TDS 160 too high for breeding?

[diamond_discus]

I just got a TDS meter ..
My tap water is 400 TDS, 8.2 pH
My RO water is 13 TDS, 6.7 pH
I mixed the RO and tap water into my breeding tank, which now has 7.3 pH and 157 TDS ... Is this still too high ?

My pair spawn 4 consecutive weeks in a row .. .For the first week, I didn't use any RO water and at least I got so wrigglers ... since then, I slow mixed in RO to lower the pH and TDS. They spawned last week for the 4th time, and for the two consecutive weeks in a row .. the eggs all turned white ...

What might be wrong ? My pair is only about 1 year old .. Perhaps the male is too young ? Or I still need to lower the TDS to 50 ? That means I might have to do a 90/10 mix of RO/Tap water.

[mmorris]

People usually recommend 100 or below but my tds is higher. 150 should be fine, particularly as you got wrigglers in water with a tds of 400! I'd look to other reasons for the non-fertilized eggs, particularly the age of the pair. Have you observed them spawning? Is the male making runs?

[cveks]

its too high. you should make water to be between 50 and 100 TDS.

you should try to lower your pH as well. I suggest filtering water trough peat.

[Elite Aquaria]

I think you need to go to a 90/10 mix...

[allan_mark76]

Breeding in southern cali is hard and it sucks. Our water is loaded with minerals and imported from everywhere. Unfortunately it's also very difficult to mix your ratios. I aim for 80tds and below. Right now with me living in San Diego my tds is 0 and I mix UP. If you go high to low it gets rather hard. I just do a cupful of RO waste water, let is mix and sit and voila I have around 50 or 60.

That's what I do.

~AKA~

[Mr Wild]

One cupful does the trick ! Wow! That is some hard water or should we say liquid rock! I have the other end my water is 12ppm so I have to add ro right weird eh!

[diamond_discus]

People usually recommend 100 or below but my tds is higher. 150 should be fine, particularly as you got wrigglers in water with a tds of 400! I'd look to other reasons for the non-fertilized eggs, particularly the age of the pair. Have you observed them spawning? Is the male making runs?

Yes, the male did make runs .. I will try the 90/10 mix and see what happens ..
Will continue to wait for them to mature for a few more months.

I don't have good ways to filter water with peat .. probably too much work for me ...

Now, with the 90/10 mix, do I need to add back some chemical like Discus Essential ?

I only have a sponge filter in the 20 gallon tank .. which is at the opposite side of the breeding cone ... I don't think the sponge filter current would affect the fertilization process ?

[Elite Aquaria]

Now, with the 90/10 mix, do I need to add back some chemical like Discus Essential ?

I only have a sponge filter in the 20 gallon tank .. which is at the opposite side of the breeding cone ... I don't think the sponge filter current would affect the fertilization process ?

If you use your tap at 10% you will not need to ad Discus Essential...only use it if you go 100% RO then use Discus Essential to bring your TDS back up to 50-70

I should not but I do like to watch the pair and if I notice that they are laying eggs I turn off the air to the sponge for the hour that they are laying eggs.

[diamond_discus]

If you use your tap at 10% you will not need to ad Discus Essential...only use it if you go 100% RO then use Discus Essential to bring your TDS back up to 50-70

I should not but I do like to watch the pair and if I notice that they are laying eggs I turn off the air to the sponge for the hour that they are laying eggs.

Thanks for the advice, Dan. I will turn off the air pump next time.

[ste12000]

One other piece of advice that folows on directly from the last, buy a whiteboard marker and write in big letters "FILTER TURNED OFF" across your aquarium, its all too easy to forget to turn it back on...

[dan1]

One cupful does the trick ! Wow! That is some hard water or should we say liquid rock! I have the other end my water is 12ppm so I have to add ro right weird eh!

Kath,

We have pretty much the same soft water here in Oakland, CA. My TDS out of the tap is in the high 20s PH 8.8 and after aging for 24 hours, it will get to 7.5 or so. The PH is very bouncy, very stressful for the discus.

I was wondering how do you keep the water stable apart from using coral chips which made the tank very cloudy for me.

Dan

[RichieE]

I try to be under 100. There was a discussion a few years back about exactly what desolved solids are in your water. In other words one breeder may do well at 150 while another may get poor results. Rich

[Dutch dude]

Maybe a stupid question but why add more RO water to lower the TDS if the OP did had wigglers at his tapwater PH=8,2 and TDS=400. If the eggs hatch and the hatch rate is exceptable why still need to lower the TDS?

[Mr Wild]

Kath,

We have pretty much the same soft water here in Oakland, CA. My TDS out of the tap is in the high 20s PH 8.8 and after aging for 24 hours, it will get to 7.5 or so. The PH is very bouncy, very stressful for the discus.

I was wondering how do you keep the water stable apart from using coral chips which made the tank very cloudy for me.

Dan

Dan sorry about this I haven't seen this until today! My bad.

After I age for 24hours I am pretty good to go. I thought I was getting PH shifts (up) but that was my meter! Go figure better off the old way!
I have some coral pieces (not chips) in my ageing barrell, nothing in the tank anymore. HTH and once again sorry for the late reply.

[Ibanez540r]

Hmm, I have to jump in here. I also just got a meter and my tap and tanks are at 148-152 TDS. I know this is border line but some think acceptable. Not sure if I should spend the money and time in RO or not... My first pair just started spawning (4th) and they're going white but the male has been seen making passes... ???