Not wanting a completely plain bare bottom.

[Jenny]

I am setting up a 55 gallon that I plan on putting discus in. I know I want to go bare-bottom, but I don't want it completely empty. I don't like the look of potted plants. I was wondering if the 3-d backgrounds, that are DIY, are a good option? I like the way they look and I like the fact that I can make it exactly to my liking, with caves and whatnot. I was going to make it the Styrofoam and concrete method that the king of DIY has posted on his youtube. Any advice?

[Filip]

Many here put outside backgrounds to avoid slime and bacterial buildup on the inside 3D background.
But if you really like it just you can just cheat a BB concept a little-bit and go with it .
You can also put driftwood formations with plants attached on it .
It really looks natural when you have anubias, microsorums ,moss or other plants growing from the driftwood.

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Jenny, my only concern with a 3D background in a 55 is the size of the 55. A 55 is actually a small tank for adult discus and only has a 12 inch width. The background will take up a lot of that width leaving the discus with little swimming room. Would suggest using a 75 vs a 55 when using a 3D background. :)
Pat

[Keith Perkins]

There are definitely a few horror stories around here where people attributed major fish problems to 3D backgrounds trapping nasties behind them. Whether that's what actually caused peoples problems is debatable, but I don't have a lot of trouble seeing how it could have been.

What I did when I got back into discus and went BB was to add a piece of driftwood and groups of silk plants with weighted bottoms. Some of those i siliconed to pieces of slate in groups to keep them in place. Then when I wanted to clean the plants I ran them through the dishwasher by themselves without soap. I'm sure there's other decorating options too if you nose around here a bit.

[Phillydubs]

I would have to agree with the others here in that you never know what those are harboring in and behind them and to me the risk is not worth it. Also to second what Pat said, you are working with minimal space as it is... To cram that even further with a background just doesn't do it for me. Coming from a guy who is currently running a 55 you want to max that space out as much as you can.

Are you planning to go with sub adults or adults ? Be prepared to really stay on top of a water change in a 55 as it takes a lot of maintence to keep them healthy in there...

Not sure if you are new to discus or not but discus are a true show fish so people who are new think oh bare bottom is so plain and blah but once you see a nice group of big flashy discus you sort of forget what they are in and focus on the fish.

My 72 bow was bare with a few fake coral like designs and my 55 now has just a dusting of river rock and 3 peices of driftwood.

Less is more with discus especially in a minimal sized tank such as a 55... Good luck and keep us posted would love to see what you decide to do.

[Jenny]

I am pretty new to the hobby, I had a very bad experience with my first discus, due to my ignorance and ordering them from petco! I am learning more everyday... The discus I bought were 2.5-3 inch discus and they were very stunted and sickly. I have since returned them and am waiting until I have the tank set up, running, and cycled to order from a reputable breeder. I am also going to purchase a python "no spill clean&fill" system so water changes are easier, because with my first ones in my 30gal I was lugging two 5 gallon buckets back and forth everyday, and they weighed half as much as I do! lol

Anyway, I wasn't planning on doing a very thick one, and deff not going to permanently attach it! But I know I don't want ANY substrate as I had gravel and fake plants in the 30 and I had a bad nitrite problem for a minute. But I also do want some decor, as decking my betta tank out was what made me want a larger tank to begin with. My LFS also sells slate, I have seen some pretty cool ideas with that too, just siliconing them together, and making formations.

And on the note of a 55 being small, I wish I had the room for a 75, but as this is going in my already small bedroom, I deff cannot fit a 75 in there. I'm also running on a rather small budget with my part-time job.

[Jenny]

Oh and I plan on going with 3-4 inch discus as well, it better fits within my budget, and I am prepared for the enormous water changes daily.

[Yoda466]

If you do something with the slate formations you mentioned I would love to see a photo. That sounds like a cool idea that I might want to try.

[Jenny]

I'm going to try to find some free slate. Pet valu is charging 2.99 per pound! But I will post a pic when I get it together. It may be a while though, I want to have the ideal setup this time lol.

[Akili]

I have a nearby creek and have found some nice pieces of slate along the side of it.Slate edges can be sharp so watch for them. Also try a bit of vinegar on it. If it starts bubbling, it is calcium carbonate in the stone, which will slowly dissolve into the water make it hard. Potentially raising the pH.