W/c's - best way to replace water?

[lesley]

???
Hi guys, am new to Discus (six weeks proud owner). When I replace the water although my Discus now just shelter under their driftwood and wait patiently (at first they were very stressed) it seems that there should be a better way. I use a bucket and slowly tip warmed water in.

How do other people do this and how do you heat the water first?

[Mike_Selley]

Hi Lesley!

Congratulations on your first 6 weeks of successful discus keeping!! I do my water changes from a 55 gal drum I got from the Pepsi plant that has a heater and a power head in it to agitate the water. I used to use a 32 gal. Rubbermaid trash can with heater, pump, and airstone. When I fill the barell at night my ph out of the tap is 7.0. After the water sits and aerates for 7 or 8 hours, the ph is 7.6, which is exactly what my tank ph is. Since the storage water has the same ph and temp as my tank water, I can make massive water changes without it stressing my discus at all. The other night I had a discus that seemed to get picked on by everyone else and looked like it was getting sick. That night instead of 50%change like I usually do, I changed about 80-90%. After a couple nights of these changes the little discus has almost become the tank bully!

[Carol_Roberts]

Good description Mike.

Another back and timesaver is a water pump. You can pump directly from your water storage into tank . . . . no more buckets!

Here is an index with information on many topics. Scroll down to the bottom, you'll find three on water changes.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index...;threadid=7983

[April]

hi Lesley. i use a pond pump . magdrive on the end of a rubber hose. i pump in and pump out. just watch though.as it goes fast.
way easier.
but yes..if you can store water they may accept it better as your ph would match better. check your ph out of the tap and check your ph in the tank. it may be the difference that is bothering them. are you adding conditioner?
are they showing any slime coat coming off in and floating up after a change? usually a change in ph etc that causes that and makes them do that. so another thing you can watch for.

[Shari]

Lesley - me too with the buckets - I hose out of the tanks (except during vacuming it's manual also, but replace the old fashioned way - though I will be changing that and getting a simple Home Depot attachment for the faucet along with new hose. I use a thermometer to be sure tap is same temp as tank, (in my house no one is allowed to flush while I'm doing water or it comes out cold) haha! anyway fill bucket using a bit of Prime for chlorine removal etc and that's about it.

[Very Fishy]

I am part of the bucket brigade...aged water storage container in basement, carry buckets of water upstairs to living room where tank is. Good way to get my excerise !! I dream at night of eventually setting up a fish room.

[Fisheyes]

Ban the Bucket .
Who ever invented those back breaking things should be held under water with the fish LOL :spank:

At 61 I got fed up hauling 60 gal. of water to pour down the toilet and then 60gal again to fill the tanks .I soon realised although I love these fish that I was not going to bust
my *** every morning seven days a week after all that is not what retirement is about.So I went to home depot and bought a pump to fill the tanks with . First I pre mix in a holding tank then walla flip the switch and go have a coffee or syphon another tank.
Thanks to April I am know going to buy another pump to syphon out .( just using a hose is to slow) but April said to watch out for hickeys on the fish . :yikes:
Fisheyes

[larry lob]

Hi,

B4 i made an overflow drainage system i use to get a long hose trap it in the sink and syphon out the water and poop straight down the plug.

Then i have an eihem water pump in my rubber maid with aged water, flick that switch and it's sorted.

Now with the over flow straight out to the drain the pump is on a timer and it changes while i sleep.

I still manualy syphon poop but it's easy.

HTH

Larry ;D ;D

[RAWesolowski]

Lesley,

I use a python and do my changes straight from the tap with a bit of Prime to neutralize chlorine/chloramine. Temper water by touch and thermometer. Python siphons water directly to faucet.

Danger is distraction and overfilling the tank... DOH!

[lesley]

;D

Thanks guys, I knew there had to be a better way!!! The Discus may still be remembering the first few times when I used cold water and are curling up their fins and going ouch in anticipation! I expect that they will soon by swimming up in anticipation going goody, goody.

Many thanks for your help

[Mike_Selley]

As I said earlier, I age my WC water in a 55 gal. barell for my smaller tanks. My 125 I just change from the tap, but I only do like 25% at a time. Since my faucet ph is 7.0 and all my tanks ph are 7.6 could I do a bigger water change from the tap on my 125? I think if I calculated correctly we would be talking about a .3 drop in ph with a 50% change. The 25% change doesn't seem to bother them at all.

THANKS!

[RAWesolowski]

Mike,

I think your math is accurate on the pH differential. Out of curiosity, I would test your pH, Gh and Kh begore a 50% tap change then a half hour after a 50% tap change. You should be able to get a pretty good idea of the differences in your water parameters. If you have a conductivity meter, I would include that in your readings.

Key to the tap change for me is adding something to neutralize chlorine/chloramines and maintaining a minor change in water temps. Prime has worked well for me though I get some de-gassing when I do water changes in cold weather, I live in Michigan.

I had a chance to talk with Cary Strong of Great Lakes Discus. He does straight tap changes and sometimes gives his fish a sharp temp drop to encourage spawning. Seems the dramatic change in temp or other parameters resets or triggers their biological clocks.

[Carol_Roberts]

Your discus might not like a rapid .3 drop in pH. Try 33% and see how they react. If that works try 40% the next time, etc. Maybe you can do 50% from the tap, maybe not.

[lesley]

It's great to hear what everyone does.

With regard to not heating the water, any idea what sort of temperature drops we are talking here? And what percentage of water would be being changed if you were not heating the water? Would they be subject to dramatic water temperature differences in their native habitats?

[Nightowl]

Hi Lesley! Am a brand new member of forum!RE: drops in temp,it is true that for pairs it can stimulate spawning,but I don't think it's a large drop that's incurred. Have read that discus in wild stay at water surface at night to stay warm,hence easy pickins' for fishermen w/flashlights & nets! Also imo young fish are sensitive to temp.drops. Must echo other members suggestions of a water barrel(20 gal.tank?) and a pump for w/c's.Fish will get in the flow after a while. Take care and good luck w/your new fish! J.(Nightowl)