# Digsy's 105g Starphire - Photo update 5/17



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Nice! What a fun surprise. That will be a good shape and size for lots of stems. Watch out for collectoritis--there's a lot space in there.

That tank is trimmed pretty nice and the stand doesn't look too shabby either.

This will be a fun project to watch.


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## Down_Shift (Sep 20, 2008)

beautiful tank


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## fish-aholic (Dec 23, 2007)

Thats a nice looking tank there! 559 is a pretty good deal for a staphire tank of that size and shape.

Is only the front staphire or 3 sides? 

Cant wait to see some progress.


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## paulrw (Apr 14, 2009)

awesome tank i thought it looked small until i saw it next to the 58g. hope you got a step ladder! haha can't wait to see this come along. good luck!


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

hydrophyte said:


> Nice! What a fun surprise. That will be a good shape and size for lots of stems. Watch out for collectoritis--there's a lot space in there.
> 
> That tank is trimmed pretty nice and the stand doesn't look too shabby either.
> 
> This will be a fun project to watch.


Wow, you already called my collectoritis. I've been fighting it with my 58 gallon and now, there's so much space to play with! I should stop trying to keep it under control and just admit that I have a problem. :hihi:




Down_Shift said:


> beautiful tank





fish-aholic said:


> Thats a nice looking tank there! 559 is a pretty good deal for a staphire tank of that size and shape.
> 
> Is only the front staphire or 3 sides?
> 
> Cant wait to see some progress.


Thanks, I love the dimensions of this tank. Only the front panel is Starphire.




paulrw said:


> awesome tank i thought it looked small until i saw it next to the 58g. hope you got a step ladder! haha can't wait to see this come along. good luck!


Yeah, I was a little concerned about the height myself. I'm hoping that with the step ladder, I can avoid going for a swim every time I need to trim.



Well, I have a lot of work ahead of me and I'm procrastinating a little already. At least I have the excuse that I'm waiting for friends to arrive in a few hours to assist with moving everything!


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Well, I got it almost completely setup last night and this morning. Three people took 6 hours last night and it took me another 2 this morning. The fish spent the night in a Rubbermaid tub because there was a 6 degree temperature difference once I got the tank filled and I didn't feel like drip acclimating after all the work yesterday. This morning there was a 1 degree difference between the tub and the tank so, I just netted everyone out and dumped them in. 

I just have to add that I LOVE my new Rena XP3! I can't believe how easy it was to setup. This one takes the cake on quick, easy setup and priming! 

There's still a ton of bubbles on the glass so, there are no pictures with it completely filled and I still have about half of the plants still floating so, those pics will have to wait a few days. Sorry about the poor quality of the photos, I was always in the middle of things so just took quick snapshots.


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## Indignation (Mar 9, 2008)

I've drooled over this exact tank at a LFS before,I'm excited to see your progress. I'm curious about how well the T5s will do with that deep of a tank.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

I did a lot of research on the lighting and it seems like a lot of people are doing well with T-5s over similar depths. I had no intention of buying a tank when I went to my LFS but it was too good of a deal to refuse!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey you have just two more posts before you hit 1,000.


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

I cant wait to see the finished product!
EDIT: WoW...:hihi:


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

hydrophyte said:


> Hey you have just two more posts before you hit 1,000.


1,000th post! Woo hoo!



JakeJ said:


> I cant wait to see the finish product!


Thanks, neither can I. :hihi: Hopefully I can get everything done soon. I'm a little worn out today and taking a break.


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## SteveMcQueen (Apr 29, 2009)

Looks awesome, hope to see it progress well.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Here's the next two pictures of my progress. Everything is still looking pretty cloudy and I didn't bother getting everything planted today so, I still have a lot of work to do. I also have a some driftwood floating that refused to sink so, I need to rearrange that a little too.


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## Bmac (May 24, 2009)

Very nice !!!


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## Indignation (Mar 9, 2008)

This tank is already looking amazing Digsy, I really like the substrate. Its easy to lose a sense of scale when looking at these pictures, until you look to the fish/equipment for scale.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Thanks Bmac and Indignation. I'll have some updated pictures in the next couple of days but am anxiously awaiting some more stem plants so that it looks a little more filled in. It's looking a little bare right now.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Small photo update. I still haven't gotten my stems yet but I got everything I had planted and the water has cleared up quite a bit. Now to clean off the back glass! I'll update again once the new plants arrive.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Cool. That looks like maybe _Hygrophila_ "angustifolia" (I don't know the real name for that one)(?). That's a nice plant. It looks really cool with lotuses, which contrast it really well. It looks like you have some sort of different crypt there in the background. What kind of gravel is that?


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## kid creole (Dec 25, 2008)

hydrophyte said:


> What kind of gravel is that?


Looks like Flourite to me.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

hydrophyte said:


> Cool. That looks like maybe _Hygrophila_ "angustifolia" (I don't know the real name for that one)(?). That's a nice plant. It looks really cool with lotuses, which contrast it really well. It looks like you have some sort of different crypt there in the background. What kind of gravel is that?


Yeah, it's Hygro angustifolia...at least that's what I'm calling it too. It grows like a weed! I couldn't keep it under control in my 58g and almost threw it out. As far as the crypt, I have no idea what type of crypt it is. I have so many different kinds and have the worst time trying to ID them. It might be C. balansae but, I'm not positive. 

The substrate is CaribSea "Peace River."


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That doesn't quite look like _balansae_ to me. I would guess maybe instead _spirales_(?).


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

After checking pictures on plantgeek, I'm thinking that C. retrospiralis is the most likely ID. I suppose it would be nice to change the "various crypts" in my plants list to something a little more useful.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

I have updated everything just a little. I took some Limnophila sp. wavy, Ludwigia guinea and Ludwigia inclinata from another tank and added it and I made a purchase that has made planting so much easier! I have quite a few more plants coming in the next two weeks so, things should be looking a little more finished soon. 










For awhile there, I didn't think I was ever going to want to plant because it was so hard to reach the substrate from my 4' step ladder. Thankfully, I found these...24"!


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

I like the finish (; product!


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Thanks JakeJ!

A couple closer shots...

Left:









Center:









Right:


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## fish-aholic (Dec 23, 2007)

lookin great! roud:


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That's looking very nice *Digsy*. You have a handle on good picture-taking, which is great. You selected a lot of pretty plants.


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

What a neat tank! Don't you think the starfire glass makes a big difference? It does look so big next your old one. You might think about putting a black background on it so the mechanics don't show up. The plants also show up so well with the black. After almost a year I just put a black background on one of my 10gs. It really makes a difference.

I, myself, have embraced my collectoritis! lol I try to work on balancing my tank with color hues, leaf shape and texture. I just love the plants too much to only use a few varieties. I love looking from place to place in my tank and seeing all the beautiful different varieties. I'm never bored with it.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Thanks everyone!



Tex Gal said:


> What a neat tank! Don't you think the starfire glass makes a big difference? It does look so big next your old one. You might think about putting a black background on it so the mechanics don't show up. The plants also show up so well with the black. After almost a year I just put a black background on one of my 10gs. It really makes a difference.
> 
> I, myself, have embraced my collectoritis! lol I try to work on balancing my tank with color hues, leaf shape and texture. I just love the plants too much to only use a few varieties. I love looking from place to place in my tank and seeing all the beautiful different varieties. I'm never bored with it.


The front panel of Starphire is really pretty!

I know the tank desperately needs a background and ordinarily, I would have gone with black but I want to bring the best color out in my discus once they and have been told to avoid it. I generally don't like the way blue looks and I'm having a hard time finding any other colors.

Your collectoritis has a habit of looking like a well-crafted scape and mine always tends to look a little messy.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

It's been awhile since I've updated and I'm just not happy with what I have right now. First of all, my driftwood centerpiece does not want to stay together as I want it to and keeps spreading, making it more horizontal than I'd prefer. It's also painfully obvious that I need a lot more plants. I have a few more coming in the next week but I'm not sure it's going to be enough and I'm not even sure what else I should put it. I'd love to hear some suggestions...

I'm also realizing that I need to spread the moss down the branches more as it just looks stupid to have giant puffballs at the end. I'm also ordering some more Rummy Nose and 5 corys from Invertz Factory and hoping to add discus in the next 6 weeks. 

Well, here's an FTS. Hopefully next time I take one, things will look more like I envisioned. Oh, and once again, I have a bunch of narrow-leaf java fern where it shouldn't be. I keep meaning to secure it but just haven't gotten around to it. Having such a deep tank keeps me from wanting to go swimming to fix things more than once a week.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

You know looking at this again I feel like it could use some more larger pieces of driftwood. Is that manzanita that you are using now? Can you get ahold of some more. 

I don't know if you would want to consider a new plant theme, but this is a nice big tank and seeing all of that space there I wonder about using it to showcase some of the really big robust plants, such as various _Echinodorus_ swords and maybe some lotuses. I can't remember who it was, but somebody a little while back somebody had picked up a big _Cryptocoryne usteriana_ and planted it in a large tank and it had a bold look.

This tank looks tall. Is it 30" tall?


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

I agree. Big tank - small dw, small amount of plants. A big leafed variety would like nice. If you want to stay with the clump approach you could get some nice big anubias varieties.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Thanks Hydrophyte and Tex Gal, I agree it needs some longer pieces of driftwood. I kept hoping I could work with what I had but they really were more suitable for the 58 gallon I bought them for. 

Thanks for the suggestions on plants as well. I have a Crypt cordata 'Rosanervig' coming next week, which I think is a larger leafed crypt? I'm also going to give Staurogyne sp. 'Porto Velho' a try for a foreground. I also have a beautiful Nymphaea micrantha that I placed in the back because I thought it would look perfect when it throws out large, long leaves (like Tex Gal's tank) but, naturally it's growing really compactly.  I'd love to fill in with more crypts and actually really like the large sword suggestions but want to see what fills in and I add things slowly.

The height is 29" and you're right, it's extremely deep! Thanks again for the suggestions and please keep them coming. I've never had anything close to this size so, I'm having a hard time adjusting. At least I've picked Discus, which should fill the space better than all of my small tetras.


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## kali (May 8, 2009)

i like it , really love the wood work center piece . good job digsy


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## Consigliere (Mar 21, 2009)

Tank looks great although I know how you feel about not meeting your vision yet. That's how 99% of us feel.

One thing you could try with the driftwood would be a nylon zip tie or 2 to keep it more upright. It might be tricky to hide it and do it correctly without moving too much stuff but it could be worth a shot.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Any more new plants yet?


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

Beautiful tank! barely passing 5 foot i'd prob drown trying to plant it! haha. it's going to look great once everything gets settled in. good luck!!


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

kali said:


> i like it , really love the wood work center piece . good job digsy


Thanks kali, I'm hoping to be able to make it look a little more vertical, just so it isn't dwarfed in this tank!



Consigliere said:


> Tank looks great although I know how you feel about not meeting your vision yet. That's how 99% of us feel.
> 
> One thing you could try with the driftwood would be a nylon zip tie or 2 to keep it more upright. It might be tricky to hide it and do it correctly without moving too much stuff but it could be worth a shot.


Thanks for the tip! I may see if I can use a couple near the bottom where they would hopefully be covered by plants, otherwise I may need to add a few rocks and zip ties to keep everything propped up. 



JennaH said:


> Beautiful tank! barely passing 5 foot i'd prob drown trying to plant it! haha. it's going to look great once everything gets settled in. good luck!!


Thanks, JennaH! I'm 5'08 and it's still no picnic working in there! 



hydrophyte said:


> Any more new plants yet?


Glad you asked, I actually got quite a few over the last week. I'll be adding them shortly.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Here are some pictures of the plants that I got from Sweet Aquatics. I also got a Crypt cordata 'Rosanervig', Crypt parva and Staurogyne sp. 'Porto Velho' from Bigstick120 which I forgot to take pictures of before planting. I also added 8 more rummy nose tetras and 5 cory. sterbai. 

Because of the depth, I'm finding it less and less desirable to get in there as much so, I'm phasing out my stem plants so that there isn't as much pruning and replanting maintenance. 

I'll add a FTS later next week after I've scraped off the GSA that is completely surrounding the bottom half of the tank. Any ideas why it might only be on the bottom half?? It's almost as if there is a barrier preventing the algae from creeping above that line.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Nice!


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Can anyone tell if the crypts I bought were grown emersed? I'm wondering if I should expect a transition period.


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## legomaniac89 (Mar 16, 2008)

Looks good! Yeah, it looks like the crypts were grown emersed. You're gonna like that C. cordata "Rosanervig". It's one of my favorite species.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Thanks Lego! I thought some of those leaves looked a little unusual, it makes sense that they're the emersed form. I'm looking forward to seeing the Rosanervig grow, the pictures I've seen look amazing!


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## bigstick120 (May 23, 2005)

The ones you got from me are all submersed. The others if in pots are probably emersed. With all crypts, expect them to melt, but no worries, leave them alone and they will come back soon.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Another update, I'm still working on finding a couple of longer pieces of Manzanita. I also have a background coming in the mail this week so that the cords will be hidden. Suggestions always welcome! Hopefully I'll be adding discus in the next few weeks but I want to get the scape as settled as possible before then.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Your plants look happy. It will look cool when those swords and other things grow up big. This will be a nice display for discus.

Where are you getting the background?


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Thanks hydrophyte. I'm also thinking things will come together more once the swords and crypts fill in. I also have a Nymphaea micrantha that has about 8 large leaves but the stems are only about 6" long so, it's still not showing above the driftwood. I'm thinking that's going to look nice once it finally grows long enough.

I bought the background from Big Al's. I bought a black/blue reversible one because I'd prefer black but everyone keeps saying the discus will pepper too much so, I thought I'd have the blue backup, just in case.


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## bigboij (Jul 24, 2009)

looking good ,I know it may sound like a joke but i think investing in a snorkel and mask so you can partially climb in to it. I'm an odd ball of sorts and rather than trying to work with a 2 foot long pair of tweezers id get wet. just don't think i could get the detail/ just right look i strive for any other way.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Ha! There are times I've considered it, actually. Using the giant tweezers definitely has some disadvantages, precision being the obvious one. It takes me forever to get things planted and that's why I'm slowly getting rid of my stem plants.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Here are this week's round of picture updates. The only real change is that I added a couple of Crypt 'mi oya' plants. I bought 5 discus from a Simply Discus member and they arrive Monday so, I'll add new pictures once they arrive but for now, here is the seller's picture of the fish:































My Nymphaea micrantha is finally starting to come out in the back:









My foreground could really use some help...I'm hoping to add quite a few more Crypt parva and I had hoped that the Staurogyne 'Porto Velho' would take off more but it isn't exactly flourishing...


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

Very nice wild caught Discus


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

I like those discus too!  Nice tank!


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)




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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Orlando said:


> Very nice wild caught Discus





demonbreedr16 said:


> I like those discus too!  Nice tank!


Thanks Orlando and demonbreedr16, I'm really looking forward to receiving those discus. I'm a big fan of the wilds but wasn't having much luck finding them so, I was about to buy some of the more unnaturally colored varieties when these came available. I'm glad I waited!


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

The plants look very healthy. Did you use plain quartz?


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

It's Caribsea 'Peace River' so I'm using a lot of root tabs for the crypts/swords.


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## thrak76 (Aug 3, 2009)

I really like that nymphaea. Your tank is going to look really nice with the Discus addition.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

The Nymphaea is beautiful but it's taken a long time to really flourish. I put it in the back because I thought it would shoot up quickly but it's getting there slowly and I think it's going to look a lot better in the back once it grows a little more. Nice to see another Marineland C-series user, I love those filters!


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

Those discus are beautiful. I used the CaribSea sand in one of my tanks with Ferka substrate additive from GLA. My plants love the stuff. I'm jealous of your rummynose. I have been thinking about getting some lately, but need to put together some cash first.


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## thrak76 (Aug 3, 2009)

Digsy said:


> Nice to see another Marineland C-series user, I love those filters!


I've got nothing but praise for the C's. I'm going to get 2 360's to filter my 75g when i've gathered all the resources for it.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

cah925 said:


> Those discus are beautiful. I used the CaribSea sand in one of my tanks with Ferka substrate additive from GLA. My plants love the stuff. I'm jealous of your rummynose. I have been thinking about getting some lately, but need to put together some cash first.


I have been wondering about the FERKA products, glad to hear that you're having good results with them. I love the rummynose too, Invertz Factory is really the way to go on those. My LFS told me to expect 50% casualties when buying from them so, I'm glad I went with Invertz Factory and didn't have a single death.



thrak76 said:


> I've got nothing but praise for the C's. I'm going to get 2 360's to filter my 75g when i've gathered all the resources for it.


I regret not buying another C for this tank. I got a good deal on an XP3 for the 2nd filter and thought I'd try something new but if I had it to do all over again, I would have bought a 220 to go with my 360.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

The discus arrived yesterday. They are still pretty dark from shipping stress but, they appear pretty comfortable and aren't at all skittish.


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## kali (May 8, 2009)

wow nice discuss..


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

beautiful pictures of beautiful discus!


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## Scotty (Nov 15, 2008)

You have a great looking tank. And boy, those discus are beautiful!! Great Job!


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## madmax666 (Nov 22, 2008)

must be nice having soft water!!


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Thanks kali, skiboarder72 and Sportdriver for the compliments! Hopefully the discus will be looking even better soon!



madmax666 said:


> must be nice having soft water!!


Yeah, it is nice, actually. I'm from the southwest originally and I've really enjoyed the switch from liquid rock to ridiculously soft water!


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

Your tank looks marvelous! I will love the Nymphea in the back. Great idea! The leaves get so big and have so much color. It will almost look like a sunset back there! I'll have to watch this tank!


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Beautiful fish! I just love them  I love it.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Tex Gal said:


> Your tank looks marvelous! I will love the Nymphea in the back. Great idea! The leaves get so big and have so much color. It will almost look like a sunset back there! I'll have to watch this tank!


Thanks Tex Gal, your tank was definitely the inspiration for adding that Nymphaea. All of your lotus' look so beautiful! Did yours take a long time to reach the surface? Mine seems to be moving at a snails pace!



CL said:


> Beautiful fish! I just love them  I love it.


Thanks CL, I couldn't quite figure out why someone I'd never heard of had so many posts and then it dawned on me...clwatkins!  They should notify us when someone changes their username.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

lol yeah. I figured since most called me CL, it wouldn't be that far of a stretch.


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

Digsy said:


> Thanks Tex Gal, your tank was definitely the inspiration for adding that Nymphaea. All of your lotus' look so beautiful! Did yours take a long time to reach the surface? Mine seems to be moving at a snails pace!



I appreciate the kinds words. I love my Nympheas. I think it depends on how old yours is. Once they get a good root system you can almost see them grow. In the morning you see a leaf sprout and by bedtime the entire leaf is sitting there 3" above the substrate! I never let mine get to the top of the water. I would suggest you not either. You'll loose the beautiful look of the colored leaves. It will just float and look like a stem from the front of your tank. Trim every leaf that gets higher then maybe 2" from the top. The height of each leaf will vary, making a bouquet of color back there. It will be beautiful. The leaves can get 5" wide and 7" long. They can get huge. But they are beautiful! I look forward to this in your tank!


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

I hope you don't mind me asking, but how much did the discus cost??? 



Digsy said:


> The discus arrived yesterday. They are still pretty dark from shipping stress but, they appear pretty comfortable and aren't at all skittish.


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## wearsbunnyslippers (Dec 6, 2007)

wow dood, beautiful discus!!!

are those green wilds or red alenquers? i can never tell them apart...

and that island of plants is very cool, the more you look, the more plants you see


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Very Nice Discus!!!
Sweet tank! I love the reds!


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Tex Gal said:


> I appreciate the kinds words. I love my Nympheas. I think it depends on how old yours is. Once they get a good root system you can almost see them grow. In the morning you see a leaf sprout and by bedtime the entire leaf is sitting there 3" above the substrate! I never let mine get to the top of the water. I would suggest you not either. You'll loose the beautiful look of the colored leaves. It will just float and look like a stem from the front of your tank. Trim every leaf that gets higher then maybe 2" from the top. The height of each leaf will vary, making a bouquet of color back there. It will be beautiful. The leaves can get 5" wide and 7" long. They can get huge. But they are beautiful! I look forward to this in your tank!


I've had mine for about 2 months so, I guess it's got a little ways to go before it's fully mature. Thanks for the trimming suggestions, I was actually going to ask you about that! I'm thinking I might want to add some other lotus' too, to copy your tank further. 



tinytim_inches said:


> I hope you don't mind me asking, but how much did the discus cost???


With freight cost, they ended up being $54 each, which was quite a steal for adult discus!



wearsbunnyslippers said:


> wow dood, beautiful discus!!!
> 
> are those green wilds or red alenquers? i can never tell them apart...
> 
> and that island of plants is very cool, the more you look, the more plants you see


Thanks! They are wild greens. I'm hoping that each plant will become more distinguishable as they grow because even I can't find some of the crypts I know I put in there! 



Coltonorr said:


> Very Nice Discus!!!
> Sweet tank! I love the reds!


Thanks Coltonorr! Hopefully some of the reddish crypts will start showing a little better because I'm thinking of pulling the Alternanthera just because I've had algae problems with it from the beginning but I agree that the tank needs the contrast.



Speaking of the discus looking beautiful, I'm thinking that I'm going to have to add the ugly blue background. I'm not pleased with how dark they are against the brown wall so, I'm guessing the black background will be even worse. They were 10 shades lighter when they came to me and frequently they look dark brown. Anyone have any other possible options for backgrounds? I think the blue is going to look horrible but maybe I'm wrong...


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Not too much to report but it has been awhile since I updated photos. I did add a few taller pieces of manzanita and finally added the blue background, which looks pretty dark and has not unfortunately not helped to lighten the discus. 

I had an outbreak of algae so, I'm only running two of my T5 bulbs right now. I'm planning to add a burst of all 4 when I get another timer. Any suggestions for the length of my "burst"? As always, comments and suggestions are welcome!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That looks great Digsy!


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

Very nice! Almost looks like a floral bouquet!

Personally, I don't see the need in a burst. I've read ideas that since algae supposedly adapt to changes in environment more quickly than do higher level plants, the algae would be more likely to benefit from the short burst of increased light. I don't think I've seen any true evidence, but this does make sense to me.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

hydrophyte said:


> That looks great Digsy!


Thanks hydrophyte, I appreciate that you've kept up with the thread!



eyebeatbadgers said:


> Very nice! Almost looks like a floral bouquet!
> 
> Personally, I don't see the need in a burst. I've read ideas that since algae supposedly adapt to changes in environment more quickly than do higher level plants, the algae would be more likely to benefit from the short burst of increased light. I don't think I've seen any true evidence, but this does make sense to me.


Thanks ebb! Good to know about the burst. I apparently can't handle all 4x54 watts without losing the algae battle so, I guess I'll just stick with 2. The algae doesn't need any more help in my tank, that's for sure! It almost makes me wish that I had gone with a 2 bulb TEK fixture instead and saved quite a few bucks.


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## eyebeatbadgers (Aug 6, 2007)

Well if you're only using two bulbs, you've got two replacements sitting in the fixture when the others burn out! 

The only way to use extra light is to get more CO2 in the water. After a certain point it's really not worth it.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Good point, at least I have spares! I've tried my absolute best to get the CO2 up to match the lighting and it just isn't working so, like you said, it's probably not worth it.


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

wow- 54 ea. is a great price for adult discus! where did you get them? the tank is looking great! i love the colorful centerpiece you've put together


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## Bstuver (Jan 26, 2006)

Hey Digsy, glad to see the discus still doing well. It takes them along time to get their lighter color. I had them in a tank with a fiberglass background that was brown colors. They may be getting use to the soft water as I had extremely hard water.
Beautiful tank


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

JennaH said:


> wow- 54 ea. is a great price for adult discus! where did you get them? the tank is looking great! i love the colorful centerpiece you've put together


I bought them from Bstuver on Simply Discus. :icon_cool Thanks for the compliments!



Bstuver said:


> Hey Digsy, glad to see the discus still doing well. It takes them along time to get their lighter color. I had them in a tank with a fiberglass background that was brown colors. They may be getting use to the soft water as I had extremely hard water.
> Beautiful tank


Thanks! I'm glad to hear that there's still a chance that they will lighten! I hadn't thought about the switch between such extremes in water hardness. I guess that just goes to show you that discus aren't quite as delicate as some think, as long as they're acclimated properly! By the way, did you ever have any luck feeding them anything except bloodworms?? I've tried 6 different foods and they've turned their noses up at all of them except the frozen bloodworms.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Another couple quick pics:










From the side:









Crypt wendtii 'bronze'









Can anyone remind me of the name of this crypt? I'm starting to lose track!


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## Bstuver (Jan 26, 2006)

Digsy said:


> Thanks! I'm glad to hear that there's still a chance that they will lighten! I hadn't thought about the switch between such extremes in water hardness. I guess that just goes to show you that discus aren't quite as delicate as some think, as long as they're acclimated properly! By the way, did you ever have any luck feeding them anything except bloodworms?? I've tried 6 different foods and they've turned their noses up at all of them except the frozen bloodworms.


Yes I got them to eat frozen brine shrimp and occasionally they would eat flake. 
They are looking good, they should acclimate soon to their surroundings they are a lot harder to get them to loose their stripes than domestics. Just give them time. The only other suggestion might be to get a few more tetras in there for them to get more comfortable. I think the more fish they have around the better they feel.
Good luck and beautiful tank


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

This tank is gorgeous! I'm usually not a fan of discus, but these wilds are really beautiful fish. Nice mix of colors on the plants.


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## demonbreedr16 (Jan 10, 2008)

That looks soo cool! I really like the picture where all the discus are looking at the camera.

I know what they were thinking!

"Oh!! The human is back!! We're getting feed!"

LOL


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

Great looking tank, really well done. I really like how it's come together.

I'm putting together a 120g, 4'x2'x2' right now, and seeing your 30" tank really made me consider taking my tank back and getting a 140g, 4'x2'x2.5'. It's hard to make a tall tank work, but yours is really starting to look good. 

I've always lived places with really soft water, but I had issues with discus if I still didn't do 3 water changes a week or so. What's your WC schedule look like? I didn't look at dates, how long have you had them now? It sucks they that are staying stressed out. At least they are eating, that's a good sign.


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## HoustonFishFanatic (Apr 13, 2007)

Digsy said:


> Can anyone remind me of the name of this crypt? I'm starting to lose track!


It looks like C wendtii 'Florida Sunset' I have growing submerged. Nice tank.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

roybot73 said:


> This tank is gorgeous! I'm usually not a fan of discus, but these wilds are really beautiful fish. Nice mix of colors on the plants.


Thanks so much for the compliments roybot!



demonbreedr16 said:


> That looks soo cool! I really like the picture where all the discus are looking at the camera.
> 
> I know what they were thinking!
> 
> ...


Ha! I had the worst time taking pictures of individual plants because any time I got near the tank, they were all blocking my lens. I can't get near the tank without them going nuts!


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

jmhart said:


> Great looking tank, really well done. I really like how it's come together.
> 
> I'm putting together a 120g, 4'x2'x2' right now, and seeing your 30" tank really made me consider taking my tank back and getting a 140g, 4'x2'x2.5'. It's hard to make a tall tank work, but yours is really starting to look good.
> 
> I've always lived places with really soft water, but I had issues with discus if I still didn't do 3 water changes a week or so. What's your WC schedule look like? I didn't look at dates, how long have you had them now? It sucks they that are staying stressed out. At least they are eating, that's a good sign.


Thanks jmhart! I only do about 30-50% once weekly, which was my routine before I had the discus so, there was no adjustment. I can't imagine doing 3x/week as I already dread that one day a week! I've had them almost 4 weeks now. How long did you have yours before they started having problems? They are eating but they really don't want to touch anything other than frozen blood worms, which is both expensive and probably not the best diet.

As far as the stress, I'm wondering how much this: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/g...sion/96536-how-i-learned-not-use-battery.html had to do with it. 



HoustonFishFanatic said:


> It looks like C wendtii 'Florida Sunset' I have growing submerged. Nice tank.


Thanks for the ID HoustonFishFanatic, that was one I bought from lego but couldn't remember which one it was. I've purchased too many crypts at once and have forgotten which ones are which!


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Wow, I didn't realize it had been nearly two months since I've updated this thread! I've become bored, not with my layout, but with my execution of the layout. I'm probably going to remove most of my Hygrophila angustifolia because it just grows too fast and while it can fill out the back nicely, it seems that it adds to the "jungly" look of the tank that I'd like to avoid. I'm also a little disappointed that my Nymphaea micrantha plants aren't really visible in the back, no matter how tall they get so, I may need to move them closer to the middle. The two swords I planted are growing at a snails pace, for whatever reason. Maybe too many root feeders in one tank? I had to go back to a few months ago, just to assure myself that there had been some actual progress. I have sworn I was going to spread my moss "pom-poms" repeatedly but never get around to doing it and that's a huge part of what I'm disliking about the current look. 

Anyhow, here's the current look:










This was actually when I was most happy with my layout but I'm not sure I want to step back that far!


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

Tank is looking great! 
Fish(Discus) not so great, very thin and stressed..


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

i think it would look great without any moss and really bring the attention to the other plants


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Green Leaf Aquariums said:


> Tank is looking great!
> Fish(Discus) not so great, very thin and stressed..


Thanks, Orlando. You're right about the discus. I was out of town for 12 days and when I came back, the discus looked pretty bad. They are extremely picky eaters anyway (frozen bloodworms only) and I don't know how they did with the housesitter but the two weeks without a water change was not to their liking either. They already looked a little better after a huge water change. 



JennaH said:


> i think it would look great without any moss and really bring the attention to the other plants


I'm not sure I'm ready to completely part with the moss but I think it could definitely work without it! I think that thinning it drastically would probably be a step in the right direction.


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## rrrrramos (Jan 24, 2008)

How did I never stumble upon this tank? I have to agree with no moss and no hygro in the back it would look amazing, but regardless it still looks beautiful! And those are some of the nicest Discus I've ever seen, especially in the first few pics where they were a bit darker.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

rrrrramos said:


> How did I never stumble upon this tank? I have to agree with no moss and no hygro in the back it would look amazing, but regardless it still looks beautiful! And those are some of the nicest Discus I've ever seen, especially in the first few pics where they were a bit darker.


Thanks for the compliments rrrrramos! I'll hopefully be getting rid of that hygro soon. Maybe I really should ditch the moss...you guys have given me something to think about.


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

> Thanks for the compliments rrrrramos! I'll hopefully be getting rid of that hygro soon. Maybe I really should ditch the moss...you guys have given me something to think about


moss usually adds such a great effect, but you have so many awesome plants in that centerpiece you don't need it


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

I'm thinking that I'll try thinning it out and then see if I can force myself to try removing it all after that. Baby steps.


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

haha- i know how you feel after watching something grow forever, it almost seems like a child lol


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

I tore out all of the Hygrophila c. 'angustifolia' and most of the moss. I also trimmed the other hygros. Things are looking a little bare but I'm hoping that some of the background plants, like my Nymphaea micrantha will really be better showcased here. I couldn't quite bring myself to tear out all of the moss.  As always, comments and suggestions are appreciated!










The discus are finally eating again and while still not as plump as they should be, are looking a lot better IMO.


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

nice trim  good to hear about the discus doing better. what happened to the red plant on the left?


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

I think the trick with the mosses on the branches is to keep it low and thick. That means constant trims. When you do that it lays more like a moss on a rock look, so you don't get the pom pom affect.

The hygro isn't doing much for you there. It kinda looks messy. Perhaps if it were in tighter bunches. Can you trim it so that it branches out, also more stems? 

Your tanks looks so nice and clean. Your plants are looking so healthy!
I'd take your Lobelia cardinalis and nestle it in around the front of the rocks and limbs. The idea is to make it look like a full clump here and there - like weeds growing along a hedge row...


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

JennaH said:


> nice trim  good to hear about the discus doing better. what happened to the red plant on the left?


I wondered if anyone would mention that red plant. I tore what was left of it out yesterday. For whatever reason, this is the one plant that got hit by BBA and it just never looked great, even if it did add that splash of color. 




Tex Gal said:


> I think the trick with the mosses on the branches is to keep it low and thick. That means constant trims. When you do that it lays more like a moss on a rock look, so you don't get the pom pom affect.
> 
> 
> The hygro isn't doing much for you there. It kinda looks messy. Perhaps if it were in tighter bunches. Can you trim it so that it branches out, also more stems?
> ...


Thanks for the comments, Tex Gal. I really appreciate the constructive criticism! As far as the moss, I didn't give it much thought when setting up the driftwood initially and after I had everything in there, I was stuck with just the ends for the pom-poms so, it was really just poor planning on my part. Next time, I'll definitely add it to the driftwood before putting it in the tank!

The Hygro 'angustifolia' is just a huge pain in the neck, actually. It grows way too fast in a high tech tank and just never quite looks right. I would have trained it, if I could. I pulled out a ton of it so, it wasn't so much the number of stems as it was just the messy look of the plant itself. Maybe someone can do something nice with it but I was never able to figure out what that nice thing was. 

Great suggestion about the Lobelia! I will try and get that divided into a few more plantlets and hopefully that will help. 

On another note, I'm not happy with the placement of my sword plants. They are still growing extremely slow but I am thinking about moving them to the back, hoping that they will eventually fill in. Anyone think that will look okay or will another giant plant be a distraction from everything else, just like the hygro?

Thanks again for the comments!


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

Try putting some complete root tabs under your swords. They are heavy root feeders. I do with and I have ADA AS. I really like the Aquariumplants.com "complete root tabs". You don't need the applicator just use tweezers and push them in.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

How often do you add them? I actually bought a bottle a few months back but wasn't sure when to add more. It's probably been close to 3 months.


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

I think the instructions say at least every 3 months. Check on your bottle. It's either 3 months or 30 days.....


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Now I feel stupid. I can't believe it didn't occur to me to check the bottle for instructions!:icon_redf


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

A few more pictures...I have to say, I'm a little disappointed with what I'm seeing without the tall plants in the back and the moss to give the centerpiece volume. Any suggestions?


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

i love your little albino pleco 
i think something tall and reddish would look great and give back that splash of color the previous red plant added. maybe some red rotala or l. aromatica.

i think a few red crypts in the middle and more val along the back would be a great look too if you don't want more stems

i really like the way the driftwood stands out now, especially the darker pieces


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## SearunSimpson (Jun 5, 2007)

Yeah, once that all fills in, that's going to look really good. I'm sorta trying to get the same thing going with this tank I'm doing now, but it's no where close to yours right now.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I agree that it just needs to settle in and start growing. I wonder also if some more tall background foliage might be beneficial(?). 

Your fish are really cool.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

JennaH said:


> i love your little albino pleco
> i think something tall and reddish would look great and give back that splash of color the previous red plant added. maybe some red rotala or l. aromatica.
> 
> i think a few red crypts in the middle and more val along the back would be a great look too if you don't want more stems
> ...


Thanks for the comments JennaH! I think taller plants in the back would look better too. I really want to avoid stems at this point so, I'm not sure what to put back there. The plants currently back there are C. spiralis but they're not quite what I have in mind. Maybe they will spread a little bit more now that they're not competing with the hygro. 



SearunSimpson said:


> Yeah, once that all fills in, that's going to look really good. I'm sorta trying to get the same thing going with this tank I'm doing now, but it's no where close to yours right now.


Thanks SearunSimpson, I'm hoping it will get there eventually. Do you have a journal for yours yet?



hydrophyte said:


> I agree that it just needs to settle in and start growing. I wonder also if some more tall background foliage might be beneficial(?).
> 
> Your fish are really cool.


Thanks hydrophyte. Should I add more of the C. spiralis or do you think that maybe one of the swords (kleiner bar or indian red) might work?


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

The swords will work. Just give them some time. They'll look good back there. Your lilly will also fill in as the leaves get bigger. Just keep in trimmed so that they aren't floating. It's gonna be nice!


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

I moved the indian red sword behind all of the driftwood and added some fert tabs so hopefully, that will grow in soon and fill the space better. Unfortunately, one of my discus continues to stay thin and is refusing to eat. I've increased my temperature a little hoping to coax him to eat. I don't see anything obviously wrong with him so, I'm at a loss for what else to try. I also have a ton of E. tenellus 'micro' coming from emmanuelchavez this week as I've decided to fill in all of the empty areas of the substrate for that "meadowy" look.


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

_Have you considered using Garlic supplements for your ill fish? _


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

I've asked a few discus keepers about it and the consensus seemed to be that most people saw no difference. Have you had any success with it?


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

I found that it would get the appetite going. This worked well for my Discus and Altums in the past. Sometimes it would not work at all. But, I can say, it has worked more so than not.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Thanks, I'll give it a try. I'm trying just about every suggestion at this point as I'm also trying to wean them all off of frozen bloodworms.


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

*I like NLS for my fish. What else do you feed them?*


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

What is NLS?

They won't touch anything other than the bloodworms. I've tried Prime Reef flake, freeze dried earth worms, freeze dried bloodworms, tetra color bits, cichlid gold and frozen brine shrimp. :icon_conf 

I've not fed them for two days and still they wouldn't touch any of the other foods. I'm slowly increasing my temp and will definitely pick up some of the liquid garlic. I've also read that I should try feeding them first thing in the morning so, I guess I should try that too.


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

Digsy said:


> What is NLS?


New Life Spectrum


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## Bstuver (Jan 26, 2006)

Wow they got really thin, wild discus can be very picky about what they eat in fact all discus can be. My smaller discus will eat anything but the older ones will only eat frozen bloodworms and frozen brineshrimp. They were eating both of those foods when they left here anyways. I doubt you will get them off frozen bloodworms but good luck. I'm not sure what to tell you on the one that isn't eating it may have gotten an internal parasite that needs to be taken care of. Nice tank by the way


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## SearunSimpson (Jun 5, 2007)

"Thanks SearunSimpson, I'm hoping it will get there eventually. Do you have a journal for yours yet?"


No, I do not. It is just sitting there empty right now. I am looking for a tonne of driftwood and haven't gone down to the beach/river yet, and am reluctant to set it up due to travel plans.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Bstuver said:


> Wow they got really thin, wild discus can be very picky about what they eat in fact all discus can be. My smaller discus will eat anything but the older ones will only eat frozen bloodworms and frozen brineshrimp. They were eating both of those foods when they left here anyways. I doubt you will get them off frozen bloodworms but good luck. I'm not sure what to tell you on the one that isn't eating it may have gotten an internal parasite that needs to be taken care of. Nice tank by the way


I'm really hoping to win with the bloodworms. I got most of them picking at the Prime Reef, at least a little. I hadn't thought of an internal parasite...guess I need to do some research on the symptoms/treatments. Hopefully I can get them fattened up soon!


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

I planted my e. tenellus 'micro' on Sunday. I was becoming really bored with the open space and need something to offset the overwhelming yellowness of my tank, mostly thanks to the gravel. Anyhow, I loaded this part of the gravel with root tabs so, hopefully I'll get a decent carpet soon. 

I'm still having discus issues. I gave up on trying other foods since they really just need to put on some weight. The fish has started to show some interest in eating but I can't see that it's eating all that much, if at all. I'm probably going to try beefheart next.

Also, can anyone help me with the IDs of this crypt? I pulled several from another tank but never knew what they were.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That's looking good Digsy. I hope that you can resolve your discus questions. That crypt looks a bit like the one that I received as _C. wendtii_ 'Red Vein'.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

hydrophyte said:


> That's looking good Digsy. I hope that you can resolve your discus questions. That crypt looks a bit like the one that I received as _C. wendtii_ 'Red Vein'.


Thanks hydrophyte! Interesting ID, I actually haven't heard of that one but really liked those red veins.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Does anyone have any ideas for getting what I'm assuming is really thick BBA off my filter intake tubes (as seen in the FTS)? When I transferred one of the filters from another tank, I scrubbed with boiling water and used a scouring pad and still couldn't get it off but, now it's on both of them. I think I even tried bleach but didn't have much luck.


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## legomaniac89 (Mar 16, 2008)

Looking good Tara! This is going to look phenomenal when that foreground fills in! As far as the algae, my best advice is to soak it in straight H2O2 for about 10 minutes. I haven't found an algae that can stand up to to that for very long. If it lives through that, you may very well have the rare _Algae indestructiblus_ :hihi:

As for that Crypt, I'd have to agree with Hydro. If you happen to have some extra, I know of a certain Crypt junkie who doesn't have that one yet


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## legomaniac89 (Mar 16, 2008)

Oh, and have you tried live Blackworms yet for your discus? At my work, they'll eat all the blackworms before they even look at any other food.


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## Fat Guy (Nov 19, 2003)

your tank looks great. hope your discus are coming around. they are such beautiful fish.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

legomaniac89 said:


> Looking good Tara! This is going to look phenomenal when that foreground fills in! As far as the algae, my best advice is to soak it in straight H2O2 for about 10 minutes. I haven't found an algae that can stand up to to that for very long. If it lives through that, you may very well have the rare _Algae indestructiblus_ :hihi:
> 
> As for that Crypt, I'd have to agree with Hydro. If you happen to have some extra, I know of a certain Crypt junkie who doesn't have that one yet


Thanks for the tip Adam, I'll give it a try and keep my fingers crossed that I don't have the indestructible variety.  As far as the crypt, I'm pretty sure I might have one to spare. Give me a couple days to find one (it's mixed in with everything else) and maybe we could work out a trade?



legomaniac89 said:


> Oh, and have you tried live Blackworms yet for your discus? At my work, they'll eat all the blackworms before they even look at any other food.


I've read about these worms but I don't know of a store locally that sells them.  I can't imagine paying the cost of having them shipped. I'll check around with my local club to see if I can locate a source. I tried to buy live bloodworms from a store and they advised me against buying them for discus because of the presence of leaches. Any problems with the California Blackworms?



Fat Guy said:


> your tank looks great. hope your discus are coming around. they are such beautiful fish.


Thanks! I hope they get there eventually, they've been a lot more finicky than any other fish I've owned. I guess they've lived up to their reputation!


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## legomaniac89 (Mar 16, 2008)

Digsy said:


> I've read about these worms but I don't know of a store locally that sells them.  I can't imagine paying the cost of having them shipped. I'll check around with my local club to see if I can locate a source. I tried to buy live bloodworms from a store and they advised me against buying them for discus because of the presence of leaches. Any problems with the California Blackworms?


If you're part of a local fish club, you could probably put together a pretty large order and get them for cheap. My club sends in a 40lb order about once a month and it only costs somewhere around $15 a pound, shipping included. Most big live food suppliers should give a pretty nice discount on bulk orders like that.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Good call. I've already been contacted by someone that is trying to put together a group order!


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

hey! any updates? how are your discus eating?


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

Someone is up late *cough jennah cough* +1 on the updates


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Well, unfortunately about 1 week after my last update, I lost 3 of the 5 discus, one every other day. To add insult to injury, both of my filters started leaking two days apart that same week, flooding the floor around the tanks. I tried multiple fixes, none of which worked and cleaned gallons of water on the floor several days in a row. I bought one new filter, a C-220, which was bought before the other large filter started leaking so, I was under-filtering for 10 days while I waited for Marineland to send me a new motor head. Needless to say, it's been a hellish last couple of weeks for this tank. My remaining two discus are doing fine and I'm dosing Metronidazole just to be sure. I'm hoping to update some new pics this weekend!


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

What are the water parameters like? I take it your using RO water?


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

aww.. i'm so sorry to hear that. when it rains it pours huh? what kind of filters sprung leaks?


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Green Leaf Aquariums said:


> What are the water parameters like? I take it your using RO water?


No, just straight out of the tap, unfortunately. 



JennaH said:


> aww.. i'm so sorry to hear that. when it rains it pours huh? what kind of filters sprung leaks?


Yeah, it was a really bad 2 weeks! The first one to leak was my XP3, soon to be followed by my Marineland C-360. Apparently there was a design flaw with the earliest production of the C-series so, the company was not at all surprised and immediately sent me a replacement motor head.


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

> soon to be followed by my Marineland C-360. Apparently there was a design flaw with the earliest production of the C-series so, the company was not at all surprised and immediately sent me a replacement motor head.


ugh.. hope this was fixed before nov/dec '09 that's when i bought my c-360..


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

Does your water out of the tap come out soft?


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

JennaH said:


> ugh.. hope this was fixed before nov/dec '09 that's when i bought my c-360..


You should be okay. I won my C-360 from Marineland when they had an introductory giveaway so, mine was one of the first produced. I think they caught the problem within a year.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Green Leaf Aquariums said:


> Does your water out of the tap come out soft?


Yeah, we have really soft tap water here. That was one of the things that made me think I'd be fine without RO.


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

I wonder what the GH-KH-TDS numbers look like.. Im really sorry for you loss


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Good looking tank. Great journal and sweet discus.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Thanks Gatekeeper. 

I haven't much felt like updating since losing the discus. I was looking back at the pictures of when I first got them and was amazed at how beautiful they once looked. It's really sad that they slipped away, one by one and for no reason I was ever able to determine.  

At least the tank has grown in quite a bit so hopefully I can add some new pics soon.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Finally, a photo update! It's been months and this tank has been to hell and back but I think it's finally starting to fill in.

FTS:











My Kleiner bar sword is just starting to peak over the top in the back. In another few weeks, it should be a lot more visible.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Hacked away at the jungle a little bit. I also added 10 Amanos from Zid Zulander. I can't wait until the Kleiner bar sword gets a little bit bigger but at least it's finally growing!


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Cut my photoperiod back to 3 hours while I was on vacation to combat a little bit of BBA that was creeping in. It has completely solved the problem. I have an Eheim 2217 on its way to use as a CO2 reactor and also add some extra flow. Comments and criticism always welcome!

FTS before today's water change:


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

FTS after water change:


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

Very nice indeed, I really like your Lilly, I'm thinking about using one in my tank but allowing it to grow full airborne leaves. Looking at all that mist your tank must be very healthy.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

The lilies multiply like weeds but I definitely love the way they look in large tanks. It will be interesting to see how your surface lilies look! I thought they might block a little too much light in mine...

BTW, all of the mist in my tank in that shot is all of the bubbles from the water change. I usually try not to photograph it right after because it just looks like I have dirty glass.


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

any updates??? how are the 2 remaining discus?


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

I lost the last two discus about 2 months ago and not too much else has changed, though there has been some growth and a lot of anubias added. I think I've learned that in these large tanks, changes are much more gradual and I can't tell the difference until I look back at old pictures. I'll be posting up some new pics soon.

I had a little bit of BBA pop up for awhile but I just setup an Eheim 2217 and am now diffusing straight into the intake and I'm getting great results.


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

I'm sorry to hear about the discus  Your plants look wonderful though!


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## kingfisherfleshy (Jun 4, 2010)

I wouldnt worry too much about h2o quality...those fish looked rough when you got them in. Not that you shouldnt have been able to fix it, but everything I have read about discus (looking to get into them for quite some time now) says that pH doesnt really matter as much as consistency. With your soft water co2 supplementation might have caused pH swings especially during h2o changes that could have stressed them too much. Too bad. I am sorry for your loss.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Update?


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## AlohaMike (Jan 18, 2011)

That is a spectacular tank. I can see you really love the hobby. I would love to see it in person sometime and get some pointers.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi AlohaMike,

Digsy is a GSAS member, maybe someday I will be able to convince them that they should sign up for the GSAS Home Show and share the tank with others. Don't forget the GSAS Annual Plant Auction is tomorrow evening. Doors open at 6:30; auction starts at 7:00!


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Must have an update on this. I love that plant cluster of goodness nestled center stage.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Sorry everyone for the lack of updates. My life has been really crazy the last few months and I just haven't had much time for this tank. I started a rescape not that long ago but will be moving in a few weeks so put that on hold until after the move and I have some time to work on it. I probably won't have an update until sometime in April. :icon_conf


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

what happened to this tank? any updates after the move?


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