# planted discus tank



## kangster (Jun 11, 2009)

i am starting a new tank and i want everything right from the beginning this time
i have 
20L community tank with neon tetra, bristlenose pleco..etc
10 red cherry shrimp only tank
i do not have much space so i am limited to 55 gallon only
the new tank will be planted discus tank and i plan to have
55 gallon
2-3 WPG
canister filter
CO2 injection
i was wondering what substrate and plants would be a good choice for discus tank
i was thinking 2 layers
on the bottom would be vermiculite and laterite mixture
and on the top would be just regular sand, playsand probably because they are easy to find
and to avoid anabolic bacteria i would place MTS that i already have in the other tanks

also i want a carpet plant so please enlighten me on what plant would be the best choice and what substrate would be the best for carpeting and for discus


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## bkrivera (Feb 16, 2010)

i personally like half flourite and half flora base, and HC baby tears for carpeting

if u go that way dont forget to rinse the florite as much as u can.

have no experience with discus


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## colinlp (Dec 26, 2009)

I'm in the process of setting up a new discus tank. I'm using potting soil covered in eco complete topped off with near white sand. Dark substrates can make your discus dark or cause peppering so light is better from that point of view. I won't be using anyCO2 either so my plants will be Echinodorous and Crypts, root feeders that will thrive in the rich deep substrate. I think these will be good as they tolerate the higher temperatures in a discus tank and won't need much in the way of water column dosing. I too want a carpeted area so far E. Tenellus in top of my list because it's bio-typical and apart from the crypts I would like to lean in that direction.

What I have done which may be of interest is to build up the planted area with stones and an artificial sand bank to keep a lower just sand beach area with a physical separation from the planted. I'm hoping that this will help keep uneaten food (beefheart) out of the plants making clean up easier. With my current set up I have to really ram the syphon into the plants to get at it which has made the plants in the corners look a bit of a mess. Ease of cleaning has been a big factor for me as well as keeping the cost of CO2 down with the daily big water changes needed with discus


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## kangster (Jun 11, 2009)

colinlp said:


> I'm in the process of setting up a new discus tank. I'm using potting soil covered in eco complete topped off with near white sand. Dark substrates can make your discus dark or cause peppering so light is better from that point of view. I won't be using anyCO2 either so my plants will be Echinodorous and Crypts, root feeders that will thrive in the rich deep substrate. I think these will be good as they tolerate the higher temperatures in a discus tank and won't need much in the way of water column dosing. I too want a carpeted area so far E. Tenellus in top of my list because it's bio-typical and apart from the crypts I would like to lean in that direction.
> 
> What I have done which may be of interest is to build up the planted area with stones and an artificial sand bank to keep a lower just sand beach area with a physical separation from the planted. I'm hoping that this will help keep uneaten food (beefheart) out of the plants making clean up easier. With my current set up I have to really ram the syphon into the plants to get at it which has made the plants in the corners look a bit of a mess. Ease of cleaning has been a big factor for me as well as keeping the cost of CO2 down with the daily big water changes needed with discus


how much light were you looking to get
come to think of it, with such a high temp that discus require, maybe co2 is not a good idea
but if you had co2, what plants would you look into
my friend says that if im investing so much money and technology, i should get some exotic plants..but like you said, temperature is an issue
so...back to the substrate question...just plain potting soil with eco complete is good? i heard vermiculite is one of the best substrate


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## fishsandwitch (Apr 20, 2008)

IMO 55g is a little small. Discus would do better in a 75 and it doesnt take up that much more space


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## ridewake210 (Jan 12, 2007)

I also dont recommend any discus in a 55 gallon.


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## colinlp (Dec 26, 2009)

People do keep Discus in 55 gallon tanks but I think you need to keep on top of your water change routine. Changing large amounts of water daily is another reason I don't want to use CO2, I can't afford to chuck it down the drain and it causes ph swings which is not god for discus.

I would probably stick with the same plants, maybe some Rotala Maccaranda and Roundtfolia (spelling?), I've done well with them in the past but I think RM needs much more light than discus like


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## fishyjoe24 (Dec 10, 2009)

55 is good for growing out discus or keeping 5-6 adults in it as a bare bottom tank. I wouldn't do discus in a planted 55 gallon, it can be done though, but they won't grow to full size. discus need 10 gallon per one adult. plus smaller discus are going to be more stressed and need higher temp, then adult discus. forum.simplydiscus.com would be a good place to ask your discus questions, and for plant questions i would talk to phil edwards aka chloriphil(spelling?) about plants. plus you need to at the min. change 30% two times a week for discus, and you got to age the water for 24-48 hours with a air stone and good dechlornater seachem prime is what i use. chloram-x is also good and is just like prime but cheaper. only thing is chloram-x is hard to find. only chloram-x i found local was a 5 gallon jug at 112.90 plus tax and that was at a whole sale price though a friend which can't get it any more.


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## Franzi (Dec 7, 2009)

Aging water with an airstone for 48 hours would remove chlorine so you wouldn't need to add any chloram-x.

I'm not familiar with chloram-x, but what is so special about it? 5 gallons would last all of us (combined) a lifetime. Plain ol' API brand works just fine and a little 1ml drop per 5g removes chlorine and chloramine just as well as Seachem or other brands. Kent brand is nice as it also removes ammonia if you have problems with that.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Franzi said:


> Aging water with an airstone for 48 hours would remove chlorine so you wouldn't need to add any chloram-x.


Chloramines are more resistant to evaporation, used very often by water treatment facilities because of this, and therefore just aging tap water without any chemical treatment isn't a good idea these days in most cases. In addition, many treatment facilities that don't use chloramines on a regular basis will on occasion to "flush" out the system... so if you're on city water I'd be on the safe side and always treat.

IMO a 55gal tank is on the small side for discus, too- unless you can find an adult mated pair. Otherwise, you should keep them in a school, and a 55gal tank doesn't leave room for more than 3-4 adult discus. With that few fish in the tank you increase the risk of aggression/bullying.


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