38dodge Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Ok, have freed up my 55 gallon tank and thinking on setting it up as a planted Discus tank. Would like toi keep it as a "low light" tank, any suggestions on plants that will thrive under these conditions would be greatly appretiated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Java fern, Anubias spp. most swords and Valisneria will all grow to decent sizes in al "low light" tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprucegruve Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 (edited) java fern, there are lots of different variates marimo moss balls(Japanese moss ball) dwarf chain sword(pigmy chain sword,micro sword) anubias, lots of different variates Jungle Val,grows really big wendtii, bronze is easy,others probably are hardy aswell moss, lots of different variates Edited February 24, 2012 by Sprucegruve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38dodge Posted February 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Thanks Guys, guess I'll take my list and head out shopping this weekend. Any suggestions for substrate? I have never had a planted tank but if I'm investing the time into a Discus tank figured "go hard or go home". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Fancy substrates are HIGHLY overrated, IMO. Tho, they seem to be gaining popularity again. Most plants take nutrients thru the leaves, and those that are root feeders just need some root tabs and/or clay balls under them. I'm a huge fan of playsand - great color and cheap! Or stop by a sand blasting place and pick from a few colors. I've used garnet and a more coarse silica sand (Sil8 or 9) are great choices, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38dodge Posted February 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Thanks for the idea Jason, I may just look at that instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurensdad Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 i use florite in my tanks it is a bit of a mess when you first use it alot of dust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfishal Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 I have done a few planted tanks and noticed that when I used florite yes it was very messy at first. I also used playsand. I didnt fint it to be much different then eachother just make sure you get reall clean sand bfore putting it in your tank or it will look like chocolate milk lol. Between the 2 different substraits I used I only ever noticed a differance when I added co2. With newer plants added at the begining stages the co2 helped the flourish alot and fast! But once they took off I turned the c02 off and the grew healthy without it after the tank was mature. So I didnt think the substrait mattered at all it was the c02 that made the differance. With low light plants though they dont reall require much at all so if co2 is added is great but still not a must. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalebReich Posted February 26, 2012 Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 Although in a planted discus tank, you're gonna want to go co2 - maybe even a high tech system. With the substrate and basic ferts, you'll experience similar growth qualities as with a high light tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cainechow Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 What did you end up getting on your shopping trip? What substrate did you decide on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38dodge Posted March 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 Well, I ended up going with playsand and florite mixture. Placed some fert tabs in proximity of the plants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremoose Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Well, I ended up going with playsand and florite mixture. Placed some fert tabs in proximity of the plants. Can you keep us updated with pictures?? I'd love to see your progress compared to my planted tanks with pure specialized planted substrate. Could you take a picture tomorrow and then update every week or so? That'd be great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalebReich Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 That would be great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38dodge Posted March 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 I'll see what I can do this week... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocellatus Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 Fancy substrates are HIGHLY overrated, IMO. Tho, they seem to be gaining popularity again. Most plants take nutrients thru the leaves, and those that are root feeders just need some root tabs and/or clay balls under them. I'm a huge fan of playsand - great color and cheap! Or stop by a sand blasting place and pick from a few colors. I've used garnet and a more coarse silica sand (Sil8 or 9) are great choices, too. Any suggestions where in Edmonton to get blasting media suitable for a planted tank? O Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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