New Aquarium Set Up

[Maura_Paz]

I currently have a 55gl freshwater tank. I bought a 75gl fish tank and I need to set up the new tank and move my discus. I was advised to buy dirt soil and substrate to plant new plants before moving the fish. I don't want to do this wrong any advice?


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[pcsb23]

Do you have any experience with planted tanks at all? If you don't I'd strongly advise gaining that experience without discus in the tank.

There are a number of ways of setting up planted tanks, it really depends on what you are trying to achieve. By that I don't mean "I just want a nice planted tank" either, as they don't happen by accident. What style of planting will you go for? How much light could you have available? Will you use fertilisers? Will you use carbon supplementation either via injected CO2 or liquid supplement? How much time are you prepared to spend maintaining just the plants? Will you have enough circulation?

It is far more complex than just keeping discus as they are easy

[Maura_Paz]

@pcsb23 I am sure it is very complex and this is why I am asking. I don't have experience with planted tanks at all and if that's a bad idea for my fish- I am not going to take the risk. Yes I would love to do it for the aesthetics but also for my fish - to give them a good environment. I won't gain any experience if I don't try; but, I won't risk the health of my fish for it either....


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[pcsb23]

Learning about panted tanks whilst keeping discus in them is not the way I would recommend it be done Discus need good water quality and whilst it is possible to maintain excellent water quality in a planted tank, it does take a bit of practice and experience. Most people end up getting frustrated, spend fortunes on plants and stuff and end up with stunted discus or worse.

Don't get me wrong, I love planted tanks. I have kept discus in planted tanks and no doubt I will again.

One thing to get clear is that discus don't need plants at all. In their natural environment there is little if any vegetation except during the rainy season when the forests flood! If you want a biotope type tank, then just use some pool filter sand on the floor and few roots and such. I have seen some wonderful display tanks setup like this and these are easy to maintain.

When you have freed up your 55 that would be a good size to learn about planted tanks in, and I'd be delighted to help you with it I've a thread running here http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...p?113026-Weeds that is journaling my current tank (it needs updating, but hey ...). It will at least give you some ideas.

[Maura_Paz]

Oh wow!! Ty for the information!! So you suggest I use the empty 55gl as my plant experiment?? I like that idea...


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[pcsb23]

Oh wow!! Ty for the information!! So you suggest I use the empty 55gl as my plant experiment?? I like that idea...


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I would until I was comfortable with plants

[discuspaul]

Paul has given you the best advice you can get.

Set up the 55 as a planted tank and gain some experience with that over several months.
Meantime keep your discus in the 75 during that period of time, either bare-bottomed, or with a light layer of pool filter sand and perhaps some driftwood, while you're gaining experience, both with a planted set-up and separately with discus.
When you feel comfortable with both, and the discus have grown out more in the 75, you can then try your hand at setting up a planted environment in the discus tank. Far less risk-taking by doing it that way.

I too love planted discus tanks, and have kept many, but only after gaining good experience keeping discus. And I had many years of planted tank experience before trying my hand at keeping discus in a planted set-up. It paid off in the long run.