Future Wild Discus Tank

[Rlon36dr]

Two years down the road, I am buying a house. Finally, I will go above and beyond my 55 gallon planted tanks. I presently keep blue diamond discuss in a planted 55.

In this tank, I have not been able to grown any mosses, Being that I am in an aprtment in brooklyn, the temperature ranges from 83 to 87 degrees, the higher evident in the Summer and the Winter (can't regulate the heat in the apartments).

Anyway, I plan on having a large wild green discus tank, with cardinals (or green neons), bristlenosenose plecs, etc. I want a complete light sand substrate, with on large, spidery piece of driftwood. The driftwood would be circled by round, dark river rock, and I want to use slate covered in moss to create a moss like division between the river rock and driftwood. The draftwood is going to be loaded with Phillipine or Trident Java fern. Floating plants will cover the top. This will not be a high tech setup.

What kind of mosses or bladderworts could I use in between the river rock and driftwood? I hope that this is an inwall tank, so the dwiftwood would be in the middle, off center, surrounded by the rock.

Im my current tank, I have been unsuccessful with both 'standard' java moss and christmas moss.

[Larry Bugg]

Moss is a real tough choice for a Dicus tank IMO. Most moss are cooler water plants. While they fare fairly well in a typical tropical tank ranging in the 76 to 78 range they really prefer to be in water that is in the lower to mid 70's. Discus tanks that should be in the 82 or above range are far from ideal for moss. It is done, but not the best choice.

[rosyrobyn]

I would recommend using anubias barteri nana petite. It can handle the higher temperatures and it's small enough to fill in those spaces between the driftwood and river rock.

[Rlon36dr]

Thanks for the suggestion. I thought about them (i.e. nana), but, if the snails can take discus temperatures, I wanted to include zebra nerites in my algae crew...and I know from experience that they basically ruin anubias by speckling them up...

[Doc_Polit]

What about X-Mas moss? Tom Barr often recommends it.

[Larry Bugg]

What about X-Mas moss? Tom Barr often recommends it.

Xmas like most other aquatic mosses likes cooler water. Not the 82 or higher we keep discus in.