pros and cons

[RedOscar12]

Whats the pros and cons of keeping discus in bare bottom tanks?

[RyanH]

In a nutshell:

Pros: It looks nice.

Cons: If you don't know what you are doing it'll stunt or kill your fish.

[lkleung007]

Hi,

I have all barebottom (BB) tanks...

Pros: each to clean and keep clean...which means big healthy Discus!!

Cons: really none...some hobbyists don't like the look of a BB tank but I just want to look at the Discus not all the other "stuff"

HTH, Lester

[RyanH]

Oops. I misread your post. :-[

What Lester said is correct. :-[

[Tad]

Red,

Pros: Definately easier to keep clean, clean, clean! which will lead to healthier and bigger specimens ;D, No nasty buildups in the substrate where feces, food etc can accumulate! Cary and Frank, told me to do it this way ;D...otherwise its how the "Pros" do it ;)

Cons: Family,Friends and Neighbors just dont get it LOL :P "Or maybe thats a good thing" ;D...If you dont you can "Con"taminate a tank faster ::)

Ok I need a cup of coffee,

Tad :-*

[RedOscar12]

Ok BB it is. Actually I seen a few pics in another thread and BB looks kinda nice.

[M0oN]

My suggestion to you as a beginner would be to start off with bare bottom and grow your discus out for about 12 months then consider switching to a heavily planted tank.

I would never, ever suggest keeping discus in a decorated tank unless it's heavily planted, since they're so delicate.

However I have seen a few setups with heavily planted tanks and it makes the discus' behavior more "cute" they'll spend most of their time in a shaded area and poke their heads out to look around from time to time, or dart back and forth from spot to spot.

It's really a matter of preference, personally I think bare bottom tanks look absolutely fine if you get high quality discus. There's nothing that's going to compare in a tank to a thick, hi finned designer discus...

[RedOscar12]

I was thinking of sciliconing a small piece of slate for them to hide behind. If the tank does get setup it will be in my living room but in a lower traffic section.

[Don_Lee]

Pros-Ease of cleaning and resultant cleaner water. Bacterias and other water impurities can "hide" in the gravel, and poisoning can occur much quicker and easier with gravel in the tank.
Cons-Appearance

I have tried both ways, and doubt I will ever try to keep discus in a gravel bottomed tank again. If you love the fish, and value your investment, do the easy thing and keep the gravel out.

Don ;D

[Carol_Roberts]

Start with totally bare bottom. Don't silicone slate. If anything, add an easily removable piece of wood or fake wood - even a flower pot. You will soon see how the food and feces collects around decorations and how much faster it is to clean a bare tank. Speed will become more important to you as you add more tanks. Bet you can't stop at just one ;)

[RedOscar12]

Oh yes I can. I have 7 freshwater and 1 saltwater tank. So this is it. Plus my mother doesnt want any more. Actually she is the one who likes expensive fish. She wants these and she has a 20$ blood parrot.

[henryD]

Ah those bloody parrot. I use to have tank of those. They can be pretty nice. Do you have pet smart in your area? It is a chain store but you can buy bloody parrots for 5.99 or 6.99. Cheapest price that I have seen.

Henry

[RedOscar12]

Yup. But I'm a loyal petco shopper. Mine is real nice. My petsmars sucks. Every fish I bought from them died :(

[M0oN]

Hehe, Carol might've started a new discus catch phrase "Bet you can't keep just one" (from the Lay's chips)...

Anyway, pro's:
You get to keep the most beautiful fish on the planet.
The satisfaction of advancing as a hobbyist is bar none.
Cons:
Say goodbye to your bank account.
Loss of sleep during the first few exciting months of getting into the hobby.