# 125g Discus Planted Tank



## cb1021

Got this tank a while ago. Not much time to work on it...

Can't decide for white sand or aquasoil.

If white sand, then I can't plant it because I only have enough white sand for like 1/2" thick substrate bed.

If aquasoil, more mulm build up. Don't really care since the discus are adults...

What you guys think though?


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## hendy8888

The colour of the discus will be much better with white sand. Lots of work to keep it looking pristine though. If your going to plant that area I would use aqua soil, if not then white sand.


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## cb1021

After thinking about the pros and cons. I'll just go with aquasoil and do fully planted with carpet.


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## planter

That will look really nice. Though trimming is going to be some work


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## cb1021

Did some planting. Went with aquasoil but really black sand would've worked too. This will be low-light tank (with co2) to keep algae away from anubuas. There's 2 x 39W T5HO over this tank. Maybe double that if E. Tenellus doesn't grow.

Going with E. tenellus for carpet. No stem plants. Will add tiger lotus and Nymphoides hydrophylla 'Taiwan'.

I have tons of java moss not sure where I can apply it.


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## Cichlidrookie

*Awesome*

Man that looks amazing can't wait to see some fish in there.


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## Wiccandove

Beautiful!


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## cb1021

Several kings are in.


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## cb1021

75 Gallon - All fish hiding.


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## cb1021

2nd day


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## planter

Looking really good.


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## cb1021

cool thanks!

How are your discus doing? Any significant growth?

I recently realized my discus digest very fast. I had been feeding them heavily 3-5 times a day. Didn't feed them for about 2 days and they lost weight. 

Or it might just be the bigger tank making them look smaller. loool


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## planter

I'm feeding twice a day freeze dried blackworms mostly now. The odd time they get bloodworms. The black worms are so much easier to feed then the blood worms. No rinsing or trying to vacuum what they don't eat.

I just stick a cube on the glass, turn off the filters and wait 15 mins. The uneaten blackworms float to the waters surface and whatever they don't eat I just remove with a net.

I've noticed a little growth on all of them but not much. With 2 feedings a day and the water at 82 I wasn't expecting any crazy growth rates. Most of them are over the 3.5 inch Mark one is close to 4" I'd say they grown about a 1/2" on average. IME they go through growth spurts. 

If they had their own bb tank the temp would be close to 90 and they would be fed at least 3 times a day. 

I've tried feeding 3 times a day but they don't eat much on the 3rd feeding. And their bellies still look full so why fight it. If I crank the temp any higher I fear most of my plants will melt.


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## cb1021

Ah i see. Where do you buy freeze dried blackworms? 

Btw nice avatar lol!


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## Dis

Nice tank. Angelfins.ca carries them


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## planter

Yeah I got mine at angelfins


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## cb1021

Night view


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## TRUONGP15

Did you add anything to speed up the cycle of your tank? Fish went in there pretty fast. Just curious.


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## cb1021

Yea - I put a cycled filter (Eheim 2217) onto the tank. Made it cycle really fast. Really recommend it.


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## cb1021

Almost 2 weeks since last update. The light was tuned down to using only 4 x 39w during last 2 weeks.

A mistake was made by putting Nymphoides hydrophylla 'Taiwan' in the background. Not the best balance. Will switch to Limnophila Sessiliflora.

*Shows aquascape, discus hiding after WC. 
*









*Fish feeding on freeze-dried blackworms (thanks planter for the source, angelfins). 
*


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## planter

No problem. It's a great looking tank.


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## cb1021

Check out this video. Beautiful - next time.


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## cb1021

Really contemplating the jungle aquascapes! Do you guys think I should stuff my tank with plants or leave it as is.


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## cb1021

New fish. I got 2 pairs from Finatics. They both paired off in opposite sides of the tank - both pairs digging in substrate. Photo showing 2 males when they occasionally meet in the middle.

Also got 11 Rummy nose. Still looking to add some cardinals among other small fish.

Tank temperature has been kept at 33*C/91*F recently to try to get rid of white poop Wild Angelfish have.

Plants: added Needle Java Fern, bought by accident. Still looking for Trident java Fern


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## vincel892

Really like the look of this tank. Makes me want to start a lower tech tank with ferns and anubias. The maintenance required on my current 200 gallon can be very time consuming. However, I would really like to get some dantum angels and german blue rams for the 200. But im concerned that the CO2 I inject and the EI dosing would negatively affect these fish. Since they are significantly more expensive than the neons I have right now, Im a little hesistant. Since you've had experience with both these fish, do you think I would have any problems keeping these fish ?


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## cb1021

Cool

Maintenance was a big concern since I wanted this tank to be sustainable long term.

So for rams and dantum angels, you'll be fine even with your current set. Drop the co2 down to green/dark green level and adjust lighting as needed. I don't see you having a problem with them, just don't gas your fish. Make sure to have a dual stage regulator to control co2 precisely.

For Dantum Angels, WC once a week is fine.

Finatics has dantum angels right now ($25/ea to $35/ea depending on size), was really tempted to pick them up more but too broke. Highly suggest you pick them up while they're still there.

THey have good rams right now too. Approximately 10 rams have died on me previously, I think temp too low or bad stock. They're my favourite fish so decided to try again and again. The new ones are pairing off which never happened previously. Maybe it's because I have the temperature high or just good stock.

The Anubuias in the tank was showing nitrogen deficiencies with yellow leaves. I tested for No3, it was at 0. So I started dosing No3. 

Regarding low tech, it was actually

Check out this tanks:
http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=257578
http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=211218&page=2


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## vincel892

Thanks for the info. will definitely check out finatics. Really excited to get some nice looking fish in my tank


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## cb1021

Angelfish haven't been healthy during last few months. Not sure what happened. Been doing heat treatment, temp is at 33*C. Three out of five angels have rebounded, gaining weight fast. Subtle colors coming back too. Check out the green/blue.


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## planter

I like the tank the way it is. Just let what you have fill in. Just my $0.02. Plus once it fills in you can assess better.


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## cb1021

yea i gotta let it chill. It's already grown in since inception.


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## planter

You have no algae and beautiful healthy fish. Just let things settle in a little more.


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## cb1021

Thx for advice planter. Kept me from adding stuff to the tank. 

]


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## cb1021

Rare appearance for Tetras to be in a large group. Usually scattered. Looking to get 100+ fish of the same species to create that large pack. Sometimes Big als has those $1/fish deals. Waiting for right species to pop up.


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## vincel892

Hey cb1021, 
what do you feed your angelfish and how often? I picked up some platinum angels at finatics today . Saw the dantums but was not ready to commit to such expensive fish yet. Will probably get some german blue rams in the future


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## cb1021

Yea congrats on the angelfish. 

The amount/frequency fed is variable. I gauge it by eye. If the fish are hungry (ie. come to glass, stomach flat, not round), I feed them. All my fish are adults though.

For your young angelfish, I'd feed 2-3 times a day, they get hungry fast with fast metabolism. 

The food I feed are: (no order)
Tetra Colorbits
Freeze dried black worms (Angelfins)
Freeze dried Tubifex worms (Hikari)
Northfin Cichlid Formula
Frozen bloodworms
Frozen brineshrimp


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## cb1021

Feeding


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## ameekplec.

Nice tank cb. Just wondering if you had done any treatment for worms? White stringy poop is often a sign of internal parasites - a simple course of praziquantel should help eliminate that, and is completely harmless in a FW tank.


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## cb1021

Hey ameekplec

Yup I had issues with internal parasites. I did the heat treatment for a week, held the temperature at 34*C. 

3 out of the 5 Wild angels are dewormed now and eating like crazy. 2 are still hesitant to eat. 

I had this really weird issue with Prazipro, everytime I dose it, my fish start breathing really heavily and gasping for air at the surface. I dosed the recommended amount on the label, not sure what the problem is. Maybe I'll try again at lighter dose. 

What's your experience with Praziquantel treatments?


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## infolific

cb1021 said:


> 3 out of the 5 Wild angels are dewormed now and eating like crazy. 2 are still hesitant to eat.


AngelsPlus.com sells medicated flakes including one with prazi. AngelFins.ca sells them. Not sure if AngelsPlus + shipping is cheaper or more expensive than AngelFins.ca with markup.

My sick angels luckily continued to eat throughout their treatment. I thought what I was doing wasn't working so I bought the flakes only to see an improvement before the flakes arrived. I guess I'm ready for next time


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## cb1021

Yea the medicated food is actually a good idea. I should continue to feed it to fish that do eat as a preventative measure. I dosed Prazi pro again at 80% dose. Two Oto cats died after. Poor guys.

German Rams laid eggs. I bought 4, luckily got 2 pairs. They each take up opposite sides of the tank and remain loyal to each other. Battles occur in the middle, sometimes 4-way battle between the two couples.

One pair laid eggs last week on left side of tank. Eggs disappeared after a day. Other pair laid eggs on right side of the tank.


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## cb1021

Eggs eaten as expected. Since breeding is not viable in a community tank like this anyways, I will go ahead and add some bottom feeders.


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## infolific

Have you ever tried covering the eggs with something like stainless steel mesh? It would let water circulate while keeping other tank inhabitants out. I haven't had eggs, but I was thinking about what I'd try if I did.

Of course, this doesn't solve the issue of how to protect the fry once they hatch.


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## cb1021

Yea you're right, no point breeding them in community tank. Too many predators.

Btw, what do you guys think is better for snail control, Dwarf Loaches or Assassin Snails? Also in terms of getting bottom feeders, should I get Loaches or Cory cats?

I gave the E. Tenellus a haircut. It's growing faster and faster. Also removed Taiwan lily (grew too messy), replaced with Ambulia. Added African Fern and a bit more nana petite (1cm leaf size).


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## infolific

cb1021 said:


> Btw, what do you guys think is better for snail control, Dwarf Loaches or Assassin Snails?


My dwarf loaches didn't eat any snails (pond or small ramshorns). They did like to nip at my angels' fins.

I had better results with assassin snails. You need to get enough for your tank size though for them to keep up and get ahead of the snails they're eating. I noticed that they were initially slow at making a noticeable dent and then suddenly there were empty snail shells everywhere.


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## hendy8888

I found yoyo loaches ate every snail in the tank within a few days but also bothered the discus. I think they try to eat the slime coat sometimes. I would use assassin snails and Cory cats.


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## cb1021

Hey guys

Thanks so much for feedback. Not sure what will end up happening, we'll see.

On a side note, been wanting to add additional fish to the tank but haven't seen anything special.

The typical tetras and rasaboras look nice but really looking for something I've never had to just keep it interesting/unpredictable.

I can only have one tank, so sometimes it's challenging to mix things up due to compatibility issues or risk of messing up the aquascape (ie. rainbow fish and discus same tank? Not good balance)










Btw if you guys get these LED lights ($12) with this remote, you can get cool night light for cheap. My fish's behavior changes when I dime the lights. Be sure to order a power supply too, doesn't come with one. Easy to install.


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## ameekplec.

cb1021 said:


> I had this really weird issue with Prazipro, everytime I dose it, my fish start breathing really heavily and gasping for air at the surface. I dosed the recommended amount on the label, not sure what the problem is. Maybe I'll try again at lighter dose.
> 
> What's your experience with Praziquantel treatments?


I've had the same experience when treating fish in a higher-temp tank. When you add it, I've noticed fish getting stressed and going for air at the surface. It only lasts a few hours though, and often I've found it's sufficient to greatly increase aeration either from re-aiming spraybars, or adding air stones.

As a result, I try to add it in planted tanks right after the lights go off when the combined oxygen saturation from the plants photosynthesis and the aeration will have the oxygenation at max, but keeping the lights off/dim to decrease stress. FWIW I've never had a fish die due to praziquantal treatment, just kinda get stressed a little.

edit: also, if you don't deworm all your fish at the same time, there's a chance some will clear the parasites, but the others that don't get cured will inevitably re-infect others.


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## cb1021

Ah cool. Interesting to hear from you about same experience. 4 of 5 angels are deformed now and eating well. One last remaining, not sure if it's worms. No feces to examine since fish haven't eaten for a month.


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## infolific

cb1021 said:


> 4 of 5 angels are deformed now and eating well.


An unfortunate typo


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## cb1021

Lool hilarious


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## vincel892

infolific said:


> An unfortunate typo


Was a bit confused as well. Haha


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## cb1021

GF went to Guelph for a conference. Lucky enough that Angelfins was open. Finally new fish, been wanting these for about a year. Asked her to grab 3 Royal Whip Tails (Sturisoma aureum as per Angelfins). Would totally grab a few more. Love these guys.


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## cb1021

Yay finally a sunny day. Love it when natural light hits the tank, it doesn't look bright to eye but the camera is stilling me it's pretty bright.

Highly recommend rams from Finatics (they still have more). The stock is sooo solid. Growing very fast.

Male 1









*New fish added today (Finatics)
*18 Dwarf rainbow fish (tank needed more color. Most of my fish are clear - typical SA tetra)
6 Khuli Loaches (Disappeared into plants)
12 Cardinal tetras (Test batch, cardinals are small this year. Going to see if they get eaten before getting more)


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## cb1021

Couldn't sleep last night after finishing a big project. Did some meditation planting the aquarium with plants from my 75 gallon (tearing down this weekend).

Like it a lot more now that it's more lush.

Plants added (left to right)
Rotala bonsai
Giant Hygro
Cyprus helferi
Rotala vietnam
Unknown ludwigia
Ludwigia repens
Pogostemon helferi "Downoi" (Tissue culture newly purchased)
Hygro pinnatifida (TC newly purchased)
Echinodorus latifolius (TC newly purchased, check this plant out. Never seen it before)


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## cb1021

Update: 10 minutes after putting 12 cardinals in the tank, 3 have disappeared. Beautiful fish though. 

Update 2: found the missing 3 cardinals in the plastic bag they came in. they're still alive. doh


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## planter

cb1021 said:


> Update: 10 minutes after putting 12 cardinals in the tank, 3 have disappeared. Beautiful fish though.
> 
> Update 2: found the missing 3 cardinals in the plastic bag they came in. they're still alive. doh


LOL glad to hear they are ok.

Cardinals are a pain to find these days. Not sure why


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## cb1021

*Good news* - some photos of the Dwarf Rainbows (18). Only 1" babies, looks like some females there too.


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## cb1021

*Other news *- not sure why Anubias is turning yellow. This began ever since the beginning of this tank. I tried dosing Nitrates and Phosphates starting 2 weeks ago. No effect...

I don't suspect that the light being too strong is the issue since the Anubias at the bottom of the tank are yellowing too. I'm running only 4 x 39W bulbs. Photoperiod is about 14-16 hours a day.

Come to think of it, I had these Anubias growing super uniform and dark green while in a low light setting and low nutrient environment. This tank is much more nutrient rich than holding tank, but could it be the E. Tenellus carpet sucking the tank bone dry of nutrients? I'm doing WC every 2-3 days.

I _did _ have the tank at 34*C + at some point during a heat treatment for internal parasites. Current temp is 30-31*C.

New leaves are growing....

Anybody know how to fix? (Sorry blurry photo taken from top of tank)


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## planter

Are you dosing ferts into the water column?


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## cb1021

Yea I dosed like 30%-50% of EI recommended levels at irregular intervals. 

I printed out the EI dosing and stuck it to inside of aquarium stand door. Will start dosing full EI now.

We'll do it as an experiment. Maybe my medium light + co2 combined with low nutrients is stunting the Anubias because for sure in low light Anubias grows very well with minimal nutrients.


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## sir.tie

Had similar issue when I moved my tank. Nothing really you can do just give it a couple of weeks.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## planter

cb1021 said:


> Yea I dosed like 30%-50% of EI recommended levels at irregular intervals.
> 
> I printed out the EI dosing and stuck it to inside of aquarium stand door. Will start dosing full EI now.
> 
> We'll do it as an experiment. Maybe my medium light + co2 combined with low nutrients is stunting the Anubias because for sure in low light Anubias grows very well with minimal nutrients.


I would leave it for now and see how it goes everything else is growing so well. It's hard to believe it's a nutrient thing if your dosing the water column.


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## cb1021

Hmmm - Something is not right. Bolbitis heudelotii is not growing well either.

I'm going to lower the light. Changed to just 2 x 39" Rosette bulbs + LED light tape. Pleasant mellow viewing.

Tank is a zoo now with the fish additions.

Fauna count:
6 Discus
5 Wild Angels
23 Cardinals
36 Dwarf Rainbow Fish
20 Pentazona Barb
15 Candy Cane Tetra
4 German Rams
6 Khuli Loaches
11 Rummynose
3 Royal Whiptail Catfish

Total 129 fish


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## planter

That that's a well stocked tank for sure.

How big are your discus? I know you mentioned it somewhere on this thread or another but I don't see it.


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## cb1021

Discus are like 4"-5". Yea I needed to add some color to the aquarium. All 5 Angelfish are now dewormed and eating well. Discus are active too.

German rams spawned again. Eggs became food for newly added Assassin snails.


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## infolific

cb1021 said:


> All 5 Angelfish are now dewormed and eating well.


What did you end up doing to get them healthy again?

Your tank is looking great!


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## cb1021

Ahh I did a heat treatment for around 7 to 10 days. Kept temp at 34. I dosed prazi pro several times. I also dosed metro a few times. Couldn't tell you which specific thing led to recovery. 

Looking forward to seeing the grow since they really haven't grown much at all since I got them 6 months ago. ...


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## cb1021

Terrible news. 3 Discus passed away. 

Not sure what happened. Everything seemed fine and suddenly they flipped over. I personally witnessed my blue discus swimming normally then immediately flipping over as if she had a seizure.


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## Dis

Sorry to hear that. Goodluck with the ones you have left


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## vincel892

Very unfortunate. Hope the others do well 

Sent from my SM-N920W8 using Tapatalk


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## planter

Oh wow sorry to hear that. 

Did you QT the new fish before adding them to the tank?


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## cb1021

I added a bunch of little schooling fish lately. Nope I didn't QT. No other fish have died. 

Tank looks very barren now without the discus. Miss them.


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## planter

I feel for you bud. It's tough losing your favorite fish especially when you don't know why. Keep an eye on the others


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## planter

I just lost one of my discus after a 90 percent WC and a ram. I noticed a little some fin rot this morning and didn't think.much of it they were all acting normal they even died with all of their color


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## doubledouble

cb1021 said:


> Terrible news. 3 Discus passed away.
> 
> Not sure what happened. Everything seemed fine and suddenly they flipped over. I personally witnessed my blue discus swimming normally then immediately flipping over as if she had a seizure.


I saw this exact thing at a pet store I worked at. Water was perfect quality. I've never found an explanation.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## cb1021

Haven't been home for almost 2 weeks. Wonder what the tank looks like now.


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## cb1021

Back from vacation. Didn't feed fish for 2 weeks. Discus don't look very happy but here's some angelfish photos.


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## cb1021




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## vincel892

cb1021 said:


>


Algae on the foreground ?

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## cb1021

Update on plants:

*E. Tenellus:* 80% melted, 20% is stunted (weird midget growth).

*Anubias:* All degrading. Old leaves are becoming yellow, new leaves are severely stunted. I'll try to move it all out to save it since there's quite a bit.

*Xmas Moss on rock:* Planted a month ago. Zero growth, infact, currently dying.

*Bolbitis heudelotii:* Had 5-6 fist sized plants tied to wood. All died.

*Giant Hygro: *No Growth, holes.

*Rotala Bonsai:* No Growth, yellowing.

I'm pretty sure all above due to high temperatures. All above plants are very easy to grow otherwise.

Discus are beautiful fish though.


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## doubledouble

That's sad  however, those Angels are gorgeous!

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## cb1021

Plants had overgrown. Rescaped tank (moderately). Will take pics and update soon. Really like new look, more clean (no pics no care lol).


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## Consigliere

really enjoyed going through this journal. i'm no expert by any means but i think the source of the issues with plants is the temperature. lots of discus ppl will run low 80s and be fine for plants

one thing to remember about fish is that they are cold blooded. they will be fine at varying temperatures but their metabolism will change. there is ideal ranges and growing requires more temp but overall they are pretty robust and can handle different temps. dont change fast tho.


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## cb1021

Hmm! Great comment about the temperature affecting metabolism (as opposed to life/death). I'll try a lower temp. Maybe that 2-3 degrees Celsius decrease will make a difference.

No time for aquarium these days. I wonder what would happen if I did Iwagumi in this large tank...


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## cb1021

Been a month since last date. Looks like getting busier and busier. Not sure what to do with this tank....Moved all Discus to mom's house for better care. There's some interesting stuff to do (ie. breed, cichlids, etc.) but honestly no time to maintain or enjoy.

Here's some old photos I dug up.

















photo sharing sites


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