Planted or not ??

[Spercy123]

Hey guys new to the site have had a 120 litre community tank for a while now and have bought a 240 litre tank to keep discus in think they are amazing...my current tank has lots of bogwood and live plants and I personally think it is much nicer than a plain tank...although I've read a plain tank is much better for the discus for cleaning and water quality purposes...if I chose to have a planted tank and thoroughly clean the gravel as best as possible and do the frequent water changes is it possible to have happy healthy discus...any advice would be greatly appreciated...anyone from Northern Ireland on this site who is into discus fish I would like to get in touch also if possible...

[GrayLadyPat]

I have a planted tank.

I would scrap the gravel for sand, put the plants in pots, and make sure I got mature discus from reputable breeders such as the sponsors here. Except for buying my discus here, that's what I have done. (I inherited my discus...long story, not important...)

It is a challenge to have discus in a planted tank, but it is so well worth it. If I were to try to grow out juvies, tho, I would definitely go with a bare bottom tank with nothing but sponge filters in it :D

From my perspective:

1. If you get adult discus, you can relax a bit in the water change department. I would say no longer than every 3 days and at least 50-60%, more if there are parameter issues.
2. If you put your plants in pots, make sure to rinse the potting medium (I use gravel) in used tank water in a bucket every so often to rinse out anything that may be trapped in the pockets.
3. Vacuum your sand every day. Replace the water you remove. it's kind of a mini-water change, and it rids the tank of uneaten food and fish poo.
4. stir your sand when you vacuum. If your sand is rinsed well before you put it in the tank, you won't have cloudy water issues when you stir it.
5. Use Prime to condition your water.

The only other thing I can think of offhand is to watch your water parameters. The discus want steady parameters rather than specific ones. They will adapt if your ph is a bit high, and they will adapt if your TDS is a bit low... as long as it's consistent.

I am sure there are a lot of experts here who can help you with any questions. I am just a new owner who loves my flatfish. :D

[Spercy123]

Thanks very much for the reply that sounds very manageable...ill go with the sand bottom and potted plants :) I also would like some bogwood in my tank I screw suckers onto it and put it on the glass at the back of the tank so it's not lying on the sand gathering waste underneath and can be lifted out and cleaned in old tank water while doing water changes so I can't see it doing any harm ??

[Elliots]

If you do not attach it to the back of the tank you can still pull it out or move it for cleaning.

[Spercy123]

Well yeah ur right was referring more to the fact that the waste doesn't gather underneath it when it's raised up off the bottom to the same extent.

[GrayLadyPat]

Even though it may not gather stuff underneath, you will still have to clean the wood every so often. My kids are messy eaters, and stuff gets caught in places I can only see if I pull it out and clean it every other month or so. Anything you miss will cause parameter issues.

One other thing I forgot...when you do your water changes, don't forget to wipe the tank. I use plain white paper towels. It helps keep the algae down, especially if you don't have an herbivorous clean up crew.

Good luck to you!!!

[Spercy123]

No probs thanks very much for your help :D

[Crunchy]

seems that adult discus is the only way to go for planted tanks.

I have a 40 gal bb grow out tank with plants in small pots and a 70 gal show tank for adults planted with ada amazonia gravel.

[GrayLadyPat]

a minor thing I thought of at work today:

Plants go through a cycle of their own, with new growth, and the decay of older leaves. In waters as warm as Discus like them, it speeds up the cycle. When you see the leaves start to go, take them off. I don't let them completely decay in the tank. I just use a pair of kitchen scissors and reach down into the tank and cut them off. I made the mistake of letting one decay and it dropped my pH a few points relatively quickly. As i said in a previous post, consistency is the key. Mine weren't happy when the pH dropped, but once it evened out again, they are happy.

[Spercy123]

Thanks again for more help all the advice is greatly appreciated ill do that as well pat wasn't aware that the heat of the water would have speeded that process up and caused a change in ph so soon any dying leaves will be taken out straight away :)