Converting a tank

[Fishyfry]

Hey all, I'm new to SD. I've had a fascination with Discus for as long as I could remember, but I shied away from starting a tank for them because they seemed like such a beautiful delicate fish...And I was fairly new in the aquaria hobby. I keep right now a 75gal mbuna cichlid tank. I have a shell/rock mix for substrate, would Discus be ok with that sort of substrate? Or would I need to rip it all out and start new?
I do like my African cichlids, but they are way too aggressive, and its very difficult to add tank mates ( most don't last the first night). Do Discus mind if the aquarium is filled with fake plants? Or is planted "needed".

My filtration are two Rena canisters ( xp2 and xp1).

Any insight will help. I do really want to switch over to have a couple of these in the tank. More friendly fish in the tank just seems so much more appealing then cichlids.

Thanks guys and gals =)

[Skip]

get rid of the shell/rock substrate.. start new,

you will be new.. spray paint the bottom (outside not inside) glass with a light color of your choice..

discus don't have fingers so they can't tell fake from real plants.. but with no substrate.. you can put plants in terra cotta pots with some gravel to hold them in..

as long as the filters are rated for that size tank no problem..

filler up with water, get PRIME.. and tank is ready..

the hard part my new friend..

is where the H*LL to get the fish.. WHICH ONES TO PICK!!!

i recommend fish at least 4".. but you will need at least 6... if not, they tend to be shy and unhappy..

welcome to SD!

ps.. use google for whatever subject on discus you need to know.. then add SIMPLY DISCUS to the End of it.. thats do all the time..

"best flake food for discus SIMPLY DISCUS"

thats just an example.. but it helps to find threads on what you may want to know.. INSTEAD of waiting for a post to appear.. so it helps

[Chad Hughes]

Welcome to SD!

If you are researching anything related to discus you can also search the forum here:

Red arrow to the right of the image!

http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n553/SanDiegoDiscus/General/SDSEARCH.jpg

If you choose to provide a substrate in your discus tank, inert sand is best for a couple of reasons.

First, it will not change the pH of the tank. Your shell based substrate, although fantastic for high pH livestock will cause problems.

Second, sand (unlike porus gravel) does not trap detritus and waste below it's surface. All waste stays at the surface of the sand and can be removed easily.

All the best!

[Fishyfry]

Thanks guys, guess I got some work to do :). So just a basic white sand? I had sand in my parrot cichlid tank once and it was a pain to clean..mind you parrot cichlids are pigs.

[Chad Hughes]

A lot of folks like pool filter sand. It's extra white.

I typically use quickrete play sand, not just regular sand. Play sand is washed and pretty clean. I believe it's sanitized somewhat as well since your kids are supposed to play in it. It's worked well for me in the past.

[Chicago Discus]

Hello Mr. Fry and welcome to simply discus the people here are very helpful. Although nice the crushed shells and rock(probably lace) will raise your PH values in your tank which cichlids love just not this type. You can convert the tank to sand or just start off with a bare bottom tank until you get the hang of keeping discus. Also I would try to get larger fish because they are less demanding then the smaller ones. Maintaining a discus tank is pretty easy once you get the hang of it enjoy the forum and read lots of threads on starting and keeping discus. welcome again to our Forum ..................Josie

[Fishyfry]

So honestly, is BB the best way to go? I do want to make sure I get used to keeping discus, would a thin layer of thicker grained sand be ok to keep up with proper maintenance. I mean with WCs and all, sand would get stirred up alot. I just want them to be happy and I would love the aquarium to look great, they are beautiful fish and believe they should be shown off as so.