peat moss question for first timer

[basil]

I am brand new to discus keeping and need a little advice.
Right now I have 10 2.5"- 3" discus in a meagerly planted 55 gallon. I have only had these guys for about a month and they are starting to look a little dark. They are not exhibiting any other signs of sickness or stress, so I don't think that they are sick. I am wondering if they are stressed due to the higher ph in the tank. right now the ph is at 7.6 . I have read that it is much better to have a stable ph than a lower fluctuating one so I did not want to mess with any chemicals to lower it and risk the chance of serious fluctuations. I read that peat moss is excellent for safely lowering the ph and the hardness. I am wondering if anyone has any advice on where to get some online and which type to get. I haven't been able to find any in the stores around here since it is so late in the planting season. If anyone could be so kind to give me some advice on this matter I would be so grateful.

[RyanH]

Hey Basil,

Welcome to Simply. I would say that your pH and hardness are fine. Juveniles do well in hard water and a 7.6 pH is great. I would not mess with your water parameters at all. Like you said, just make sure they are stable.

Also, your fish may be showing signs of hex. This is fairly common in fish that are stressed out. You can treat your fish with 93 degree heat, two T of salt per 10 gallons of water and 500 mg of Metronidazole per 10 gallons of water. Repeat the metro every day with a 50% water change for three or four days. Keep the heat for two weeks. You should see improvement in your fish.

hth!

[Carol_Roberts]

Your pH is fine - lower than mine.

What is your water change schedule? I bet that's the problem.

[basil]

Thanks for the responses guys..I really appreciate your info. I am gonna need it- I have been keeping cichlids for the past two years and am used to an entirely different regime. I have done plenty of reading on keeping discus but just don't have the experience yet. It's kind of funny...it makes me nervous to work on the low ph hardness thing because I'm used to doing the extreme opposite.
My water changes may very well be the problem(probably not as frequent as they should be). In the 3 1/2 weeks that I have had these guys I have done 2 water changes at about 30%. I will change the water tonight and see if there is an improvement then.
thanks again for the advice :)

[RyanH]

If the water changes don't improve their demeanor then consider heat and salt... and possibly metro. If you have other questions don't hesitate to ask!

BTW, are they eating ok?

[Carol_Roberts]

Two 30% water changes in 3 1/2 weeks IS the problem.

Try 30% water changes everday for the next week and see how they perk up. ;D

No need to lower pH and hardness - you do need to increase water changes.

[Howie_W]

Hi Basil,

Welcome to Simply!

To keep your fish healthy and happy they will need daily water changes.

Also to consider;

Along with fresh water, your young Discus need plenty of food to grow properly; I feed 4-6 times a day. This also means making sure the tank stays clean, and free of uneaten food and debris. In a planted tank this is easily more work than growing them out in a bare bottom tank.

Down the road, you'll need to move some of your fish to another tank, as 10 adults are too many for a 55 gallon tank.

Howie

[falcon]

Another problem is the planted tank. Even though it's lightly planted, I take you have gravel in there. That by default is much harder to clean. If you want planted and discus, I would go with much larger discus. I would grow them out in a bare bottom tank as it is much easier to control and keep clean. Another big thing is proper filtration. Usually two filters on opposite ends are better than one - for discus keeping.

I had smaller discus in a planted, I pulled them all out. They just waren't doing too well.

falcon

[fish_maniac]

Hi Basil,
I never use Peat moss for my discus so I don't have the answer for your question. The PH for my water is high as well, around 8.2.
Few months ago, I was changing a south american cichild tank into a discus tank. I asked around for a while and with the help from the board I did the following:
1. I took out all the gravel
2. I put the plant that work well with discus in a pot
3. I put in a bigger size of discus instead of small one to reduce the food requirement. My discus are 4 to 6 inches.
4. I changed 30% water almost every day. I skipped a few day from time to time.

My discus are doing well in high PH and hign GH water. I may change the PH later when I am ready to breed them.

Hope this help. Welcome to the board :)!
Kam

[basil]

Thanks so much for all of the great advice!! I have increased the water changes to daily and have increased feedings from once a day to 4-5 times a day. I have sand in my tank with 3 moss balls and a couple of potted plants, so they are extremely easy to keep clean. I have two 75 gallon filters on the tank so there is plenty of filtering going on. I am going to get rid of the sand and do the bare bottom thing.
The fish are eating just fine, but they are still very dark in color. When they are resting, they let themselves go sideways. That is to say that they become horizantal when they are immobile, but the swim normally. Might this be a swim bladder problem or worse?? I am treating them right now with salt. I haven't started with any medications yet...I thought I would try the salt thing for a couple of days first(sounds neglectfull I know, but I thought I would try a more natural approach first.)I will be picking up some medication in the morning. I hope I haven't killed them already!! I've only had 'em for a month! :(
Thanks again for your input guys!!

[Carol_Roberts]

They should not be horizontal. Something is wrong. Health discus are vertical (unless they are hiding under a decoration) Start with 1 or 2 teaspoons of epsom salt per 10 gallons (incase it's bloat) and keep an eye on them.

[hexed]

What type of filters do you have, canister or hang on? When did you last change the media? Your filters should be cleaned once a month. Are they bloated (fat)? I have one discus who turns black only when he hides next to the driftwood to blend in with it. When he's not hiding he's bright red ;) I do have gravel (sand) in my tanks but I'm going bare bottom because it's easier to clean. I purchased small to med clay pots to place the plants in. I'm SLOWLY removing the gravel with each water change. I do not go below 50%, so I remove some each time I do the weekly water changes. I have 50 pounds of sand in each 55 gallon tank, so it will take me awhile ::)

[basil]

Thanks for the info hexed. I have 2 hang on filters and I have 2 sponge filters coming in the mail. I have also been gradually taking out the sand. I can't even believe how much gunk is in there :o
I clean my filters quite often and change the media a couple times a month.
My discuss are doing much better now. they have all regained their color besides one little guy who looks like he is improving. Well, I got lucky this time. I lost a couple of babies :'( but it could have been alot worse. Thank Goodness for Simply...without your guys advice I probably would have killed them all by now the way things were going. Thanks Again for all the great advice guys!!