pembulls said:
Hi folks I am just in the process of starting a very large discus show tank (7ft) and I would like to partially plant it , I have never had a planted tank before and really don't have much of a clue where to start so I would appreciate some advice please .First of all is it easy doing a partly planted tank and if so how do you stop the substrate moving around(I would like part of the tanks substrate sand),what flow rate will I need on the tank , will I need to use C02, The tanks depth is 27ins and I have just bought 5 TMC Aqua ray 500 gro led lights will this be enough light to grow plants, or will I need more.
Hello,
The most fundamental decision you make when deciding on the direction of your tank is to decide whether or not you want to enrich CO2 or not. This decision comes before EVERYTHING because it determines the entire configuration of the tank as well as the amount of energy and planning required to manage the tank. So the question of CO2 does not have to do with "need" as it has to do with "want". Adding CO2 changes everything. It forces higher growth rates which then forces you to do more water changes and maintenance. To maintain good plant health it also forces you to dose more nutrition. Enriching CO2 allows you to use higher lighting but does not require you to use higher lighting. So you must choose either to use CO2 and have more maintenance but quicker growth and a better variety of plants, or to not use CO2 and to have slower growth and less maintenance.
If you decide that you want to enrich CO2 then you really need to study Ed Seeley's article in the Tutorials Section of the forum
Setting up a 'higher' tech planted tank
In fact you should read all the articles there to help you decide if this is the course of action you want to take.
Lighting causes more problems in a planted tank than anything else, except for CO2 ineptitude. That's why you must be very careful interpreting statements like:
Tom said:
As for the Aqua Rays - knowing people that have had them over 24-30" deep reef tanks, they have complained about the poor intensity in the bottom half of the reef. Never tried one myself though.
This is primarily how planted tanks get destroyed.
Who cares what reefers complain about? The goal of reefers is to get as much light energy in their tanks as possible. For freshwater planted tanks the goal should be to minimize the amount of light energy going into the tank while maintaining an acceptable level of aesthetic appeal. Too much light damages plants and causes algae, too little light looks dim and boring, so reef tanks and planted tanks are on opposite ends of the spectrum as far as this goes. If reefers complain that BrandX light has poor intensity, then this might be an excellent choice for a plant enthusiast. It might be though that the lamp still produces too much light for our purposes, even though the reefer complains about it's poor performance. If you have the means it would be a good idea to buy or borrow a PAR meter and this will tell you a lot about your lighting - and save you a lot of trouble in the long run.
sussex_cichlids said:
Also thing to remember when picking your plants as they need to tolerate the higher temperature in a discus tank if your planning to plant a mix of plants good place to start would be with things like
This also has limited applicability. I have not found a plant that I cannot grow at Discus temperatures. The limiting factor of your plant choice has to do more with whether or not you use CO2, because some plants require much more CO2 to function than others. having said that, Crypts and Swords are always an excellent choice for a large Discus tank because they grow large and will fill the space. Delicate, fine leaf plants may get lost in the scape, but again, this is an aesthetic issue not a temperature one.
To separate your different sediments you can use wire mesh or plastic sheet standing on edge to form the shape you want. When you fill in the sediment the mesh or plastic prevents mixing. You can also use the sheet or mesh to form slopes and grading in the back of the tank and this will keep the sediment from flattening out over time.
Cheers,