Tank Decorations for Discus

[stevestauberjr]

Today when doing my water change I was horrified to see all the junk that had accumalated underneath my tank decorations in only 3 days! I had waited till today to start doing the changes to give my discus a chance to acclimate to the tank first. What is everyones suggestions on tank decorations? Should I go plants only and ditch all the fake driftwood decorations? Thanks all.

[DarkDiscus]

The less you have in your tank the cleaner it will be. The easier it is to spot accumulated waste and the better off the water quality. That's why many discus keepers go bare bottom. Super clean tanks and no hassle.

If this is a "show tank," and you have to have gravel and plants in it, realize that there will be gunk that accumulates to some degree and also that the w/c that the discus love will be hard on the plants. It's a give and take and you realy should think about what you want before making up your mind on how to continue.

John

[stevestauberjr]

I don't have real plants in my tank only plastics. I just don't like the looks of a tank with nothing in it and a barebottom. I can't see how a fish can be comfortable with no where to hide. I'm hoping if I keep up religously with my waterchanges everyday that they will be o.k. with gravel and plants. But i'm more worried about the Big fake driftwood decorations and whether or not they should go.

[blaze]

I just went bare bottom a few weeks ago, I dont miss the gravel at all, I keep wondering why I did do it sooner. When you go barebottom you will realise how much CRAP & uneaten food get trapped in the gravel.
I use only 2 plastic amazon swords [weighted down by marbles siliconed to the base]. Some one on this forum once said " if you give them some where to hide, they will hide"... with no where to hide they'll get use to you quicker & they will be a lot less shy.

[stevestauberjr]

Well If I do go barebottom I have a 75 gallons worth of Black gravel to use.....lol ;)

Hi, Steve, Blaze & Dark:

I too went "bare-bottom". ;) ;)

I find it a lot easier and a more clean environment for fishies. I have a huge Cell-Pore thingy in the tank which the catfishes love (finally). At first they were hesistant and so were the Discus! No one wanted to go near this log that takes up one-third of the tank. :)

When the floor is clean there's less chances of accumulation of foods because the catfishes love snooping around for the littlest morsel; they're good tank cleaners.

**Fry Girl**

[stevestauberjr]

So bare bottom won't freak my Loach's out? I have 4 clowns and 4 kuhlis and I don't think they will like having no bottom to root around in.

Hi, Steve: I have just posted another message regarding this. I have a few ornaments in the tank such as the tunnel (Cell-Pore). This is where they render to in the night and sometimes during the day. Not only this but a few clam shells (ornaments) that they run in and hide and feed from if they are not up top to receive their foods. **Fry Girl**

[stevestauberjr]

O.K. I'm going to do it if it will make my discus happy in the long run. Now does anybody have suggestions on how I go about doing this? I have a feeling trying to scoop up all this gravel will be quite an endeavor. Anyone have any suggestions on the best and least stressfull on the fish way to remove it?

[Fish Freak]

Trust me man go bb if you want the best results in your discus. They will be over all more healthy and you wont have to put up with the junk on the bottom. I went bare bottom with my first discus and I realized how much cleaner the water was rather than some of my previous discus tanks with gravel in them.


Josh

[Carol_Roberts]

Put the fish in a couple of 5 gallon buckets with an airstone.

Do you have 75 gallons of aged water? If not get a couple of big plastic bins or garbage cans that will hold 60 or so gallons of water. Run your heater(s) and filter(s) on the water bins while you clean your tank.

Drain tank. Scoop gravel into a colander (spaghetti strainer) and bucket out to some spot in the yard. Wipe down interior of tank. Refill with the aged water from the bins. Put your heaters and filters back in. Make sure temp is about 84 (or at least warmer than what the water the fish are in) Add fish.

Actually this would be a good time to get another tank - say a 55 gallon. The fish could rest there in aged water while you remove gravel. The loaches could stay in their own tank . . .

[Shari]

I still havent gotten myself to go bare bottom in my two show tanks in main areas of the house..but have calmed way down on what's in the tanks and how much cleaning there is...I do lots of driftwood (which also has to be taken out and brushed off at least once a week or more) and just enough rock on bottom to help keep a small handful of plastic plants down (or pieces of slate over the base to hold it down...
I've done a few rock changes lately-totally- vacum the rock - then the plants etc. all go one side where the fish usually follow, the collander and a plastic glass scoops out the rock to the bucket and to the backyard somewhere...more vacuming for bottom cleanliness and add the new rock ( or go bare bottom with paint or some wallpaper under the glass in cabinet so they don't freak out from mirror image or seeing the cans of food underneath. ...switch sides and do same.
Let it settle and later or next morning vacum again...the fish aren't moved, no major stress, a full 50% w/c is done and they enjoyed the exploration of the 'new look'. ideas...

[ChloroPhil]

If you have the resources and that much gravel why not epoxy the gravel to the bottom? You'll get the aesthetic benefits of gravel, but with no gaps for mulm to accumulate in. If you feel up to it you can glue cork tiles to the back wall and put Anubias and Java Fern on that.

Voila, a nice looking tank with plants and a non-stick bottom!

[Carol_Roberts]

I do not reccommend a textured surface on the bottom of the tank as it makes cleaning very difficult. In my opinion you would have to totally cover the gravel with clear liquid epoxy. A gravel sandwich for ease of cleaning.

[kjmillerfw]

I've experimented with different decorations for my 55 gal. It's sitting in my living room so It's hard to just have bare walls and floor. I started out with clay pots with plastic plants anchored in polished stones. That was all fine and well until the food started collecting in the pots...YUCKY! :spit:

I yanked all of that out and finally found a nice soothing background and a couple ceramic fixtures that lean against the back wall are easily moved to vacuum around. I have found that there is a little gunk that makes it's way behind there, but it's easy to access with the bare bottom. To me, this is simple, yet not bare.

Kathy

[kjmillerfw]

Here's another view.

[Carol_Roberts]

Very Pretty Kathy 8)

[kjmillerfw]

Thank you Carol...It really stays pretty now that I'm doing DAILY water changes!

Oh Steve,

I forgot to mention that there are two clown loaches in this tank and they spend 24/7 doing donuts around the heater suction cups and chasing each other between the heaters and the glass. They seem to find PLENTY to get into without gravel...When they really get rowdy, I hear some kind of clicking noise come out of the tank, does anybody have any idea what that is all about?

Kathy

[drew22to375]

I beleive that sound comes from when there spike behind their eye comes out. Mine would do that once in awhile. Check out www.loaches.com for more info.

[lesley]

It sounds to me as though they may be looking for cover?

There's another thread here that mentioned "Frygirl" having a BB tank but still being able to provide cover.

Thank you Carol...It really stays pretty now that I'm doing DAILY water changes!

When they really get rowdy, I hear some kind of clicking noise come out of the tank, does anybody have any idea what that is all about?
Kathy


Hi Kathy (KJMillerFw):

Beautiful tank you have and very, very clean!! Nice job.

My Clown Loaches love making those clicking noises. I hear it's because they nip at the silicone in the tank! I caught a few doing this and I get amazed to see them make this sound and then perform for me by doing a hide-n-seek circle! They no longer fear people near the tank who watches them in silence. Someone once told me that they are making those noises to get attention (they want food). I kind of believe this because now I feed them after hearing those clicking noises and then it goes away. They are greedy just like the Discus (lil' piggies). And, then I hear that this is when the want to mate or spawn. But to date, I have yet seen any eggs (they could have eaten them). :P

I see you don't have a cell-pore in your tank. How do you keep that tank so clear? I just recently retained a cell-pore and it made a dramatic difference.

Question for all: Is the peat granules the same as peat moss for plants? My tank turned brown after 24 hours of having the peat granules inserted into a stock and into the water. Is this ideal? [Note: peat moss is brown in nature]

**Fry Girl Angie**

[kjmillerfw]

Hi Angie,

I'm not quite sure what a cell pore is, so I must not have one. I keep it clean by the good ol' daily vaccuum, water changes, and sponge squeezin'. I was out of town for a long weekend in Niagra Falls and when I got home the tank was NOT so clean...BLAH!!! My kids took care of feeding but definitely fell short on the water changes; therefore, I had a nice brown film of algae on everything. Took me a while to get that all cleaned up. I have an AC300 with sponges right now that helps keep things clean plus I ordered a HOT Magnum to use for times like today.

You might be on to something with the silicone thingy. Whenever I hear this noice, they are playing inbetween the heater and the corner of the tank. These two loaches are not shy at all and seem to play together all day long, so it could be a pairing ritual too, who knows?

Kathy :)

Hi Angie,

I'm not quite sure what a cell pore is, so I must not have one. I keep it clean by the good ol' daily vaccuum, water changes, and sponge squeezin'. I was out of town for a long weekend in Niagra Falls and when I got home the tank was NOT so clean...BLAH!!! My kids took care of feeding but definitely fell short on the water changes; therefore, I had a nice brown film of algae on everything. Took me a while to get that all cleaned up. I have an AC300 with sponges right now that helps keep things clean plus I ordered a HOT Magnum to use for times like today.

You might be on to something with the silicone thingy. Whenever I hear this noice, they are playing inbetween the heater and the corner of the tank. These two loaches are not shy at all and seem to play together all day long, so it could be a pairing ritual too, who knows?
Kathy :)

Hey Kathy: YEP! It happened again today. I've heard the clicking noises by the loaches. This time it came around their morning breakfast hour (which is usually between 8.30 and 9.45). I just sat in the darkness watching. They were really hungry. At the last minute I fed them and then off they were ... in pairing circles! I think this is how they enjoy their mates! ;D

In regards to Cell-Pore; the one I have is from Kent Marine (?). It's a glass-fiberous piece that seems like a sponge filter. It takes the wasted foods and processes it into a safe biological waste and it decreases the nitrites (ammonia) and nitrates. (reversed??? :-\)

Check it out. It may have you do less water changes. I do it once a week, people. I have living Discus to show. I also do maybe a 60-90 percent water change. Sometimes I skip a week. Any how, it's just nice to find many ways to simplify or modify or rectify a solution. I enjoy reading these forums. :)

;D Peace, Love, Flowers & Discus to yall! ;D **Ang**

[jules]

Besides the Discus, the Clowns are one of my favorites. I have a school of 4 and occassionally they click. I find it's when they are trying to get some food. The do a great job of keeping the tank clean.
I had a couple little snails and the loaches just devoured them. It was funny to watch- like it was their last meal :)