Bare Bottom vs Sand/Wood

[Clawhammer]

That looks great Eric. Would the wood be too tall if you tipped it up? Looks like there would be a nice swim through and easier to clean under.

This was such a great idea, I don't know how it didn't dawn on me! It is so much easier to keep clean this way and the fish seem to relish swimming between the branches.

I think it looks great as well. I am planning to go get two anubias which I will put in pots on each side, and some java moss today.

Here is a picture. I just fed them, so ignore the mess!

IMG_0981.jpg

[Jenene]

Yay! That looks great Eric. You would have come up with it. I can't wait to see the plants on/around it. Keep us in the loop!

[emil]

I do like sand an driftwood and some water lily in my 75 gallon tank. My Discus enjoy it also 20170311_171938.jpg20170311_171942.jpg20170312_155047.jpg

[Filip]

This was such a great idea, I don't know how it didn't dawn on me! It is so much easier to keep clean this way and the fish seem to relish swimming between the branches.

I think it looks great as well. I am planning to go get two anubias which I will put in pots on each side, and some java moss today.

Here is a picture. I just fed them, so ignore the mess!

IMG_0981.jpg

You don't need pots for anubias Eric . You can just anchore them to a small stone or a piece of driftwood.
Java moss is a very efficient dirt catcher , so try not to put too much moss in your tank.

[Jenene]

You don't need pots for anubias Eric . You can just anchore them to a small stone or a piece of driftwood.
Java moss is a very efficient dirt catcher , so try not to put too much moss in your tank.

Filip is very right. The Java moss does collect lots of stuff. I trim it to keep it from getting too crazy and before a water change give it some good swishes and tussles with the syphon nearby.

I actually tied it on some sharp spots on the wood. Works great as bumper pads for my crazy Blue Diamond.

[discuspaul]

Emil, your tank looks superb - love it !
You might think about trying Seachem Purigen in your filter - it will produce crystal clear water in your tank.

[JBurgo]

+1 for putting the anubias on the log. That long horizontal branch is just asking for one there. That way you can remove the log occasionally, and the plants go out with it.. for a good hoovering.

I don't understand the use of stones in tanks. Seems hard to clean around. I use rocks in my Cichlid tank because they need the caves, but I'd love to be able to remove them.

[LoGeek]

I can definately relate to the behavioural change of the discus after adding some decor. I added lots of driftwood with plants (no sand though) to my bb tank a while back. The change in behaviour was obvious. They are much more active, always inspecting the decor at funny angles.

[emil]

Thank you Discuspaul for kind words. Yes I do use seachem purigen and water is clear however picture is maybe little bit dark as I only use HO T5 2x54Watt - 1.5 Watt per gallon light, it keeps algae under control and also discus do appreciate it as they do not like bright light. Both discus and water lily looks happy and both grow well and enjoy this biotope. Also I do daily 50% water changes. Now I recall that before I took picture I was dosing Seachem potassium and iron and it makes water a little bit cloudy - milky.

[Clawhammer]

Thank you Discuspaul for kind words. Yes I do use seachem purigen and water is clear however picture is maybe little bit dark as I only use HO T5 2x54Watt - 1.5 Watt per gallon light, it keeps algae under control and also discus do appreciate it as they do not like bright light. Both discus and water lily looks happy and both grow well and enjoy this biotope. Also I do daily 50% water changes. Now I recall that before I took picture I was dosing Seachem potassium and iron and it makes water a little bit cloudy - milky.

Dose them on the opposite sides of the tank or wait a couple minutes between the two and there will be no cloudiness beautiful tank btw!

[emil]

Thanks for advice Eric I will try it. Thanks

[Clawhammer]

I went out and picked up four anubias, dipped them in bleach, and got them into the tank

IMG_0985.jpg

Although it does looks a little pathetic next to this tank

IMG_0986.jpg

[Jenene]

The top tank is better because it has Discus in it! It is looking great Eric! The discus look like they are having fun with the new plants too.

Now I think I need to stick an Anubias on mine. I was noticing the texture of the moss on mine is nice but it is pretty dark green. Some Anubias would pop. I have a natural hole in mine. Perfect place to stick it! Although I am known to have a black thumb..Let's see how many ways I can find to kill a water plant that already has water.

[JBurgo]

Looks great Eric.

Anubias is prone to algae, although with our water changes it's lessened. I found if you pull the plants out twice a week, long enough for the surface of the leaves to dry and then put them back in, it helps the algae not to take hold. That would be my reason to put them all on the log, one movement and the whole thing is out and drying out in an empty bucket. But by no means interpret that as me wanting you to do that, that's purely personal preference. The green really contrasts with the red on the Discus doesn't it .

+1 Jenene I much prefer the Discus tank.

[Ryan925]

Looks great Eric.

Anubias is prone to algae, although with our water changes it's lessened. I found if you pull the plants out twice a week, long enough for the surface of the leaves to dry and then put them back in, it helps the algae not to take hold. That would be my reason to put them all on the log, one movement and the whole thing is out and drying out in an empty bucket. But by no means interpret that as me wanting you to do that, that's purely personal preference. The green really contrasts with the red on the Discus doesn't it .

+1 Jenene I much prefer the Discus tank.

Very true. It is so tough to keep the gsa off the leaves of the anubias without high flow. Love the anubias though. I was really fond of the coffefolia before I removed all my plants.

Looking forward to seeing your new fish from Kenny !