which one would u do???

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I think discus look their best in planted tanks, however i understand that having a thriving planted tank can be difficult with discus.

I think sand makes a much better substrate for such tanks though, plants grow better in it and it is also easier to keep clean (since it doesn't trap lots of waste in it like gravel does), which is vital for keeping discus healthy.
Silica/blasting/pool sand and childrens playsand are the best options, avoid marine/coral sand though since this will change the ph in the tank, and avoid building sand since it is very toxic to aquatic life.

 

[WyldFya]

that logically doesnt make sense.

Try re-reading it, because it does.

 

[WyldFya]

Alot of live plants just cant take the heat that discus need. Id have a sandy bottom ALOT of driftwood...some rock some very sparse fake plants and I would dedicate one filter just to pumping peat into the tank. Discus really look their best in some tea colored water.

Very few plants cannot survive the temps that discus are kept in. The list is extremely short. I'm not sure where you got that piece of information.

 

[WyldFya]

I think discus look their best in planted tanks, however i understand that having a thriving planted tank can be difficult with discus.

I think sand makes a much better substrate for such tanks though, plants grow better in it and it is also easier to keep clean (since it doesn't trap lots of waste in it like gravel does), which is vital for keeping discus healthy.
Silica/blasting/pool sand and childrens playsand are the best options, avoid marine/coral sand though since this will change the ph in the tank, and avoid building sand since it is very toxic to aquatic life.

Silica sand will produce excessive amounts of brown alga.

 

[MCHRKiller]

Probably my own experience with various plant species in discus setups...versus other tanks with essentially the same conditions except for temperature. But then I always kept my discus tanks at about 86-88*F versus what most people keep their discus at which is around 82*F.

 

[WyldFya]

My discus stay at 86dF. I have had no problems with any plant species yet. What species did you have problems with???

 

[MCHRKiller]

Anything I tried with the exception of Java ferns, Swords, and Anubias species really. They all seemed to just melt in the heat. Mad.Lace, Red Lotus, and a host of bunch style plants, several other species of Apon. Eventually I removed one of my halides from the discus showtank and raised its distance form the tank so it would illuminate the entire thing, so lighting was rather low expecially with my level of peat filtration. I made the tank much more like their native habitat(concentrating more on driftwood and rock) and their colors just exploded. I did attach ferns to the driftwood, added some floating style plants(duckweed, and another species I cant remember at the time) and had a single amazon sword.

 

[PEVINE11]

" a tank with no gravel and no type of plants "

who ever voted that ( 4 ppl ) you'r ignorant!
thats just dumb, whats ur reasoning on that?

 

[sandtiger]

Try re-reading it, because it does.

I agree with him. I mean seriously, what do wild discus do? I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt though because I actually know someone on another forum who has a stunted discus despite excellent care and the rest of them are normal sized for their age. Do you have any sources for this info? Can you expand on it at all?

As for the OP's question. Whatever is easier for you to care for is what I would do. Discus typically demand a lot of dedication so you may want that to be your main focus rather then a planted tank.

 

[WyldFya]

" a tank with no gravel and no type of plants "

who ever voted that ( 4 ppl ) you'r ignorant!
thats just dumb, whats ur reasoning on that?

Many serious breeders do this, and many serious discus keepers do this while they are young.