planted discus tanks

[bryalk1]

i,m new to discus and have been reading as much as i can. i have been reading the postings and notice a stong divergance between those for and against planted tanks. i set up a 360 gal tank hoping to have a planted tank. karen randell says it isn't difficult but i want to suceed. my wife is getting irritated wanting to know my plans. i'm still not sure. i can see both sides of the issue.(psych backround). has anyone tried a planted tank? how about a powerhead to stir up the bottom so it can go thru the filter? my tank has a dual drain and i use aoversized wet dry and dolphin 3000. i have a uv and protien i haven't hooked up and won't unless i have to. help!!!! i want to drive to south fl and visit jack wattleys.to pick fish. i have a 55 i can keep them in for a while that is bare bottom.

[tyrancooper]

There is an extremely interesting discussion in the "show tanks and biotopes" section entitled "planted vs. barebottom tanks". I'm also relatively new to discus keeping and when I set up my 40 gallon breeder, I made it a planted tank because all of my books on discus said I should and because I thought that it was the "natural" thing to do.

This was, however, before I discovered simplydiscus.com. I've since real a lot of info on this site about the benefits of a bare bottom tank... I thought that a bare bottom tank would be quite stark and visually unappealing until I visited Jeff's Discus a discus breeder in Chicago Ridge, IL. His tanks were all barebottom, but he accented the some of the tanks with plastic plastic plants, driftwood and creative backgrounds and they were beautiful!!! There are some photos of his shop on this website. (I can't remember exactly where :-[, but I'm sure that the pictures are easy to find.)

I have been basically happy with my planted discus tank.(As with all things, though, there have been some drawbacks.)

You should definitely check out the "showtanks and biotopes" section and look for the discussion on "Jeff's Discus" and then decide what is best for you.

Tyra

[Carol_Roberts]

You can have the best of both worlds.

You have a 55 gallon which is perfect to grow out your juvenile discus - get 6 or 8 or 10.

In the meantime you can be experimenting and learning how to care for plants in the big tank. When you are comfortable with both and the discus are full sized you can add them to the planted tank . . . . and then go buy more discus for the 55 gallon. ;D

[Kap]

I agree with Carol - you have the best of both worlds! I started out with a tank with gravel but removed it because the bb tank is SO much easier to keep clean for growing fish. I'm wondering what kind of water changes you plan on doing with that 360 though! Sounds like quite a commitment.

[Ralph]

bryalk, I like somebody that thinks big! I've never heard of someone starting out their first discus tank with a swimming pool.

Like Tyra said, read, read, read. We are getting past the old planted vs. BB argument, there are so many choices now that offer the benefits of a BB tank (ease of maintenance and low risk) and the looks of a decorated tank. There are so many options and you get to choose which one meets your requirements. Some of the options: potted plants, plants attached to driftwood, vertically planted tanks, hanging decor, floating plants, thin substrates, etc. With a big tank, you could use several of them. And a traditional planted tank has been done successfully too, many people get into discus because they saw a well planted discus tank.

Juvs need a lot of food and therefore a lot of WCs, something to consider. Also a discus tank with plants is a complicated place with a lot of interactions. It's a big bite for first time discus keepers (doesn't sound like you are new to fish though). Like Carol said, it might be something to work towards.

I hope that didn't sound discouraging, it's a great hobby and discus are an amazing fish, and once you are "hooked," the extra work involved doesn't seem like a such a big deal.

[Qbal18]

now i am new to discus as well but i do love planted tanks i have 3 of them myself now if oyu want some help with that planted tank or a very good forum for planted tnaks go here:
http://aquabotanicwetthumb.infopop.c...p;s=4006090712

I wouldn't try a planted tank again unless I had a digital monitor, a CO2 setup, and some serious lighting(metal halide). Without these things your plants won't thrive but rather just survive, and that can be frustrating (tried it, wasn't very fun). My advice to you is: If you have the proper equipment, or the money to buy the proper equipment, then go for it. If you're not willing to invest, then a BB would be better. You should definitely grow your babies out in the 55 though. They might get lost in that 360gal!
---Rob

[uae_discuser]

i am new to discus... i used to have angle fish and black ghost in a bog planted tank

( i dont know how many gallons it is but it is 100cm X 55cmX 45cm i wonder if some one will till me how many gallons)

now

i have 6 discus in the same tank and the same plants

it has been 4 weeks now and everything gose fine.

u just need much lighting(which is not good for discus) and some fertalize for the plants..

to make the discus feel good with the much light that they hate

put some plants with wide leavs... they can hide beneth them

it is very nice to have plants but you have to take care of them very well

[Wolf_Mek]

I wouldn't try a planted tank again unless I had a digital monitor, a CO2 setup, and some serious lighting(metal halide). Without these things your plants won't thrive but rather just survive,

No true, there are plenty of plants that would thrive with 1.5-2 WPG and little or no CO2 added... many crypts, anubias's, swords, java moss, java fern, and anacharis would do fine with little care.

I have a planted tank which was going well until my DIY CO2 quit on me and there's nothing special with it. It was/is also my first "successful" discus tank and has always had plants and substrate.