Accumulating new discus

[trophs]

When I order my discus I was wondering if I should do a drip accumulation when they get here to get used to my water or should I gradually use more tap water when I do water changes? And if the second how would I do that? Or the best way to do it.

[ericatdallas]

Drip acclimation is probably the more cautious approach. I just put the bag in, slowly let tank water in it, then release the discus.

That's the way I do it though, but I wouldn't blame you with going with a more cautious approach.

[trophs]

I was planning on using RO water but it seems a bit complicated

[trophs]

So I decided to just use tap as others have similar water chemistry and kept them successfully

[jaykne]

Good idea, domestic discus do just fine in tap water :).

[trophs]

Good idea, domestic discus do just fine in tap water :).

Much agreed. I have a pH of 8.2 out of tap and in the aquarium so i dont have to age my water im going to check it again to double check. My Gh is a 3. And my KH is really high it was over 12 drops when i checked it and just stopped there cause it was so high.

[brddthomas]

I just introduced new discus to my tank. I put the bags in the tank, tested the PH in the bags to make sure my tank water was close. Then every 15 minutes, I poured water from my tank into the bags. I did this for an hour, after the hour, I removed the fish from the bag with a net and discarded the water in the bag on my lawn.

[Skip]

I take fish out of bag by hand.. and drop into tank.. takes a few seconds

[Rudustin]

I agree with Skip, I do the same thing. Of course we are assuming that you are placing them in a quarantine tank not a tank with other discus already in it.

[Pardal]

Trophs
Most discus keepers use the plop and drop method, once the temperature from the bag is equal to the quarantine tank.
You shouldn't worry about ph difference as long as the recipient tank water ph is higher . (this is the reasoning behind salt water bath but that is another topic).
I won't be messing around with RO water as you can create the YOYO effect in the ph which is dangerous for the fish.
The drip method is not necessarily as good as too many people think as a lot changes happens once you open the bag and the water gets in contact with oxygen on the ambient air. without nuking too much you could expect ammonia spike super dangerous for the fish and the fish has to wait on the saturate and stale water until reaching the equal temperature.
Over all the plop and drop method has way more benefits than the drip IME.
And as Larry (jaykne) mention Discus do just fine with tap water, you should worry about RO water for wilds and breeding purposes.

[Larry Bugg]

plop and drop for all my fish. Get them out of the dirty bag water as soon as possible. Floating the bag isn't necessary either. As Skip said. Take the discus out of the bag by hand and release in the tank.

[trophs]

plop and drop for all my fish. Get them out of the dirty bag water as soon as possible. Floating the bag isn't necessary either. As Skip said. Take the discus out of the bag by hand and release in the tank.

Thanks for the help. I just didn't want them to be in shock. When I do get them

[SortSay2003]

Hi Trophs,

Seems most do the plop and drop. I use both, drip and plop&drop, after floating. Here's why:

1) Floating bags in tank for at least 30-45mins will slowly increase bag temp, causing less stress after release since bag and tank temp should be the same or little dif.
2) Like others have stated, DON'T put bag water in your tank. Ammonia, potential issues from shipper's water could exist and you'll be adding that to your tank, better to be proactive than reactive.
3) Drip system comes into play where the ph dif is greater than .5, just so the fish gets a chance to slowly adjust. Fortunate my tank and shipper's ph are right around 7. No drip.

FYI: My supplier (sponsor here on SD) puts enough oxygen in the bag to last 70+hrs. Plenty of time where another 30min-1hr. isn't going to matter. I would imagine other sponsors here will use that much or close to it.

The discus are already stressed enough from shipping. The least I can do is make the acclimation process easy for them. hth

[SortSay2003]

BTW, keep your tank light off for at least 24hrs. I kept mine OFF for three days:)

[John_Nicholson]

LOL.....When the fish arrive cut open the bag, pour the fish into a net over a bucket and then toss the new fish into the new tank. As long as your water has a higher ph and is warmer you will be fine. Don't worry about the ph, the waster from the fish will cause it to top. At low ph the ammonia is locked up and harmless. The quickest way to mess up it to use a drip method which causes the ph to rise. This will unlock the ammonia and give your fish burns. Also you do not want to get any of the bag water into your tank for the same reason.

-john

[SortSay2003]

Thanks John.

I've always been afraid to try something new when it comes to these guys. So have always done what was passed on to me since day one.
But I trust your years of experience and will try that one day:)

[miwu]

What's the reason for having the receiving water at a higher ph? And warmer? Also, what are we supposed to do if our water is more acidic than the bag water?

[John_Nicholson]

What's the reason for having the receiving water at a higher ph? And warmer? Also, what are we supposed to do if our water is more acidic than the bag water?

First fish in general can take an increase in ph. It is a decrease that is hard on them. Since the waste from fish is an acid putting them in a plastic bag with just a little water will cause the ph to drop. It is not that someone is making a effort for this to happen. It is just what naturally happens. If your fish have been shipped any distance and your tank has a lower ph then the water in the bag then something really odd is happening. Also since their is seldom a heater in the bag with the fish the water will cool. Once again if your tank water is cooler then the bag water something is wrong. What happens to you if you jump in cold water as opposed to warm water?

-john

P.S. SortSay2003 your welcome.

[miwu]

Got it. Thanks, John!