LFS water testing, said my KH too high for discus

[hillbillyamber]

Took my tank water in to a very, large, fish store in Lansing. They have a decent reputation so I drove an hour. Tank cycled, however my PH is 7.8 AND THE kh IS 11. They said the KH was too high for discus and recommended Africans. I have had Africans, bred them and enjoyed them, so I really want Discus . So totally bummed out I bought Angels for the kids. Now I am wondering if I shouldn't have done that. I need to use tep water, I do not have the time or money to do RO units and honestly, I have no idea how to set one up. They said 375.00 for Ro then I need other stuff etc. It would cost me over 400.00 The carried Hans Discus and said they would be stressed in my tank and more prone to illness. Well, who wants to do that to a poor fish? I won;t get one to satisfy my desire if its going to hurt the fish. They said they won't flourish :( So is it true? I am setting up another tank anyway, so I could still get some. They said the KH was the big issue. I know nothing about KH.

[cjr8420]

they just want to make a buck on the RO mine do just fine in chicagoland liquid rock.if u want hans discus get them from hans he is a sponser here and will probably cost the same or cheaper even with shipping hth

[Elliots]

I have the perfect answers! Buy a comprehensive (Master) test kit from Kens Fish. I bought one, Nutrafin by Hagen. It tests about ten substances. I have never used some tests but I fell good to know I can easily check if I want to. Check out everything else Kens has because he has great prices and free shipping with, I think, a $100 order.
If you are worried about the Kh level why not ask the world's foremost expert on Hans' Discus, Hans. He answers emails usually within a day. Check the sponsor list on this site for his email or be lazy like me and Google Discus Hans. While you are on his site check all the varieties and sizes he has and his prices to us, hobbyists.
I know nothing about Kh also but I guess I need at least some for my plants.

[Dogvet06]

I've never checked my KH so I could t tell u if it mattered or not. I'm sure u will be fine. Clean consistent water is the key to discus! And definitely ask Hans!

[Elliots]

Ooops, my error, I was watching the Knicks and not thinking. I thought KH had to do with Potassium, chemical symbol K but I woke up and realized it means hardness. I have never checked my tank but I will tomorrow. I am not breeding Discus so I am not worried about the reading. If I think I have a problem I will email Hans before I do anything about my tank's KH.

[PP_GBR]

If I was you I'd take the dealer advice. Discus are not cheap fish. If one died, there went your money down the drain. BTW, angelfish is soft water fish too. Let wait and see how well they adapt to your water.

[matt56]

Dont like repeating what has already been said but i also bought into what a store was telling me about the ro water. Wasted 200 bucks on it and i havent even opened it. I bought my stendker alanquers at around 3" and now the biggest is 4 1/2" + about 3 months later. They would probably be 5 inches if they hadn't gotten sick but that was my fault not the water. So if growing 1 and a half inches in about 3 months isnt thriving i dont know what is lol. I also have 2 pairs out of this group and they spawn every 4 or so days. Oh forgot my waters ph is 8.4 after aging and the kh is liquid rock. Email hans any of your questions and i recommend buying direct from him rather then the store. Hope this helped! Also i disagree about the angels. Wild angels are definitely soft water, but domestics i dont think you even really need to worry about. I kept angels a year ago in my water and they did just fine.

[hillbillyamber]

I will specify also, tap water from Well and a water softner. the testing was done on the water that came out of the tap after softening and it was in the tank. Not fresh from the tap.

[Lenin]

OK, so first stop listening what your LFS is saying, I use tap water and we have the hardest water here in central TX, now go and take a look at Ohio Discus and see what he has from his last shipment that arrived a few days ago, pick the one's you want, buy from him and enjoy.

Nothing simpler.

[wdeleon01]

OK, so first stop listening what your LFS is saying, I use tap water and we have the hardest water here in central TX, now go and take a look at Ohio Discus and see what he has from his last shipment that arrived a few days ago, pick the one's you want, buy from him and enjoy.

Nothing simpler.

+1 I only started checking my KH when I started trying to breed discus. When I was just raising them it was only about the consistency of the water changes.

[hillbillyamber]

Thanks everyone! I am so kicking myself for buying 100.00 worth of angels. They are pretty, but now will be waiting longer to get discus. I could have used that money towards discus. Bummer. Oh, well. Win some and loose some. I am still deciding what strains I really want. There are so many!
So my question, If I decide to breed which I hope to someday. DO I need RO then? From what i have read on here is chemicals bounce your water every way and end up with a total mess. Just thinking ahead.

[Cullymoto]

I'm a 100% r/o water user.
I have to be very consistant in the additives I use to maintain constant water perameters. I have to add a little bit of trace elements and boost the KH to keep the ph where it is out of the filter (6.0) If my measurements are off when doing my W/C it is pretty obvious in the fish' behaviour.
What I do is not a requirement, but it is the way I set up my system so why change what works right.
Hard water will cause the eggs laid to form a hard crust sooner than they would in soft water. Depending on the hardness, this crust can form before the male fertilizes the eggs. obviously then hardness affects your hatch rate. You can breed in hard water, just expect less than massive hatch rates.

[Larry Bugg]

Discus need consistency!!. Many, many, many people keep discus in hard water. Not a issue just keep the params consistent. This means you may need to age your water for 24 hours. Depends on how much the PH adjust after sitting for 24 hours. If you do decide to breed then you may be best to go with R/O but you certainly don't need to spend $400 on one. What a rip off!!! You can buy a very good R/O unit for under $200 online and that would be complete, no add on. Hooking up a R/O unit is really a breeze.

[Trier20]

I agree with Larry. Discus need consistant water quality. I think my kh is around 8 or 9 and mine are fine. Some even spawn and have. Decent hatch rate. CONSISTANCY IS KEY! Remember that and you'll be fine!

[Rod]

Discus need consistency!!. Many, many, many people keep discus in hard water. Not a issue just keep the params consistent. This means you may need to age your water for 24 hours. Depends on how much the PH adjust after sitting for 24 hours. If you do decide to breed then you may be best to go with R/O but you certainly don't need to spend $400 on one. What a rip off!!! You can buy a very good R/O unit for under $200 online and that would be complete, no add on. Hooking up a R/O unit is really a breeze.

Great advise Larry. :)

I just bought a new 50 gallon a day R/o from an Ebay shop for $135 home delivered.