My 55g

[discolove]

Here are a few pictures of my 55g which has gone through quite a few changes in the whole 3 months it has been up. I started out low tech planted but didn't have it aquascaped very well. It is my first go around and I just kind of put plants in as I went. Eventually I decided that I didn't like it very well and completely changed it up. A couple pieces of malaysian driftwood and many less plants later I have a setup that I like a thousand and one times more. I just need to add a bit more substrate to the bottom to completely bury the old blue rocks. The water is still a bit cloudy from dust due to the new substrate and new bacteria establishing. Theres only one discus in there and I think thats how its going to stay until I do an all discus tank in the future. Also please excuse my less then perfect skills with the camera. Getting a good shot of a tank is something I need to learn.

How it first started out:
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r155/fatwhitekid/P1010036.jpg

Ended up like this and didn't like it:
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r155/fatwhitekid/P1010082.jpg

Moonlights:
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r155/fatwhitekid/P1010058.jpg

Now:
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r155/fatwhitekid/P1010066-2.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r155/fatwhitekid/P1010065-2.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r155/fatwhitekid/P1010057.jpg

[stallion150]

Hey--Good looking tank. The only things I would do would be to add a background (to cover up the wires) and scoop out that blue gravel. Otherwise, nice work--it'll look great once the plants grow out.

[rickztahone]

it's kind of funny but i started just like you last year to the point where our tanks look the same. i started with a 55 and had the same aqueon 55 filter and everything. i also had the blue gravel but had fake plants. here's a pic:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/rickztahone/DSC02319.jpg
then i moved everything to my 125 but kept the gravel and the extra stuff. here's that pic:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/rickztahone/DSC02903.jpg
finally after reading so much here on SD and understanding what it was that discus needed to thrive i ended up with a tank like this:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/rickztahone/discus%20tanks/P5020548.jpg
i know it looks dull but my goal is to grow them out to their full potential by keeping a bare bottom and making it easier to water changes regularly. most of the time i do 80g water changes which would be super difficult to do with all that extra crap i had in there before. what i'm trying to get at is that i've been in your shoes and i eventually got to the point i'm at by reading, reading, reading and i guess what i'm trying to do for you is save you some time. while your bio-load is really small because you only have one discus it still needs regular clean water. you might want to consider adding at least 4-5 more discus in there but only if you do decide to go barebottom. hope some of this helps and if you do decide to get more discus get them from one of our sponsors, you will not regret it and i can vouch for Kenny personally as many here can. here's the link for the sponsors:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?f=42

[discolove]

Thanks for the nice comments. I will be getting a background, trust me I have been meaning to so I can hide everything behind it. I have to do a better job at hiding the blue gravel. I actually scooped a lot out before I added the flourite on the bottom and even that made a huge mess. Id like to get rid of it all but im just going to leave it under there until I get a larger tank one day. I have only had my 55 for a couple months and already want a bigger one but can't quite justify it yet.

Rick, ha that tank looks so much alike mine when I had it setup that way. I really like your BB tank though and your discus look very nice. Im sure I will end up doing the same eventually with an all discus tank. I can't add too much more to my current tank right now. Its hard to tell from my pics but besides the discus in there, there is also about 20 other small fish such as tetras, angels and a few others so the bioload isn't as small as it looks. If I didn't have all those others, trust me there would be another 5 discus in there easily.

[rickztahone]

Thanks for the nice comments. I will be getting a background, trust me I have been meaning to so I can hide everything behind it. I have to do a better job at hiding the blue gravel. I actually scooped a lot out before I added the flourite on the bottom and even that made a huge mess. Id like to get rid of it all but im just going to leave it under there until I get a larger tank one day. I have only had my 55 for a couple months and already want a bigger one but can't quite justify it yet.

Rick, ha that tank looks so much alike mine when I had it setup that way. I really like your BB tank though and your discus look very nice. Im sure I will end up doing the same eventually with an all discus tank. I can't add too much more to my current tank right now. Its hard to tell from my pics but besides the discus in there, there is also about 20 other small fish such as tetras, angels and a few others so the bioload isn't as small as it looks. If I didn't have all those others, trust me there would be another 5 discus in there easily.

keep us posted man, and ask any questions you might have. we are here to help ;)