Aquascaping and Tank Decor

[tmixon_77539]

I have a 150G that I am in the process of setting up, I am seriously considering going with discus and want to go with a natural look like their wild habitat. I have looked at several different sites regarding what to use for décor. I am not experienced with live plants so I don't know if this will be a good idea or not for a discus tank. Any suggestions, links or articles would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[mnemenoi]

Discus are from te Amazonian blackwater biotope that is actually devoid of most plants except floaters. Tannins discolor the extremely soft water. Using sand, Manzanita and spiderwood and no rockwork should mimic their native biotope quite well. Here is a great site covering hardscape. HAW and ADG are close to you and specialize in hardscape and Discus, definitely hit them up and they will happily guide you to what you are looking for

[morpheus]

+1 to looking into ADG. I was only there once, but one of their show tanks is discus and looks amazing. it looks so simple. sand, driftwood, not much rock.

you dont usually see planted tanks with discus. discus do produce a lot of waste, requiring more attention to water changes, so they are sensitive. they dont like high CO2 levels that some plants need, and ferts for plants are nitrate based (which discus also do not like).

can always go with some artificial leafy plants if you really want that planted look. may not be an exact replica of habitat, but its all personal preference.

[Austy16414]

Here's some inspiration:

http://fish.mongabay.com/biotope_amazon_blackwater.htm

http://www.simplydiscus.com/library/biotopes/index.shtml

[ptran]

Yeah, ADG has an awesome looking discuss show tank at the front. You should check that out.