HOW TO BREED AND RAISE DISCUS

[american breeder]

Now im going to go real slow

and i hope the mods can keep the slugs from sucking juice

it will be in a three part series

this is taken directly from my writings which are in the process of editing and collating for future
printing

1. DISCUS ENVIROMENT BIOTOPE

There seems to be much confusion about enviormental factors for which discus can properly be kept/ One person says low Ph another PH doesnt matter another chimes in something else. Its really a mess for the hobbyists. This is traditional in the discus hobby to keep the hobbyists in the dark as much as possible and still sell fish.

I have already delivered the article on how to raise discus artifically and for the few who are useing the article i see some are doing very well.
Rod within 3 months of constant practice u will see that this is much better
than parentally raised..2inch fish in 6 weeks Rod, thats your goal

each breeder has their own methods etc..

here is what i recommend

1. GET A WATER SOFTNER
soft water is the most critical aspect of proper water for fish

DISCUS DO NOT DO ALL THAT WELL IN HARD WATER

PH is most healthy about 7, and for breeding 6.5 is best
but if water is soft PH becomes much less a factor.

water softners are ideal because they dont waste water and large volumes of water can be made from them..the salt they add to the water is no big deal at all.

soft water..thats the key

i will cont when i can

[Jason]

welcome back Marc,

will soft tap water or a softner that uses greensand work the same?

[Condor]

Why is soft water so important? Does hard water have effects on fish (as in lifespan, health, etc.)?

[cobaltblue]

hard water makes it so the sperm cannot penetrate the eggs, therefore they
do not get fertilized and turn white.

[cobaltblue]

Marc, can the water be too soft, as my water is very soft, gh, kh around 1?

[Condor]

hard water makes it so the sperm cannot penetrate the eggs, therefore they
do not get fertilized and turn white.

I am thinking more on the lines of raising young and keeping discus. Some say that it is actually better to raise the young in harder water because it helps them to develop better.

[Dave C]

I suggest anyone considering this do a search on the net or forums for water softeners & aquariums.

[ronrca]

1. GET A WATER SOFTNER
soft water is the most critical aspect of proper water for fish

DISCUS DO NOT DO ALL THAT WELL IN HARD WATER

PH is most healthy about 7, and for breeding 6.5 is best
but if water is soft PH becomes much less a factor.

I guess I am destined to fail with discus as my ph is 8.2 and TDS 380. Why dont discus not do well in hard water?

[american breeder]

I guess I am destined to fail with discus as my ph is 8.2 and TDS 380. Why dont discus not do well in hard water?

its a very complex question and much scientific mumbo jumbo would be needed to actually decribe the effects hard water and hi Ph have on discus fish etc..but SIMPLY put..its a metabolic thing ...and a chemical thing..blood thing..yikes, anybody who keeps discus fish seriously will tell u that hi ph and hi TDS spells infertile spawns and lack luster color..do yourself a favor and get a RO unit or water softner ..in your case get both hehe

when u see fish in soft water with a nuetral or slightly below nuetral PH you will see the difference ..fish much brighter and happier

see for yourself..

good luck
AB

[ronrca]

Thanks Marc! Perhaps I misunderstood you in the first post. I understand the breeding aspect of hard water and that osmosis occurs when eggs are laid and so on. I thought that you were also referring to raising discus in higher ph/TDS and that they do not do well.

[kaceyo]

Hey Marc,
Do you raise your fry/juvies in soft water also?
I have been told by a number of people that the sodium based household water softeners were not to be used for our fish. Do you use one yourself? And if you do what is the TDS of the processed water?
Thanx,

Kacey

[american breeder]

Hey Marc,
Do you raise your fry/juvies in soft water also?
I have been told by a number of people that the sodium based household water softeners were not to be used for our fish. Do you use one yourself? And if you do what is the TDS of the processed water?
Thanx,

Kacey

more old wives tales

i have large water softners

have for ever.... they work great

takeing my well water which is very strange water

from 770 TDS all the way down to about 100TDs

i use many thousands of gallons each day

so these units are on over drive

the salt is no biggy as most water softners have adjustable thingys to adjust the sodium levels in the final water product, i also have a water softner in line ahead of my commercial grade RO UNIT, this really aids the RO unit

i see where u guys were told that harding your water is a good thing

nope

baby discus grow fastest at PH 6 to 7
in softened water about 100tds
or less is ok as well if u can control

i dont like hard water for any phase of breeding

nope i am a softy at heart

AB

[ronrca]

Ok! What about larger discus around 2"+ to adults? Hard water ok for them as well or soft water period, no ifs ands or buts?

Btw, Marc, I am almost done setting up my RO. Just waiting for some replacement membranes.

[american breeder]

Ok! What about larger discus around 2"+ to adults? Hard water ok for them as well or soft water period, no ifs ands or buts?

Btw, Marc, I am almost done setting up my RO. Just waiting for some replacement membranes.

can u handle this Ron SOFT WATER IS ALWAYS BEST

for every discus fish ever bred

i dont like hard water at all
for my important lineage fish..fish i am depending on to make me some new color etc..

i use large peat filters with huge peat sumps..PH 5.5 TDS 25
i cant take chances with these fish..so they are conditions where virtually no pathogeon can prosper easily

oh yes...
when u see the fish kept in conditions as above described u simply cant believe how relaxed and colorful they are
they stay in mid water suspended like leaves

fins completly erect and breathing almost unnoticeable

if u want PM me i will give u recipe for such an enviorment

AB

AB

[kaceyo]

Very interesting!!! It's pretty much excepted by all here that harder water, up to 300ppm TDS, will increase the growth rate and improve development of bones etc. in young fish. I think Jack Wattley is at least partly responsible. He wrote that he noticed a significant difference in size between his own fish and a fellow Florida breeders when they split spawns, each raising half, and each using the same foods, water change ruetine etc. The only dif they could find was that his friends water was much harder than his own. I wonder if anyone has done side by side comparisons with soft vs hard water.

Kacey