HIGH PH

[JIM G]

My PH out of tap is 7.5,aged overnight its still 7.5.Can I use peat in my filter or some kind of extract to make water more to my discus liking?

[Tropical Haven]

Hey Jim why do you want to lower your PH unless you have a breeding pair? Your discus will do very well in your PH. My discus are in a PH of 8.6 and are doing great. If your not dealing with breeding pairs I wouldn't touch it.

[AADiscus]

Scott is right, don't mess with your ph unless you are going to breed. I don't even mess with the ph in our breeder tanks. The softness of the water brings it down some.

[Don Trinko]

My ph is 7.8 to 8. The fish are fine and growing.
I have had fish for over 30 years and I have never been successfull at changing the ph of tap water. It always ends up the same as it was in the end. *( RO Plus chemicals works but the buffering capability of my tap water makes it difficult to change ph) Don T.

[youngdiscus]

My ph is 8.5 and i,ve had nothing but health problems, isnt it harder for a bacteria/parasite too live and take hold in water that is more acidic? therefor less sick discus?


Well this thread was good too read, i dont have a breeding pair yet so no need too adjust water, I was about too spend big money on a RO/Booster pump next check, saves me a few bucks for now i guess... :)

[JIM G]

I guess I was worried because lately I was having some issues with cloudy water and a parasite problem.I got some great advise from SIMPLY,could'nt be happier.And I know my tap water is a little on the hard side.I suppose I should leave well enough alone,my discus seem happy(I have 4-3 inch in a 46 bow tank)and I can enjoy watching them again.

[Tropical Haven]

My ph is 8.5 and i,ve had nothing but health problems, isnt it harder for a bacteria/parasite too live and take hold in water that is more acidic? therefor less sick discus?



Your PH isn't causing your health problems if your water parameters are in check and your have a good cleaning schedule. Reguardless if your PH is high or lower you can have problems at anytime if your discus aren't getting the right care that they need to be healthy. In the last 20 years I haven't had a PH reading lower than 8.2 and I haven't had any health issues unless I got careless from time to time but then that was my fault and not the waters.