Ghost breeding aquarium

[slaven]

Hi Guys and girls,
I really appreciate this forum and your advices.
I am having a lot of problems of making stable water for my breeding tanks. But recently when I came back from my holllidays (all my 3 pairs were in big 100 gallons tank) I wanted to clean and set up all my breeding aquariums (30 gallons each) with new water etc. First I have to mantion that water in Valencia is horrible, is potable but about 600-700 ppm, a lot of carbonates, very hard. I use Ro water mixing with waste water. When I analyse my Ro water (going out of my devices) I saw that is about 120 ppm what means that I have to change the sediment column (aqua medic) because is starting to block. OK. I set up the aquariums, waited 3-4 days and realized that Ph is unusual about 8. GH about 5. I dropped down the ph with Phosphoric acid. Of course waiting to be stable about 2 another days. Finally, the water was 190ppm, ph 7, no nitrites. I put my breeding pairs and and find horrible situation in the morning. One pair was almost dead, the skin mucus or superficial skin was pealed off. I lost this pair.
I was thinking that maybe sudden ph change was the cause of the stess (common aquarium is 5,5 and the new was 7). Next I changed water completely using again Ro water conditioned by phosphoric acid. I waited for another 4 days with aeration and sponge filter. The breeding acuarium was set up as common aquarium with the same ph (6,5 as common acuarium), no nitrites, 200ppm, 27oC. I put another pair in aquarium and saw that one of them starting to be deezy, swimming strange. the breath was correct. I waited for 1 hour but the behaviour was really strange. I put them back in common acuarium and really asking myself what can be wrong.
All parameters are OK.
Can be high level of Phosphor from the acid? Water from Ro unit can cause such stress?
What can be wrong in this Ghost aquarium?
Just to mantion also that before cleaning the aquarium I used Potassium permanganate to kill all bacteria. After that I rinsed the acuarium with a water to remove all rests of PP.
Please give e your opinion.
Thanks

[Willie]

Do not mix phosphoric acid into tank water. It creates so many issues. Just do an R/O and tap water blend to a KH target. In this case, I'd recommend a 50/50 or 75/25 mix of R/O to tap. Discus will thrive, spawn and readily hatch out fry at 180 ppm. I'd recommend you do less things, but do it consistently. Make R/O, mixes it up, and change water frequently. Do nothing else to play with water chemistry.

Good luck, Willie

[slaven]

Do not mix phosphoric acid into tank water. It creates so many issues. Just do an R/O and tap water blend to a KH target. In this case, I'd recommend a 50/50 or 75/25 mix of R/O to tap. Discus will thrive, spawn and readily hatch out fry at 180 ppm. I'd recommend you do less things, but do it consistently. Make R/O, mixes it up, and change water frequently. Do nothing else to play with water chemistry.

Good luck, Willie

Thank you Willie. Your advices are always appreciated. I changed 60% of the water and replaced with the water from the main aquarium where the couple sterted to spawn to accomodate better. I thought that pair will accomodate gradually. I keep them in new aquarium all day observing any strange behaviour. They were with shrunken fins. After couple hours I noticed the slime and the fins are starting to damage (the ends of tail fin starting to loose the colour, disgreaggating) . I put them back to main aquarium again really not know what can be. Tha ph of main acuarium has 5,3 and new was 6,3. 290 ppm, no nitrite.