Tank help and drift wood question

[Jhoussock]

Hey guys first time posting in this section as I think I finally know how to keep discus alive and have finally been dabbling in aesthetics. Just picked up a new tank. And have a couple of questions. First, the piece of drift wood I took out from my first tank is nice and I would love to save it. It's already water logged etc. is there a proper way to store for future use? I dont want to add it to the new tank as I want to keep the mangrove style peice as the only piece. Which brings me to my second question. Any ideas to add some decor to the right side? I bought a bunch of tall grass that I believe will sweep nicely along the top of the water toward the wood from the flow of my spray bar. However, If it effects my other plants I may pull it. Here are some pictures to refer to. The side one gives you an idea of how much room I have front to back as it's tricky to see from the front. I plan on putting the grass along the side and bringing the current plants in the back right corner to the front. If you have any better suggestions on that for placement, I would appreciate it! Thanks!108183

[Jhoussock]

108184

[Ryan925]

Are those swords in the back? If so you don't want them in the front. They can get huge. Keep in mind the more plants you put in there the more roots you have to trap debris and make the tank tougher to clean. I ended up removing all of my plants for that reason. My discus were showing less than desirable growth and appearance.

Your tank looks nice and clean as is. Your fish look like they are still at an important growing stage so remember that when considering tank aesthetics.

[Coffee1stLife2nd]

I think it looks nice already, Clean,simply,your fish stand out. leave it for awhile and enjoy as is...

[Jhoussock]

Sounds good guys. Thanks for the compliments! Any suggestions on saving that piece of drift wood, will it get moldy if I just store it in a dry place?

[Ryan925]

Sounds good guys. Thanks for the compliments! Any suggestions on saving that piece of drift wood, will it get moldy if I just store it in a dry place?

I would say just let it completely dry out. Should be fine. Remember to boil and soak before using again

[jmf3460]

I think it looks great as is. You could store your wood in a barrel filled with water. you could put it in your aging barrel for example. If you are doing your waterchanges daily then it should stay in water pretty much all the time right??

[Jack L]

i just let my dw dry out until i need it again.

i like the way you positioned that piece of DW in there.

[Filip]

Jhoussock , you have done a wonderful job with your setup . I like the position and the looks of your wood and the plants are positioned in the right spot too.
I would also advise you to keep it as it is for now and enjoy your fish anad setup without adding any more plants . Those swords in the back alone will fill up the whole tank with greenery once they adjust and start growing , so I think they should add enough greenery to your tank .

About the wood preservation , nothing special , I just throw it on my balcony and let it dry.
Prior using it again I always bleach the wood first in a mild solution for sterilization.

Great job Jhouse. and please keep us updated with pics and progress once in a while .

[cjvdhx]

This tank is awesome I really like it! Looks almost like mine! 65 gallon?

[Debow]

That is a nice clean setup, nice fish and keep it simple.

[pastry]

I too like the wood. Be patient with plants... they'll grow. You will probably have to take a few out when they get big so you can see the fish.

[SGDiscus]

Nice setup! For your second question, I agree with the others on the recommendations to let the plants grow out. I can't see very clearly from the photos but I think those are Amazon swords. They will get fairly bushy if you put some root tabs. If you want variety, I would suggest you look out for the red varieties of Amazon swords.