge got thoroughly cleaned in tap water. I replaced the filter floss and started the filter. Here are some pictures I took today.

The full tank shot



Time to rethink some of the plant species. The Persicaria sp. 'Kawagoeanum'. Limnophila rugosa, and the Erio 'Vietnam' don't seem to like the conditions necessary for the discus. I will have to try some different species. On the other had the Myriophyllum sp. 'Guyana', Oldenlandia salzmannii, Ludwigia arcuata, and Ludwigia sp 'Red' seem to be doing well. I have a couple of other species I want to try maybe I can do some changes this weekend.

 

Hi All,

2020-09-07
Yesterday was water change day. I did a 50% water change and took the opportunity to make some of the plant species changes I mentioned earlier. I removed the sad Persicaria sp. 'Kawagoeanum' which had very little root system and they went into the compost pile. I removed all but one of the Limnophila rugosa which had good root systems but poor growth and I moved them to my 75 gallon. The Ludwigia sp 'Red' (which to me doesn't look like L. sp 'Red') was cut down to remove the emersed growth at the bottom and replanted just the submerged growth tops; the stems all had a good root systems. I dug around in my tanks and plant bank and added a couple of Nymphoides hydrophylla (aka sp. 'Taiwan'), some Rotala H'ra (aka 'Vietnam'), and a couple of stems of Limnophila sp. 'Wavy'. Here a picture showing the new layout and trial species.




1) Nymphoides hydrophylla (aka sp 'Taiwan') hiding behind the 'Trident'
2) Rotala H'ra (aka 'Vietnam')
3) Limnophila sp. 'Wavy'

Here are a better shots of the three species I added. First Nymphoides hydrophylla



Next Rotala H'ra



Lastly Limnophila sp. 'Wavy'



I also took a full set of water parameter readings after the water change and plant changes; here are the results:
pH = 6.8
dKH = 2.0
dGH = 4.0
Ca = 20 ppm
Mg = 5.23 ppm
NH3 = 0.25 ppm (possibly from disturbing the substrate?)
NO2 = 0.00 ppm
NO3 = 10.0 ppm

The fish are eating three meals a day consisting of frozen bloodworms, frozen adult brine shrimp, frozen adult brine shrimp with spirulina algae, freeze-dried tubifex worms. The discus are not really interested in Fluval Bug Bites, Extreme Krill Flakes, or Extreme Pellets. My live white worm culture has grown large enough that I should be able to add that sparingly to the food rotation.

Have a great week everyone! -Roy

 

Tank looks great! How are the discus growing?

 

Hi 86 ssinit

They are doing just great! All are still eating like pigs, the bigger ones tend to push to the trough first but when feeding is done all the tummies are plump! Here they are as of yesterday. I'm starting to see a little blue tinge to the base of the fins!

 

Look bigger up close . I haven’t kept wilds since the 80s. Lol they were cheapest than. But do the stress bars always show?

 

Not to hijack this, I can PM you if you’d like but I have a question regarding Nymphoides hydrophylla.

I bought this plant a few weeks back and saw a bit of melting since. It’s still alive but I have not seen much for new growth. I recently upgraded from the fluval Aquasky to the Plant 3.0 in my 24in tall tank. So I’ll see if it fair any better adding a better quality light.

I was just wondering in your experiences if you consider it a high vs low light? Or Co2 dependent? Or just your general take on it’s care and optimal conditions.



i

 

Hi 86 ssinit, Yes but I don't believe it is stress induced. The bars disappear if I startle them as I work on the tank above theirs, when changing their water, or working in their tank. -Roy

Hi Cody I think you are going to like that plant. I have kept it under various conditions for years. I believe it first showed up in the U.S. at the 2008 Aquatic Gardener's Assn Convention in Atlanta. It can grow in high tech, low tech, with or without CO2. I have it in my 45 tall (also 24" high) with the Fluval 3.0 and it does fine. Here it is as of today. The substrate is Safe-t-sorb. I dose DIY Osmocote Plus root tabs and Seachem Flourish for micro-nutrients. This tank does have CO2. I have very little problems with algae.
Nymphoides hydrophylla on left in rear (and a small one in front)

 

Hi 86 ssinit, Yes but I don't believe it is stress induced. The bars disappear if I startle them as I work on the tank above theirs, when changing their water, or working in their tank. -Roy

Hi Cody I think you are going to like that plant. I have kept it under various conditions for years. I believe it first showed up in the U.S. at the 2008 Aquatic Gardener's Assn Convention in Atlanta. It can grow in high tech, low tech, with or without CO2. I have it in my 45 tall (also 24" high) with the Fluval 3.0 and it does fine. Here it is as of today. The substrate is Safe-t-sorb. I dose DIY Osmocote Plus root tabs and Seachem Flourish for micro-nutrients. This tank does have CO2. I have very little problems with algae.
Nymphoides hydrophylla on left in rear (and a small one in front)

Great info! Thank you. I’m excited to see how everything fairs with the light upgrade.

I love the leaf shape and the light green color leaf if a nice contrast to many other plants as well. From what I read it sounds like it grows on the faster side once established as well.

 

Great info! Thank you. I’m excited to see how everything fairs with the light upgrade.

I love the leaf shape and the light green color leaf if a nice contrast to many other plants as well. From what I read it sounds like it grows on the faster side once established as well.

Hi Cody
It typically throws off two or three new leaves per week when established. It will grow to the top of the tank if I didn't prune it regularly. I did a review of the species here on Fishlore here: Nymphoides Hydrophylla (aka Sp. 'taiwan') | 319000 | Aquarium Plant Profiles

 

Hi All,

2020-09-10
Today I did a 9 gallon water change and did a light vac at the front of the tank. Added 1/2 tsp CaSO4 (3.97 ppm Ca / +0.56 dGH); 1/4 tsp MgSO4 (1.38 ppm Mg / +0.32 dGH); 1/4 tsp K2SO4 (7.9 ppm K); 1/32 tsp KH2PO4 (1.34 ppm of PO4; 0.44 ppm P; 0.55 ppm K for GSA. All the discus are eating well and seem to be establishing a comfortable pecking order.

 

Hi All,

I apologize for being a little late in my posting this week. I am on the Board of our local aquarium club, Greater Seattle Aquarium Society (gsas.org) and we had a board meeting last night that I had to prepare for. I did do my water change as scheduled on Monday.

2020-09-14
Today was the big water change of about 50% or 12 gallons. After the water change I took readings and these are the results.
I also took a full set of water parameter readings after the water change and plant changes; here are the results:
pH = 6.4
dKH = 2.0
dGH = 4.0
Ca = 20 ppm
Mg = 5.23 ppm
NH3 = 0.00 ppm (possibly from disturbing the substrate?)
NO2 = 0.00 ppm
NO3 = 10.0 ppm

The ammonia came down from 0.25 ppm last week to 0.00 this week which kind of confirms that changing the plants and disturbing the substrate caused the slight increase in NH3 that we saw. Because we have hit my target dGH and Ca and Mg levels I did not add any calcium sulfate (CaSO4*2H2O) or magnesium sulfate (MgSO4*7H2O) for the plants. The fish are doing fine and still eating like swimming pigs although they seem to feel entitled and only eat frozen bloodworms, live adult brine shrimp, frozen brine shrimp, and FD tubifex worms. They turn their noses up at krill flakes and Fluval Bug Bites, any suggestions as to how to encourage them to eat other foods would be appreciated.

Here are some pictures from Monday; first the overall tank shot.



The Rotala H'ra (aka 'Vietnam') is doing as expected. With the low nutrient levels in the water column the Rotala has taken off, can you see all the new stems starting to emerged along the original stems?



The Myriophyllum sp. Guyana is starting to branch at the top of the stems; the Oldenlandia salzmannii continues to grow toward the surface and will need trimming soon. And on the far right the Hygrophylla arcuata continues to grow slowly. Regrettably the Eriocaulon 'Vietnam' in the foreground continues to just sit there. It will be moved to another tank in the near future.



They Limnophila sp 'Curly' that was added last week is also growing nicely.



Just like the Oldenlandia salzmannii the Ludwigia sp 'Red' (*doubtful this is correct identification) is growing to the surface, this is after I removed the original emerged growth from bottom of the stems last week.



And a partial 'Family Portrait'




Lastly, for @Shan_Evolved a video of the fish eating FD Tubifex Worms

 

With feeding you would have to starve them to get them off of that food. Anything else would be like giving them McDonald’s. For me I feed blood worms maybe twice a week. To many thread associating them with hith when fed daily. Sorry also not a fan of tubifex. Try the freeze dried black worms. Sold by simply discus. The store not the forum. I also feed black worm flakes from California blackworms. Found on eBay.

 

Hi All,

2020-09-28
Another 9 gallon water change today. I siphoned up about 1/4" of the sand substrate at the front of the tank because it was showing little specks of algae and looking "dirty" and replaced it with fresh sand. The fish continue to eat and grow; today I gave them live white worms (Enchytraeus albidus) for the first time. The plants continue to grow including the Rotala H'ra, Ludwigia sp 'Red' (NOT), and the Ludwigia arcuata is looking taller as is the Limnophila sp 'Wavy'.



Notice the watersprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides) growing behind the Microsporum pteropus 'Windelov' (java fern); Ceratopteris are great plants for absorbing nitrates and ammonia.

 

Hi All,

2020-10-12
It's been a few weeks since my last update. The fish are doing fine, eating well (too well?), water changes continue two to three times per week and the plants have been growing. Here is how overgrown the plants looked two weeks ago just before I did a trim and split some of the species to additional locations in the tank.



The last two weeks I've been helping my son-in-law build a 15' X 9' frame shed and although the water changes have continued on schedule my ferts went by the wayside. Today I did my 'big' weekly water change, about 60%, and took water parameter readings:
pH = 6.4
dKH = 2.0
dGH = 1.0
Ca = 10 ppm
Mg = 0.00 ppm
NH3 = 0.00 ppm
NO2 = 0.00 ppm
NO3 = 10.0 ppm

Even without ferts being added the plants continued to grow, the cuttings I planted two weeks ago are starting to reach the top of the tank (again) and other are starting to show up from behind the Microsorum pteropus (java fern) 'Windelov'. The Erio 'Vietnam' continues to suffer so I put two (2) beads of Osmocote Plus in the root zone of the three plants on the left to see if they respond. In addition I added some small pieces of Seachem Root Tabs in the substrate near the Cryptocoryne. I noticed some diatom (brown algae) growth about a month ago. I purchased two (2) Otocinclus affinis at the local aquarium shop and quarantined them for a month. I added them today. Here is a picture of the tank taken this morning.

 

Hi All,

It was pointed out to me that I had not posted an update lately, I apologize. For the last six weeks my son-in-law and I are building a frame 10' X 16' X 12' high shed (from scratch not a kit) in his backyard. It has 4 windows, 2 doors, and lighting with outlets (I think it is a man-cave to hide from my daughter - lol). Truthfully, I have been too tired to do anything but feed my tanks and do water changes.....70 year olds should not have to work this hard! lol

2020-11-04
Anyway, the fish are doing well. Growing, and feeling more and more comfortable in their tank. They get live adult brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, FD Tubifex worms, and live white worms. They are starting to show some color as well. I added some Cardinal Tetras to the tank as 'dither fish' which seems to be working. The tetras were not from Petsmart or Petco but from a LFS that quarantines and treats all of their fish with Mardel Maracyn, Fritz Paracleanse, and Aquarium Solutions Ich X for one week prior to the fish going into the retail store (don't you wish your LFS did that?).

Here is one of the juvies starting to show some color



And here is a tank shot from this evening showing some of the discus and the Cardinals. The plants will be trimmed and taken to a LFS for store credit later this week.

 

Beautiful setup Roy. I read some of your old posts along with some stuff from Tom Barr when I was researching Excel nutrient balance stuff and it helped a lot. Hoping to have healthy plants like yours soon! and would also love to start a planted discus tank down the road. These threads are great sources of information

 

Hi Pfrozen,

Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you find the thread helpful. I've had planted tanks for 12 years now but this is my first time keeping discus. They definitely demand time and patience so being retired is a plus but it is a lot of fun and I get a lot of enjoyment as well.

 

Hi All,

It was pointed out to me that I had not posted an update lately, I apologize. For the last six weeks my son-in-law and I are building a frame 10' X 16' X 12' high shed (from scratch not a kit) in his backyard. It has 4 windows, 2 doors, and lighting with outlets (I think it is a man-cave to hide from my daughter - lol). Truthfully, I have been too tired to do anything but feed my tanks and do water changes.....70 year olds should not have to work this hard! lol

2020-11-04
Anyway, the fish are doing well. Growing, and feeling more and more comfortable in their tank. They get live adult brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, FD Tubifex worms, and live white worms. They are starting to show some color as well. I added some Cardinal Tetras to the tank as 'dither fish' which seems to be working. The tetras were not from Petsmart or Petco but from a LFS that quarantines and treats all of their fish with Mardel Maracyn, Fritz Paracleanse, and Aquarium Solutions Ich X for one week prior to the fish going into the retail store (don't you wish your LFS did that?).

Here is one of the juvies starting to show some color
View attachment 741992

And here is a tank shot from this evening showing some of the discus and the Cardinals. The plants will be trimmed and taken to a LFS for store credit later this week.
View attachment 741993

Thanks for the update!! Your man-cave theory had me giggling so the wfh spouse had to investigate; not much laughter in the house this week.
This is such a beautiful and informative process to get to watch. Thank you for sharing!

 

Hi All,

I hope all of you are well and safe.

It's been three (3) weeks since my last update and no, I didn't fall of the roof of the shed my son-in-law and I are building (I let him to all the roof work, I just handed him material). The seven (7) F1 RSGD are doing well, growing like weeds, and very healthy! Three weeks ago I took the plants to the LFS as I said I would, there where about 8 bunches total of Rotala, Ludwigia, and Oldenlandia for which I got store credit. Today I did my second canister cleaning since setting up the tank (about every 8 weeks with a Marineland Magniflow 220). I replaced the Purigen bag with a recharged & neutralized bag, rinsed the sponges and bio-balls in tank water, and replaced the filter floss. I do everything I can to minimize the possibility of a 'mini-cycle' occurring. Tomorrow is water change day and I will take some water parameter readings at that time.

 

Hi All,

I apologize for being lax my wife and I got both our COVID shots and life got much more active.....lol.

Long story short I had hoped to move my discus from the 30 gallon pictured above to my 75 gallon in January but I didn't get the tank broken down and sterilized until February. The rainbowfish in the 75 tank were having an unidentified disease problem so I spent several days draining, cleaning the tank and equipment with a bleach solution, neutralizing the bleach, and setting up the 75 gallon tank. I went with the same HTH Pool Filter sand that I had in the 30 gallon, filtration was increased and and the 75 gallon tank now has two (2) Marineland 350 Magnum filters (350 gph each) plus a new Fluval 307 (300 gph). I put a total of eight (8) size "00" Osmocote Plus root tabs under the sand with was about 2.5" deep. The Marineland filters have only the fiber sleeve filter and the Fluval has the standard sponges for mechanical filtration and each of the other two trays are filled with 2.2 pounds (1 kg) of Biohome Ultimate filter media for biological filtration. I seeded the Fluval Biohome media with mulm from the filter of the 30 gallon to try an 'jump-start' the nitrogen cycle. One of the Marineland filters has an inline CO2 diffuser and inline Hydor 300 watt heater. Tank is set for 86 degrees F.

I had pre-ordered 50 Cardinal Tetras since they are about 20 miles from me and they quarantine and pre-treat all of their fish for one week with Mardel Maracyn; Fritz Paracleanse; and Aquarium Solutions Ich-X before they are sold. I also picked up a couple of Otocinclus to accompany the 2 Otocinclus, Siamese Algae Eater (Crossocheilus oblongus) and 6 Corydoras sterbai I had in the 30 gallon. All of these fish were added to the 75 gallon on 2/20/21.

After a four days later on 2/24/21 all of the water parameters looked good with ammonia at 0.25 ppm, 0 ppm nitrite, and 0 ppm nitrates. I transferred the seven discus and five (5) Cardinal Tetras from the 30 gallon to the 75 gallon. The transfer was done with care with a large net to avoid the discus from flopping and tearing their fins in the net rested a hand gently on each fish when I moved it the 20 feet from the 30 gallon to the 75 gallon. The transfer went well, no fish showed any sign of injury or major stress although all the fish immediately headed for cover in the plants or behind the hardscape.

On 2/25/21 things started to get interesting real fast. My ammonia jumped from 0.25 ppm to 0.50 ppm. No worries but made a mental note to check it daily. On 2/26/21 the ammonia had jumped to 1.00 ppm so I added some Seachem Prime to de-toxify the ammonia. The next day, on 2/27/21 the ammonia level had jumped to 1.50 ppm and it was time for action. I did a 70% water change and added Seachem Prime and Seachem Stability to help further jump start the nitrogen cycle. On 2/28/21 the ammonia level was back down to 0.50 ppm and I added Seachem Stability. On 2/29/21 the ammonia had climbed again to 1.00 so I did a 50% water change and dosed with Seachem Prime and Seachem Stability. This continued for about a week with the ammonia level jumping between 0.50 to 1.00 but and me doing water changes whenever ammonia levels hit 1.00 and dosing Prime and Stability daily. Finally on March 6th the nitrogen cycle completed and the ammonia level dropped to 0.00 - 0.25. All the discus survived and continued to eat well throughout the ordeal. Now I am doing 2X - 3X per day feedings and 3X per week water changes and the fish continue to do well, look healthy, eat like pigs, and grow.

2021-02-17 Here is the tank empty with sand and hardscape



2021-02-17 Filling the 75 gallon with diffuser and plate on wax paper sheet



2021-02-17 75 gallon after filling with tap water; notice only one filter in place at this time



2021-02-18 Unboxed new Fluval 307, added rinsed Biohome Ultimate



2021-02-20 Added 50 Cardinal Tetras that were treated with Mardel Maracyn; Fritz Paracleanse; and Aquarium Solutions Ich-X. Some of the initial plantings. Right to left Nymphoides hydrophylla, Helanthium bolivianum 'Vesuvius' (previously called Echinodorus 'Vesuvius'), Eriocaulon "Vietnam"; Limnophila rugosa, Nymphaea micrantha 'Gefleckt', Cryptocoryne balanese, Barclaya longifolia 'Red', and Limnophila sp 'Wavy".





On 2/25/21 one day after the seven (7) Symphysodon aequifasciatus (Red Spot Green Discus) juvies. They were no longer in hiding like the first day and eat freeze-dried Tubifex worms with gusto.



And here are the fish about a week ago on 3/27/21, I added a few more Erio, some stems of Ludwigia arcuata x repens, and some Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Red" to the tank but otherwise the plants are the same.

 

Hi All,

Thought you might enjoy an update. This discus moved from my 30 gallon to my 75 gallon 02/24/21 but the tank continues. Right now it is a retirement home for my Melanotaenia praecox. The plants have matured nicely. Still dosing four (4) DIY Osmocote Plus tabs, Seachem Comprehensive for micro-nutrients, and a little potassium sulfate and my DIY mix of ETDA, DTPA, and ferrous gluconate iron. Hope you are all enjoying your summer! -Roy