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mujaqo
10-24-2007, 12:33 PM
Can anyone tell the perfect water parameters for Discus?
Temp
PH
EC µs/cm
TDS ppm

Thanks,

Greg Richardson
10-24-2007, 12:56 PM
What ever your water is now the next time you add water have it as close to the same and you have perfect water.

I know this isn't the answer you are looking for but it's the truth in my book.

salman
10-24-2007, 01:19 PM
What ever your water is now the next time you add water have it as close to the same and you have perfect water.

I know this isn't the answer you are looking for but it's the truth in my book.

Listen to Greg.
Do not mess with your water. I learned that the hard way. I used to test the water everyday and mess with the water parameters to make them perfect, that caused most of my fish to die. I haven't touched a test kit or pH stabilizer or anything to change the parameters and i have had no deaths yet.
Even if you have really hard water or really hard pH, Discus are hardy fish and they will adapt to it.

Apistomaster
10-24-2007, 02:17 PM
Having lived on the Eastside of Lake Washington(Woodinville, Kirkland, Bothell and Bellevue, WA) near where Greg lives for about 30 years I know that most of the public water is from the Tolt River watershed and is in fact very good discus water. The TDS is relatively low and the pH is close to neutral or easily made so. This is great for discus breeding and keeping. however, the fact remains many public water sources may well be fine for discus keeping but not so good for discus breeding. Many discus strains will have poor hatch rates in excessively hard water with a high pH and need to be diluted with RO/DI water to make them suitable for Discus breeding.

I now live in Eastern WA and the water here is typically pH 7.6 and TDS of 340 to 450 ppm and my discus thrive but I have to lower these values in order to get good hatches. Ironically, I have successfully bred wild Browns and Blues without altering this water but my Red Turquoise Discus will not hatch unless I lower the values to those I have suggested below.

I think a pH of 6.5 and a TDS of 100 ppm will work well for the majority of discus breeding projects. There are some strains that tolerate higher values but those I have given are a good starting point. Being consistent is important. No fish does well if the water chemistry is being constantly altered.