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planning a riparium for discus

Z

Zante

Member
Joined
14 Jan 2017
Messages
92
Location
Florence, Italy
The idea is to have the back of the aquarium with a lush emersed vegetation. I will also install a trellis for creepers to climb up.

Since it's going to be an amazon themed tank, I'd like to stick to plants that can be found in the amazon.
My research so far has coughed up:
Philodendrons
Monstera deliciosa (but having second thoughts about this seeing how big it grows)
Peace lilies
Dieffenbachia
Peperomia
Anthurium
Sygonium

Also to the trellis I want to tie some of those "mossy sticks" that are used for creepers, and have orchids, ferns and bromeliads growing on them.

The width of the tank should be around 2m.

The plants (apart from the epiphytes of course) will be housed in small plastic baskets that are approximately 10x10cm, 8cm deep, filled with clay pellets.

Wanted to know if you have some suggestions of other plants to consider, criticism of the project, or something I'm doing wrong (or will do wrong since it's a project so far) or could do differently.
 
Have a look at this 'Aquarium/Paludarium with fish and reptiles' for a bit of inspiration

 
Adiantum raddianum originates from SA-Brasil.. But can be found all over the world, even in the wild in Europe in well frost protected spots.
In the garden centres you might find raddianum cultivars such as Fragrans or Fritz Lutz, oftenly not even labled as such and offered as a mix, because it's a popular house fern in many cases the lable just says fern mix.

chamaedorea elegans also is SA origine Palm sp. that does goed in such conditions more common up north as far as Mexico.

For a extensive database on terrestrial plant options look Here unfortunately this site doesn't have a desent search filter for origine, but it does lable the origine in the plant description. There are lots of lesser common plants originating from SA.

Even some Echinodorus could serve you well, a very common and hardy one and can grow rather large there for often recomended for open top tanks is the E. Cordifolius. Originates from the almost entire American continent from brasil to Canada. This plant could be planted in the tanks substrate and grow out the top. I've seen discus tanks with a bunch this plant growing out up from the substrate. There might be more Echinodurus able to do this, search the above linked data base from Flowgrow for echinodorus and see the world map at the left. If it grows large enough and all the way up to North America you are ok regarding climate requirments.
 
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Cool project. I have a few peacelillies, a monstera and anthurium in my tank and the first thing I spotted was the basket size you were thinking of. This would be fine if you wanted to keep them smaller or constantly trim them but the peacelillies can get several feet high and the root mass for mine (simply dumped into the water with no basket or substrate) is much larger and the plants are still growing up and out. I only started my monstera a couple of months ago from a tiny cutting and it's already grown several roots that are well over a foot long under the water. They do vine so as long as the bottom has access to the water you will be fine but I'm not sure a large plant would like to be that restricted.
 
zozo said:
Adiantum raddianum originates from SA-Brasil.. But can be found all over the world, even in the wild in Europe in well frost protected spots.
In the garden centres you might find raddianum cultivars such as Fragrans or Fritz Lutz, oftenly not even labled as such and offered as a mix, because it's a popular house fern in many cases the lable just says fern mix.

chamaedorea elegans also is SA origine Palm sp. that does goed in such conditions more common up north as far as Mexico.

For a extensive database on terrestrial plant options look Here unfortunately this site doesn't have a desent search filter for origine, but it does lable the origine in the plant description. There are lots of lesser common plants originating from SA.

Even some Echinodorus could serve you well, a very common and hardy one and can grow rather large there for often recomended for open top tanks is the E. Cordifolius. Originates from the almost entire American continent from brasil to Canada. This plant could be planted in the tanks substrate and grow out the top. I've seen discus tanks with a bunch this plant growing out up from the substrate. There might be more Echinodurus able to do this, search the above linked data base from Flowgrow for echinodorus and see the world map at the left. If it grows large enough and all the way up to North America you are ok regarding climate requirments.
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Thank you, I will look them up.

As for the Echinodorus, I was considering them. I had already decided to have two in the tank substrate, as the only submerged plants, but was also thinking of the possibility of having one of the larger ones that'd grow out of the water. I'm a bit undecided because I'm a bit concerned about it hiding the plants behind it.

mort said:
Cool project. I have a few peacelillies, a monstera and anthurium in my tank and the first thing I spotted was the basket size you were thinking of. This would be fine if you wanted to keep them smaller or constantly trim them but the peacelillies can get several feet high and the root mass for mine (simply dumped into the water with no basket or substrate) is much larger and the plants are still growing up and out. I only started my monstera a couple of months ago from a tiny cutting and it's already grown several roots that are well over a foot long under the water. They do vine so as long as the bottom has access to the water you will be fine but I'm not sure a large plant would like to be that restricted.
Click to expand...

The baskets are designed so that the roots can grow out of them and into the water, but yes, I do see your point, and it is something that was on my mind, that is why I specified it. I can get bigger ones if necessary, I just would like to use them as basic support, nit as substrate as such. Let's say more of a way to clip the plants to the tank edge, and then the trellis behind the tank can support them, but I've never done something like this, so I'm willing to listen to advice.
 
Zante said:
The baskets are designed so that the roots can grow out of them and into the water, but yes, I do see your point,
Click to expand...

It is not just the roots you need to consider. It is the base of the plants as well. See my peace lily below. Excuse the calcium deposits :)

20180331_121252.jpg


And to use the moment to show off my flowers :p
20180331_122323.jpg
 
sciencefiction said:
I just wanted to mention, in case you haven't used clay pebbles before, you need to pre-soak them first or they'll float out of the baskets. It may take up 2-3 weeks for them to fully soak in order to stay put....
Click to expand...

I have four peace lilies (a small cultivar) on my blue ram tank in clay pellets. Thanks for the heads up though.
 
Just a few remarks. For discus you will try to get the tank to about 28 degrees celcius ( up to 30) so there will be evaporation, from a large tank it can be a lot. So think about that and ventilation of the room it's in.
There are fewer plants which like these temperatures submerged. Floaters will help with reducing some of the nitrates in a bare (non-planted) tank. I recommend Ceratopteris pteridoides. You can also have Hydrocotyle leucocephala both emersed and submerged. I have had it over a brace of my tank growing both out and in the tank.
You will need a hefty filtering system. I would recommend a sump and or trickle filter. Don't get too much surface flow, it will be hard on the floaters.
Depending on how biotope true you'll want to be: in their natural environment there are few to none green plants. Mostly dead wood and leaves.
( oh and one personal quirck: please don'tn do all kind of colored versions in one tank, at least make it one color, wildcolors preferably:oops:)
 
Edvet said:
Just a few remarks. For discus you will try to get the tank to about 28 degrees celcius ( up to 30) so there will be evaporation, from a large tank it can be a lot. So think about that and ventilation of the room it's in.
Click to expand...

I am looking at ways of having transparent lids on the tank, and still allow the emersed plants to grow out, exactly for this reason.
Since I'm having the tank made from acrylic it should be easier to get an unusual design made.

Even if I should decide to keep it open, though, I have a similarly sized reef that will be kept open in the next room, and an air con unit has been installed to keep both rooms under control.

Edvet said:
There are fewer plants which like these temperatures submerged. Floaters will help with reducing some of the nitrates in a bare (non-planted) tank. I recommend Ceratopteris pteridoides. You can also have Hydrocotyle leucocephala both emersed and submerged. I have had it over a brace of my tank growing both out and in the tank.
Click to expand...

Not planning on any floaters, and only a couple of amazon swords submerged. All other plants will be emersed.

Edvet said:
You will need a hefty filtering system. I would recommend a sump and or trickle filter.
Click to expand...

Yep, sump is already on the books. I will keep it underpopulated though, so it will need less filtration than you may think.
I'm planning to have 10 discus, a shoal of rummynoses, a herd of sterbai corys and five or six starlight plecos.
Possibly splashing tetras, but need to look them up properly

Edvet said:
Don't get too much surface flow, it will be hard on the floaters.
Depending on how biotope true you'll want to be: in their natural environment there are few to none green plants. Mostly dead wood and leaves.
( oh and one personal quirck: please don'tn do all kind of colored versions in one tank, at least make it one color, wildcolors preferably:oops:)
Click to expand...

I want to go for a themed tank rather than a full-on biotope, but I want to also be close to what would be called a biotope, hence the two amazon swords in the water and nothing else.

As for the discus strains, I wholeheartedly agree, I like the look of a tank with a single strain much better than a rainbow tank.
While I was still living in london I had Leopard Snakeskins (and they even bred in the community tank!). For this new one I'm undecided: either LSS again, or Alenquer.
 
Don't worry, I'll advertise it once I get started.
There will be a reef before the discus tank, as I have the live rock from an older tank and need to set it up.
And before that I need new windows for the house. Last winter with single glazing and drafts wasn't fun, even in Italy :(
 
Zante said:
Don't worry, I'll advertise it once I get started.
There will be a reef before the discus tank, as I have the live rock from an older tank and need to set it up.
And before that I need new windows for the house. Last winter with single glazing and drafts wasn't fun, even in Italy :(
Click to expand...

Good luck with it all, a reef and a discus tank is exactly what I've got planned.

I'm looking to do a 6x2x2 SPS dominant reef and a 6x2x2 planted red turq discus tank.

I look forward to seeing your Youtube videos.

Edvet said:
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I love this guys videos, not sure if his tank is still up and running though. Its one of my favourite discus tanks I've seen, along with PlantedDiscusFishTank.
 
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