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plants for dicus tank

5K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  Byron 
#1 ·
As you may know I am in the process of setting up a discus tank, 90gal. What plants can survive and thrive in the higher temperatures required by discus?
 
#2 ·
Well, water wisteria can thrive in temps up to the low to mid-80's. I don't know about temperatures higher than that. I looked up a few others; here they are. People have said that they are thriving in their discus tanks.

Anubias barteri
Anubias barteri var nana
Ammania senegalensis
Barclaya longifolia
Echinodorus bleheri
E. quadricostatus
E. tenellus
Hygrophila corymbosa
Ludwigia mullertii "Red Ludwigia"
Microsorium pteropus "Java Fern"
Rotala rotundifolia
Shinnersia rivularis "Mexican Oak Leaf"
Vesicularia dubyana "Java Moss"
 
#3 ·
I found this list on another site.
Spatterdock, Java/Lace Ferns, Java moss, Dwarf Lily, Vallisnerias, Ruffle Swords, Cryptocorynes, Jade Swords, Rangeri Swords, Dwarf & Tall Subulata Sag, Red Melon Swords, Heteranthera, Didiplis Diandra, Hygrophila, Rotala Indica, Anubias, Ruffle Sword, African Bolbitus, Ozelot Sword.

The plants I have tried which have survived high temps are Nymphaea stellata, dwarf sags, Vallisneria americana, Javan fern, Javan moss, Cryptocoryne crispatula, Cryptocoryne becketii, Anubias nana, Cabomba and Elodea densa(that was a surprise considering it tends to thrive best in colder temps).
Sadly, several of my plants are no longer in my tank due to problems like penetration to silicon sealant(as previously mentioned in my thread) and fish eating them quite fast.

There is one plant which can be seen in the discus habitats. It's Eleocharis(commonly sold in lfs as hairgrass).
 
#5 ·
crazie.eddie said:
Spatterdock
Java / Lace Ferns
Java moss
Dwarf Lily
Vals
Ruffle Swords
Crypts
Jade Swords
Rangeri Swords
Dwarf & Tall Subulata Sag
Red Melon Swords
Heteranthera
Didiplis Diandra
Hygrophila
Rotala Indica
Anubias
Ruffle Sword
African Bolbitus
Ozelot Sword
Lol..Eddie, we have the same list.:crazy:
 
#7 ·
I had java fern in my discus, but had more problems with algae that anything else. The way java ferns propagate is their leaves start seperating and have this long stringy brown stuff. You can remove these leaves and replant them. Java ferns are slow growing, unless you supply with allot of nutrients, CO2, better lighting, etc.
 
#8 ·
So far I have added:

8x Dwarf Sagittaria (sagittaria subulata)
2x Red Melon Sword (echinodorus barthii)
?x Unknown
1x Unknown

:wink:

I have yet to setup CO2 on this tank, workin on it!
 
#9 ·
There is no reason that discus cannot be kept at 26degreesC, fish adapt better than plants, i think its to do with a few million more years of evolution lol ;)
I have kept discus at lower temperatures, unless they are hekel wild you shouldnt have a problem.
 
#10 ·
Andrew said:
There is no reason that discus cannot be kept at 26degreesC, fish adapt better than plants, i think its to do with a few million more years of evolution lol ;)
I have kept discus at lower temperatures, unless they are hekel wild you shouldnt have a problem.
Me too.:thumbsup:
My discus are doing well without a heater. Well, my heater killed several of my tetras last July.
 
#12 ·
The thing I'd be looking for is TOO MUCH light. Java fern tends to be a lower light plant, so be sure to shade it with other plants that thrive on higher light. I have grown java fern in 84 degree temps and had it thrive, my husband has had it thrive at up to 86 degrees.
I would not suggest lowering the tank temp, especially for discus.
Blue, I know you say your discus are thriving at lower temps, but I wanted to warn you that this is like playing with a time bomb. Long term you can cause damage to the organs of the fish if they don't have the needed environment, and this includes temperature. At the very least, you will most likely shorten their life span this way and the lower temp leaves them more prone to parasite problems in the future. Discus don't have a very strong immune system and the higher temps help to avoid many of the common illness problems, like ick. Lowering the temps leaves them very vulnerable.
 
#16 ·
The thing I'd be looking for is TOO MUCH light. Java fern tends to be a lower light plant, so be sure to shade it with other plants that thrive on higher light. I have grown java fern in 84 degree temps and had it thrive, my husband has had it thrive at up to 86 degrees.
I would not suggest lowering the tank temp, especially for discus.
Blue, I know you say your discus are thriving at lower temps, but I wanted to warn you that this is like playing with a time bomb. Long term you can cause damage to the organs of the fish if they don't have the needed environment, and this includes temperature. At the very least, you will most likely shorten their life span this way and the lower temp leaves them more prone to parasite problems in the future. Discus don't have a very strong immune system and the higher temps help to avoid many of the common illness problems, like ick. Lowering the temps leaves them very vulnerable.
I certainly concur with this advice on temperature (and on the JF too, but am here commenting on the temp issue). Temperature has a huge impact on a fish's metabolism, growth and health. Fish are poikilothermic, "cold-blooded" with their body temperature corresponding directly with that of the water they live in. Metabolism quickens as water gets warmer, and slows as it gets cooler. And the metabolism rate determines how fast the cells can convert food into energy and otherwise function. Cooling their environment beyond what nature has programmed them for is, put bluntly, tampering with nature and as Dawn says,only asking for eventual problems. The preferred temperature of any fish is the temperature that exists in its native habitat, just as with the preferred pH, hardness and salinity. Breeding fish in tanks in differing water parameters may in time have some effect on these preferences, but I tend to think it is minimal at best; fish have been programmed over millions of years and I am highly skeptical that this internal "blueprint" can be altered significantly in a few generations. I do not think the health of the fish is worth risking, especially when there is no need.

Byron.
 
#13 ·
i wouldnt say java fern is a shady plant, yes it can grow in low light, but what you can achieve with this plant under high light and through plenty of CO2, it become a glorious plant producing no end of O2 bubbles, i havent planted mine in the shade , its nearer to the light than any other plant in my tank and it loves it, its keeps on growing which makes me very happy as i love this plant. Just wish the hair grass would grow as well as the java.
 
#14 ·
Java fern is one of the few plants that can thrive in brackish water, if acclimated slowly over a long period of times. It's preferred lighting is lower light. Being out in the open does not constitute lower light, it's a matter of what kind of light and how powerful that light is. As with any other plant, it relies on spectrum as much as intensity. The depth of the tank will make a lot of difference, too. The same light put over 2 tanks.. example of 15 gallon long vs 15 gallon tall. Same light but more intensity over the 15 long because the tank is shallower.
 
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