Ideas welcome (55G Planted Discus)
 

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/v...3/P9280539.jpg

55G
2x54w T5HO 5000k,6500k
CO2
Filtration: Aquaclear 50 HOB and Aquaclear 70 HOB
Plant list:dwarf sag, dwarf hair grass, amazon sword, hygro compact, java fern, water sprite, crypts (unk. species)
Stock list: 4 Discus, 4 Columbian Tetras, 3 Otos, ~10 Neons, Assassin snails, nerite snails

I would add 1 more discus to the mix. They always seemed to do beter in odd numbers when I had them. Also as they get bigger your going to need to find homes for your tetras. as the neons will become a snack, and your columbians will add a huge bio load with 4-5 full growen discus(6-8"). otherwise looks good cant wait to see it fill in.

Curt

Thanks...I would love to add another in the near future. This is my first discus endeavor and its great thus far.

Nice! I have been wanting to get discus forever. Maybe I need to make that my next project. ;)

And i tought my 5 discuss were cramped in 90g :D

I had 5 discus in my 55 and they very quickly outgrew it and I had lots of aggression problems. I traded them off and kept 2 that had paired.

Things were much smoother after that. They never bothered my tetras, just each other.

A backround, solid color perhaps black(?) would add definition. I can't tell if the backside is very viewing accessible. A dark color backround would be nice from this angle (frontview). Looking good!:)

Looking pretty good, Dallen.
As Curt said, one more discus will be helpful to the social compatability, but 5 is the max number in your tank, particularly with the tankmates you have in there now.

And as JerSaint mentioned, a background would make a nice difference, although I suggest a lighter color shade - you already have a semi-dark substrate and a dark background will make the discus coloration get darker, and you may get some peppering.

Suggest you consider using well-bagged Seachem Purigen in your filter(s) for a while - it will really help polish, clarify & purify your water. Just a suggestion.

Your neons may not last long - they don't do well at all in the higher discus temps - Cardinals are much better.

And keep an eye on your Otos - as they get larger, older and lazier, some MAY tend to take a liking to discus' slime coats as part of their diet.

And Zefrik - why don't you give discus a go - they're extremely satisfying fish to keep.
And not at all difficult, if you get at least 5, in a tank no smaller than Dallens, you get reasonably good-sized healthy specimens from a high quality supplier to begin with, and are prepared to do reasonably frequent wcs, with a good tank cleansing routine.

They need a little more care & attention than most fish species, but are well worth it.

I have a 55 gallon tank that I could "revamp" and get some new equipment for. Would 3 discus work out? Or could I get away with just a pair? I would like to try keeping just a couple discus before a buy a couple hundred dollars worth. You know?

Well Zefrik, not wanting to rain on your parade. but getting just one discus would make for a very lonely camper (they're very social fish), and getting 2, 3, or 4 is not a good idea, as you would likely be faced with undesirable pecking order/aggression issues.

You could keep a pair, but they would need to be a proven mated pair, and then you would have to be prepared for their breeding, and then needing another tank or two to raise the fry - not recommended for newcomers to discus - not to mention the high cost of a mated pair.
You could possibly get 5 - 3" discus from a good quality source for around $200, perhaps less, if your wallet would allow that.
That's my best advice.

Wow, I think your tank is beautiful!

I'd go for a light blue background. Other than that, it looks excellent. Well done.

Nice setup! I agree I would go with a background too.

I am in the process of revamping my 55 as well. I am going to get 5- 3" fish for it price will be around 200 or so. I to would not get a Proven pair if your not ready to raise the fry. I would sugest signing up on the simply discus forum for more info on raiseing these beautiful fish.

Curt

My thoughts are maybe aquascaping the tank, maybe something like this (don't worry about how many fish are in the picture)

http://www.google.com/imgres?start=1...:16,s:186,i:56

Thank you for all the input!...The tank has since grown out and is filling in nicely. I also just got an Eheim Ecco 2236 to replace the HOBS.