40 g PLanted discus tank

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
E

east_bay

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 8, 2010
184
0
0
hayward ca
hi how do i start a 40 gallon discus tank right now my tank is running bare bottom and nothing in it how do i start turning it into a planted tank?

do i need co2 or special substrate?

help with every thing also home depot is selling 2 bulb t8's and 2 bulb t 5s for cheep like under $30 which should i buy for a planted tank and could i switch the bulbs out with other bulbs like what bulbs do i need

thank u and i appreciate the help and will post pics throughout the proscess as i get help:confused::D
 
need to know what your plans are. what kind of plants? is this your first discus tank. 40 gal. is ok for a mated adult pair but to small for a group as discus do better in groups of at least 6. if it's going to be a grow out tank for young discus, then you will be better off without many plants and best with no plants. young discus need to be fed 6-8 times per day and demand very clean water. water temp should be at least 82 and 84-86 is better. many plants won't do well in high temps. a high tech planted tank can work with discus, but if it's your first try with these expensive fish, you might want to go with just the discus in a bare bottom tank or do the plant thing with different fish. of course this is juist my opinion.
 
Don't take this the wrong way..
But it seems that you still have a lot of reseach to do.. and maybe this type of tank and stock just isn't something you should start out with. A planted tank alone, is a hit and miss thing.. at least for me it is. Even when you've done the research and are pretty confident that your not screwing it up.. doesn't always turn out good.
I would say if your gonna do it, take your time and reseach.. and you won't get all the answers you need by starting a thread... most of it is going to be on you...
 
okay so i will just use fake plants instead of real and have always wanted discus but went a easyer and cheaper fish way but i finally got the money to buy a couple discus and would a 9 watt uv sterilizer in the 40 g help with keeping the discus healthy
 
You can try and go with some easy plants. For instance, I think you can simply attach some java fern on driftwoods. Java fern can withstand the high temperature that discus like and do not require too much care. They are survive in low light and thrive in medium to high lights. For bulbs make sure you purchase bulbs that have color temperature at around 6500.
 
That video you posted has a bunch of low maintenance low-light plants. A planted tank substate would be great, but you don't need co2. I would run 4x bulb T8/T12 fixture and call it a day.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom