PH change....

[amadeum]

Hello!

Can i move a Discus from a PH=7,2 to a PH=6,7.

Thanks
AM

[Smokey]

Sure you can. BUT.. do it slowly. You will have to let the discus aclimatize to the different pH.
ex: - slowly add a small % of the 6.7 water to the discus's 7.2 water. Try not to change the ph numbers too radically/ to fast. Depending on the age if your discus, it should adjust well.
Say over a 24 hour period.. slowly add/change water .

What are you up to AM [???]. a new addition[discus] or ???

Smokey

[Jason]

you can drop the ph relatively quickly without too much discomfort on the fish its increasing the ph quickly that will cause trouble

[dm]

Are you sure you don't have that backwards Jason? I thought dropping the pH fast was much worse.

[Carol_Roberts]

It's my understanding that going from high to low (acid) pH stresses the discus more.

[amadeum]

Thanks to all!

i also think that the danger is changing from high to low ph!!!

AM(Amadeu Marreiros)

[Jason]

sorry quys correction,

IME its dropping a high ph like 8.2 to 6.8 can be disasterous, dropping a low ph like 6.8 to 4.8 is alot easier on the fish

[korbi_doc]

??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???

[Anna Piranha]

I am a little surprised to hear that a 24 hour period is long enough to acclimate the fish to a change from something like 7.2 to 6.7. Of course, there are lots of things these days I find surprising ::)

But, back to the fish, is there a formula that can be applied here? In a couple of months I will be taking on a 65 gallon tank with several Discus. Currently, the PH in that tank is about 6.5. My tanks run at about 7.2. The acquisition of the new tank is still far away, but I want to learn how I should go about safely adjusting the water. I'd appreciate any input!

Thanks in advance,
Anna

[Smokey]

Anna; I like to be safe..and cautious.

The general rule of thumb for chaging pH numbers is :
NO MORE THAN 0.1Ph PER HOUR.

Therefor; going from 6.5pH to 7.2pH should take you about a miniunm of 6 -7 hours.
Personally, I prefer to not exceed - 0.1pH change per 3 hours. Minimise stress!
However - Anna; the important parameter to be aware of --- are the gh / kh changes.

When you set up the new 65 gallon tank - just a suggestion mind you - fill the 65 G. with your present discus water, half full. Set up the heaters and filters. Add the discus. Do not feed them before you deceide to make the move. They will ''POOP'' all over their new home,

Do a pH test... then slowly add the new water. SAY 5 gallons. Do a pH test. Then over the next [ eg: 5 gallons every 3 hours = 15 hours] while, slowly add more water - 5 gallons at a time. This will give you the equivilant of a 50% water change.
Moniter the pH change after each water addition. At the end you may not end up with a reading of - say 7.2 pH. However, the nest water change should start to level out the pH . Here is a good post to read.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index.php?board=5;action=display;threadid=6312
What do you think .
Smokey

[Carol_Roberts]

Anna, I'm confused. The water at your house is 7.2? The fish you are getting are living in 6.7? Or do I have it backwards?

[Anna Piranha]

Hi Carol,
You were close. My water is 7.2 ph and the water the Discus currently live in is about 6.5.

Thanks,
Anna

[bristoldiscus]

Hi all from Bristol,England, ;Dbeen reading for ages,decided to post,you can higher ph quickly,you must lower ph slowly(why do you think your fish are in such a state after a ph crash?) :o

[Carol_Roberts]

Hi anna:

I wouldn't worry much about putting the new discus in your higher pH water. You can do the bucket and cups of water if you like, but I'd just stick them right in. My pH is 7.8 and I've had no trouble putting discus right in.

[Anna Piranha]

Thanks to everyone!

[RandalB]

I have never bothered to acclimate a discus to my tank water, Plunk, in they go. If the water is warmer than the bag, no problems at all!

I've never had any sort of problem with transferring this way....

My rationale is; the longer they are in the bag the more toxic the water becomes. If you start adding your tap or tank water, the pH will fluctuate and stress the fish more than just putting them into a clean tank would. I turn the lights off for about 4 hours, turn them back on and give them a feeding.

HTH,
RandalB

[Smokey]

Well, you have received alot of advice,,, from pratical to reality.. what choice did you follow.[???].

Smokey

[amadeum]

Hello!

I had a dead Discus changing him from a tank(ph=6,5) to another(ph=7,2) in 1 hour! and i don´t want to do the same mistake again. They are in diferent houses so i can´t move water form 1 tank to another.

Next time i will try to make the ph of the 2 tanks more iqual and make the move only when the Ph is >= 7,2.

Thanks for the advices.
AM

[Shari]

Well thanks to everyone again, I've taken the plunge and moved all three of my tanks from PH7.0 to the tap water 7.6 and except for two Discus with a little bit of unsettled looks yet, the rest are fine.
Over three days did water changes of about 30-35% each and seemed fine. Boy will that save a fortune on the products I've been buying.