Is my tap water good for discus?

[yemista]

I want to get discus and I just tested my tap water using test strips. The readings I got were roughly

25 ppm GH
40 ppm KH
pH 7.0

I am also doing a test of the tap water pH after letting it sit out overnight, to see if it changes.

How are these parameters for discus? Other than water changes, is there anything else I will need to do?

[jeep]

You water appears to be fine but you should also test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Monitor the ph drop, but with your kh it will hopefully be stable.

[14Discus]

I agree w Brian, but I would not let your KH get much lower.....just keep an eye on it. 40ppm is 2.3 dKH if I’m reading your readings correctly. 2.3 is fine ...if... it’s a steady 2.3 and doesn’t fluctuate. I keep mine around 4-6 generally as PH stability is key which KH handles. 0 KH will lead to problems as I see it. Just my thoughts. Testing your NH3, NO2, and NO3 are indeed good for an overall status of your water. Btw....testing your tap water is smart.

[yemista]

I actually did not mention NH3, NO2, and NO3 because they all seem to be 0. There is a little chlorine but I can treat the water before putting in new water. I am waiting to get an API test kit to do more accurate testing. Right now I am using test strips to get these numbers.

[jeep]

I agree w Brian, but I would not let your KH get much lower.....just keep an eye on it. 40ppm is 2.3 dKH if I’m reading your readings correctly. 2.3 is fine ...if... it’s a steady 2.3 and doesn’t fluctuate. I keep mine around 4-6 generally as PH stability is key which KH handles. 0 KH will lead to problems as I see it. Just my thoughts. Testing your NH3, NO2, and NO3 are indeed good for an overall status of your water. Btw....testing your tap water is smart.

Good points! 7.0ph isn't high or low, it's neutral. Neutral ph from tap can be unstable...