mikehookipa
Member
- Joined
- 30 Mar 2015
- Messages
- 42
I've read a lot of things on discus and planted tanks.
I'm a bit confused - do discus really require special conditions? Sorry I need to ask this straight up because I've never kept discus.
Arguments I've seen:
a) Temperature - My tank is at 82F, if I increase it by a couple degrees to fit the discus, are my plants really going to die? Also if my tank is maintained at 82F, are the discus really going to get sick/stunt or die? Really?
b) Uneaten food - I currently feed my tank 3-5 times a day..The tank has 90% plant coverage of surface area. I've never seen uneaten food or had any problems. Nitrates....ummm...It's almost at zero due to plants.
c) Co2, I don't gas my fish (Dantum Angels, Wild caught Scalare angelfish)...it's at moderate levels. The water isn't sour. So if I drop a couple discus in the tank, do they discus die soon after even though my other fish breed readily?
d) Light too bright - I have yet to see any fish that are sensitive to bright light. Are discus really that different?
e) Special water parameters - I've read about people tinkering with their water like hardness and ph, testing water, etc. For my planted tanks, I've never tested water once cycled. What is it about discus that require some kind of special water....
I've kept hundreds of fish in my planted tanks. The only fish that have died on repeated tries is german rams. All other fish are SUPER HAPPY.
So my request is - please talk about your personal failures with discus in planted tanks. I'm just trying to confirm if all the "dont do discus in planted tanks" is true. Trying to put it into perspective, because beginners kill even plants...
I'm a bit confused - do discus really require special conditions? Sorry I need to ask this straight up because I've never kept discus.
Arguments I've seen:
a) Temperature - My tank is at 82F, if I increase it by a couple degrees to fit the discus, are my plants really going to die? Also if my tank is maintained at 82F, are the discus really going to get sick/stunt or die? Really?
b) Uneaten food - I currently feed my tank 3-5 times a day..The tank has 90% plant coverage of surface area. I've never seen uneaten food or had any problems. Nitrates....ummm...It's almost at zero due to plants.
c) Co2, I don't gas my fish (Dantum Angels, Wild caught Scalare angelfish)...it's at moderate levels. The water isn't sour. So if I drop a couple discus in the tank, do they discus die soon after even though my other fish breed readily?
d) Light too bright - I have yet to see any fish that are sensitive to bright light. Are discus really that different?
e) Special water parameters - I've read about people tinkering with their water like hardness and ph, testing water, etc. For my planted tanks, I've never tested water once cycled. What is it about discus that require some kind of special water....
I've kept hundreds of fish in my planted tanks. The only fish that have died on repeated tries is german rams. All other fish are SUPER HAPPY.
So my request is - please talk about your personal failures with discus in planted tanks. I'm just trying to confirm if all the "dont do discus in planted tanks" is true. Trying to put it into perspective, because beginners kill even plants...