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Re: I think I finally FIGURED IT ALL OUT!!
I think I would have foregone the gravel. Traps a lot of wastes and such unless your willing to spend a while vaccuming it at each water change. The white won't bring out the colors on the discus very well either. Just my personal opinion though. I don't mind bare bottom tanks at all sometimes they look very good, and I'm really fond of planted tanks, but not much tollerance for stuff inbetween, lol. Thats me though, as long as it makes you happy and your fish are healthy thats what counts.
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Re: I think I finally FIGURED IT ALL OUT!!
Very nice! Although many do not like gravel, I think that if you keep it clean and mainly have adults you do not have to feed alot that it is no problem. If you do have young fish, which it seems you have a few at least, then you just have to keep it clean.
You may want to try some hygro or some other type of fast growing plant. I have some of this in my tanks that grows so much I have to prune it every one to two weeks as it will take over the tank. That should be enough vegetable matter to keep your discus happy and still provide you with some plants that will grow easily and require not a high amount of lighting.
Great tank!
Don
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Re: I think I finally FIGURED IT ALL OUT!!
I don't get the association of discus eating plants and having healthy digestive systems. In fact, the only time I noticed my discus eating/yanking plants is when it HAS digestive problem and stopped eating meaty food.
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Re: I think I finally FIGURED IT ALL OUT!!
I like it What size tank is it?
Adrian
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Re: I think I finally FIGURED IT ALL OUT!!
My discus will eat the spinich I put in for my bristlenoses . Nice looking tank. I agree though with the gravel, I ended up taking most of mine out of my show tank and just left a 1 pebble thickness on the bottom twords the front of the tank, that way it didn't look so bare (and I was too lazy to tear down the tank and get every last pebble). It is definitely easier to clean.
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Re: I think I finally FIGURED IT ALL OUT!!
Looks nice Angie. Even with the plants and gravel it's the fish you notice and I think that's the ideal.
I have a planted/gravelled tank with my older discus and it's a lot of work to keep clean. I have one of those gravel vacs that plugs into your air pump to vacuum out the gravel. It works great. (on the other hand my bare baby tank is a breeze to clean-lol).
I like it. Enjoy!
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Re: I think I finally FIGURED IT ALL OUT!!
I think the USA has the most avid population of discus keepers that do not use gravel on the bottom. In my opinion, the lack of a substrate is unattractive and would only be an option if I were breeding. I keep an aquarium because I love the appearance, among other things, and I am not attracted by bare bottom tanks. I really do not feel it is that hard to keep a gravel tank clean, depending on how much one is feeding etc... but I would not want to try to raise young discus, and feed all of that beefheart, and try to keep that clean....but adults are no problem IMO.
Don
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Re: I think I finally FIGURED IT ALL OUT!!
I either og BB, or fully planted, co2, ferts ,everything. BB offers easy feeding and breeding but seems so dull to me. I see BB tanks and think of poor zoo animals trapped in cages. This is why I like my Fully planted tank. I don't really vacuum the mulm up that much because the plants eat all the problem out of the water. If I don't dose amonia and nitrates and phosphates ( the three no-no's) then I get algea. the fish simply can't get the water problems to a piont were it is a problem. The only disadvantge to fully planted is meds and espeially flukes. This is the only time besides QT that I use my 29 BB tank. JMO
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Re: I think I finally FIGURED IT ALL OUT!!
Thank you for the compliment Spices. I am not nearly as accomplished as some of the other posters here, I tend to take a simple approach to planted tanks that does not lend itself to an extreme amount of work to maintain. I feel that a nice planted tank is not that difficult with the correct basic pieces in place, and if one wants to take it further the sky is the limit. I have had many failures along the way, and understand the need to cover the basics and learn some of the concepts of water and plant chemistry. At the end of the day, I feel a planted tank is a better place for fish.....and see this much more accepted in Europe than in the USA. I am pleased to see that many others feel the same, and appreciate all of the information that is available to help us all learn what is attainable.
Right now I have only a 180 liter planted tank....because of the possibility of moving and the need to stabilize the tank, I do not have discus yet. I hope to soon when all of the rest is sorted out. I will post some pictures of my humble tank soon, which surely cannot compare with Wahter and Shaulu's tanks among others.
The beauty of a planted tank cannot be disputed IMO.
Don
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Re: I think I finally FIGURED IT ALL OUT!!
Thats what I love about this part of the forum. I call it SSH (Substrate Save Haven) Nothin wrong with a great lookin substrate. I think that when it comes down to it, it is all about balance.
Adrian
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