Discus Conditions

[duckyser]

I want to start out a discus tank and here are my water conditions straight out of the tap: 7.6pH and tds:140ppm

I do not have enough money to buy an RO filter and peat cannot lower my pH enough to get it under six. Therefore i am thinking about using a combination of pH down which will lower the pH, but raise the tds. I will then use peat as well to lower the pH further and help bring down the tds.

Will this work?

[ZX10R]

7.6 ph is fine as long as it stays stable. Mine is around 7.8 and I have seen other people on here with even higher.

[Larry Bugg]

I strongly suggest you don't try to alter you PH chemically. This usually causes more issues than good.

[3dees]

I have wilds and my PH is a steady 7.6. my fish are fine. the worse thing you can do is chase your PH.

[DiscusOnly]

I want to start out a discus tank and here are my water conditions straight out of the tap: 7.6pH and tds:140ppm

I do not have enough money to buy an RO filter and peat cannot lower my pH enough to get it under six. Therefore i am thinking about using a combination of pH down which will lower the pH, but raise the tds. I will then use peat as well to lower the pH further and help bring down the tds.

Will this work?

If you want to start out discus, I suggest stepping back a bit and visit this site main page.

http://www.simplydiscus.com/library/index.shtml

There are lots of good read there. Some articles are old but the basic is still the same.

Van

[duckyser]

thanks for the read!

So if i maintain these conditions i already have along with frequent water changes the one inch discus i have will be fine?

[mmorris]

thanks for the read!

So if i maintain these conditions i already have along with frequent water changes the one inch discus i have will be fine?

Provided they are relatively parasite-free, you maintain a strict quarantine from any existing fish and items used on those fish, and feed a quality diet. :)

[NicotineRush]

Provided they are relatively parasite-free......

Not to hijack duckys thread, but with regard to new fish, and assuming new cycled tank that's never had inhabitants, is anyone doing preventative/proactive medicating when acquiring a new batch of fish?

I've never read about anyone doing this. It's always, "well, I have this sick fish....."

I realize excellent water/living conditions will help to keep disease at bay, but why not be proactive when acquiring a new batch, and hopefully, eliminate/reduce problems before they have a chance to surface later on.

Thanks
Tom

[DiscusOnly]

Not to hijack duckys thread, but with regard to new fish, and assuming new cycled tank that's never had inhabitants, is anyone doing preventative/proactive medicating when acquiring a new batch of fish?

I've never read about anyone doing this. It's always, "well, I have this sick fish....."

I realize excellent water/living conditions will help to keep disease at bay, but why not be proactive when acquiring a new batch, and hopefully, eliminate/reduce problems before they have a chance to surface later on.

Thanks
Tom

Unless you are deworming, why use meds on healthy fish?

clean water/good diet are proactive "meds" for the discus.

[NicotineRush]

Your point is taken, but one never really knows what one is getting. I was just curious why this was never mentioned.

[DiscusOnly]

Your point is taken, but one never really knows what one is getting. I was just curious why this was never mentioned.

If you are not sure that you are getting healthy discus to begin with, get it from someone else. People don't mention about medicating new fish as a precaution because the focus is on getting discus from a reputable source (such as sponsors here).

Van

[duckyser]

just out of curiosity at what level of tds does it begin to harm discus? What are the symptoms?

[duckyser]

if i do lower the pH how could i keep it stable?

[Eddie Wells]

For growing out discus don't mess with your ph, not until you start breeding will anything become an issue if then. High tds are not an issue either when growing out discus in fact the minerals in the water will help with their growth !

Eddie Wells

[April]

i agree with all here. dont mess with your water or you will have issues with bounces in ph. stable ph and clean water is what they need. theres people on this forum who have ph 8.5 and higher and have big strong healthy discus.
learn to keep discus and learn their behaviours first before you play around with yout water. no need unless breeding and even then..sometimes you can breed and raise at those levels. you just need a cycled sponge to start. get a group all at once..and dont go buying more from other sources and add. lots of good info on simply. let us know how it goes.

[Eddie Wells]

i agree with all here. dont mess with your water or you will have issues with bounces in ph. stable ph and clean water is what they need. theres people on this forum who have ph 8.5 and higher and have big strong healthy discus.
learn to keep discus and learn their behaviours first before you play around with yout water. no need unless breeding and even then..sometimes you can breed and raise at those levels. you just need a cycled sponge to start. get a group all at once..and dont go buying more from other sources and add. lots of good info on simply. let us know how it goes.

April said it much better than I did ! :)

[duckyser]

alright then i guess ill just keep my stable conditions. Now my second question: The pet store i am buying them from feeds the discus once per day. I plan on buying them next week but leave for vacation mid august. I dont know when the store would get a new shipment of discus if they sold out and i tried to buy them after my vacation. The vacation is 11 days long and i am wondering if they would be ok in the tank for that long, or would i be better of trying to buy them after vacation. I plan on keeping 6 one inch discus in a 29g tank with an automatic feeder. Feeds twice every 24 hrs. (i plan to move them to a 60 when they get bigger.)

[DiscusOnly]

alright then i guess ill just keep my stable conditions. Now my second question: The pet store i am buying them from feeds the discus once per day. I plan on buying them next week but leave for vacation mid august. I dont know when the store would get a new shipment of discus if they sold out and i tried to buy them after my vacation. The vacation is 11 days long and i am wondering if they would be ok in the tank for that long, or would i be better of trying to buy them after vacation. I plan on keeping 6 one inch discus in a 29g tank with an automatic feeder. Feeds twice every 24 hrs. (i plan to move them to a 60 when they get bigger.)

Wait.. You are buying 1 inch discus from a LFS that feed them once a day and you plan to feed them twice a day once they are in your home? What is your expectation? I would say that based on the info above, it's not a good way to get into the discus hobby.

Van

[duckyser]

i know that they are getting the shipment next wednesday so i plan to pick them up a couple days after. I will then be able to do frequent water changes and feed them 3-4 times per day until i leave for vacation in mid august. I am asking if the discus would be ok in the 29g tank for 11 days, if i make the water the best quality i can before i leave.

[Keith Perkins]

...The pet store i am buying them from feeds the discus once per day...would i be better of trying to buy them after vacation. I plan on keeping 6 one inch discus in a 29g tank with an automatic feeder. Feeds twice every 24 hrs. (i plan to move them to a 60 when they get bigger.)


i know that they are getting the shipment next wednesday so i plan to pick them up a couple days after. I will then be able to do frequent water changes and feed them 3-4 times per day until i leave for vacation in mid august. I am asking if the discus would be ok in the 29g tank for 11 days, if i make the water the best quality i can before i leave.

Your last couple of posts are setting off all kinds of alarm bells, and I'm sure you'll get a lot more similar feedback. What your describing about your LFS is EXACTLY why most everyone here steers people away from LFSs for discus purchases. I am a relatively new home breeder, and my 1 inch juveniles get fed 4 times a day when I'm being lazy, and 5 or 6 times a day normally. 1 inch discus being feed once a day are guaranteed to become stunted at best, and more likely sick and dead. The folks at your LFS appear to know nothing about discus, except perhaps how to make a little money off of them, so I wouldn't suggest you get ANY advice from them on how to care for discus. You might be all right buying them the day they arrived, but if you do I would highly suggest you get them straight out of the suppliers bags without them every getting into the LFSs water. This will eliminate the possibility of them getting any bugs from the LFSs water, and from what you're saying about them they probably have plenty.

As for buying them now and going on vacation in August for 11 days, I wouldn't even consider it. Discus that small need good quality food often, including frozen ones daily feeders can't handle, and frequent water changes. If you were talking adult fish it wouldn't be a problem, but not young juvies, especially when they are from a questionable supply source. If your little discus aren't healthy when you get them, a month from now you might be right in the middle of dealing with it. It appears you're trying to get into the hobby as cheap as you can, which I understand, but you aren't going to save much if you come home from vacation to a tank full of dead discus.

Patience is a key when keeping discus, and in your case it would be good to practice that a bit I think before you make your purchase.

[duckyser]

Yes you are right it is just that with it being my first time caring for these fish I don't want to buy $35 adults and have them die within a week due to my lack of experience

[DiscusOnly]

Yes you are right it is just that with it being my first time caring for these fish I don't want to buy $35 adults and have them die within a week due to my lack of experience

Just an opinion only but.

1. You are not going to find a healthy adult for $35 from a LFS.. You may find young adult that hobbyist around you may sell to reduce stock when growing out.
2. You may think that you are saving money buying cheap low quality discus in the beginning but you will end up paying more. Why? If you are not lucky, the poor condition discus will live but sick and you start medicating them. Meds aren't cheap either.

You can be on a budget if you are just starting out by having some patience. Find a local breeder that is WILLING to possibly give you some of their culls to learn from.

You are much better off getting 2.5"-3.0" healthy discus to start out with. Discus hobby cost time and money.. no way around it.

Where are you located?

[flyman767]

Heeding the advice you are getting from the last few posts is highly recommended. The best thing to do is wait until you have enough money to purchase several discus from a reputable breeder. You are being prudent by asking these questions, but don't jump in with a purchase of 1 or 2 discus from a local fish store. You will live to regret it. We are giving you this advice because most of us have made these lethal, costly mistakes before..Good luck..Ray

[duckyser]

Alright after thinking a while this is what i will do:

Buy discus after my vacation
and try to get them fast from the lfs when they arrive (i live in toronto, ontario and i do not know any breeders, nor is my father willing to drive me to other peoples houses. He feels that fish are wasting money.)

[discuspaul]

Duckyser:
If you really want to get serious about keeping discus, please listen to the advice of all the others above.
Here's my 2 cents:
After your vacation (you'll have a lot of time to think about it ), see if you can find a way to get someone to take you to Barrie, Ont. - I lived in TO for several years, but can't remember how far away Barrie is from Toronto - I don't believe it's too far.
Anyway, Bob Garside of Upper Canada Discus in Barrie (see his website & he is a sponsor here), is a long-time, reputable & reliable discus importer - I believe he gets his always healthy (so they say - he has many very satisfied repeat clients) fish from Forrest in Malaysia, & can be counted on to supply you with quality fish.
I recall he mentioned to me in a recent email that he would be bringing in some smaller discus in August - 2 &1/2" to 3 & 1/2", which he will be selling for a reasonable price.
Best of luck !
Paul

[discuspaul]

P.S.
Bob Garside of Upper Canada Discus in Barrie is also a breeder & he has said one of his aims is to provide Canadian discus keepers with really good stock of Canada-bred fish. I'm quite sure he would have fish spawning now or soon, & will have fry/youngsters available in the early future.
I checked the distance from north Toronto to Barrie - it's about 50 miles north - an hour's drive. See if you can get there upon your return from vacation.
Paul

[duckyser]

as i said nobody in my family cares about fish and which means i have nobody to drive me.