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hi there! i'm converting my 55G community tank to (another) discus tank (darn things are addicting!). haha.

anyhow, it currently has white-ish gravel in it that i plan to switch because a) i now know that fish don't show their best against white and 2) i suspect it's raising the pH, because i find it tough to keep it lower in that tank particularly.

so, becasue it is a planted tank and i'd like a natural look, i was considering flourish. is this a good choice for with discus? are there any drawbacks (ie: does it have to be replaced regulalrly? is it likely to get packed down, similar to sand?) etc... etc...

my other choice would just be black gravel, as i've heard sand is not good to keep with them.... any comments, suggestions and advice would be great! : ) thanks

Flourtie is very muddy. I would recommend putting a layer of it under a layer of regular gravel. Some people mix it. I've heard a lot of people keep discus with flourite, but you might want to ask someone who actually has.

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I have fluorite in my discus tank and yes, it is muddy at first. When I first set it up I was a bit too eager and didn't rinse it well enough. It clouded up for a few days till I got sick of waiting and re-rinsed it again. So a word to the wise, if you use it rinse it thoroughly. I really like the look and it does show the discus colors well. (And the plants love it!)

thanks guys... i think that's the route i may go... the guy i'm getting the discus from has flourite in one tank, and sand in the other... but i heard that it's not good to use sand with them, and i've already got black gravel in my other two tanks, so i'd like to go with something a little different maybe. too bad the flourite's so darn expensive though! btw, does it need to be replaced after a period? ie: does it loose it's beneficial properties (for the plants) over time?

also, what about that other plant-friendly substrate out there... it looks more like little brown balls. almost like peat... is that any good? (sorry, can't remember the name!)

what about that other plant-friendly substrate out there... it looks more like little brown balls. almost like peat... is that any good? (sorry, can't remember the name!)

Florabase is what you are thinking of and yes it is good for plants but it is very lite weight stuff and is hard to avoid siphoning up come cleaning time. I recommend using it as a base layer much like laterite clay.

What I recommend highly is "eco-complete", best darn stuff in all the world. Naturally black, great for plants, no rinsing required(or suggested seeing as how it comes soaked in live benefical bacteria) and it is just as easy to clean come water change time as normal gravel.

thanks for the advice! i looked for "eco-complete" but can't find it in my area... so i bought 3 bags of flourite today ($90 - yikes!!). but, i really like the red colour and think it will look quite nice. hopefully! should bring out the colours of the discus nicely.

thanks again

now comes the fun part of switching it out...

I recently setup a tank using flourite and the best way I found to rinse it was using an old window screen that I had. I laid this over a wooden frame that had a larger wire mesh stretched across it and then spread a bag at a time of the flourite across it and the rinsed it vigourously with a garden hose and sprinkler head. Even doing this it took quite awhile to get it rinsed thoroughly.

You may need more than 3 bags though for a 55 gallon, depending if this is the only substrate you are using and the depth required. I know that for the 38 gallon tank that I set up it took 6 bags to get to 3 inches in depth.

Anyways, good luck with your project.

Jim

---

Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

Hi,
I use 100% Flourite in my tank. I washed it much like I
would any other substrate, and then put it in the tank,
set a plate on the gravel, and filled the tank part way
with a hose, directing the flow onto the plate. I then
planted the tank, and finished filling the tank.
When I was done, I ran my diatom filter (a vortex) on the
tank for a couple of hours and the tank was crystal clear.

I believe everyone should own, or at least have access to,
a diatom filter. Even more so when dealing with fish
such as Discus who want "clean" water.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

In my 40G Long. Same base as your 55 just shorter. I used 3 bags of flourite plus on 25# of a natural gravel on top. As with most of the others I did not rinse it well enough. It took a while to clear up but once it did it was great stuff.

When I used the stuff at work I got a little smarter. I used small scoops of flourite in a fine mesh net under a hose. Works really well!

I am sure Bob will be on here some time as he is a discus guy. He uses Eco with his. Loves the stuff. I haven't tryed it yet but I have heard good things.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

the tank's finally cleared up - looks great now! love the colour and the plants really 'pop' against it

the three bags made about an 1-1.5" layer... about the same depth as the gravel i used previously. i'm not too concerned that it's not deeper, as the tank is not super heavily planted... but, i could always add more later on if need be.

for now though, i think i'm good to go! thanks for all your help!