A few questions

[Mep1127]

I have a few questions

#1: I've recently gotten a distressed discus in my tank. A SD member mentioned that it could be because I dont age my water ( discus gets dark and look like it headstands/tailstands for a few secs and re-adjusts itself). Would it be okay to age water in a garbage bin? And is there any special way of heating the water + should I aerate it or can i just leave bin uncovered and let water gas out naturally? ( i could use advice as well what other cheap containers I may be able to possibly use for water aging, preferably something barrel like )

#2: in regards to seachem safe I was reading some posts that said 1/4 teaspoon treats 50-55G of water. But there are specific dosages for specific needs. I have pretty low chloramines and metals in my water so would I be able to just use 1/4 teaspoon a general dosage for each water change? Or am i under a misconception?

#3:I guess off topic question: can not aging my water affect my discus in such a manner? I've been changing water without aging it for a while now and nobody in my tank reacts adversely. This discus has been in my tank for 3 months almost. It's not that i dont take the SD members word but Why now?

Here is my concern in another thread http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?95671-Don-t-know-whats-going-on&p=882505#post882505

[Eddie]

1) You can age your water in a garbage bin, obviously a sterilized or new one. Toss a heater in and have an airstone aerating the water. You need to agitate the water to get it to stabilize. Food grade 55 gallon barrels are perfect.

2) Use 1/4 teaspoon per 50 gallons. Its not gonna hurt the fish if your chloramines/chlorine isnt high. One thing to note, if the water temperature is high, I believe above 86F, you would use less than 1/4 tsp.

3) YES, lol. Because I've seen it a million times and I will again. But now YOU can give the advice to age water. ;)

[Mep1127]

Gotcha, thanks again ed.