Now I'm really confused!

[discuswannabe]

Hello, several weeks ago I wrote to say that I was interested in discus and planning on converting one of my angel tanks (65 gal) for discus. I thought that young adults would have a better survival chance than juveniles(maybe I'm wrong) so I have four discus ;D waiting to be shipped because of the cold weather and they are showing signs of pairing according to the seller (pH 7.0). I have been reading here and on the net as much as I can. What really stumps me is "what should I do about the water". Some say don't try to get the pH down and some say they can't survive without at least pH of 7.0. My water has a pH of 8.4 and of course gh & kh very high. My angels do ok but not as well as I would like and I occasionally lose some for unknown reasons. I was willing to go to the expense of using bottled spring water, and have purchased driftwood with plants attached. I have not drained the tank and refilled yet. So, what would be the best for the fish? Thanks, Donna. ???

[DarkDiscus]

Donna,

I would normally say not to mess with the pH, but that pH is really high...

I'm sure we have some super high pH members who will have some answers for you!

John

Donna, These fish adapt very well to different water conditions. However IMO a pH of 8.4 is a little extreme. I could imagine what your gh and kh is. Sounds like you may be getting potential pairs... Bottled water will work but how much are you going to spend doing water changes. The cost and inconvenience will add up quick. I'd save your self some $$$ and invest in a RO unit... Contact Randell on this board he has good prices and customer service.
Mike

[fcdiscus]

I agree with Mike! Frank

[discuswannabe]

Thanks for your quick responses. How do I get in touch with Randell? Then I will need instructions on this too!

[fcdiscus]

Find his name on the board, and click it- then go to the section that says send this person a PM. Frank

Donna,
This is what I would do if in your situation.
1. Drain the 65 gal tank.
2. Disinfect it, clorox 1 part to 3 parts water.
3. Spray tank and hood and everything else in tank. Scrub it til there is no doubt that it is clean. Rinse it out. Then re spray with clorox water mixture and let air dry.
4. Rinse out tank and fill with water and rinse 3 times. Then fill and let it heat up and run.
5. Sponge filters- microwave on high heat for 3 minutes.
6. Then put in your filtration system.
Your PH is real high in my book and I have never had fish in PH above 7.5. I do not mess with the PH in my holding tanks or fish tanks. In breeding tanks I drop the PH to around 6. But in your situation I would find out what the PH is where the fish are at now, and adjust your tank to it.
Do you have a way of ageing the water? That is the best way to do changes to your tank.
You need to be able to do daily water changes to your tanks. 75% or greater is ideal for these fish. A clean enviorment and a healthy diet will make your fish HAPPY.
If you are changing the water 75-80% daily you should not have to worry about amminoa build up. But do not miss any water changes for the first 45 days. My tanks cycle in about 30 days give or take 5. But you have to understand I change over 500 gallons a water a day.
Hope that I have answered your questions and this is the way I would do it.
You need an RO unit and RandalB is the person with them. Your water is very hard.


HTH
Miles

[discuswannabe]

Thanks Miles - The fish are in pH of 7.0 now. I do age my water in a 32 gal rubbermaid trash can with an airstone running for 4-5 days. The pH straight from the tap is 7.4 but with standing goes up to 8.4.

discuswannabe,
So just adjust your holding water to ph 7.0. I only age for 24 hours. You would benefit from a RO unit though. That way you can stablize the PH.

Miles

[Wolf]

Your ph of 8.6 isn't that high. Mine is 10.6 out of the tap. You can keep discus but you will have to find your best way to lower the ph safely. I don't have an R.O. unit so I use Muriatic acid and it works great for me but it sounds like R.O. might be the best bet for you.

[discuswannabe]

Where do I get Muriatic Acid? You say R/O unit would be best for me, is that because I'm a newbie? Thanks.

[daninthesand]

You can get muriatic (hydrochloric acid or HCL-same thing as muriatic) at home depot in the paint supply section. Its used for cleaning and etching concrete prior to painting. Available by the gallon and 1/4 gallon (litre).


Daniel

[discuswannabe]

Daniel & Wolf -
How do I use this stuff? :

[Anna Piranha]

Is muriatic acid difficult to work with? Currently, I use Seachem's Discus Buffer and it works rather nicely. My PH is 8.4 out of the tap. I treat my aged water with Discus Buffer. Doing so, I am able to maintain my PH at a rather stable 7.2 - 7.4. It can get expensive, though, so I too am curious about the muriatic acid.

Thanks,
Anna

Muratic Acid may lower your pH but it will increase the already high ms. The best way to control your water peram is to strip it with a RO unit and then reconstitute.

Forget trying to adjust pH. Get your hardness down and the Ph will follow.

Mike