old keeper new hobby

[dez_2121]

Hello all.

Hello everyone I have a few questions about keeping discus that I hope someone can help me with. First a little background about my time as an hobbyist. I've been keeping fish for over 15 years, but its almost always been a saltwater tank. First few years where a fish only tank but as I grew in the hobby I started a reef and for years that was what i thought was the top end of the hobby. Now I dabbled in keeping fresh water fish years ago for a few months with no success so I ran back to what i knew REEFS!!!! Years past and I decided to try and get my feet wet again in the fresh water hobby taking it slow and I've had great success. I've kept mollies and tetras, a few guppies that breed like crazy. I finally was having great success with fresh water so i tried my hand in keeping and breeding Angelfish. Low and behold I've raised several batches of Fri, parent raised and self raised. So what does a natural reef keeper want to do as always UPGRADE UPGRADE UPGRADE!!!!!!!

With all that said time to pick the brains of the Experts...... and to anyone wondering NOOOOOOOO I haven't bought any Discus yet.

I've been doing research for weeks now on water quality, where to get them, what to look for in good discus, and what to feed them, you name it I've searched for it. The problem I'm having right now is water quality. Like i said before im a reef keeper so I know how to maintain water parameters but when it comes to discus it seems like everyone has a difference in opinion. From PH to TDS. Since the day I started in fresh water I've always used tap water, and I have some pretty high PH tap water, but i have had success with breeding angelfish even though its said to have lower PH water. Now that i want to breed discus, I wanted to use tap water but again im hearing that high PH is not good for them. you need low PH you need a TDS of 100 you need KH of this and a GH of that. Can someone please help with this. If I have to I will use RO/DI water to run my tanks, but Even with that, I hear you have to mix it with tap water. UGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! I dont think I was this confused when I started keeping my reef lol.

So I did a test on my water from my RO unit--- NOT!!!!!---- the DI part just the RO part ( Don't want to run my DI section because that filter can get expensive and it runs out quickly) and these are my test results.

TDS 11

------API freshwater master test kit
PH 8.8+ (tested again after all test dropped to 8.2)
Ammonia 0 of coarse
KH 1 or less

------API Reef master test kit ( some things can go both salt and fresh)
calcium 20 or less
Phosphates .25

------ Tetra 5 in 1 test strips
nitrate 0
nitrite 0
GH 25
KH 0
PH started out 7.8 to 8.4 checked again at the end 7.2

Chlorine I had a separate test for but it was 0

Now I know if I run it through my DI portion of my filter it will all change, But I don't want to have to do that. I will if I have to but don't want to. So what do you guys think. Are my water parameters good or do I need to run more test. I could post my tap water parameters which have been very consistent I might add but they are high. again I have to add I have been breeding angels in it so maybe I will post them. anyway please someone chime in and let me know what you think. Any help would be greatly appreciated thanks again....

[Akili]

Welcome to SimplyDiscus,Discus do fine in Tap water, unless you breeding them or have wilds then you need to lower the TDS. Even pH does not matter as long you keep it consistent.If you age your water you will have stable pH.Discus aren't as hard as some folks might make it seem,they just need lots of fresh,clean, warm water.My pairs spawn in water in TDS 80 ppm and pH 7.To all newcomers to this site and this hobby, I recommend to go through the stickies in the Beginners Section and watch this video
https://youtu.be/VXe3VKh7qF8 It is just over an hour long but worth hours of information

P.S. A must read thread for a beginner http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?86009-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Getting-Started-with-Discus

[dez_2121]

I have read and watched that video a few times... that video is one of the reasons why I want to try my hand in discus. The one thing that I picked up from that video and the reading was that ... in this hobby just like reef keeping there is no right or wrong answer... what might work for one my not work for all... I just hope I don't kill any really pretty fish because I didn't know something that I should have

[Akili]

This is what have found over the years and I mention it to many hobbyist at my local fish club that Discus aren't as hard as some folks might make it seem, they just need lots of fresh, clean, warm water.No new additions without quarantine.Quarantine period minimum of six weeks even if the fish come from the same source.Provide them with a varied diet.Do not over stock your tank and go bare botttom.If you do daily water changes you may never need any medication.

[afriend]

dez2121,

The advice above from Akili is well given.

Since you have had saltwater tanks for some time, you probably know allot about water parameters (KH, GH, Ph, TDS, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate). This is good information to know and can assist you in keeping discus.

However, the first thing you need to know about is the nature of the discus fish itself. The most important thing is that the immune system of discus is not very robust and that they are subject to attack from pathogens (bacteria, parasites, virus, and fungus). This is especially true for young fish because the immune system develops and adapts somewhat as the fish ages. Thus the easiest to care for are adults. Pathogens multiply greatly when food is present in the water column and on the floor of the tank, thus the need for water change and tank maintenance (removal of feces, bare bottom, wiping down the glass and cleaning decorative items).

Also, it is important to know that discus are sensitive and are easily stressed. When they are stressed, they become dark, hide, and stop eating. When this happens they become subject to attack from pathogens. Stress can be caused by a number of factors including changes in water parameters, temperature, lighting, and the pecking order of the fish. Note that it is not the actual values of the water parameters that are important, but rather the change that stresses them.

The following link provides more detail:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?120956-What-Are-Bioload-and-Biomass-and-Why-They-Are-Important

Hope this is useful for you.

Paul