discus help!

[m1nh0h]

hello i am planning to start a discus tank. the ph of my tap water is 8 how can i lower this?

[TURQ64]

I saw your other post..Why do you need to lower it? Discus can live in a broad range of ph..stability is tantamount, so unless you can regulate it steadily, you'll have harmful ph swings....peat extracts are safe, but again, why?

[jimg]

I would take a jar test it let it sit 24 hrs test it again if it stays very close to 8.0 don't worry about it unless you want to breed them. If it goes above 8.0 I would get a reverse osmosis unit,( ebay is fine) and mix it with tap water.

[discuspaul]

I would take a jar test it let it sit 24 hrs test it again if it stays very close to 8.0 don't worry about it unless you want to breed them. If it goes above 8.0 I would get a reverse osmosis unit,( ebay is fine) and mix it with tap water.

Right on. If it stays close to 8.0, don't mess with it - it'll be ok for your discus.
As TURQ says, peat's good - no problem using that. Placing driftwood in your tank can also help.

[m1nh0h]

mmm its cuz i want to get blue rams for my tank, i had one last week and it died in a day. checked the nitrate nitrite levels only factor was ph and hardness

[TURQ64]

I've got a pile of Rams in 8.0......possibly a large difference between your tank and where the Ram came from..just guessing..

[discuspaul]

I don't think a stable pH of around 8.0 would be a problem for blue rams. Don't know about your other ram dying last week, but perhaps it was affected by the acclimatizing process. If all your other params are okay, i.e. "0" ammonia & nitrites, and nitrates at a reasonably low level - 20 ppm or less, and you acclimate properly at a decent temp - 83F -85F, I don't see any problem. What size was that ram ? How stressed ? At any rate, I don't think it was yor pH.

[m1nh0h]

all the other param's were good and the temp was at 84, but i asked the store and they said their water is at 6.8-7.0 so im guessing it was the big jump in ph

[m1nh0h]

if i shouldnt lower the ph, then how should i acclimate the discus when i buy them? he's a local breeder that keeps his water at 6.8

[discuspaul]

Simplest answer I can give you is to refer you to my "Begiiner's Guide to Getting Started with Discus", right in this panel - 4th Sticky. Go to the "Acclimatizing your fish" section. - I think that was your problem with the first ram that died - wasn't acclimated properly to your pH.

[m1nh0h]

thanks discus paul! just out of curiosity, how come so many discus/fish websites suggest keeping discus at lower ph levels, even several breeder sites suggest on doing that

[discuspaul]

Best answer I can give you is that many articles posted on websites were written years ago when that was the common thinking, the general consensus of opinion, and were perhaps written by people who had read it somewhere else, grew up with it, and were simply following the general flow of thought. Also, while it is a fact that wild discus in their native habitat thrive in very soft water - generally in the 5.0 to 6.5 range in tributaries of the Amazon river, there has been a lot of new information surface over the past 10 years or so, to the effect that the vast majority of farm-bred and raised discus have shown that they are able to thrive exceptionally well in pH ranging from 5.0 to over 8.0, so long as that pH remains, or is kept, relatively stable, with moderate fluctuations being perfectly acceptable so long as they occur gradually, over time, and not quickly over a short period of time.
Breeding discus is a little different. When they are of spawning age, it seems to have been shown that lower pH, in the 6.0's, for spawning fish can provide a more successful environment for the parents and young.
Long-winded, but I hope this, at least partially, answers your question.

[Elite Aquaria]

m1nh0h,

First of all Welcome to Simply Discus. I am one of the Moderators here on Simply. My recommendation would be to aerate some of your water directly from the tap for 24 hours in a clean bucket. After 24 Hrs. see if your PH changed from your original reading.

I read a few of your other post so I will answer some of those questions here . Lower PH is advisable for wild discus however, domesticated Discus can be kept in water that has a higher PH than what most people think. Why are discus kept lower PH? Well because most bacterias that can infect discus do not do well in acidic water. However, as long as you keep up with your tank maintenance you will not have any issues.

You also asked about soft water. Soft water is only needed when you are attempting to breed discus. If you have hard water the eggs harden fast and the males can not fertilize the clutch of eggs. Soft water slows down this process.

If you are planning on growing up some juvies or keeping some adult discus with no plans on breeding soft water is not needed. The key to discus keeping is water stability. My final recommendation would be to let your water settle in at whatever parameters and just do a regular routine on your water changes. Avoid large swings in PH and you will be fine with your tap water. If you have additional questions you can always PM me or another Moderator or just call me. My number is listed below.

[m1nh0h]

thanks guys! the breeder im planning to buy the fish from keeps and breeds his fish at 6.8 ph and he's been doing that for a long time, even those discus will be able to survive in a wide range of ph?

[Eddie]

thanks guys! the breeder im planning to buy the fish from keeps and breeds his fish at 6.8 ph and he's been doing that for a long time, even those discus will be able to survive in a wide range of ph?

Yes


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[Elite Aquaria]

:thumbsup:

[m1nh0h]

okay thanks guys!