Wild Discus Tech Notes 1... Heckels...The basics and More....

Here's my advice on easiest solution, if money and time is not a barrier use 100% RO water and only add Discus essentials. That is as close as you can get to replicating natural Heckel conditions. Dont worry about the pH as the driftwood/plants/nitrification cycle will keep it around 5.5-6.0 and over time even may stabilize below 5.0. When you do water changes with pure RO water it does not raise pH, it actually conforms to the current condition. Your Heckels will shine, whatever plants don't make it take them out and leave what survives. Lilly's do very well in soft acidic water and grow to provide the perfect shade for discus.

Adding tap water raises the Kh to stabilize pH, especially if you are adding buffer to lower ph. But if you are using pure RO water it is not as essential to add any tap water at all.

I second the suggestion to use only 100% RO water. It's what I'm doing. The pH stabilizes at about 5.3 for me and the Heckels are loving it!

Okay, I'm going to add to this thread, wanting to share our experience (my wife and I) with these wonderfull fish.

We keep our heckels in straight RO (sometimes I adjust with discus minerals) and I never use tap water ( we live in an old building and there could be led piping somewhere in the distribution system). The RO is usually kept for 24 hours to bring it up to room temperature.

The Heckels are fed a varied diet of top quality flakes (all fish or vegetable based protein) and frozen bloodwoorms previously thawed. They are never feed beefheart, however, this is only how we keep them and this is not a golden rule nor is this said in order to open a debate.

They are treated for internal and external parasites, howver when newly imported they tend to be very nervous and can react badly to medication, so one must always be carefull.

Weaknesses : When first imported they are extremely skitttish and are prone to bouts of panic. In time they do overcome this but any shadows or sudden mouvements in front of the tank must be avoided. I would recommend not to move new Heckels from tank to tank for the first six months at least.No Heckel is 100% parasite free, however kept in optimum conditions the appear to be very resisitant. They should always be kept in a group and I would advise to keep only Heckels on their own with no other type of discus.

http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/P1020557.jpg

Closeup of an Abacaxis Heckel, approx. 7-8 years in our possesion.

http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/P1020558.jpg

Namundha Heckel, approx. 4-5 years

http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/P1020560.jpg

Namundha in foreground, Abacaxis bickering in background (rivals ?)

http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/P1020563.jpg


Namundha in foreground, Abacaxis, Mari-Mari and Unini.

http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/P1020568.jpg

Group shot.

http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/P1020576.jpg

Feeding time, Mari-Mari & Abacaxis

http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/P1020577.jpg

Mari-Mari, 3-4 years in our keeping

Dynomite looking fish, matey!...Excellent job!.....Gary

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Originally Posted by yogi

You mentioned using a water pillow. Do you mean a water softning pillow? If so it has salt in it and that is why your tds is so high. Don't use the pillow just blend your tap and RO and see what the reading is.

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Bingo - I do use water pillow - thx for diagnosing the issue for me!

Be sure you know what the water chemistry your Heckels have been kept in before you begin to make any changes.
I find Heckels can be stepped down to nearly pure RO water in 50% water changes every 3 or 4 days until it is finally almost totally lacking in dissolved solids; >35 ppm.

I find I can use straight RO water with potted plants as long as there is a timed release fertilizer placed in the bottom of the potting container. I do not use a container with drainage holes and I use FloraBase as the potting substrate covered with about 1/2 inch of pure quartz sand. The some small amounts of the potted plant fertilizers will eventually get into the water column but not enough to worry about if you are making regular, large fresh water changes. If the TDS stays below 30 ppm you will not see any difference between their colors at 30 vs 15 ppm TDS.. Actually, Heckels will do just fine at a TDS up to 50 ppm as long as the ratio of carbonates and sulfates are about the same. My tap water has such a balance and it works fine as my source of minerals when mixed 1 part tap water to 9 parts RO. That works out to be about 20 ppm in my case. Fertilizers in the pots only with water changes seems to remain pretty close to 30 ppm TDS

Hi - I heard that wild discuses prefer low light - can you pls make a recommendation? My wild discuses seem to swim around more when the lites are off. thx

Gorgeous Heckels Erik!

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Originally Posted by sfdiscus

Hi - I heard that wild discuses prefer low light - can you pls make a recommendation? My wild discuses seem to swim around more when the lites are off. thx

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Wild Discus can do quite well in brightly lighted tanks. They probably do prefer less intense lighting but they are also quite adaptable to varying lighting. If one chose to use strong lighting it is best to have some broad leaved floating lily leaves or other means to provide somewhat shaded areas. That way they have choices of where they want to be. Particularly after a heavy feeding, Discus will often seek an area of shade to digest their meal but when they are in a feeding frenzy they do not seem to care how brightly lighted the tank is.

I agree with Larry. on the wild tanks with bright lights I will put some potted plants on top of the tank cover to give some shaded areas, some stay near the shade some stay out in well light areas.

I'm with Jim on the outside potted plants. Is the way I do it. Very little direct lighting in the tank. That with the heavily stained peat water makes them feel right at home...Bill

Hey Larry, agree with you, the floating plants give shade, help clean water and it's surprising how much plant the discus will eat. I'll have to get a video of them ripping off chunks of vegetation, surprising to see.

This is a 6 foot, 120 gal tank with 4 48 inch t8 bulbs ~ 140 w total.
The plants grow like weeds and the wild discus stay in the lighted area 80% of the time.
Have a 48 inch 80 gal sump (now holding discus) under main tank and cannisters in sides.
This tank is not a show tank, just set up for breeding, Bill your tank makes this one look bad.:D

Wild discus, (heckels to browns), have done well for me in this much light.
Bill

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Originally Posted by wgtaylor

This is a 6 foot, 120 gal tank with 4 48 inch t8 bulbs ~ 140 w total.
The plants grow like weeds and the wild discus stay in the lighted area 80% of the time.
Have a 48 inch 80 gal sump (now holding discus) under main tank and cannisters in sides.
T.
Bill

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Hi Bill - what type of floating plants are those? thx

Wisteria

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Originally Posted by wgtaylor

Wisteria

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OMG that bring memories back.

A friend of mine, Davis G. in Canada wanted some of these and he couldn't get them.
So I said buddy, no problem I will send you some, just a few leaves put them in water and in no time you are trowing bunches away of them.

Now shipping plants from Holland to Canada..... not a good idea, but who will find out, a few leaves, in the mail............ lol they did. Man they gave him a lot of trouble, think they opened his mail for a year lol lol


Hans