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Amazon type planted 125L tank

BubblingUnder

Member
Joined
22 Mar 2017
Messages
130
Location
UK
My first attempt at a 'proper' planted tank at the weekend with standard aquarium equipment :)

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Tank/Cabinet: Fluval Roma 125L
Equipment: Standard came with tank/cabinet. LED striplight,Fluval heater,U3 Fluval internal filter
Initial water parameters: GH 180, KH 120, PH 7, NO2 0, NO3 40 (50/50 tapwater/rainwater from my water butt)
Substrate: JBL Proscape capped with black sand
Hardscape: Tree root & bogwood
Plants (I picked easy ones):
Echinodorus Spectra
Crypt Undulatus Brown
Limnophila heterophyla
Anubias barteri ver Nana
Floating plant: Amazon Frogbit "Limobium Laevigatum"
Hang on houseplants for nitrate removal: 6 Peace Lilies "Spathiphyllum"
Liquid additives: Tetra AquaSafe tapwater neutraliser, Easy-Life EasyCarbo
Fish: 3 C. Sterbai catfish, 5 Endler Guppies (all male)
Lighting Interval: 10 hours (may consider adding a 2-3 hour dark interval if algae appears)
Temperature: 73f/23c


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I am considering adding some red plants in the centre background (possibly "Ludwigia palustris") plus either Willow, Acuba Japonica branch or Potus houseplant on top for further filtration but not sure.

Suggestions/comments welcome.
 

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Update: 1 week after setup
Potus & Willow wands added to my houseplant filter
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Couldn't find red plant "Ludwigia palustris" in the aquatics shop so went with "Ludwigia Glandulosa" the downside is its a harder & slower plant to grow but seems to conceal my heater nicely.
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Limnophila Heterophyla stem plant seems to be spreading and hiding my internal filter quite well with the Amazon Frogbit roots.
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I will raise the water level when the plants really start to take off (hopefully).....
 

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Update (3 weeks after setup):
Bought two Otto's who made short work of a minor algae bloom on rear glass (nearest the window) added three more Cory's. Reduced LED photo period from 10hrs continuous to a split photoperiod 4hrs 22mins (morning), 4hrs 16mins (evening). Internal filter matured nitrates now at 20ppm. Houseplant filter also doing well Willow branch roots expanding nicely.
Replaced the Crypt. near the filter with two Ludwigia bunches (not sure of exact species) trimmed stem plants that had reached the surface. All aquatic plants showing excellent growth looks like the liquid carbon & substrate is working well. Also adding 5ML liquid fertilizer weekly. Made a trip to Wharf Aquatics in Nottinghamshire to pick up a Blue Turq. Discus & three C. Sterbai all seemed to settle in nicely, upped tank temperature to 79F/26C to accommodate the discus & here's a video of it feeding.

Feeding interval upped from twice to three times daily mixture of Tropical flakes & Tetra Prima granules (the discus seems to take great pleasure chasing the flakes in the water current). Will eventually increase feeding to four times day but not increasing the amount fed possibly via an automatic feeder. Will consider lagging three of the glass panes (rear & sides) with reflective insulation wrap sometime to reduce the burden on the heater. V.Happy with progress so far. :)
 
they say that discus should be kept in a group as they are shoalers ; it's reassuring
 
they say that discus should be kept in a group as they are shoalers ; it's reassuring
I also used to read that the minimum number for a tank was six but I was keeping a single discus as part of a community aquarium 15 years ago it did well and grew large, colourful and was a real pet not hiding away but bold and inquisitive. Single Discus seem to be flexible with care (pay attention to PH, temperature and nitrates) and appear to treat the Cory Sterbai as their "shoal" and they are top of that pecking order.

Perhaps keeping discus in bare tanks to maintain water quality has something to do with advising against keeping less than six (or breeders like to sell more). I would imagine that being the only discus in a bare tank might make it insecure. However in a heavily planted tank with features like roots, tall plants & smaller slower moving fish to be in charge of they do well. Also I am not talking about 'wild' imported discus here as I'm sure that captive bred fish strains improved their suitability for the aquarium.
 
New year so Thought I'd update my journal. Added new plants 'Cryptocoryne Balansae' trying to carpet 'Staurogyne Repens'. No full tank shot as have baby Cory's in floating fry tank on the front spoiling the view. Been playing around with YouTube video of the parents in my tank.
 
Update: One year & eight months on....

Carpeting plants spread well, a little more algae than is ideal but still manageable, liquid fertilizer reduced to very little. Considering adding a small CO2 bottle to the tank but not really sure yet. Added 12 Columbian Tetra's to my setup a few months ago, they're like small Piranha's my Discus was a little worried at first but everyone is getting along. Just have to ensure everyone gets a share at feeding time.

Bought a fascinating large African Butterfly fish to fill the surface layer of the tank after my Endlers died. It loves lurking on the edge of my Amazon frog bit waiting for a piece of flake to float into range. My Discus & butterfly fish seem to get on surprisingly well perhaps because they are both slow moving except if he jumps !!

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A very Prehistoric looking fish, I have kept Hatchet fish before (another jumper) will have to be careful at tank maintenance time.

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Aren't the fins striking ? I can see my Assassin Snails on the bottom of the tank, there's loads of them...……..
 
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