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  L# My Planted Discus Tank
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SubscribeMy Planted Discus Tank
stuquarium
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Enthusiast
Posts: 262
Kudos: 275
Votes: 0
Registered: 28-Oct-2004
male australia
hi guys.

i recently added a few plants to my 55g discus tank.
2 potted ones and 2 regular ones. they have only been in the tank 4 days and they are dieing,

i'd like to know how i should be caring for them? i dont kow if a liquid plant food is a good idea for a discus tank, the less i add medically the happier i'll be

i'm running a bulb thats the right length for the tank but its at 15K so it gives off a purple/bluish light i think a regular tube is about 8K , is it simply a matter of changing the lighting so that plants can feed off that. or will i need plant food, if so what kind? also how long should live plants live ?
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:44Profile Homepage MSN PM Edit Report 
greenfootball
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Fish Addict
Posts: 613
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Registered: 23-Jul-2001
male usa
most live plants can live forever, just like your trees and lawn.

how many watts of lights you have total?
what type of substrates do you have?
what kind of plants did you buy?
how long do you leave your lights on?

depending on the plants you want, you might need different fertilisers. yes you will probably need to add liquid fertilisers to your tank, just matter of how much and how often. seachem makes good ferts, and i think most people likes Master Grow (correct name?)

here is a very good thread, probably has everything you need to know... http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Planted%20Aquaria/51387.html?200504291134

Last edited by greenfootball at 19-May-2005 02:51
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:44Profile AIM Yahoo PM Edit Delete Report 
Untitled No. 4
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Big Fish
Posts: 488
Kudos: 452
Votes: 33
Registered: 07-Nov-2004
male uk
Stuquarium,

There could be several reasons and for us to have a clue you should really answer Greenfootball's questions first.

I want to add one more question -- what water are you using for the tank? Tap water or R/O water, or any other distilled water?

In any case, I wouldn't add fertilisers just yet. If your plants are dying you will feed the algae and not the plants, and it's not very likely that the problem is lack of nutrients.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:44Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Bob Wesolowski
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Mega Fish
Posts: 1379
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Registered: 14-Oct-2004
male usa
Stu,

I would ask what type of plants that you added to your discus aquarium. I would also ask what your tank parameters are. The reason that I would ask those questions is that discus like water that is 82F to 86F. Many plants do not adapt well to the temperatures.

You will find some great information on planted discus aquariums at http://www.tropica.com/default.asp

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:44Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
sham
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Ultimate Fish Guru
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Registered: 21-Apr-2004
female usa
I think the lighting is your main problem. If you just have 1 regular fluorescent bulb over the tank then you barely have enough for even the lowest light plants. That's only 40w or .72wpg which might keeps crypts, java fern, java moss, or similar alive but not much else. Also bulbs in the 18,000k rating are usually actinic or only blue. Plants need red light as well. Adding fertilizers won't harm the fish but it can grow a nice crop of algae if you don't have enough plants or aren't meeting their other needs. Plants can be easy to grow but like the fish you need to research which ones will work in your tank before you buy them.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:44Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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