ideal height for a large discus fish aquarium to view

[ganesan]

Discus aquariums have to be kept ideally in places where there is no disturbance with people walking around and lights coming from the sides..
My question is what is the best height the discus fish stand can be for best viewing..is it 3 feet or 4 feet or higher..I think it depends on the height of the people and guests watching the tank...either standing or sitting
But when standing which height is best for a large discus aquarium from floor level....and are taller discus aquariums better....I read that surface area for the aquarium should be high which means that the aquarium should be minimally at least as wide as its height...what ratio looks good for height to length of aquarium...for example two feet tall aquarium for 4 feet long aquarium and 30 inch tall aquarium to say five feet long aquarium...the taller the aquarium the difficulty will be cleaning the aquarium I know..but using stands and cleaning tall aquarium is worth it i think...large branched wooden drift woods kept in a tall discus aquarium reaching up the water surface is a treat to watch...
Can some one advice the best heights for discus aquariums from floor level which will greatly be appealing to the eyes.

[rickztahone]

Many here mention foot traffic and spooked discus. It has been my experience that so long as you don't tip toe around your discus, they will become used to the extra foot traffic. In fact, just yesterday, I had a guest over at my house, and the very first thing she told me was how beautiful they were, next, she proceeded to bang on my tank! (Seriously, who does that?). They didn't flinch, to my surprise actually. Mine are right next to two doorways! One is a bathroom that constantly gets used and we come from the blindside of the tank. Hasn't been a problem. As far as height, that is very personal.

[ganesan]

Thanks again for the reply..I think I agree with you but i think that stands that are tall such that you eye line is almost on the same line or just a few inches below the water surface level looks good simply because you can view discus fish slightly from below their bodies and also people moving around the house may not scare the discus..I have had discus settled so well in my tanks but some times when i happen to open the curtains or the door the sudden light coming spooks them really and they rush and hide for a while before they come out slowly again swimming...