# Yikesjason's 150 wide discus tank: holiday decor



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

*Plans for fish and plants*

I will stay with the same theme for fish in the new tank. Mostly South American fish, discus, angels, rams, apistos, tetras, plecos. With a few special purpose fish from other areas like loaches for snails and SAE for algae. 

I want to add build up a good school of rummies to go with my pretty good school of cardinals. 

I will probably ad a few more rams and apistos.

The big investment in fish will be some solid red discus like San Merah or red covers to contrast the brilliant blue turquoise discus I have now.

Because of the dimensions of this tank, lighting and trimming will be tricky. I am pretty sure I will stay with my 4x54w t5ho Catalina fixture and move to more of a mid to low light set up with lots of anubias and ferns.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

*Hardscape plan*

This is where I am going to need some help. With so much depth and height, I have some big plans. But they are not common, so my sources of information are limited. 

I have had more or less the same layout in my first two tanks. It has grown and adapted overtime, but it is mostly similar. My plan for the new tank is again a similar layout with a few new twists. My overall consent is to make this look like a slice out of a riverbank. 

- The left back corner is going to be a large hill. I have the room to do it pretty big, I just don't have a clear idea on how to do it. 
- The second big twist builds on the big hill. I hope to do a planted back wall on cork similar to Tom Barr's method. I hope this will give the impression of a continuation of the big hill to make it look like a river bank. 
- The back right corner will have the manzanita stump that is already in the 90.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

So now I am ready for some input. The piece of info I need is how to do the large hill or bank. I am thinking cork and lace rock to allow for easy plant attachment. Some substrate filled pockets would allow for other plants as well. 

Do I leave the area behind the hill open so fish can go back there, or should I back fill it with something? That is what I am not sure on. I worry about dead pockets and don't know what is required to avoid that.

Any references or ideas would be appreciated.


----------



## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

You could use expanding foam insulation.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Thanks for the suggestion. I used some of that on the jungle wall above the 90. I think it would be a good way to combine the cork and lace rock. I don't think it would be a good idea to try and use it to back fill behind it.


----------



## FastTimes (Oct 16, 2008)

can't wait to see what you do with this one.


----------



## Beeya (Mar 29, 2010)

Try making your hill shape out of tiers of eggcrate. You could put a lip at the edge of each tier to hold substrate better. Then go over the whole thing with pond foam and embed some substrate into it before it's fully cured, so it matches the scape in any spots that aren't actually covered.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Embedding the substrate in the foam is a great idea. It would hide it really well.


----------



## non_compliance (Dec 1, 2009)

You could also use expoxy glue to affix the substrate, or sand, or whatever...


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I am making pretty good progress I think. 
- I got the broken top rim off and removed all the old silicone
- I have a batch of worm castings mineralizing and received an MTS nutrient kit from Cryptkeeper this week
- I bought materials to reskin the stand and started working, but I have found that I need to completely rebuild the stand. While the top and bottom were square, the vertical supports were not. I am in the middle of the rebuild now. 
- theblondskeleton gave me a whole bunch of lace rock from a past scape in his tank. It gave me some great ideas for some things to try with this tank. 

The big change I am making about my planned scape is not to fill the tank all the way up. I really want to have the 150 gallons, but I am worried about the weight. The tank is on the second floor, and while it is against an exterior wall, it runs parallel to the support structure. I just don't want to take any chances. Perhaps someday I will have this tank on a better supported floor and can use the full tank of water, but for now I am planning on 90 gallons of water and the rest will be a plant wall. I am still working on the details of how to do the wall and will fill everyone in later. 

Sorry I don't have any photo updates, hopefully next time I will have some photos of the rebuilt stand.


----------



## choptop (Jun 27, 2010)

sounds like it is going great keep use posted


----------



## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Yay, another 150g discus tank! Best of luck. :thumbsup:


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

The stand is getting close to done. A couple more coats of paint and I still have to make and hang the doors. 

The new top rim for the tank arrived today and fit perfectly. I bought some GE I silicon from Home Depot to seal it in place. 

I am hoping to be ready to make the switch some time next week.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I finished the stand today. I have to go pick up some stuff for the background and hope to have it set up this week.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

You wouldn't even recognize it- looks fantastic! :thumbsup:


----------



## Minsc (Jul 9, 2006)

Nice job with the stand, it looks great.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the new set up.

There are some good techniques on dendroboard for making walls and such.
If I remember correctly, the way most recommended is such:
Use Great Stuff expanding foam to create the hill/wall, and embed large elements with the foam still wet. 
Let the foam cure, and then do any shaping necessary.
Once you have the hill the way you want it, coat all the foam with a thick layer of black silicone, and embed a concealing top layer into the silicone.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I have been doing some research on Dendroboard. I did the pink foam/greatstuff on the last last back drop, this is going to be a different method.


----------



## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Very nice job on that stand! It looks like mine kinda. :thumbsup: I think we used the same hinges. I was almost going to get those handles too, but decided not to.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Home depot only has so many good options.


----------



## topfrog007 (Dec 30, 2007)

Everything looks good so far!
Can't wait to see it progress even further. 

I just went through the initial planting on my 31" high tank. My ribs hurt from leaning over the side so much. 

So I'd say make sure you have your hardscape and plants just the way you want them, as it sure is a pain to work on tanks of this height.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I am a tall guy, but I think this is still going to hurt. I am going to get a set of long tongs with a cutter attachment. Hopefully that will help with a lot of the maintenance.


----------



## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

that stand looks very nice!!! can you build me a stand please???
....are you going to carry over your fauna from the 90 to this tank?? or will you restock it with different wild angelfish?


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I am going to carry almost everything over. I will probably drop out the gold angels and hopefully find some nice solid red discus to add.


----------



## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

Did you build a completely new stand, or did you just refurbish the one that came with the tank? It looks great either way, I'm just curious.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I completely took it apart because it was not square. I reused the 2x4s and added a few more. Then all new plywood. I am not 100% happy with it. But without a table saw or chop saw, it was about the best I could do.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I finally have this ready to go upstairs. I am planning on doing the switch tonight. This is going to be quite a chore. Hopefully it goes smoothly.


----------



## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

I thought your not support to keep anything over 55 gallon on a second floor. Stand looks great and i am looking forward to your journal.


----------



## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

yikesjason said:


> I finally have this ready to go upstairs. I am planning on doing the switch tonight. This is going to be quite a chore. Hopefully it goes smoothly.


Best of luck!
That'll definitely be a lot of work. 

I don't know anything about how houses are structured... but how do you know if your second floor can hold that much weight? Just so i know in the future. :icon_lol:


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I am only going to fill with about 90 gallons. I used to have a 125, then a 90 before after talking with my uncle who used to build houses. I don't think 150 would be a good idea though. 
It is against an exterior wall and crosses 3 or 4 floor joists. I am not worried with the set up I am planning.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

The tank is now in place and has substrate. I ran out of working time tonight and will have to finish tomorrow. I am lucky to have a 6'8" 320lbs brother in law to help me move these tanks around. 

I pulled all of the plants out earlier today because I knew it would make it pretty murky, but it would still be a lot easier to catch everyone.









Here is the parting shot of the 90. It is now up for sale, tank, stand and jungle wall for $300.









These are just quick shots, so they are not great, but here it is in place with sand around the edges. 









Here is one of my experiments for this tank. I have mineralized soil in most of the tank and I used hydroton to build up a slope in the back left corner. I think it will do a good job holding its slope and keeping the sand in place. I will add some rocks to also help support it. 









This is where I had to end for the night. I added the sand cap. The slope is a little bit more than it looks in the picture.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

All of the fish are spending the night in an extra large tupperware tub with an air stone and heater. It was interesting to see exactly how many fish I had in there. 

7 discus
5 wild angels 
2 SAE (1 of the 2 jumped and died already)
2 german blue rams
2 apistos
3 zebra loaches
23 otos
24 cardinal tetras
5 rummy nose tetras
1 lf abn pleco
2 regular bn pleco
3 bronze corys 
4 julii corys

I had fewer cardinals than I thought. I bought 15 more rummies and another pair of GBR today with some gold angels that I took to the lfs for credit. They are in qt now.


----------



## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

wow, thats a great deal on the 90 gallon. Are you gonna keep the same stock list and just add more fish?


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

You sure your discus and/or angels aren't snacking on your cardinals? I'd expect the wild angels in particular would...


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

It is possible that some of the smaller cards have been eaten, but not too likely. The angels and discus are not quite that big yet. 

The stock list is going to stay mostly the same. I took out 3 gold angels and will add 15 rummys and another pair of GBR.


----------



## jargonchipmunk (Dec 8, 2008)

you might have issues with the hydroton. The larger particle size and high bouyancy compared to the other substrates will mean eventually it'll end up on top unless you really cover it in rocks.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

jargonchipmunk said:


> you might have issues with the hydroton. The larger particle size and high bouyancy compared to the other substrates will mean eventually it'll end up on top unless you really cover it in rocks.


You might be right. I didn't think of that. Well, that is why I called it an experiment. We will see what happens.


----------



## theblondskeleton (Aug 28, 2009)

Holy cow, man this is looking great! I love the stand. and is that the huge chunk of lace rock on the wall there? It's dwarfed in there!


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

It is starting to come together. I wish I could have had more time to work on it today. I had an unemployment meeting this after noon, and then we all went boating with my in-laws tonight. The boating was not on the calender when I planned the switch.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

theblondskeleton said:


> Holy cow, man this is looking great! I love the stand. and is that the huge chunk of lace rock on the wall there? It's dwarfed in there!


That is the biggest piece of lace rock. I really like the tank. I wish I could fill it all the way. The back drop is showing some promise, but the water function is a lot louder than I was expecting. And man do I have a lot of glosso.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I have some preliminary shots of the tank with most of the plants in the water and the fish back as well. I have only planted half of the glosso I have, and still have to plant the emergent and wall plants too. I don't have that as clear in my mind yet. But that is not as urgent as the under water stuff was. The discus didn't like their day an a half in the rubbermaid tote. 


























I love the depth of this tank!


----------



## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

awesome  cant wait to see it when its all filled in


----------



## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

kwheeler91 said:


> awesome  cant wait to see it when its all filled in


 its not gonna be :icon_roll.

I actually like the look of it. If only it was a rimless! Is that an atuto misiting system or something at the top with all the pvc pipes?


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

VadimShevchuk said:


> its not gonna be :icon_roll.
> 
> I actually like the look of it. If only it was a rimless! Is that an atuto misiting system or something at the top with all the pvc pipes?


Thanks. Rimless would be nice, but very expensive and I would have to run lights from an elevated position as well. It is difficult to run lights that can grow plants at the substrate level and not fry the plants on the wall. 

It isn't a misting system, more of a trickle system. One of the canister returns goes to a spraybar just below the rim of the tank. Then there is a pump to a spray bar at the top of the back drop that will run on a timer to water several times a day.


----------



## AquaNorth (Jan 27, 2010)

Very nice, it looks great. Your discus and angels are stunning. I also have discus and angels in a 75 gal.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

AquaNorth said:


> Very nice, it looks great. Your discus and angels are stunning. I also have discus and angels in a 75 gal.


Thank you. I really like them. 

I got started on the plant wall tonight. I have been eying some plants at Home Depot, but wasn't sure I wanted to start spending money on them yet. Don't tell my wife, but my budget is currently used up on this project already. :icon_wink 
I had checked a couple of other places and was back at HD for probably the 10th time this week and decided to get one since it was the last one there and I really liked it. 









But once I got one, I ended up with 4 plants tonight.

























That last picture is a cheap plant that is not as impressive as the others, but you can see how I am attaching them. I don't know how well these plants will do, but they should do pretty well. 

Here are a couple more shots that show some more of the progress. You can see that I still need to add a lot more plants. And hopefully I can get some good moss growing on there as well.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I am on my way to Montana for a week and hoping my in laws can keep everyone alive. I added a bunch more plants from my back yard to fill in the back drop.


----------



## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

(Insert great smilie here) That thing is wicked awesome!!!!


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I spent a little time today adding a few more plants to the drip wall. I never did get pictures up after adding the second round of plants that all came out of my back yard. So this set of pictures shows today's additions which are some more home depot plants. 
Tomorrow I hope to spend a little time under water and maybe I will ad some pictures of the whole set up after that. 

Above tank section. This part gets water automatically a few times a day. This seems the easier portion. My honey suckle vines are the only plants having a hard time. I even put up a few pieces of oregano that are doing well. 









Detail of the drip wall that is inside the tank but above the waterline. This section gets water constantly from one of the canister filters. This section is a little trickier because it is too wet for a lot of plants. I am hoping the glosso will really start to take off here. A lot of it has already melted and made a mess, but it is starting to grow now. I still need to see which plants are going to work well here.


----------



## SearunSimpson (Jun 5, 2007)

I'm not sure if I've already posted this on here, but check out www.greenovergrey.com for some inspiration. I recently saw this company at a home and garden expo and was blown away at how simple it actually is to do.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

SearunSimpson said:


> I'm not sure if I've already posted this on here, but check out www.greenovergrey.com for some inspiration. I recently saw this company at a home and garden expo and was blown away at how simple it actually is to do.


Thanks, I hadn't seen that one. I looked at several similar sites as I prepared to build this system. Sourcing materials locally for a good price was my biggest challenge. Most of those big projects use two layers of a special felt. On my smaller scale, I am hoping the pond filter media with come out cheaper and more flexible since I don't really have a clue which plants are going to work and I have to build up somewhat slowly. I would like to possibly do a big project like those some time though.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

The tank is doing pretty well. I had to do my first trim on the glosso as some of it was getting tall instead of spreading low. It is slowly starting to spread though. I am starting to see some signs of deficiency, I think the drip wall is eating all of the ferts faster than aquarium plants ever would. Now I am double EI dosing.


----------



## Swan900 (Apr 27, 2010)

I like what you have done with the wall. Is the drip wall fed by water from the aquarium or does it have its own independant resivoir with nutrients, etc? Also what material is that wall made out of? Thanks!


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Swan900 said:


> I like what you have done with the wall. Is the drip wall fed by water from the aquarium or does it have its own independant resivoir with nutrients, etc? Also what material is that wall made out of? Thanks!


Thanks. The wall is doing well and most of the plants are taking very well to it. It is fed with water from the tank. I am sure I am loosing co2 from it, but I think it is worth it. It is made of bulk pond filter media with egg crate and conduit pipe for rigidity.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Just a quick picture of the tank section


----------



## sapphoqueen (Feb 9, 2010)

Wow!!!
Bravo!
Thats all I can say....


----------



## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

That's a badass setup, my friend. The new tank makes it.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Thanks guys. 

Good to hear from you Phil. It has been a while. How is your tank doing?


----------



## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Jason,

I just moved the other day and the tank's dry. I'm taking this opportunity to revise the filtration and reconsider the planting scheme. Ok, I'll be redoing almost all of it.  The original sump was nice for some things but it didn't do a good job of cleaning the water. It would be perfect for salt water (it's original use), but it's sorely lacking for a planted tank. Right now I'm considering going with a modular system like the Pentair Lifegard Scolley's using on his tank. On a tank this size the closed-loop nature of that system will be quieter, save a lot of CO2, be easier on the pumps, and be more a more effecient water cleaning system. The only serious consideration I've got to make is to keep the overflow or not. 

The discus are back at John's house for the foreseeable future. :fish:


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

For the last year I have mostly worked from home and about 3 months ago I got laid off. So, I am used to having plenty of time to work on my tank. Last week I started a temp job and am nervously waiting to see how the tank holds up with less attention. So far so good. The wall is doing very well still and the tank is fine. Slower growing with the lights so high, but that is fine. I am pretty sure all the plants on the wall suck up any possible nutrient build ups.


----------



## fishyjoe24 (Dec 10, 2009)

Phil Edwards said:


> Jason,
> 
> I just moved the other day and the tank's dry. I'm taking this opportunity to revise the filtration and reconsider the planting scheme. Ok, I'll be redoing almost all of it.  The original sump was nice for some things but it didn't do a good job of cleaning the water. It would be perfect for salt water (it's original use), but it's sorely lacking for a planted tank. Right now I'm considering going with a modular system like the Pentair Lifegard Scolley's using on his tank. On a tank this size the closed-loop nature of that system will be quieter, save a lot of CO2, be easier on the pumps, and be more a more effecient water cleaning system. The only serious consideration I've got to make is to keep the overflow or not.
> 
> The discus are back at John's house for the foreseeable future. :fish:


does nichlson can't even sell his name right now. even have room in his fish house.. he always seems to be stuff with discus.. your clay/ada is good stuff but it clouded the water in the 55g and now it looks like cholcate milk. 

Jason the tank is looking good.


----------



## Clare12345 (Dec 20, 2008)

Wooooow @ the tank. :drool:


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I have been continuing to add plants to the drip wall to fill it out. I think it is just about there except for the area below the tank rim. Most of the plants don't like the constant water there. 

Here are some pics. 






























Here is my favorite plant up close.


----------



## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

Wow, that drip wall is really lush...what a great setup!


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Thanks. I have been surprised how pretty much everything is doing well. I even have some oregano growing on there and it is doing well. I figured as I added plants, some would take and others wouldn't. But so far the only plant to really have a hard time in the higher section on the water timer is the honeysuckle cuttings. 

The lower section with constant water is still the sticky part. Only a few of the plants have worked there. I thought the glosso would take off, but it is only just hanging on. would like to try some other things like riccia but have not gotten around to it.


----------



## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

I don't like the white background but other than that it's very impressive.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I am not a big fan of the white either. It was what I found that worked. The plants should eventually cover all of the white thought. And in the tank, I didn't want a dark background because of the discus.


----------



## theblondskeleton (Aug 28, 2009)

Looking good, man! How's your humidity?


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

theblondskeleton said:


> Looking good, man! How's your humidity?


Thanks. As long as it is not in the 90s for days on end, it is not bad at all. I still loose a lot of water out of the tank, but the house is well ventilated so it is not too bad. I think it might still need a dehumidifier durring the winter when I can't just open the windows and let the breeze take care of it for me.


----------



## theblondskeleton (Aug 28, 2009)

I hear you there! I keep our dehumidifier running year round if possible. Our place is just too small. 

BTW, what temp are you running? I'm having much better luck running at 82. Everyone seems much happier - even my bolbitis is doing well.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

It is around 84, but goes up some on hot days. 

How is your tank doing? You have been pretty quiet on the forums lately.


----------



## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Beautiful! I am very jealous of your plant wall. 

That plant in that last picture with the pink veins is really cool.


----------



## theblondskeleton (Aug 28, 2009)

yikesjason said:


> How is your tank doing? You have been pretty quiet on the forums lately.


It's good, actually - both are. I'll throw up an update soon. School is starting this week, and I'm subbing right out of the gate, plus our 1st anniversary is tomorrow.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

theblondskeleton said:


> It's good, actually - both are. I'll throw up an update soon. School is starting this week, and I'm subbing right out of the gate, plus our 1st anniversary is tomorrow.


Congrats. And good luck with the new school year.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

My wife rented some nice camera lenses to shoot a wedding this weekend, so I got some better than normal pictures to share. 










These are some brilliant turquoise I got from Hans back in Jan or Feb. 

















Here is one of my wild peruvian angels in with them. 









The discus like to hang out on the right side of the tank. This is the side I feed on and has the best hiding spot behind all that wood. It also has the open sandy area. The other side is a rocky hill with glosso. I forgot to take pictures of that side today.









The drip wall continues to be a favorite part of this tank. It is so much fun to have success in a new field of a hobby. 



























I even have a friendly spider living next door to the tank. He seems to be helping keep the bugs under control. I was getting some little gnat like things flying around.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Wow the wall is really filling in well!

I hope you don't end up with the same problem with gnats we had in my hubby's office after some ended up colonizing the live plant pots- after 2 failed exterminator visits I finally had to remove the live plants all together, the gnats were just too horrible!


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

The gnats were getting bad for a little while, but they seem to have disappeared for the most part now. I need to make sure that I don't end up with a spider infestation. I never saw arachnophobia, but I don't want to recreate it in my house.


----------



## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Wow Jason, your tank is looking well!!! I think the answer to your bottom of the wall problem would be easier solved by emergents coming out of the tank rather that terrestrials filling in the bottom. Who am I to say tho, looks great!


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Today was a big day for my tank. I added 2 new discus and I saw another pair in there lay eggs. Unfortunately, by the time I went to take pictures of the eggs just a couple of hours later, they were already gone. I will get some pics of the new discus later after they have settled in.


----------



## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

Wow, this has a real river scene to it, those discus are beautiful too. That wall is really neat too, I've never seen anything like it.

I think it needs more spider


----------



## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Very nice job on that wall. I've never seen anything like it till now.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Here is a photo detail of how the plants are planted into the wall. 

I have found that this plant works well, even in the very wet section, so I recently got some more. 









I divide up the plants and remove all of the dirt and rinse them in a bucket of water.









I cut a slit into the background, which is bulk pond filter media. 









Then push the roots, or even the stem from a cutting into the slot. 









Then away it grows.


----------



## Nate McFin (Mar 19, 2009)

This is just awesome Jason. Thanks for the great thread its very inspirational. 
You dont have any pics of the construction of the wall itself do you?
Any problems with water coming off the wall at all? Mold?


----------



## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Awesome tank man. Kind of a hybrid riparium! Just much more big and beautiful.


----------



## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

Very creative. The plants on the wall just look too goddang good; so good that at first glance I thought they were fake.

Have you ever successfully raised discus spawn? It's pretty much impossible unless you separate the pair in a second bare tank.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

snausage said:


> Very creative. The plants on the wall just look too goddang good; so good that at first glance I thought they were fake.
> 
> Have you ever successfully raised discus spawn? It's pretty much impossible unless you separate the pair in a second bare tank.



Thanks. 
I have only had discus since February and just saw the first spawn on Saturday. I hope to raise a batch or two of discus. I did the same thing with angelfish. I had a bunch in a tank and ended up with a spawning pair. The pair of angels will probably have to vacate their tank for the discus pair at some point.


----------



## theblondskeleton (Aug 28, 2009)

Hey congrats on the first spawn! Mine spawned for the first time on Saturday as well, haha... well, one of the females did, anyway. She wasn't joined by any of the males so it was a solo act. Are you QT-ing the newbies or did you just throw them in?


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Thanks. I guess all it takes is something to shake things up to get the spawning going. There was a pair with the eggs, but they didn't last long enough to see if the eggs go fertilized. 

I just threw them in. My qt tank was already in use.


----------



## Loubard (Dec 16, 2005)

Very nice tank and wall  

Only negative thing I can think of with the wall that in time the roots will go all over the place and that removing a single plant can be nearly impossible :tongue:


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I know that removing plants will not be easy. That was never part of the plan. This isn't a modular system.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I added a couple of Santarems from theblondskeleton a few weeks ago. I tried to get pictures of them tonight but it didn't turn out that well. But here is one anyways. 
I also have pictures of my two orchids. I am pretty happy with the fact that they are both doing well. They are both mounted to pieces of cork bark on the plant wall.


----------



## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

that discus is awesome... is it wild?


----------



## rickztahone (Jul 20, 2009)

great looking discus. i didn't know the blondskeleton was selling his discus. he got them from Hans didn't he?


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

He was just trimming down his numbers by a couple. 

They are not wild. They are a breed carried by Discus Hans.


----------



## theblondskeleton (Aug 28, 2009)

Glad the kids are doing well! Great shot, by the way - they never posed like that for me! Haha... Looks good, man  Those orchids are beautiful!


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Just a simple update. Not much new. The backdrop has filled in quite a bit and I had to start pruning it some. My glosso is not doing so well in the tank, but it is holding in there.


----------



## Stingray (Jul 1, 2009)

Such a lovely tank. Everything seems so natural and that nature does not stop at the water line it just keeps going up. Amazing work!


----------



## MrJG (Feb 21, 2007)

This is looking fantastic. I could sit and stare at that for hours! 
I might have missed it in the thread but what are you lighting the wall with?


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

MrJG said:


> This is looking fantastic. I could sit and stare at that for hours!
> I might have missed it in the thread but what are you lighting the wall with?


It is a pair of 65w fluorescent flood lights from Home Depot.


----------



## MrJG (Feb 21, 2007)

Wow! I completely expected it to be some gnarly MH fixture. Thats some awesome growth from the floodlights.


----------



## theblondskeleton (Aug 28, 2009)

Wow, that's getting thick! Wonder what's up with the glosso. Any ideas?


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

My maintenance has not been up to normal standards.


----------



## Cuchulainn (Nov 2, 2010)

I too could sit and stare at that tank for hours! Beautiful job-very inspirational. I set up a 120G after just finishing the stand. Aiming for a wild discus tank myself so am gong to be watching this thread closely. The planted wall looks amazingroud:


----------



## the_deeb (Mar 19, 2009)

The plant wall is really filling in nicely. Do you think you could put up a list of the plants that you've found are working well in the lower portion that gets constant flow?


----------



## gringostar9 (Oct 11, 2010)

Looks Fantastic... The wall is such a great idea and you pulled it off well. Cant wait for more pictures.


----------



## fishiesramazing (Dec 6, 2009)

Wow! This is so awesome. I am amazed at how much work it took and it really paid off! How did you take such amazing pictures of your great Discus and Angels? I've been trying to get some of my fishes, but can't figure out the flash vs. no flash settings. If no flash, then the fishes have to be really still; with flash the color doesn't seem as nice as the tank light.


----------



## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

Beautiful work jason. Not a very common thing to see but it sure looks good. The wall makes the whole area around the tank look more like a jungle out of the rain forest. Definitely looking forward to updates!


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

fishiesramazing said:


> Wow! This is so awesome. I am amazed at how much work it took and it really paid off! How did you take such amazing pictures of your great Discus and Angels? I've been trying to get some of my fishes, but can't figure out the flash vs. no flash settings. If no flash, then the fishes have to be really still; with flash the color doesn't seem as nice as the tank light.


I have a pretty good camera and take a whole bunch of pictures. And if I am lucky, one of them looks good after I finish fixing the color balance and contrast.


----------



## LICfish (Oct 9, 2010)

That looks amazing! :drool:


----------



## JCoxRocks (Mar 22, 2005)

This is pretty amazing Jason. Everything from the water level down is more my speed, but the plant wall is pretty impressive to me nonetheless. 

I've always wanted to do some wild angels (altums?) and have flirted at the idea of discus from time to time but too many people over the years have scared me off of them with stories of them not being very hardy, having to stay on top of water quality constantly, etc.

Do you find they are that difficult? Have I just been psyched out? I think some discuss would look AMAZING in my 125.

J


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

If you do weekly 50% water changes for EI dosing you can do discus just fine. I was pretty unsure about doing discus as well. It wasn't until I had a handle on weekly water changes and had a succesfull planted tank that I felt confident enough to get discus and I have not had any problems bigger than worms. A quick treatment of dewormer flakes and they started growing fast again.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I have been very busy lately with the holiday season. My wife makes jewelry to sell on line and has done a few holiday bizarres this year, so she is even more busy, which just means that I am busy trying to keep up with her. This all means less attention to the tanks. The plant wall doesn't seem to mind, but the underwater portion does. 

The faster growing plants on have really been trying to take over the drip wall. I had to do some hefty trimming a couple of times just to make sure that some of the slow growers didn't get swallowed up. 

Inside the tank I have had some bga problems and there has been some die back on the blyxa and glosso. I think I need to trim down my school of discus a little. I am probably a little overstocked for the amount of time I can put into it lately.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I have had my Catalina Aquarium Solar T5HO 4x54w fixture running for almost 2 years. It has done great. I should have changed the bulbs by now, but never did until today. What a difference fresh bulbs and clean reflectors make.


----------



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

yikesjason said:


>


Wow your drip wall sure filled in nice.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Thanks. I now have to trim more on the wall than in the tank on a weekly basis.


----------



## rickztahone (Jul 20, 2009)

Looking great!


----------



## rhinotam0405 (Mar 15, 2010)

Just add some bog plants (pitcher plants and venus fly traps) to catch the little bugs


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I thought about adding some fly traps. The flies seem to be gone now anyways.


----------



## Wingsdlc (Dec 9, 2005)

yikesjason said:


> It is a pair of 65w fluorescent flood lights from Home Depot.


I have seen lights like that in Lowes. I thought about using on on my 20G long. Glad to seen someone else thinks a bit like me too.

Tank is really neat!


----------



## chilled_fire (Jun 4, 2010)

^^^ its a jungle out there, roud:
fantastic setup ! and those are some awesome discus and angels


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Thank you. I did some major trimming and thinning over the weekend. It was time to pull out some of the plants I didn't like so much and make room for my favorites.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I was watching a landscaping show on TV this past weekend and they featured a vertical wall of plants along the back of their patio that reminded me of your tank. They used coco fiber mats.

We get these tiny little gnats in houseplants that are just about impossible to eradicate, too. They're super annoying!


----------



## thelastlife (Feb 14, 2011)

nice tank. 

THIS MAKES ME WANT TO PLANT MY TANK!


----------



## Juand15 (Oct 9, 2008)

my respect! you have what i would love to accomplish one day!

:eek5: 

where do you buy the "plant Wall" from or did you made it?


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I built the plant wall. There are more details at the beginning of the thread. If you have specific questions, let me know.


----------



## ADA (Dec 31, 2010)

Om my gosh.. I'm JUST starting to feel good about my tank, then I see this one  haha

What an incredible scape. I love it.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Oh, don't worry. Your set up has me feeling pretty much the same way.


----------



## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

Any new pics?!


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I haven't taken pics in a while. I am thinking about selling it. 

Anyone in Portland interested?


----------



## fishykid1 (Apr 5, 2010)

yikesjason said:


> I haven't taken pics in a while. I am thinking about selling it.
> 
> Anyone in Portland interested?



bad jason 

Good luck! Thanks for being a great help to me with my co2 setup and what not!


----------



## brasstetra (Sep 14, 2006)

Jason,

Have you had issues with your angels and smaller fish? Looks great!!


----------



## bearcowski (Jun 6, 2010)

Very nice tank.
will be great when filled in.
I hope to get some discus soon....


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Everyone has gotten along together just fine. I am hoping to have the discus sold in a couple of hours. The plan is to down size to a rimless 33.6 gal tank with LED lighting.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

The discus and angles are sold and my new rimless tank is on its way. I need to get my honey do projects out of the garage so I can get my stand built.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Just got my new rimless in the mail yesterday. It is awsome. I am really going to miss my 150, and have had a lot of second thoughts. But, seeing the rimless, I am very excited about it. I also got my 2 par30 LED bulbs in the mail yesterday. Don't know how I am going to suspend them yet, but they are going to be cool.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Tonight I pulled all of the plants off the drip wall. This is painful. I don't want to get rid of this tank. It wasn't working very well with the drip wall. The plants were too big, and it became one big mess. I wasn't spending enough time working on it. Now I wish I could keep it, get rid of the drip wall, and start over again. But now I am committed to getting rid of the tank so I can move some other furniture around. I even wish I had the space to store it for later when I have more room.


----------



## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

Whats the deal with par 30 bulbs? 
Do they put out 30 PAR or are they named for the PAR CAN type of spot light lighting?


----------



## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

That is beautiful.... Wow I am truly amazed with your tank jason, I have trouble understanding why this isn't in magazines... you've made a wonderful home for those beautiful fish.


----------



## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

Oh bummer you got rid of it =\ How much were you selling this tank and stand for? wish you were in socal


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Once I get the new tank up, I will try and sell the tank and stand for $300. The lights, one of the canisters, and other parts and pieces will also be for sale.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

Here are a couple of pictures of the new rimless tank. 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/147253-yikesjasons-33gal-rimless.html


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

One last hurrah for the 150. I got it empty and cleaned out. The 33 rimless is up and running right next to it. I thought it would be cool to grow some amaryllis flowers in the empty 150 and it kind of grew from there. I got a bunch of moss and stuff from some trees near my house. I think it makes for a nice holiday decoration, then I can sell the tank after Christmas.


----------



## yikesjason (Jul 2, 2008)

I did get a small tree frog to put in there for my wife. I guess I will be getting a smaller terrarium at some point when I do finally sell the 150.


----------



## naturelady (Dec 14, 2009)

I was just looking through this thread and admiring your awesome tank. The wall of plants is really super neat. I was particularly intrigued by one of the plants, and wondered if you could tell me what it was. It was one of the first plants you put in the wall, in post #46 http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1116241-post46.html I think its the third picture down- the plant with the really narrow spiky leaves and the pink blossom-ish thing on top. Do you know the name of that plant?


----------



## lbacha (Apr 13, 2011)

It is Tillandsia cyanea I have kept it before the only problem is the plant dies shortly after blooming so don't be surprised if it doesn't make it since you usually buy it in bloom

Len


----------



## Irish-n-Zwack (Aug 10, 2015)

I just read the entirety of this old thread, and am absolutely heartbroken that you took the plant wall down! It was a thing of beauty, and something I've wanted to do for years. So was the aquarium, of course, with the gorgeous discus and angels. Had I only known, way back when you had stuff up for sale, I would have jumped on that tank and tried to talk you out of some of your plant wall plants.

In other news, that Tillandsia cyanea doesn't entirely die. Put it in the right conditions with regards to light and water, and it creates "pups" around the edges of the dying parent plant, which you can eventually separate into individual sections and grow them to adulthood with time. I have several generations worth of "pups". The big thing is that the plant doesn't like to have its body and roots STAY wet, like all air plants (even though it's one of the few who need/do nicely in certain types of soil as long as it drains well).

It was really nice reading this thread. People and their decor change, but, like I said, it was heartbreaking to know it was all taken down! It was Heavenly .


----------

