minimum tank size and FAKE plants

[Spyider]

Hi! I recently found this site and registered. This is my first post and I have no experience in owning discus. I just bought a 75 gallon tank, and I want EITHER african cichlids or discus. I don't wany any live plants of any sort but I want a nice looking landscape.

I see that some people like to keep their discus in barebottom tanks because its easier to maintain thus faster growing discus;from what I hear. I don't want a boring tank, and if I buy discus, they will be 4". I don't want live plants, as I said, but I will allow real driftwood (after its boiled ofcourse), SAND, rocks, and fake plants. I don't know if fake plants will even look that great in masses, I personally think it will look like crap. I was wondering if I could just do rocks and driftwood and maybe a fake plant here and there. Can this be done while having 6 full grown discus in the tank?

I have another question - I ordered this Coralife compact single strip light fixture, which was $100, and it is coming with 50/50 actnic (however you spell it) lights. Total wattage is 130, is this ok for discus, or is it too blue?

Anyways, I am really tired so sorry if my paragraph structure and spelling is crap. I appreciate every helpful reply. Thank you in advance!

[swinters66]

I use silk plants in my tank and they look pretty good. The silk plants, when underwater, look almost real. This is what my tank looks like with the silk plants. The rocks and wood are real. I just dont have time to maintain a fully planted tank. This works for me and I like the way it looks.

I dont know a thing about the lighting, wattage, etc. Sorry.

[poconogal]

I have a fully planted 20 g community tank... fully SILK planted, that is! Along with a resin piece of driftwood. It looks great, and people think the plants are real. It does depend on what types of plants you get, as well, but for the most part, the silk are very nice. I'd go easy on rocks if you get Discus however. Discus have a tendency to freak and dart sometimes, and with rocks in the tank, they can really do a lot of damage to themselves. Also, for myself, I stay away from any driftwood that has any sort of pointy thin branches in my Discus tank, for the very same reason. I'm afraid one of them will impail themselves one day if they should get startled.

[Ed13]

One of the best looking tanks I've seen/helped is an African cichlid tank that was set up with rocks and fake tanks and is slowly beeing added live plants (I preffered it with fake plants tho) then again a 300 gall full of cichlids tends to win you over;)

[PDX-PLT]

I second the silk plants. They're more expensive than the old plastic ones, but look so much better. I definitely have a "brown thumb" myself; so I'm using silk plants right now.

[Polar_Bear]

Spyider,
Your light fixture is a bit of over-kill if you aren't growing plants, but with that much light you most likely will be, although in your case they will be algae. Actnics with blue fish look rather nice, so you have no problem there.