new to discus

[jonah]

im just about to move and will be stripping down my 90gal and selling my current stock. Im hoping to get it started again before winter with discus. I have never done discus but have successfully kept altum angels in the past. Should i for my first venture into discus start with a bare bottom tank, then decorate in the future or start with it decorated.

Was thinking piece of bogwood from the old tank and few plastic plants for ease of cleaning. Gonig to get the discus from April at pets beautiful, as i just discovered her last week. Thanks April for showing me your stock, those fish definaately made up my mind on whether to keep discus. I'll be looking you up soon with a list of strains i'd like to start with.

[dwilder]

its no harder cleaning around a few plants and driftwood than a complete bb imo

[-gb-]

starting with a BB is a REALLY smart idea. I could have saved myself a lot of pain and anguish if I had been smart enough to start this way. You can decide to add plants and such at a later date.

personally I hate plastic plants but that's just my opinion.

welcome aboard!

[Don Trinko]

I have gravel and fake plants. It's a little harder to keep clean but it can be done. Don T.

[jonah]

I was just thinking i may get 9-10 juvis around 3" and a big plastic plant would give them a sense of security whilst they get used to things and the tank is in our main room so there will a a moderate amount of movement outside the tank

[jonah]

just read my home inspectors report the pipes for the condo are copper is this going to be a problem

[dwilder]

no

[jonah]

I always thought copper was a bad idea, as i dont have space to pre-age water i will be doing changes from the tap, but as i have already mentioned im getting them from april and she is all of 5km from me and our water is pretty much the same and she does her changes with local tapwater.

[mikel]

go tap from the start...it will make your life so much easier. mike

[jonah]

thats what i was thinking seeing our local water is soft and acidic straight out the tap although it is so soft the ph value can crash RAPIDLY but crushed coral in my filter sorts that out most times.

[jonah]

Is bare bottom the way to go then as i have seen so many planted tanks on here that people say they clean less than bb why is this?
Want planted but always have algae problems

[April]

hi there jonah. start bare bottom so you can learn discus behaviour. get them growing..then add stuff. if you give them one plant..they wont be as brave. the saying goes..give htem something to hide behind and they will. but if you have a good group then they are braver. if or you can put a thin layer of sand and try that..if it sucks up with cleaning..you can add more.
as long as your condo doesnt have new pipes..you should be fine. is it a new building?
gotta wait till things settle down..as they use that stuff on new pipes to join. its acid.
i know low ph makes copper leach..but most buildings have copper dont they? and our water supply has ash added so the copper doesnt leach. so i was told. if yuou get green in your bathtub where the tap drips then your copper pipes are leaching out.
you can store...but..another container.
i use straight from the tap..but my pipes certainly arent new old as the hills.
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