Lets take a poll!!! Decide the future of my tank ;)

[rickztahone]

I may (MAY!) change some things around with my current 75g tank. For those that do not know my tank, you can find it here:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?120710-75g-w-sump-Group-of-25-discus-grow-out-thread

That thread is of my grow out group to show you what is currently in the tank.

I had previously said that once my discus turn 1 yr old I wanted to do something with the tank other than BB. So, I am putting it up for a vote.

Keep in mind, I have the last word on what I will do, but it is good to get people's input as to what they think may look best. Also, keep in mind that I do not plan to do this before NADA. After I come back I will have had the discus for close to a year and they will pretty much be at the size that they will generally stay at. I will keep feeding quality foods, but possibly not as often depending on what I plan to do with the tank.

So, here goes.

The options:

1) Add only Sand

2) Add only Driftwood

3) Add both Sand & Driftwood

4) Add plants (I'll tell you now, I am really not leaning towards this at all)

5) Add a SpongeBob figurine with a pineapple

6) Leave the tank BB for another 6 months

7) Leave the tank BB for another year

8) Leave the tank BB forever!

[Discus-n00b]

I voted 8 ;)

[brewmaster15]

I voted 8 ;)

Ditto...not because you cant do the other options(sponge bob may be pushing it) but because its looks awesome as is.

[Discus-n00b]

Ditto...not because you cant do the other options(sponge bob may be pushing it) but because its looks awesome as is.

Exactly how I feel. Though I completely understand the desire to change it, you look at it more than us. Ever thought about doing just some driftwood with java ferns tied to it?

[DJW]

I voted for only a year of BB because I am firmly opposed to making definite plans.

SpongeBob?. That's so last week. Lego tractors is where its at.

[Debow]

I think that hart24601 had a nice tank, I liked the BB and one solo wood piece and light plants. Not so many like he had in the end but like the beginning. I have to say that Starboard bottom I love, only have it in my SW build as you know but it's a super clean look.

[Altum Nut]

I like the looks of it now but suspect you may second thought in time so my vote is a toss up...

6) Leave the tank BB for another 6 months

7) Leave the tank BB for another year

...Ralph

[Poppa Ryno]

BB, Driftwood, & 1 nice potted sword.

[farebox]

I've learned to like an BB tank just for the ease of cleaning. I would add some wood to set up an hiding area for the fish and the ease to change things up every now and then. In my case I'm always changing things around in my tank. Adding plants are another job in itself. Just keep it all simple baby.....

[rickztahone]

It seems sand and DW is giving you BB guys a run for your money!

[jmf3460]

turn it into a biotope tank with sand, driftwood and tannins. this is my vote. spongebob figurine wearing a santa hat during the holiday season.

[Joe]

I vote # 2

[cedar]

ooohhh, i agree with jacklyn, biotope :)

[Discus-n00b]

Biotope wouldn't look right with leopard snake skins! lol

[rickztahone]

Biotope wouldn't look right with leopard snake skins! lol

+1. If I had all turks then possibly, but not with any 14 bar discus.

[Discus_KC]

This fish are awesome! #8 all the way!

[Dhavalsp]

I think a black or dark blue background with super white sand will look awesome, it is a nice sized group and occupies entire tank, you don't need driftwood or rock or anything to add as a filler...the current background is awesome but it doesn't give the needed contrast for these amazing fish.

[Filip]

Growing for another 6 months ,for sand with driftwood as a final outcome. Some Javas or Anubias on driftwood here and there may give some colour to the set up too.
Sponge Bob would be pushing the limits of your current bioload :-) .

[jmf3460]

Biotope wouldn't look right with leopard snake skins! lol

biotope looks right with any discus

[rickztahone]

Add both sand and driftwood is winning by a slim margin! I knew it would be close, and I am actually torn myself just as the poll shows as well haha. Lets get a few more votes in ;)

[Kyla]

i vote #2, just driftwood, an off-centre spikey spiderwood pile on the bottom

hah! this is hilarious, i just tried to google the tank i was thinking of to send u a pic of what i mean... and the search brought up ur previous thread on simply where you posted the link lol ;)

http://wilddiscus.weebly.com

[rickztahone]

i vote #2, just driftwood, an off-centre spikey spiderwood pile on the bottom

hah! this is hilarious, i just tried to google the tank i was thinking of to send u a pic of what i mean... and the search brought up ur previous thread on simply where you posted the link lol ;)

http://wilddiscus.weebly.com

Haha, that is funny. Small world right? That single picture got me back in to discus

[rickztahone]

So I kind of reached a conclusion as to what I want to do. Actually, if I am being honest, it was kind of decided for me. I happen to still have a lot of BH left in the freezer. So much so that I believe it will last me at least 6 more months. Once I run out of BH, I will change this tank around. I will more than likely go with DW and sand but I will stop feeding BH all together. I will only feed pellets and FDBW's. I will still keep with the daily water changes, but I don't want to deal with the issue of getting BH trapped on DW and rotting. So, that is the game plan.

I should mention, my wife has made it clear that the tank is looking kind of "boring". I told her, "that is what the clownfish tank is for!" :laugh:

[zergling]

Sorry I forget, but where is the tank located in the house? Is it in a fish room or basement, or somewhere where visitors can see?

Basically, is it a "display tank"? If it's a display tank, I think driftwood and thin layer of sand is the definitely the way to go later on. Heck, I'd even recommend trying out easy plants tied to driftwood like anubias, Java ferns, Java moss.

If it's "hidden" away in a fish room or basement or garage, then its just now a matter of how much time do you want to invest in it? Bare bottom means minimal time spent. Sand means having to use a gravel vac during water changes. Driftwood might encourage territorial behavior when pairs are formed. Plants are another set of headaches altogether, though it is almost always tied to lighting intensity.

[brewmaster15]

Hmm,
Well the sand and driftwood really wasn't in the lead :bandana: Add up your bare tank votes and its 16-11:bandana: at least for the next 6 months and 12- 11 for the next year!

From a technical point of view, a " thin" layer of sand and driftwood is really not much different from a bare bottom tank really. They hold the same benefits as far as ease of care with the minor difference that you need to be more careful with waterchanges and sucking up the substrate.

It really comes down to what you want to see there now.:) Looking forward to it!

al

[Second Hand Pat]

Ricardo, I voted for six more months of BB. Allow these guys to grow and fill out some more. I would then try the sand and wood and see if you like it. Keep the sand very thin. Are you considering adding any tankmates? Perhaps a little herd of cories?
Pat

[rickztahone]

Sorry I forget, but where is the tank located in the house? Is it in a fish room or basement, or somewhere where visitors can see?

Basically, is it a "display tank"? If it's a display tank, I think driftwood and thin layer of sand is the definitely the way to go later on. Heck, I'd even recommend trying out easy plants tied to driftwood like anubias, Java ferns, Java moss.

If it's "hidden" away in a fish room or basement or garage, then its just now a matter of how much time do you want to invest in it? Bare bottom means minimal time spent. Sand means having to use a gravel vac during water changes. Driftwood might encourage territorial behavior when pairs are formed. Plants are another set of headaches altogether, though it is almost always tied to lighting intensity.

It is in a prominent place in the house and it is a display tank for sure. However, aesthetics have never won out with me over practicality and good husbandry tactics which is why this has been BB for so long. With that said, I had told the wife initially (when I got the discus) that it would be a show piece once they were grown out. She sees them at 6" now and believes they are as "grown out" as they are going to be, lol. So, that lead me to this poll.


Hmm,
Well the sand and driftwood really wasn't in the lead :bandana: Add up your bare tank votes and its 16-11:bandana: at least for the next 6 months and 12- 11 for the next year!

From a technical point of view, a " thin" layer of sand and driftwood is really not much different from a bare bottom tank really. They hold the same benefits as far as ease of care with the minor difference that you need to be more careful with waterchanges and sucking up the substrate.

It really comes down to what you want to see there now.:) Looking forward to it!

al
You raise a good point, when I tally in that manner, BB wins out. I'd be lying if I didn't say I had hoped sand/DW wasn't the leader but I didn't want to influence the poll. I have DW and sand ready for the tank but as I stated before, it will be at least another 6 months before this revisited again.


Ricardo, I voted for six more months of BB. Allow these guys to grow and fill out some more. I would then try the sand and wood and see if you like it. Keep the sand very thin. Are you considering adding any tankmates? Perhaps a little herd of cories?
Pat

I actually hadn't considered it. Would love to introduce cories as I have always been fond of them. However, I have always been one to be overly cautious about bringing any new fish in to the home, no matter how reliable the source simply because I don't jeopardizing my whole discus stock for dither fish. With that said, I love the idea and might just set up a QT in a few months and have them separate for at least 3 months just to be sure they are safe.

[zergling]

It is in a prominent place in the house and it is a display tank for sure. However, aesthetics have never won out with me over practicality and good husbandry tactics which is why this has been BB for so long. With that said, I had told the wife initially (when I got the discus) that it would be a show piece once they were grown out. She sees them at 6" now and believes they are as "grown out" as they are going to be, lol. So, that lead me to this poll.


You can think of it as "your" tank as much as you want, but as you said, it's in a prominent place in the house. Unless you're in charge of interior design AND keeping the area spic and span, this prominent place in the house is your wife's territory. Your tank stands there at that spot only because she is being a supportive wife by allowing you an opportunity to showcase your passion to friends, family and other guests.

You have big, beautiful and healthy discus, so you know guests WILL notice the fish and will check out the tank.

- What's the next thing people will look at after noticing your discus? Your tank is so nice and clean! All viewing panels need to be algae free. Water must be crystal clear (but that's pretty much a given with all our water changes LOL)

- Next up would be the substrate. I know many in this forum will disagree with me, but bare bottom is simply just NOT display worthy. At best it will look boring. At worst, your discus will decide to poop when your guests are around, giving a nice stark contrast to the white bottom...
- I will echo Al here and really recommend you put in a thin layer of sand, half an inch deep or less. You can be aggressive with vacuuming it and just put in new sand if needed.

- Driftwood is nice and can dramatically change the look of a tank, but you already know this - you already have the nice pieces you're planning to use.

- Plants. Definitely optional, but something you can experiment with if you get driftwood - just tie some java ferns or anubias or moss on the driftwood. In one of your videos, I remember seeing you having a lighting fixture hanging from the ceiling - if you ever decide to have plants, this will make your life soooo much easier because you can always raise lights up to reduce intensity. (My tank has almost the same dimensions as yours, and I have 2x54W T5HO hanging 18" above the tank. Yes, you read that right - my light fixture is a foot and a half above my tank, and it's almost 3ft from the light to my substrate haha!)

TL;DR - it's a display tank where guests will see. Tank needs to be always clean and pretty so the wife can always proudly show to guests. Happy wife = happy life. Wife raising eyebrow/s or rolling eyes = bad for hobby.

[rickztahone]

You can think of it as "your" tank as much as you want, but as you said, it's in a prominent place in the house. Unless you're in charge of interior design AND keeping the area spic and span, this prominent place in the house is your wife's territory. Your tank stands there at that spot only because she is being a supportive wife by allowing you an opportunity to showcase your passion to friends, family and other guests.

You have big, beautiful and healthy discus, so you know guests WILL notice the fish and will check out the tank.

- What's the next thing people will look at after noticing your discus? Your tank is so nice and clean! All viewing panels need to be algae free. Water must be crystal clear (but that's pretty much a given with all our water changes LOL)

- Next up would be the substrate. I know many in this forum will disagree with me, but bare bottom is simply just NOT display worthy. At best it will look boring. At worst, your discus will decide to poop when your guests are around, giving a nice stark contrast to the white bottom...
- I will echo Al here and really recommend you put in a thin layer of sand, half an inch deep or less. You can be aggressive with vacuuming it and just put in new sand if needed.

- Driftwood is nice and can dramatically change the look of a tank, but you already know this - you already have the nice pieces you're planning to use.

- Plants. Definitely optional, but something you can experiment with if you get driftwood - just tie some java ferns or anubias or moss on the driftwood. In one of your videos, I remember seeing you having a lighting fixture hanging from the ceiling - if you ever decide to have plants, this will make your life soooo much easier because you can always raise lights up to reduce intensity. (My tank has almost the same dimensions as yours, and I have 2x54W T5HO hanging 18" above the tank. Yes, you read that right - my light fixture is a foot and a half above my tank, and it's almost 3ft from the light to my substrate haha!)

TL;DR - it's a display tank where guests will see. Tank needs to be always clean and pretty so the wife can always proudly show to guests. Happy wife = happy life. Wife raising eyebrow/s or rolling eyes = bad for hobby.

Funny enough I just used the "happy wife = happy life" thing on her 2 days ago :laugh:

[RDFISHGUY]

BB stands for bare boring! I put a thin layer of white sand in my new set up, when I moved, and I love it. I still prefer a minimalist approach. Not too much driftwood and not too may other decorations. I have a few rocks, a plant and 1 show piece driftwood. The main focus is still the fish.

[RDFISHGUY]

Here is a pic of mine from my wife's cell phone because I'm away at work.
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