Water additives

[05 LL Stang]

All,
So I am fairly new to this whole discus world, and I now have found something that seems to work. My fish seem healthier, more active and a better appetite, but I wanted to see what you guys thought or what you do:

WC 50% every three days
Age the water 24 hours before each change
Add PH buffers and 1 TBSP of salt for every 8-9 gallons during the aging process.

I have been againg for a couple of months now, but I just started the salt 10 days ago. It really seemed to help the fish, it is amazing how much their appetite has increased. Question is, can I do this long term?

Jeff

[Chad Hughes]

Why did you add Ph buffer and salt? Just curious.

What are your water parameters out of the tap?

You should be able to do well with just tap assuming that your tap is not super soft, mineral free water. Some folks have that issue depending on where their water comes from.

Best wishes!

[05 LL Stang]

Why did you add Ph buffer and salt? Just curious.


Ph buffers were added because I was getting spikes in my PH. The buffers did not seem to help so I removed my rocks, which I thought were inert, and it seems to have stabalized my water. After the rocks were replaced I just never stopped adding the buffers.

The salt is because I think I have a problem with Gill Flukes, in fact I am going start a salt dip treatment when I get home.


What are your water parameters out of the tap?
PH is just above 7 and the KH is below 2

[Chad Hughes]

Ph buffers were added because I was getting spikes in my PH. The buffers did not seem to help so I removed my rocks, which I thought were inert, and it seems to have stabalized my water. After the rocks were replaced I just never stopped adding the buffers.

The salt is because I think I have a problem with Gill Flukes, in fact I am going start a salt dip treatment when I get home.

PH is just above 7 and the KH is below 2

So the rocks were raising your Ph and you were buffering down? I'm just trying to understand what exactly happened.

I'm not sure that salt will do much for flukes. If you truely have a fluke problem, I would stick to a fluke medication.

Best wishes!

[Jhhnn]

You really, really need to test your water to understand it. pH, KH, GH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, for water out of the tap and in the tank. Test the pH straight out of the tap, and test an aerated sample 24 hours later to see if it goes up a lot from off-gassing CO2. If you don't test your water and understand it, you're relying on luck to get it right, and the odds are against you...

If you live in a major metro area, your provider likely has a website where you can get a lot of info. Denver Water, my provider, has a really great website.

If your tank has high nitrites, then salt will definitely help the fish. It's not a longterm solution to high nitrites, at all- more like an emergency measure.

I'm one of a few discus keepers who routinely adds salt. My situation is unusual, however, in that Denver water has very low salinity, coming from snowmelt off nearby peaks. My fish are less skittish with a little salt in the water, not more than 1 tbsp/ 50gals, usually half of that... Domestic discus will thrive in relatively hard water and high pH in the low 8's. Generally speaking, the only reason to add buffers is if your water is extremely soft, lacking in buffers.

Highly recommended- prime water conditioner, and the Seachem ammonia test kit. AFAIK, it's the only kit that's accurate when using prime, amquel+ or ChlorAm-x, measuring both free ammonia and total ammonia...

Flukes can be difficult to eradicate, if what you have are indeed flukes. Prazipro works sometimes, and is gentle on the fish and the rest of the tank. Many flukes are resistant to it. Clout worked for me, although it's tough on plants and some fish...