My water parameters are very far away from the LFS's and need to lower the Ph considerably. My Ph is around 7.8 and there's is around 6.5? How do i do this? OR should i just acclimate them very slowly, and if so, how?
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My water parameters are very far away from the LFS's and need to lower the Ph considerably. My Ph is around 7.8 and there's is around 6.5? How do i do this? OR should i just acclimate them very slowly, and if so, how?
Hi Mr. Dude,
Check out this thread that addressed the same question.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index...5572#msg155572
HTH,
Kathy
Since they won't be in the bags long you can dump a cup of your tank water in the bag, wait 15 minutes, pour out most of the bag wter, reach in bag, grasp discus with two hands and plop in tank.
Are you sure of the health and quality of discus you are getting from a fish store - do they know discus?
I'm not sure if they know discus, but they seem to keep them in great water conditions.
Also, what kind of bucket should i use to acclimate the fish in? Should it be one for this special procedure? Do i need a heater in the bucket?
Any $1.98 plastic bucket will do. Take a couple of plastic buckets to the store with you and put the bags in the buckets to bring them home. Cut off tops. Pour a cup of tank water in each bag. Wait 15 minutes. Pull out a bag, dump out most of water, reach in and grasp discus with two hands, put fish in tank. Pull out next bag, pour out water, . . .
If you think the water conditions are perfect because the pH is low you are wrong. Perfect water is water that is clean and changed every day or so with Ph stable water. My pH is 7.8
Do i need a heater in each bucket?
You can if you want to but, they will only be in the bucket a few minutes
Have the LFS put your discus bags into a styrofoam box and save yourself $1.98 :-* Your ph is just fine.
Since we are at this topic. My current ph is about 7.4. Some says that there is no harm remaining it at this level. Some say it is better to keep it between 6.8 - 7.0. I just purchased some Sera PH Drop. How do I lower the ph, with or without my discuses in the water? I am afraid that I may lower the ph tremendously and the discuses may get a high.
Please advise. 8)
Hi Wilfred:
Take the Sera pH drop back to the store and ask for your money back. My pH is 7.8 and my juveniles do just fine.
Never try to alter the pH in the tank with the discus in it. They don't get high they get acid burns.
How 'bout my $0.02?
Take the fish home, open the bag, place fish in tank. No acclimation no temp adjust. I've never had a problem doing this. I have now done it with marine fish and inverts also and had no problems. Letting the ammonia build up in my book is a bigger problem than temp or pH differences.
My pH is also 7.8 and no problems with growing up discus.
RandalB
I'm a little confused. What about breeding? No doubt they will grow out in 7.8 ph, but I've read that they will only breed in softer, lower ph conditions. Is this my misunderstanding? ???
Breeding and egg hatching are two different things. mine lay eggs in hard water all the time. The eggs will not hatch if the water is too hard. Even when I mix ROand tap to reduce the hardness and allow the eggs to hatch my pH still hovers around 7.5. I only have domestics. I've read that wilds may require soft water with low pH.
My pH is also right around 7.6 and my fish are breeding machines. When I clean the tanks and change their water I hardly get the spawning pot back into the tank before they are cleaning and laying eggs on it. The fresh, slightly cooler water triggers the spawn. I'm convinced of that.
Clean, soft water with a stable pH is the key. People make things harder on themselves than they need to.