AGA 2006 - Kahuna’s Revenge

If you read my post on the AGA 2005 Big Clear Kahuna, it’s worth noting that that tank never really took off. Plants would do OK for a few months, and then begin to die. This repeated multiple times. And the poor plant health (and all the silicates from the sand) prompted a nasty thread algae outbreak. Ultimately I tore the tank down out of frustration and found the source of all of my ills. A silver plated coaster! I had used one to prop up some cardboard keeping the sand separate from the soil as I was setting up the tank the first day. And I forgot to remove it. That coaster began to dissolve and leach into the soil. And silver is devastating to plant roots. Look it up. So there’s one stupid mistake to never repeat.

Anyway, after I tore the Big Clear Kahuna, I named my next tank Kahuna’s Revenge. And by that time I had decided that I had learned enough to try to keep some discus. It has a reputation of being hard - keeping discus in a planted tank. And it’s not easy. But I wouldn’t call it hard. There’s just a little extra attention to detail required. For example, many discus keepers regularly use medications that will kill plants. And may plant people use fertilization dosing levels that would make discus sick or unhappy. Like I say, it’s just paying attention to the details. But it’s not really hard.

These are the pics I submitted to the Aquatic Gardeners Association (AGA) 2006 Aquascaping Contest.

Technical Info

Plants
Anubias barteri, Anubias barteri var. nana, Anubias barteri var. nana petite, Crinum calamistratum, Cryptocoryne crispatula var. Balansae, Marsilea minuta, Vesicularia fasciculata

Fish/Animals
40 Otocinclus vittatus 50 Caridina japonica 70 Paracheirodon simulans 8 Symphysodon spp.

Decorative Materials
ADA Aquasoil substrate on top of ADA Powersand special with borders of ADA Bright Sand. Moss and Anubias planted on over 20″ of driftwood scaffolding.

Background
none

Lighting
54w T5 HO 10,000K and 54w T5 HO 6,700K

Filtration
Eheim 2026 (950 l/h)

Additional Info
Daily dosing: 12 drops ADA ECA, 1.3 ml ADA Green Brighty, 25ml solution of K2SO4 (equivilent to 2.5 ppm K). Pressurized CO2 injection to 35 ppm. 20% daily water change.

You’ll note that I’m not adding dosing any nitrogen or phosphates. With my city water - which has about 7 and 0.7 ppm respectively - it’s not necessary. Plus with the discus and their copious amounts of food, they add a good bit of nitrates to the water. In fact, without that 20% daily water change it would have been tougher. And that 20% water change sounds like a lot of work. But I’ve got it completely automated. I don’t have to lift a finger.

I’ll post more info on that, should you be inclined to try it yourself. It sure eliminates the biggest time consuming chore in this hobby.