New appreciation for the people here

[skiptomyzoo]

The good with the bad will be encountered anywhere. However, I agree aquanero on the discus raising (starting bare bottom) though.
I thought I read other (unbiased) reasons in addition to why the grow-outs should start in a bare tank and then be transferred when they put on size (something with plant requirements over juvenile discus requirements directly contradicting each other in terms of optimal dosing, trace elements, and all that fun stuff) but can't remember as that was about two years ago that I looked at getting into discus and haven't much since. Only reason I somewhat recall it is I wanted to do the same off the bat, planted with discus grow outs.

The thing that really annoys me however (over peoples attitudes) is when people over complicate things and literally scare people right out of keeping.
I encountered that very much so when I kept a ball python and again with saltwater. When I had a saltwater tank lots of my friends couldn't believe it and I constantly got the "I want one but saltwater is expensive and hard" logic. Granted I went with hardier things the first time around, and still have a lot I would like to learn in that category, but most the people I encountered really only wanted a smaller'Nemo'/fowl setup which would be enough to successfully start them into the hobby and that really isn't that hard.

 

[Mythic Figment]

Some of the members at SD not unlike some here are die hard purists and have seen new members come and go while answering the same questions over and over causing them to becoming somewhat jaded over time. Not an excuse but the reality is what it is. By and large it is an excellent site with a great membership and excellent information to offer the Discus hobbyist. Most of what I saw was aimed at 8ftbed. That guy John came out of the blue and I agree came off a little rough. The bottom line is this, if you're going to get small fish it's easier to grow them out in a bare tank. Due to the amount of feedings, cleaning and water changes they will grow bigger faster. Then once they reach the 4-5" mark transfer them to the planted tank, growth will slow and they usually don't reach the 7-9" dinner plate size in a planted display tank but for display purposes the 5-6" range is fine. If you want a planted tank right out of the gate then I agree with what they said, get bigger fish you will be better off in the long run. The one post I didn’t quite get, where the guy asked why so many water changes? Young grow outs need to be feed often and a bare bottom tank allows you to keep the environment cleaner with frequent Wcs and vacuuming to keep nitrates low, this prevents stunting at a critical stage of development which is much more difficult in a display tank.

For what it’s worth, I thought you handled yourself well in the thread.

Thank you. I appreciate that. And thank you for answering my question from there too! LOL I couldn't seem to get a straight answer out of anyone. I think I will get the discus and grow them out in a bare bottom 55. That should give me enough space to house them until they are around 5" before moving them to a larger planted tank. Thanks again for the feedback.


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[Mythic Figment]

The good with the bad will be encountered anywhere. However, I agree aquanero on the discus raising (starting bare bottom) though.
I thought I read other (unbiased) reasons in addition to why the grow-outs should start in a bare tank and then be transferred when they put on size (something with plant requirements over juvenile discus requirements directly contradicting each other in terms of optimal dosing, trace elements, and all that fun stuff) but can't remember as that was about two years ago that I looked at getting into discus and haven't much since. Only reason I somewhat recall it is I wanted to do the same off the bat, planted with discus grow outs.

The thing that really annoys me however (over peoples attitudes) is when people over complicate things and literally scare people right out of keeping.
I encountered that very much so when I kept a ball python and again with saltwater. When I had a saltwater tank lots of my friends couldn't believe it and I constantly got the "I want one but saltwater is expensive and hard" logic. Granted I went with hardier things the first time around, and still have a lot I would like to learn in that category, but most the people I encountered really only wanted a smaller'Nemo'/fowl setup which would be enough to successfully start them into the hobby and that really isn't that hard.

I also have read some info on planted tanks having conflicting needs to what growing discus need. Multiple water changes a week are harsh on live plants because nitrates they feed off of as well as any ferts you give all get washed out, so plants suffer with too many water changes and discus suffer with too few.

I see the scare tactic used too. Things get too complex (which doesn't work with me because I am use to complex since I usually make it complicated for myself anyways. LOL) and a lot of people don't want to deal with that, so they find something less complicated.


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