Water

[Thras]

Ok so I have heard that soft water is a must for discus but now that I am on forums more I'm hearing it's not anyone want to help me out here??

[Skip]

Soft only for breeding purposes.. Tap for growing out... For every gallon of ro water... 8gallons is needed.. So if u do 50% wc every day.. Thats all of water... Once I found out discus like good clean tap water.. I was sold and got my first fish 9months ago

[Thras]

Ok thanks

[Sean Buehrle]

Yep just tap water is fine


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[exv152]

Ok so I have heard that soft water is a must for discus but now that I am on forums more I'm hearing it's not anyone want to help me out here??

Captive bred/raised discus can adapt to a wider range of pH. And unless you get your water from a well, I wouldn't worry about it, regular municipal tap water will do.

[mmorris]

Not all tap water is created equal. Growing discus need calcium and magnesium from the water, which can be measured with a gh kit. My gh is very low so I have to add the minerals. Some argue that you don't need soft water for breeding, either; it's an excuse for those who have no luck hatching out eggs. I don't know.

[ref0716]

Eric - Your recent post suggests that well water could be problematic, but most city water is OK. I've always used private water from a deep well and found it fine for all types of fish keeping and rearing. Having no chlorine/chloramine is also a big positive. Could you please elaborate on your concerns? Just interested in your (and others) point of view. Thanks.
Richard

[Discus Origins]

Well water comes from aquifer...the quality of the water is only as good as how your neighbors and businesses treat it. Fertilizers on lawns, insecticides/pesticides, chemical runoffs, etc all somehow end up in the water source. Sulfur and iron are just a few of the known things in well water.

[Sameen]

Even breeding is ok in tap water. Just need to bee aged. I would think of RO water only in case of wild breeding. Nowadays even Heckels are doing fine in hard high ph water. I keep Heckels at 8.5 ph and 400 tds. He eats like pig

[Thras]

Ok new water question I live in a apartment so making a spot for aging water would be hard if not impossible and it's city water so it kinda worrys me of hurting the fish by putting the water directly in the tank will it be ok as long as I get the temp close and use prime?

[Skip]

Thras.. i fill my tanks str8 from tap with a hose.. i put in safe.. and start to fill up.. i do anywhere from 60% to 90%+ water change.. the temp is by feel :)

[Cevoe]

Thras,
You can go directly from the tap into the tank using Prime.
As you said, you will need to keep the temperature stable.
Check the ph for stability also as city water can go up and down from time to time.
You will see a swing in the ph readings from when it comes out of the tap and after if sits for a day or so.
Take readings often as you start to see where your range lies.
Tap water changes get a little hairy in the colder months.

[Thras]

Thank you vary much glad to see that if i need help later that there are plenty of people on this forum to help me and sorry for the noob questions it's just these fish are not cheap and I want to have my bases covered :)

[Skip]

Thank you vary much glad to see that if i need help later that there are plenty of people on this forum to help me and sorry for the noob questions it's just these fish are not cheap and I want to have my bases covered :)

we all had the same questions at the begining of our Discus Journey also.. AND even 20 yrs later.. some of the crusty discus vets. will always still learn something new every day:) it never stops.. but you have to start somewhere :)

[mmorris]

Water often contains dissolved carbon dioxide which needs to gas off before the water can go in the tank. The gassing off raises the ph. The way to check if you need to age your water is to read the ph straight from the tap. Then, fill a bucket with water; add an air line from a pump so the water in the bucket is aerated. Wait 24 hours, then read the ph of the water in the bucket. If the ph of the water in the bucket is more than roughly 0.3 ph points higher, then you need to age your water. Failure to do so may stress your fish. I keep the temperature of incoming water to within one degree of tank water. I use a Checktemp digital thermometer that measures in 0.1 degrees.

[flyman767]

The gassing off raises the ph..

Not always..my tap starts out about 9.8, after 24 hours of aeration, I end up at 8.5.

...Ray

[mmorris]

I think I remember you saying that before. Do you know why?

[calihawker]

Water often contains dissolved carbon dioxide which needs to gas off before the water can go in the tank. The gassing off raises the ph. The way to check if you need to age your water is to read the ph straight from the tap. Then, fill a bucket with water; add an air line from a pump so the water in the bucket is aerated. Wait 24 hours, then read the ph of the water in the bucket. If the ph of the water in the bucket is more than roughly 0.3 ph points higher, then you need to age your water. Failure to do so may stress your fish. I keep the temperature of incoming water to within one degree of tank water. I use a Checktemp digital thermometer that measures in 0.1 degrees.

X2! My tap is very soft and completely free of chloramine but for some reason is full of dissolved gasses. If I don't age, every surface is coated with fine bubbles and the 24 hr. difference in ph is over 1.5 points.

There is a device someone showed me recently that incorporates a type of high shear impellor inside a tube and as the water flows through it is supposed to strip the water of gasses, contaminants and sterilizers.

Steve

[mmorris]

Was it a home-made jobby or something people can purchase? If it really worked, a lot of people - and fish! - would benefit from it.

[flyman767]

I think I remember you saying that before. Do you know why?

My understanding is when you start out with a very low KH like mine(2.0) the amount of C02 is very low. Therefore, by aerating you actually increase the amount of C02 which results in a lower Ph.

..Ray

[calihawker]

Was it a home-made jobby or something people can purchase? If it really worked, a lot of people - and fish! - would benefit from it.


It was part of some large industrial application. I don't remember what the thing was used for but they came into my shop to duplicate it and make it smaller. I wasn't interested at the time but I will look into it again.


Steve

[Gohans_Onna]

I was told that you can actually use the spray nozzle on your sink to dissipate the gases in water--is this not true?

[flyman767]

I was told that you can actually use the spray nozzle on your sink to dissipate the gases in water--is this not true?

Uhmm...no. It takes most several hours of aeration to fully stabilize the PH. The variables are: airstone, airpump(or power-head), amount of CO2.

...Ray

[discolicious]

I'm on well water which comes out of my tap at 7.5 but after aerating for 24 hours raises to 8.2. I use RO water for wilds and a potential breeding pair with pH of 6.5, but my 75 gal. tank of juvies is tap water. I recently added a water softener unit for the house (using potassium chloride) and I still have to age the water, and the fish seem to be very comfortable at the 8.2 pH.

[mmorris]

My understanding is when you start out with a very low KH like mine(2.0) the amount of C02 is very low. Therefore, by aerating you actually increase the amount of C02 which results in a lower Ph.

..RayI don't see how that would work. Why is more carbon dioxide able to dissolve into the water upon exposure to air? I would think the water had all the dissolved CO2 it could handle, and if the paremeters of the water hadn't changed upon exposure, then I would think it unable to handle more.

[flyman767]

I don't see how that would work. Why is more carbon dioxide able to dissolve into the water upon exposure to air? I would think the water had all the dissolved CO2 it could handle, and if the paremeters of the water hadn't changed upon exposure, then I would think it unable to handle more.

I'm not sure of the chemistry of how CO2 can increase in water; however, aeration does allow the water to reach equilibrium relative to it's environment. Furthermore, the low KH does not provide much(if any) of a buffer; therefore, causes the Ph to move down the Ph scale relatively easy.

..Ray

[vandiscus]

Wow! all these time I thought discus in general needed soft water. great to know that tap water will do. I live in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada with the following water perameters from the municipal website. Do you guy see anything thats bad? Thanks everybody.

In terms of turbidity, which involves a measure of the clarity of the water, the Maximum Acceptable Concentration or MAC is 1 NTU, and the result of recent water parameters is 0-0.99 NTU.

In terms of water alkalinity, which measures the resistance of the water supply to effects from changes in pH or acids added to the water, the MAC is 30 to 500 mg/L, and the result of recent water parameters was 80-89.1 mg/L.

Hardness of the water has a MAC of 6-9 grains per gallon or 80-100 mg/L. The result of recent water parameter testing was 8.28 to 9.03 grains per gallon and 120-131 mg/L.

In terms of pH, which indicates what the acidity is for the water, the MAC is between 6.5 and 8.5, and the result of recent water parameter testing was between 6.52 and 8.17.

In terms of sodium, which is naturally occurring or used in the process of water softening, the MAC is 200 mg/L. Recent parameter water testing revealed a sodium level of 12.5 to 27 mg/L.

Here are some additional water parameters indicating the safety of the water in Mississauga:

■For chloride content, the MAC is 250 mg/L and the result of water parameter testing was 22.8 to 39.7 mg/L.
■For iron content, the MAC is 0.30 mg/L, and the result of water parameter testing was less than 0.06 mg/L.
■For manganese content, the MAC is 0.05 mg/L, and the result of water parameter testing was less than 0.001 mg/L.
■For sulphate content, the MAC is 500 mg/L, and the result of water parameter testing was 16.3 to 37.4 mg/L.
■For nitrate and nitrite content, the MAC is 10 mg/L and 1 mg/L respectively, and the result of water parameter testing was 0.436 – 0.9 mg/L and 0.017 mg/L respectively.
■For fluoride content, the MAC is 1.5 mg/L, and the result of water parameter testing was 0.3 to 1.18 mg/L.
■For lead content, the MAC is 0.01 mg/L, and the result of water parameter testing was that a lead level in the water could not be detected at all.
■Finally, for mercury, the MAC is 0.001 mg/L, and the result of water parameter testing was that a mercury level in the water could not be detected at all.