got my new discus tank!!!

[silvershark]

ok here's the score its gonna be heavily laden with plants, hopefully with a peat layer, however i'm a little torn between black sand or black gravel...

i'm worried that sand will cause anairobic pockets but i'm not too happy with the idea of gravel due to the mess...

would it be possible to have the peat layer, then gravel, with an under gravel filter reversed so that no waste is gathered?
or should i just stick to sand??

all opinions are more than welcome!

 

[Grey Legion]

IMO - sand is the best

 

[freddyk]

It takes a long time of neglect to acheive the problem of anaerobic pockets. All you need to do is run your fingers through the sand every now and again to stir it up. Undergravel filters only cause degradation of the water in the long term no matter which way you run the filter, and this is something you'll want to avoid with the tempermental Discus.

 

[BettaUK]

If you really want a well planted tank, go with fine black gravel. I have used it in my Discus setup with plant tabs and the plants are growing really well. Plants don't do fantasticly well in sand as they have problems with the roots gripping in the sand.

Fine black gravel not only looks good, but it shows the Discus colours off really well!

Just my opinion..

HTH
Lawrence

 

[BettaUK]

Also, if you can. Plant your aqaurium first and let the plants establish for a while before, you start stocking with your Discus etc..

I have found this works well for me, as it gives the plants a chance to mature and settle and also means you can fiddle around moving plants to get it all looking great first without stressing your fish..

Lawrence

 

[silvershark]

Also, if you can. Plant your aqaurium first and let the plants establish for a while before, you start stocking with your Discus etc..

I have found this works well for me, as it gives the plants a chance to mature and settle and also means you can fiddle around moving plants to get it all looking great first without stressing your fish..

Lawrence

well, my plan is to buy the substrate, filter, etc over a period of months, then have it all set and cycling with plants over a slightly longer period. I'm not actually expecting to buy any discus this side of x-mas!!

its gonna have to be the perfect setup and no livestock are entering it till it needs NO adjustment

 

[GSD]

i use gravel in my tanks butthe discus love sand!alot of breeders and discus keepers dont use any becausethey make alot of mess so its easier to clean

 

[silvershark]

ok i get what freddy k is saying but as i've found stirring my currant sand substrate, i plays silly buggers with the plants. they all end up floating to the top.

how about this then...

a fine peat layer for rooting the plants, then a fine layer of black gravel to minimise the cleaning problems

i'm gonna get some bogwood and pre-plant it with anubias and java fern/moss and get a jet black backdrop too

and, um,does anyone know of an online suppier of aquarium peat?!?!

 

[freddyk]

Silvershark, there is actually no need to stir it when keeping plants - the roots are always growing and moving and shuffling the sand around. Add some trumpet snails or somthing and they'll add their own weight to the turning of the sand. Cheers.

 

[silvershark]

Silvershark, there is actually no need to stir it when keeping plants - the roots are always growing and moving and shuffling the sand around. Add some trumpet snails or somthing and they'll add their own weight to the turning of the sand. Cheers.

with my currant tank, i noticed some small bubbles appearing along one of the walls, so just to be safe i rehomed the fish, filter etc for a week and gave it a good stir. i'm not sure what this was now but didn't fancy the risk of losing all my live stock as i thought it was gas pockets.

anyone shed any light?