The perfect water guide for Discus..

[brewmaster15]

Hi all,
Was thinking again ( bad Habit I have). One of the main problems we have in the hobby is just water...not enough water, sub optimal parameters, well water, city water, expensive water...etc. Lets face it , Discus do best in clean water (uh DUH>>> no brainer there), but not all water is equal as far as fish keeping goes and as far Discus Keeping and breeding.

Now we all know that as Discus Keepers your number one factor when you are looking for a place to live is the water.. the other stuff is just not as important. So how do you figure out where to live if you wanted the best water possible for raising discus and breeding them without using r/o DI, fancy filters etc.. you have no way ...until NOW... Drum Roll please.

Why not a locational database of water parameters.... you post your profiles of your water and various factors like water cost, electricity, heating costs etc....and we build a database... that way the next time you get offered a job in one of several locations or win the lottery, you can choose the best place... who knows the data may even help people find the overall best place to start a commercial hatchery. Water varies so much that maybe the next town or two over from you is better than yours.

Is it feasible? what kind of factors would we need information on and what sources of information can we tap into, like muncipal water reports, cost of living reports etc.

Is it Doable? I think it might be. Its mental exercise I know.. but would be pretty cool.

-al

[Northwoods Discus]

Al that's a great idea. I have been thinking about that myself. If i buy property to build the first priority is going to be how is the water. If that passes then the rest will be considered.
I'll start by saying the water here is horrible, very hard. High Iron content. R/O is a must. Mid MI

[bobdon]

MINE IS LIKE DISTILLED ALMOST

[SMB2]

Al, What would be you list of "must" parameters?

[brewmaster15]

Al, What would be you list of "must" parameters?

Stan,
I think if we wanted an " ideal water " we would factor in

1) Purity... some water out there members are dealing with just stinks...and literally.
2) Abundance... raising discus in areas prone to water shortages and mandatory restrictions is difficult
3) cost... if well water... what the water bill going to run you for electricity to run the well. If city/municipal water...whats it cost. Better factor in a new well if planning long term..they DO run dry and burn out!
4) waste water...what goes in, must go out!! some municipalities and water companies charge you a fee for waste water.
5) Too hard or high a pH, or too soft should be an issue to consider. Some water companies balance the water 's parameters.

Other considerations?
-al

[Second Hand Pat]

Al, this is containly worthwhile but it seems a definition of "perfect water" would be helpful for comparison. Also I have no clue how much of my power bill is applied to running the pump on the well.

So perhaps perfect water could be ph 6.5, kH 4-dKH, gH-4dGH TDS 60-80ppm. Or perhaps perfect water is dependent on your goals, breeding, growout, or both.

[ZX10R]

I sure am going to have a hard time talking the wife into moving to Florida because the water there is better for the fish

[brewmaster15]

Also I have no clue how much of my power bill is applied to running the pump on the well.

Pat, Your pump takes X amount juice to run...you can get a good idea how many KW hours you run it.... but and even easier method is do a comp with your neighbors... For example my bill out here, was 6-8 times that of my fishless neighbors.

Probably the easiest thing is for us to compare the cost of electricity in kW hours as part of the equation...

-al

[brewmaster15]

I sure am going to have a hard time talking the wife into moving to Florida because the water there is better for the fish

Sean,
A tip my friend.. When you negotiate, you need not lay ALL your facts on the line, and you should always give reasons that appeal to the person you are negotiating with.

-al

[ZX10R]

Sean,
A tip my friend.. When you negotiate, you need not lay ALL your facts on the line, and you should always give reasons that appeal to the person you are negotiating with.

-al

So lie lie lie gotcha

[ZX10R]

Use this to figure up the cost of running your equipment. All you need to know it wattage, how many hours it runs, and what rate your power company charges you.

http://www.citytrf.net/costs_calculator.htm

[Second Hand Pat]

I sure am going to have a hard time talking the wife into moving to Florida because the water there is better for the fish

Sean, this is not my normal water but my target water with the addition of RO with my tap.

[SMB2]

Here is the cheapest answer Al, and all the water you want, no aging, no Prime and you can throw the culls back.


http://www.viviun.com/AD-182128/

[brewmaster15]

LOL.... okay well lets work on the other answers for those of less inclined to move that far!

-al

[SMB2]

OK, well I was just trying to make it easy.

So other than the usual parameters, what do you want in your list?
TDS, phos., lead, price/gal etc?