Barebottom

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

Decided to change things up and make the 55 discus tank into a bare-bottom tank. Its only been two days so nothings set up yet, but anyone have any tips/advice/ideas for the tank look-wise/plant-wise/cleaning wise? thanks!

 

[bambam1]

why you go for no gravel? it looks to bare for my liking but that's just me. I like your pots though

 

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

Had a flourite gravel that no matter how much we cleaned it, turned the water red during water changes and the tank water never looked clean although we changed the water every other day. So now the water is crystal clear and the discus are loving it

 

[Fresh2o]

Perhaps you could place the larger pots along the back and smaller ones up front. Looks like you will be able to keep that tank very clean during water changes (using the end of the hose to vacuum the bottom). At least you will be able to see the waste.


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[HN1]

Plant arrangement is entirely up to you. And as a bonus very easy to change around to your liking with your approach. Great set up for water quality.

 

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

Thanks all! And thank you for the pot arrangment advice

 

[toddnbecka]

I'd at least put a thin layer of sand over the bottom, more surface area for beneficial bacteria to colonize, more stable biofilter.

 

[Cactuspixie]

In time your loach will toss most of the soil/gravel out of your pots and make a right mess of your lovely bare bottom. Been there!! :-/
Discus look stunning against jet black sand. A thin layer will prevent a build up of detritus, and eliminate the danger of gas pockets forming. Then cap the potted plants with a deep layer of black sand also to prevent the aforementioned problem


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[Jessiicaxrosex3]

Thankyou both! Thats very helpful. Will probably go with the black gravel

 

[trennamw]

It'd be more visually appealing if you had pots of more varied sizes, shapes, and heights. Since they're a very big part of the aquascape.

I'd also switch to a few wide shallow pots with multiple plants in each. More like container gardening for outside.

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[Fishanatic]

In my experience over 80% of discus tanks ive seen were barebottom so this looks nice to me.

 

[Delapool]

I've just swapped the small tank over to bare bottom and it takes some getting used to. I've added some long thin pieces of driftwood to create some shadows and break up the reflection off the glass. At cleaning time I just shift the driftwood around.