pH 6.8 to pH 7.2

[edgeguy]

I am getting some 2.5" discus very soon and the water they were raised in is pH 6.8 and my tank water is 7.2. Do I need to adjust my water to around 6.8 or will discus adjust to the 7.2 while I am transferring them from the bag to the tank?

[Carol_Roberts]

They sould do fine in pH 7.2

[edgeguy]

Thats what I felt from reading this wonderful forum, but you know when it is your first babies you want everything perfect. ;D

[Fishaholic]

The ph value isn't as important as keeping it stable. Discus will do great in water that is slightly more alkaline than "ideal." It's better to keep it at 7.2 than to mess with it and have it fluctuate all over the place.

My discus were raised for the first month in a ph of 5.8... mine is 7.0 - 7.2. They have been doing great for the six weeks I have had them.

[edgeguy]

I was thinking the same thing. I was worried that if I tried to adjust the pH that it might be 7.0 once then 6.8 then something else. I was afraid of the "bounce" that some chemical might do to the water pH.

[Shari]

Before I found this site I had my tanks at 7.0 (down from tap of 7.6-7.8 and was spending a fortune on Seachem Regulator and Buffer (which combined does work well and never bounced around). But over one week with water changes every tank has been changed to tap water PH, including the wilds (thought I'de try them out and if it didn't work, would go back to using products for them) So thanks to Simply Discus, learn something new every day!


but they seem just fine too!

[GWdiscus]

The breeder I got my discus from has pH of 6.6, my water, when it has sat over night is 7.6. I've had no problems with any of the 11 of my discus, they have done great over the last 3 months. I change water at least 5 times a week.

I would suggest that you age your water at least 24 hrs. I don't treat my water with anything.

[ronrca]

One of the most importants things you can do for your fish when you first receive them is properly acclimate them. There are various methods around however I have found 1 particular method that works very well.

Supplies need:
- A container: 5G pail or similar! Size does not really matter except if you get lots of discus in one order you may need more or larger containers
- Airline hose
- Airline valve

When first receiving your discus, most , if not all are shipped in plastic bags containing X number of discus! Gently place the discus and water into the container from the bag. Connect the airline hose to the valve. Place one end of the airline hose in the tank that the discus are going to be calling home (other end will be connected to the valve). The other hose place into the container (Basicly, its a siphon setup). By siphoning the tank water into the container, you will slowly acclimate the discus to your tank parameters. The valves will enable you to adjust the flow rate. In the beginning, set the flow rate to only a drip until you roughly doubled the volume in the container. Then you can slowly increase the flow rate. Depending on the difference of water parameters, it will determine the lenght of acclimation. I would recommend nothing under 2 hours just to be cautious. I never use the plunk method even if water parameters are close. You may also want to add a heater once the container is half full. Once the container is full or you have added 5-10x the volume of water, net and place in your tank. If the container is full and you still need to add more water, just remove the water from the container via siphon or little container.

So far, this method has proven bullet proof and I prefer it over the float/add water/dump method. ;)

[Carol_Roberts]

Hi Ron:

Discus that have made long trips are in bags full of ammonia. Dripping in my pH 7.8 water quickly makes the ammonia toxic.

I personally think it's best to have my quarantine tank set for the same water parameters as they've come from. I do this by using a large percentage of RO water to reduce my hardness so I can lower pH if needed.

As long as the temperature of the Q-tank is a little warmer than the bag temps all should be fine.

[ronrca]

Ah yes! I forgot the ammonia part! LOL!

Let me add that when the discus are in the container before siphoning from my tanks, I add around 2-3x Seachem Prime to de-toxic any ammonia.

Imo, I find that preparing different water parameters a pain in the behind! ;D Or maybe Im just lazy! :sleeping:

[edgeguy]

I like the siphoning method, but I have a question for Carol. What do you mean by "Dripping in my pH 7.8 water quickly makes the ammonia toxic."?

Also, should I add some amquel to the bucket before starting to add my tank water to the bucket of new discus.

[Carol_Roberts]

Ammonia is in a different, less toxic form in pH below 7.0

If the discus have been shipped the bags contain ammonia excreted by the discus. Generally the water in the bags is acidic (below pH 7.0). Once I add my water (pH 7.8) to the bag water it quickly becomes toxic and burns gills and fins.

I like to get the discus out of the bag water as quickly as possible. As long as the tank water is similiar temp or a bit warmer I reach in the bag, grasp the discus and plop it in the tank.

[edgeguy]

Should I try this or will Amquel do the trick? I have always been told you acclimate new arrivals slowly.

[Carol_Roberts]

You do which ever you feel most comfortable with . . . or split your new fish into two groups and try both methods . . . see if you notice a difference and which works best for you. If you're like the rest of us this won't be the last time you order discus and have to acclimate them, lol.

[edgeguy]

Thanks Carol and to the others that have responded to my questions. I know the saying no question is a dumb question, but I sometimes wonder if I push the border of it.

Thanks again ;D

[ronrca]

I know the saying no question is a dumb question, but I sometimes wonder if I push the border of it.Never! It is much better to ask questions than have to learn the hard way (Im a master at learning the hard way :( so Im always trying to ask more questions)!

Carol,
So you like the plunk method! Ime from using the plunk method, I found that the discus almost become listless, dark and very skittish for a couple of hours to days! When using the siphoning method, within the hour of introducing them into the tank, they seem (maybe they are just pretending) comfortable. Maybe Im not doing it correctly! Maybe you can share your experiences?

Another interesting thought about the ammonia! It does become toxic with a ph of 7.0+ however as the water is siphoning into the container from the tank, it is also being 'diluted'. Not saying that it does not harm the discus, you still must use Prime or other brand! ;)