Ok still kicking the buffer!!!

[Discus master]

So yesterday was my first day without the buffer an I am worried. Everything seems cool thus far I guess I am looking for re assurance like a child does from his mother and I suppose Sd in some ways is like that for me especially in regards to my discus that I leave in the expeince of the members of this site. Now having swolled my pride to say that lol, I did a water change of about 12 gallons to elminate some fish waste and it did help to eliminate some tannis from my newly added driftwood but not really a concern of mine to be honest.

I have not yet tested the ph today I will when I get home but let me re state this here for one final exame if you will. My PH from tap is at 7.5 and once sat over a 24 hour period it slightly oped to oh I dont know a 7.3 maybe a 7.2

this is all based on my preception of the color in the vials that come with the test kit and my wife was in pretty much aggreance with me (whih usually does not happen) ha ha joke. So I used a tetra ph kit and a API test kit and from what I can tell that was the results and I checked again after another 24 hr no change so it goes from 7.5 to 7.3 - 7.2 I am thinking this is ok so I do not need to age thats not a big swing rite? I was told not but want to make sure?

next my gh is 5 - 6 and kh of 3 - 4 nirites 0 amonia which has been amonium I suppose becuase of the lower ph is at 0 anyw ays do not test nitrates and I do not have a TDS meter I would like to purchase a TDS PH combo meter milwalke I think makes one.

So if I keep up with the 12 gallon changes thru till this week end will this be a gradual enough of a chnage fro the discus and when can I go back to my large 60 - 80% water chnages me and the fish are acustum to??

thanks again for all the help mom, ha hahahah

[FarmerD]

If you are not planning on breeding your fish ...... I dont see what the problem is? You have done small water changes to slowing raise your PH up to your tap range, You are close enough now to go ahead and do normal water changes. Just age your tap water for 24-48hrs use proper amount of Prime just prior to water changes and your good to go. Main thing is from here on out to keep your fish in stable water .... goodluck.

Dustin

[Dutch dude]

Completely normal to ask opinion and double check your plans by making a post on here. From what you wrote I can draw only one conclusion,....you have more dificulties with the switch to tap water than your fish have ;):) So pleas stop worrying. Stendker raise their fish at PH=7 KH=6 and GH=12 (I hope I remember it well but Hans will correct me if not). I keep my domestics and F1 youngsters on straight tap water at PH=8, GH=9 and KH=3-4 without issues at all! I even bread discus on this tap water but to be honnest I think it is on the edge for breeding. Your discus might act to the diference by slightly diferent behaviour but within a couple of day's it will be normal again.

[Discus master]

Completely normal to ask opinion and double check your plans by making a post on here. From what you wrote I can draw only one conclusion,....you have more dificulties with the switch to tap water than your fish have ;):) So pleas stop worrying. Stendker raise their fish at PH=7 KH=6 and GH=12 (I hope I remember it well but Hans will correct me if not). I keep my domestics and F1 youngsters on straight tap water at PH=8, GH=9 and KH=3-4 without issues at all! I even bread discus on this tap water but to be honnest I think it is on the edge for breeding. Your discus might act to the diference by slightly diferent behaviour but within a couple of day's it will be normal again.

Yeah you are rite I woried that they would be in shock from going from the 6.4 6.5ph they have been in all their life to the 7.3 -7.5 of my tap water, thanks for the reasurance. I had lost my first batch of discus due to lack of qt of new stock and they were from the LFS. My wife just abou killed me! I went to a breeder in B more MD this time Gwyn Brook farms and that it was their sugestion to keep them in this type of ph, after talking to SD memebers and having some alge problems I decided I wanted to stop using the buffer.

I just did not want to loose these guys my wife would proably put a stop to my discus keeping days.... at least she would try.

So now do you think I can just go ahead with my normal 50 or 0% water change this evening now that they have had a 12 gallon water at the regular tap ph? and The first post said i need to age my water but others have told me no I do not becuase my PH does not swing or bounce that much 7.5 to 7.3 after 24 and 48 hours I would not think this would be a big enough swing to warrant aging my water which would mean I would have to buy a few things and find room to do it so I am hopping I do not need to. thanks again

[Eddie]

You'll have to try it and see. Some source water has alot of gas, tiny air bubbles, that can bother the fish if you do too large a change. I think 50% will be fine. ;)


Eddie

[FarmerD]

That post was in no way negative .....I just know that raising PH is not usually a problem as long as its not drastic all at once. Seems you have done your homework and slowly raised it to a level that I think that normal water changes should not be an issue at this point.

Everyone has their own theory and preference when it comes to aging water. Stabilizing PH is probably the main reason most do, I do it mostly for what Eddie mentioned "Gas". Do a 50% water change and pay close attention to tiny bubbles sticking to the walls of your tank. If you don't notice any, then take the advice of previous posters and drive on without aging. I have just seen fish stress from gas filled water in the past, and try to avoid it now that I am back into the hobby.

Good luck ....seems your doing your homework and asking the right questions. I am sure your fish will thank you in the long run. Your fish will love your straight tap-water once they get adjusted to it.

Dustin

[mathao]

don't worry too much just keep checking the water every couple of days or if you have time everyday. i used buffers when i first got mine, but decided it was cheaper to not use it and my discus are doing great. i have them for about three months now and the biggest one is around 5.5 inches, the water without the buffer actually is better for juvies, someone told me that.

[Discus master]

Thanks to ALL foryour support and understanding, of course we all want to and try our best to do rite by our fish, after all they were ver expensive beautiful fish and why else do we keep discus. Well other than some who look at it as a bussiness venture and nothing more, for me I got into this hobby becuase when I first seen and heard about Discus i said to my self thats what I want and did everything in my power to mkae it happen including a good 4 - 6 months worth of research prior to even buying the tank. I look at these guys like someone may look at their dog or pet bird thats how much I care for my guys and I would almost do anything to see to it that they are cared for in the best possible way I can. We really do go beyond above and beyond for our fish and of course I will continue to do the same. It is because of this web site and listening to the experince of others and following it as well that I a credit my on going sucess to, if not for simply all I would have is a book to o off of and that may be ok for some things but there is a lot of diferent situations that books can not ac ount for that and the books information is and can be only so relivant with the time and the situation. So I again thank you guys for your input I really do follow the word of SD members especially the exp guys like gospel for me.

Oh and I did a 50% water change last night no air bubbels at all on the side of the tank nothing at all and the fish seemed fine and I did notice they seemed to show a bit more activity than usual after my water chnages so they must be ok. I think its been said before by a lot of SD members the fish will tell you if what you are doing is cool/not cool and I pay very close attention to them as well. So far so good again thank you all fo your responses I will continue to ask questions and learn and follow the advice of what I learn from SD once I weigh out my options consider my sources and so forth. Thanks again:D