Riverland in discus aquarium

[ganesan]

I have seen discus fish aquariums with riversand and the discus fish keep picking up the sand and spitting them out and it seemed natural. Is it alright to keep riversand and some advocate keeping deep sandbed like 3 to 4 inches for beneficial bacteria growth.

[pitdogg2]

I have seen discus fish aquariums with riversand and the discus fish keep picking up the sand and spitting them out and it seemed natural. Is it alright to keep riversand and some advocate keeping deep sandbed like 3 to 4 inches for beneficial bacteria growth.

Deep sand is asking for trouble in a Discus tank IMHO. A little goes a long way in this instance, easier to keep clean and for Discus the cleaner the better.

[ganesan]

Thanks I was wondering if anyone will reply at all. Yes deep sand could bring hydrogen sulphide pockets so it's dangerous. I have seen however in pet stores discus foraging on sand taking in mouthful and spitting it out. Looked natural.

[LizStreithorst]

The pet stores don't keep their Discus for a long time before they sell them so they go for a good "look". You want to keep your fish happy and healthy long term. BB is best, but if you want sand, no more than 1". Less is better.

[bluelagoon]

With a lot of substrate, there is more organic matter in it providing a nutrient rich environment for parasites and harmful bacteria to get out of hand. Discus are prone to flagellates and hole-in-the-head if substrate isn't cleaned as part of a maintenance route. Like mentioned a BB tank is best.

[bossanova]

I keep a very, very thin layer of sand for looks. Bacteria can colonize biofilter as there’s plenty of surface area there. 1cm of sand is enough.