135 discus build thread!!!

[Mfd513]

Well I finally got my 135 moved to my fiancee's house and started the switch over from a cold water native tank to a discus tank. Right now it's kinda bare on one side but i will be adding artificial plants to fill later this week or next week. Filtration is 2 Emp-400's and an FX-5. Most of the driftwood is a hold over from the last set up with some new pieces floating till they sink. I will try to post better pics tomorrow night after work.

 

[Bassmaster99]

ew.....dont keep plastic plants and discus together... get some big anubias or amazon swords to fill it up....u have to try to kill these plants

 

[Mfd513]

Id love to go with real plants but I didn't have a lot of luck with them when it was set up before so I think im gonna get it going real well and after its established with the discus I might try my hand at live plants.

 

[3dees]

what kind of discus are you planning on? put more wood and just some floating plants and you'll have an awesome biotope. wild discus would look very natural in that set up. they (biotopes) are also very easy to maintain. I also suck with plants and I enjoy my tank more than any other tank I have had.

 

[Mfd513]

Right now the plan is discus from Hans. As this is my first venture with discus I'm not ready to try wilds just yet. Your tank looks amazing 3dees I might try the more wood route but what I have in there now I was lucky and found some really good looking pieces from a lake that was drained down and most have been soaking for about a year now and I don't want to buy some new stuff and have it look a lot different than what I have already. But I am trying to steal some of your ideas with most of the drift wood standing vertical instead of just lying flat to give it more of a root type look. Thanks for all the input so far.

 

[arowanas lover]

go ahead and get some of the easier to maintain plants. i literally dont do a thing to my tank just 8-12 hrs of light a day with daily water changes and thats all no trimming/fert or co2 or anythin just plain lights.

 

[Jamo3030]

I agree, if you have fish that wont destroy real plants- i.e. discus, you should go for it. Real plants look way way way better than fake and actually dont take much work. I've never bothered with CO2, for ferts I just dropped a couple Flourish tabs in now and then. Just give the tank plenty of light.

 

[KNH]

Sorry I don't mean to derail but I'm considering adding some real plants but have no experience with them. Are they planted right in the substrate or are they in buried pots? Thanks

 

[arowanas lover]

Sorry I don't mean to derail but I'm considering adding some real plants but have no experience with them. Are they planted right in the substrate or are they in buried pots? Thanks

up to you i plant mine in the pfs but i have know people t just leave it in the pot

 

[MKD]

1 more thing you need to think about. Discus get sick very easy and sometime you have raise temp up to 86 or more. So think and choose plants will survive high temp and easy grow.