Sand layer over soil

[Oli]

Can I put a layer of sand over something like Seachem Flourish. I have the feeling the sand would just fall through the cracks of the flourish.

Looking to do a planted Discus tank so want a layer of nutrients, but want a sand substrate over the top in order to easily keep on top of waste?

 

[Oli]

Flourite*

 

[Wills]

Not sure if Flourite would just mix with the sand over time - probably better to look at a dirted option with pond compost, check out MD Fish Tanks on how he does it.

Wills

 

[Oli]

Yeah big fan of MD fish tanks. Just easier for me to get Seachem Flourish. What if I were to put it in mesh bags and then cap with sand?

 

[Wills]

Yeah big fan of MD fish tanks. Just easier for me to get Seachem Flourish. What if I were to put it in mesh bags and then cap with sand?

That wound be a better option - I've done it in one of my tanks and its worked well. Can you get Wio Eonion? I've used that in one tank and prefer it to other soils as it does not release ammonia at the start and is designed for longer term use. It claims 10 years vs the usual 1-3, whether that is true or not has not been tested yet but even if its half of that can only be a good thing.

Wills

 

[Byron]

I would never do anything but soft sand with discus. The issues with soil are very dangerous. As for Flourite, I was persuaded years ago to try it, so I did. Complete waste of money. The plants did not seem much better after 2 years, and within the first week I had to remove the group of cories due to barbel erosion from the sharpness or the bacteria or both. Went back to play sand, everyone including the plants were happy.

Sand will mix with any underlying substrate material since sand will be the smallest grain size and with gravity and water movement, and possibly some fish activity, it will mix. Not worth the risk to the fish.

 

[Oli]

Cool, sounds good. How many discus would you recommended getting. I have had 5 before in a 200litre tank, it was too small and there was aggression. This tank will be 405 litres (110G/5ft). The discus will not be full adults, but around 9-11cm. The filter is 2000L/H. I was thinking 8? Any opinions?

 

[Oli]

Forgot to say, I’ll also be having a school of cardinal tetras. Thinking about a clean up crew such as corys for uneaten fish food, but will the bioload of the corys offset their benefit?

 

[Byron]

Forgot to say, I’ll also be having a school of cardinal tetras. Thinking about a clean up crew such as corys for uneaten fish food, but will the bioload of the corys offset their benefit?

You cannot have Corydoras fish in this tank, the temperature is way too igh. Discus need it in the range 26-30C/79-86F. Cardinal tetras are fine with this. Most reliable discus sites recommend no lower than 80F/27C, and a tad higher preferably.

Corydoras cannot be kept long-term at such high temperatures. They need it around 23-25C/73-77F and definitely no higher. And before someone mentions the misconception, species like C. sterbai are not warm water cories.

Fish are ectotherms, their body teemperature is governed and regulated by the temperature of the water. Temperature drives the fish's metabolism, and a degree or two makes a huge difference to their well-being and thus health.

 

[sharkweek178]

Forgot to say, I’ll also be having a school of cardinal tetras. Thinking about a clean up crew such as corys for uneaten fish food, but will the bioload of the corys offset their benefit?

The temperature issues that were mentioned are already prohibitive. But also, corys aren't a clean up crew. They feed on food from the substrate but they won't clean the tank for us. At best, you'd be disappointed with the results. But more importantly, corys have their own dietary needs that aren't met by eating the scraps of food the other fish don't eat.
Corys are great fish. They're peaceful, have a unique look, many varieties, are fun to watch, and they can fit well in a tank since they mostly swim at the bottom. But they won't maintain the tank for us. That's always going to be our job.

 

[Oli]

All good, I’ll give the corys a miss! So much misinformation out there. The amount of people I’ve seen keep them with other cichlids, angelfish, denison barbs, even snakeheads!

I never intended to do that, I just came across lots of people recommending corys, but if the temperatures are incompatible I will give them a miss. The tank will be sand substrate for easy siphoning anyway so all good.

What do people think about the numbers then?

8 discus (9-11cm)
School of cardinals, as many as possible ideally.