# New planted tank



## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Hey everyone,
So I want to turn my 3ft tank into a planted tank with discus and some cardinals. I don't know anything about which plants to choose from. Also, I've had the same tube in my reflector for about 2 years. It's a normal fluro. What wattage replacement should I get so my plants grow well? What plants can I get for discs? I'm not using CO2. 
Any help will be appreciated.


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## EnigmaticGuppy92 (Jan 31, 2012)

the watt per gallon rule doesnt really apply to modern bulbs if you were looking at t5ho 2 24w bulbs would put you at medium light i would say maybe how many gallons is the tank


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

The tank is 37 gallons.


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

Too small for discus in my opinion. 55 gallon minimum on discus. Not because they are so huge, but the fact that getting less than five is setting yourself up for failure. Discus can also be difficult fish to keep in a heavily planted tank. It can be done, but it takes work. Lots and lots of water changes. 

Read this before attempting discus. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fish/152359-beginners-guide-discus.html

You light definitely need to be replaced. Most florescent bulbs lose their "mojo" after 6-9 months. As to what wattage...well, what wattage is it. Normally light fixtures will only handle what they were designed to handle. You can't just stick a 40 watt bulb in a 20 watt fixture. Need more information to assist you in the lighting department. Details are crucial. 

Cant help you with the plants until we know what light you will be using honestly. :biggrin:


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

I will check my wattage ASAP and get back to you. That's a shame... I really wanted to keep discus in a planted tank. Maybe I'll turn that tank into a planted B. macrostoma set up and save up for a bigger tank for discus. Do you think I would be able to keep discus in the 37 gallon if I do frequent water changes? Or should I just set it up as a macrostoma breeding tank?


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

afr3178 said:


> I will check my wattage ASAP and get back to you. That's a shame... I really wanted to keep discus in a planted tank. Maybe I'll turn that tank into a planted B. macrostoma set up and save up for a bigger tank for discus. Do you think I would be able to keep discus in the 37 gallon if I do frequent water changes? Or should I just set it up as a macrostoma breeding tank?


Discus can be kept in a planted tank, there are quite a few fellows on here that do that. I'm just conveying to you that this takes a significant more work than an average planted tank. Not because of the plants really, but because of the discus. They require impeccable water quality to thrive. I don't want you to be discouraged...I want you to be informed. :biggrin:

The bigger issue is that your tank is 37 gallon. Discus get pretty big, and as I stated in my earlier post keeping less than five is asking for trouble. They are cichlids, peaceful with most other fish, but absolutely brutal to each other in small groups. As an example I ended up with two of them accidentally and I tossed them into my angel fish filled 90. The angels and discus got along fine, but the dominant discus pestered the less dominant one to death...literally. It died. Angel fish are similar, five or more for best results. (Breeding notwithstanding...that's a whole 'nother ball game.)

It's your tank and your money...I'm just passing along info that I have either gathered here at TPT or learned the hard way. 

Have you looked into Blue Rams? These are excellent community cichlids from SA that don't get to big, and for whatever reason don't become total jerks in small numbers. There are really cool fish, google them.


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

You didn't discourage me. It's just that if I want to get discus, I want to keep them successfully so I want everything to be right. 
I think I will be turning my 37 gallon into a well planted B. macrostoma breeding tank because I would really love to breed a pair of them. I will look into blue rams and if I like them I will set up a tank for them. Can blue rams be kept in planted tanks?


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

afr3178 said:


> You didn't discourage me. It's just that if I want to get discus, I want to keep them successfully so I want everything to be right.
> I think I will be turning my 37 gallon into a well planted B. macrostoma breeding tank because I would really love to breed a pair of them. I will look into blue rams and if I like them I will set up a tank for them. Can blue rams be kept in planted tanks?


Absolutely. 

How could you say no to this guy, lol.


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Lol. I will be setting a tank up for them for sure. They will look good with plants. What plants should I put with them?


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

Any plants you like will be fine for the Rams - do what suits you.

And btw, Daximus has given you some excellent advice about discus care, as well as your earlier plan to add discus to your 37 gal.

I was glad to read that you had changed your mind based on his advice - he was absolutely right - wait to you get a larger tank before you attempt discus, particularly if you're bent on doing it in a planted environment.
Please read my guide to discus as Daximus suggested, and linked for you.
When you're ready, I'll be more than pleased to help you out in any way I can.
Best of luck.


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Okay. I just finished reading the discus article and I have learnt a lot. I'm glad that I changed my mind. I will still aspire to have a discus tank, but not yet. I am going to set a tank up for rams and turn my 3ft into a B. macrostoma breeding tank.


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

I think I will be completely changing my light because it is a bit cheap and cracked so I want an upgrade. What wattage should I get for just general plants? I have milfoil, aluminum and another red plant that looks like milfoil. I'm not too knowledgeable about plant types.. Are there any plants you recommend for B. macrostoma? What type of light should I get? I don't know much about lights either. I would like to stay with fluro.


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

afr3178 said:


> I think I will be completely changing my light because it is a bit cheap and cracked so I want an upgrade. What wattage should I get for just general plants? I have milfoil, aluminum and another red plant that looks like milfoil. I'm not too knowledgeable about plant types.. Are there any plants you recommend for B. macrostoma? What type of light should I get? I don't know much about lights either. I would like to stay with fluro.


For the 37? Probably a T5NO dual bulb for low light, T5HO with dual bulb (but you may not run them both) for medium/high. I forget the dimensions for that tank...you might want to start a post in the lighting section and see what others have done. 

As far as plants grow...really it's whatever you want. I'm sucker for tall hairgrass, all cyrpts, swords, dwarf sag... actually there arn't many plants I don't like. However, I'm starting to become less fond of stem plants...seems like they need way to much trimming all the time to stay pretty, but some of them are the most colorful.


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Okay thanks. I'm going to start scaping my tank soon so when I do finish it I will post a pic. Hopefully I can get the light sorted with a new post


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

afr3178 said:


> Okay thanks. I'm going to start scaping my tank soon so when I do finish it I will post a pic. Hopefully I can get the light sorted with a new post


Yea...give it a day for the light experts to chime in...you really can't go wrong with a two bulb T5HO light. Like I said, if it's too bright you just run one bulb. :biggrin:


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Now I'm stuck on designing a tank.. I'm thinking of getting a large piece of driftwood for a main centerpiece. I don't know if I should get some sall pieces around it or some rocks... Any suggestions? Or sites with pictures of nice aquascape to get the creative juices flowing lol.


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## Learner (Dec 19, 2011)

There are some amazing tanks on show here.....

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Wow! Some of those are amazing! It's made me want to completely pull my tank apart and start from scratch! Some great ideas there! Thanks


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

I've decided I am going to pull that tank apart and start from scratch, new filter maybe, a new light. I am going to order heaps of driftwood and plants from my LFS and hopefully they can get everything I want. It will take some time, but I will post updates as I go.


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## dindin (Mar 4, 2009)

Waiting for pics..... I think you have to just get started and see what works.


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

No pics yet because there has been no progress lol. I've made some decisions though- I'm getting a big piece of driftwood for a centerpiece. The tank is going to have a Glossostigma carpet- something different just to let everyone know how I go with that I also think it looks pretty cool. Lighting... Can't decide on one or two bulbs for my T5HO light. I'm thinking two just to provide some more light for the lower plants. Also should the bulb be 10K or 65K? They're my options. Thanks!


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## Fishly (Jan 8, 2010)

A 6,500K bulb would be better than a 10,000K; the 6,500K is closer to daylight. Unless you plan to add CO2, I would go with medium-low light.


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Finally had some spare time so I have completely stripped the tank and it is ready for Glossostigma that's coming on Wednesday. Still waiting for my LFS to order my driftwood! I also just ordered my light which should be coming around Wednesday. 
I'll keep you posted.


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Getting my Glosso ground cover tonight. If I have time I'll post a pic of the newly planted setup. I'll keep you posted


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Unfortunately my LFS told me last night that they can't get Glosso in. So now I have found somewhere else to order it from, which I will be doing soon. I'll keep you posted.


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## WendyRob (Feb 9, 2012)

I just ordered some glosso from aquariumplants.com. It should get here tomorrow. I'll let you know how it comes in, but these guys gave me a top quality order the last time I bought from them.


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

WendyRob said:


> I just ordered some glosso from aquariumplants.com. It should get here tomorrow. I'll let you know how it comes in, but these guys gave me a top quality order the last time I bought from them.


Hi,
Thanks for the site. From what I've seen it's good quality and quite cheap. I'm not sure if they ship to Australia, but I've already found a place to buy some Glosso from. 
Thanks anyway


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## WendyRob (Feb 9, 2012)

I didn't notice you are from AU. That'd be fun importing a plant to AU that originates there!


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Ordered my Glosso and it should be coming in the mail in the next day or two  I'll talk a photo once I have planted it all. Also, my light should be here tomorrow  its all coming together, but still can't find a good piece of driftwood...


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

My light arrived tonight! Installing that soon. My Glosso should be coming tomorrow  a lot happening now. Really excited, I'll post a pic when I've put all the Glosso in. I'll keep you posted!


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Can't post photos... I'll try again tomorrow. All the Glosso was planted and I am hoping for big results in a few weeks...


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Finally, I got the photos up. The top photo is of the tank with the Glosso planted, although you can't see it. The bottom photo is a section of the Glosso on the bottom. This is sort of a trial, to see if Glosso will grow with a coarser substrate. I'll be posting a new photo every week, this is from 4 days ago.
Thanks


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Problem... So I'm having a hard time finding driftwood. I'm going to an aquarium soon, which hopefully will solve my driftwood problem. If it doesn't, I'm going to my family's vineyard in a week so if I don't find good driftwood would I be able to use the grapevine in my tank? I've heard about it getting fungus which goes away. Please help!


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

nice glosso.


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

That looks great. I 'control+' ed the FTS and still couldn't see the glosso, you weren't kidding when you wrote you couldn't see it!

Most dry wood is fine in a fish tank. I suspect it all gets that fungus. I hadn't seen it until last May when the tank was scaped and full with no fish for a couple days. It is like the finest wild mushrooms to otos and snails and was gone as soon as they found it.

Grapevine rots fast, any other dead wood laying around out there? Any wood is going to slowly rot but some last a lot longer than others. The huge bit of true driftwood I finally let go probably lost about half its weight in 10 years but the sycamore branchlets were softening up in 8 months.

What about rock? I just put some cobbles I found in my yard into my tank in December and was surprised at how much the fish and I liked them in there.


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Thanks 
Yeah, I heard grapevine rots fast. I hope the aquarium I'm going to has a nice piece of driftwood. Any other wood around would be Eucalyptus, which I have heard is bad for fish. I'm not sure if I'm going to use rock yet... I'll see after I get a piece of wood. 
Thanks for the help


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

No point posting a photo... No obvious difference in this weeks photo and last weeks.


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Got my Driftwood today! Really happy with my choice. The top photo is a top view and the bottom photo is a side view. I'll post a photo of how the Glosso is going tomorrow, I'm filling the tank up tonight, although the Glosso hasn't really spread much. Let me know what you think about the Driftwood!


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Everything has gone really bad... I filled the tank up, and pulled about half of the Glosso up so I could put the driftwood in. I got the piece in and planted some of the Glosso... But there is so much algae! It's everywhere! Over the Glosso, from the substrate, on the glass and the driftwood! I also got a clump of Java Moss and just chucked that in there to grow... But that's not permanent. The algae is thin and stringy and looks like hair... Help please??


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## afr3178 (Feb 29, 2012)

Any suggestions for getting rid of algae? I think I'm going to take my Glosso out and sort everything like driftwood placement out first. I'm not sure where I'll put the Glosso yet, but I'm thinking a small tank with fine gravel just until I get the algae under control and my tank looking nice and healthy again.


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