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Home      Reply		Viewed: 479 -- Replies: 44
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Posted	Discus Maintenance
08-08-2006 09:26 by Malawimad	Hi guys, Picked up my tank last night, Filled it with treated tap water, added de-chlorinator and bacterlife cycle..... Now, beeen reading up and apparantly my PH needs to be around 6.5, also my water needs to be slightly acidic, I want to go out and spend some money on a good test kit, which one? I will need to test water hardness, PH, Acidity... Many freshwater test kits only do the basics of PH, Amonia, Nitrate, Nitrite.... Also any info on the best product for removal nasty metals found it tap water.... Also anything to give me a head start would be useful... If anyone out there can provide a list of water parimeters and what they should be set at for discus it would be very useful!!! Thanks
08-08-2006 10:37 by Malawimad	Come on guys.... where r u? I have been reading and all it says regarding acidic water is slightly acidic, how much is slightly? Needs some help on this !!!
08-08-2006 10:50 by Malawimad	Right ok, If i keep my PH at 5.5-6.5 more water will be slightly acidic, now, what about the softness? I have been told between 2 and 8 as a rule, but to me that seems a big difference......
08-08-2006 11:33 by Ray	Ryan,do you have the test results for your tap water? most discus keepers use an ro to produce water then adjust it with tap water,i run that through a heavy metal filter,you want a gh and kh of about 8 to 10 degrees,although it should be harder for young fish,they can not tolerate nitrites so the tank will need to be fully mature before adding them.A ph of 6.5 to 7.5 is ok,it only needs to be low for breeding and a higher kh will give a more stable ph.5.5 is too low.
08-08-2006 11:35 by Malawimad	Gh = What? What does that stand for Ray 5.5 is to low? I am having the test done today on the water, I live in a soft water area but have been told to buy an additive to remove the metals from the tank as i cannot afford an RO unit justyet! What do u recommend?
08-08-2006 11:39 by Malawimad	Ray, Can you give me a list of every parimeter, and what they should be set at, then can you tell me the best test kit to do all the neccessary tests for discus, the tank was filled and set up last night, but i wont risk anything until at least a months time!
08-08-2006 11:44 by PaddyD	I would use a nitragon to produce nitrate free water and to remove heavy metals. I am a bit concerned about what research you have done, I would recommend you get a book or speak to a discus dealer and work out a plan of attack before you start. R/O water is good (you will need to mix this with water or add a propriatory treatment to make it suitable for fish) You may be able to get this from a local shop. You will need to get it fully cycled before adding the discus - a month may not be long enough.
08-08-2006 11:49 by Malawimad	Well its only my second day of research Paddy, I'm getting there....slowly, I CANNOT AFFORD AN RO UNIT SO WILL BE BUYING TREATMENT! Nitrgon for nitrate free water, Thats great, As i say i live 2 miles away from the lFS and he just adds a tap safe supplement and something called "Black.....????" to remove metals, and that is all he does because the tap quality is perfect!
08-08-2006 12:05 by Ray	ok,GH general hardness,if you live in a soft water area it should be ok to use your tap water,black water extract is just a peat suspension and will not remove heavy metals,I dont know of any treatment to do this,as paddy says a nitragon would be perfect as you wont need an ro,why not get your lfs to test your water,if it is the same as his you are ok,also why not ask him for some mature filter media,then add some cardinals for a month or longer then gradually build up your discus stock
08-08-2006 12:08 by Ray	parameters kh around 8to 10 gh around 8 to 10 ph 6.5 to 7.5 nitrite zero nitrate zero if poss
08-08-2006 12:11 by Malawimad	Well i have a mture malawi set up, Last night i removed two of the sponges and put them into the new filter, de-chlorinated and added a 20ml of cycle, Going to lfs tonight from work to get the water tested.... I was going to add a couple of tetra's after a fortnight! I am dedicated to cracking this one, So any other advice Ray just keep it coming, what about that list i asked for ray? Give me some kind of an idea what parimeters i need to achieve! I will post my test results of my tap water tomorrow mate, thanks for all ya help Ray...keep it coming!
08-08-2006 12:12 by Malawimad	Sorry Ray, u posted that just after i asked for it!
08-08-2006 12:14 by Malawimad	So Ray, After a full maturing cycle has completed, If my parimeters are at what you've specified i should be onto a winning battle...just a question Ray, Do u keep discus?
08-08-2006 12:18 by Ray	yes i have a discus tank,just started keeping them again
08-08-2006 12:29 by Malawimad	Right mate, So your the man.... Ok Ray, Anything else you can give me a head start with, Do u think its a mega issue that i dont have an RO unit or can i supplement with additives!
08-08-2006 12:33 by von	If you don't add anything live or something to omit ammonia now the bacteria in the filter will die
08-08-2006 13:01 by Ray	the need for an ro depends on your tap water,so is probably not needed for you,but it is advisable to put it through something to remove heavy metals,nitrates and chloramine,the best advice ever given to me was find a good dealer,set your water to his parameters and stick with him.the advantage for you having an ro is the waste water will be better for your malawis and save you money on addatives.You can get a 4 stage ro from osmotics for £57.00,probably making savings in the long run
08-08-2006 13:04 by Malawimad	Thanks for the info Von, Just rang the LFS and he can only test PH, Nitrate and Amonia for me, I will buy a GH/KH test kit now off t bay, So if my GH and KH is low or high, are the addetives out there to adjust these, and what are they?
08-08-2006 13:23 by Malawimad	Well i have just spoke to the other LFS, and he has said the de-chlorinator i use will remove all metals from the system, He has also said GH and KH aren't mega important if u dont want to breed, He uses a PH of 7.2 and adds black water peat extract and dechlorinator, Thats it!!!! Good advice or bad?
08-08-2006 13:29 by PaddyD	In my post earlier I mentioned that you may be able to buy R/O water from a local shop quite cheaply, this could be an option. I have kept discus with standard tap water but did see a difference with using water from a nitragon unit (still £50 or so though) You can get water softening resins to soften the water reducing the gh and kh- these are rechargable and generally do a good job, much better than adding additives. OR, you could use the old fashioned method of puting your water in a bucket for a few days with peat moss. You have to be careful to test the water or course, but this will soften the water - and turn it brown of course!
08-08-2006 13:31 by Ray	if it works for him fine,but as i dont know what your tap water parameters are cant really comment,but wish i had tap water like that
08-08-2006 13:32 by Malawimad	Water softening resins? Do you have a name for it mate? Dont like the idea of brown water Paddy, You say resin will reduce gh and kh, But what if it needs increasing?
08-08-2006 13:34 by Malawimad	I will only be able to get PH, Nitrate and Amonia results tomorrow, I have ordered a Gh and Kh test kit just now off ebay so when it arrives i'll post the results and then from that Ray can you give an opinion on where i should go from that point!
08-08-2006 13:35 by keith t	I bought an ro unit with di of mws on ebay all in all with postage came to 60 quid, I know u got 200 smakeroonies and i would consider this as a purchase for your discus set up. I wouldnt say its the best system to buy but as a starter i cant fault mine. Do u not think its wise to spend some of your cash on this as this may help you in your quest of being a successful discus keeper. It may save u money in the long run
08-08-2006 13:37 by Malawimad	Its just with my tapwater being pretty good the lf shops have told me i could take to much out of the water with an RO unit, I may have to start adding things if i use ro water....
08-08-2006 13:42 by keith t	my lfs charges £3.50 for a 25l drum of ro water, and with regular water changes look how much you could be spending, i saved myself loads. Instead of adding ro right i do water changes of 25l 3 x a week with ro and di and every 2 weeks large water change of 3rd of 400l tank. I found that this way fish are still getting the minerals out of the tap water and with the little changes it helps keep the phosphates, silicates and nitrates down.
08-08-2006 13:43 by Malawimad	Like i say though Keith i dont think i'll need it considering my tap water is good quality, It maybe something i venture into further on if i start to have problems.
08-08-2006 13:43 by keith t	large water change with tap
08-08-2006 13:44 by Malawimad	large water change with Tap??? What u mean keith?
08-08-2006 13:47 by keith t	My friend that knows absolutely nothing about fish bought a discus and added it to his tank. I live in a hard water area, and are water is rubbish. I told him it didnt stand a chance but it still doing great a year on. Sometimes it makes me wonder if some of us go over the top with trying to be fishkeeping gods.
08-08-2006 13:50 by Malawimad	So Keith... I will be buying my discus as young, approx 2-2.5", I have been told daily changes of 10% at first as i will need to feed four times a day so water changes a must due to nitrates etc, but as they grow water changes will become less frequent as will feeding!
08-08-2006 13:51 by keith t	I take a third of water out and replace with treated tap water every 2 weeks then i do little changes in between with ro, I find doing this u r not ridding the tank completely of the minerals fish need and you can keep the *** down found in tapwater by doing the little changes with ro and di
08-08-2006 13:54 by keith t	You will have to keep us posted with your progress, Ive always fancied a few discus but never been brave enough with all the stories that fly about
08-08-2006 15:05 by Malawimad	In all honesty they dont sound that tricky to keep, i think i'm vetnuring into as in time would like to go to marines, and this is a step up from the norm, I will suceed!!!! Just itching to get the fish now, but i cant rush it, i know it will be a month at least before i add anything!
08-08-2006 16:10 by keith t	Thats my biggest downfall ( waiting )
08-08-2006 16:21 by Malawimad	I know mate, I think i can hold out, Discus are so rewarding and i'm holding onto that thought !
08-08-2006 16:28 by PaddyD	They are not that difficult you are correct you just need to: 1) Know the perameters you are looking for 2) Find the least messy / most affordable way to ensure you can do that. I am in a hard water area - so have diferent problems - to take cardess up you can use TAP aquahard or one of the PH up buffers. Brown water is great - its just the tannins in the peat - like in bog wood. I think discus really shine and look stunning when the water is a bit peaty coloured. Personal choice.
08-08-2006 16:35 by Malawimad	See i'm more of a crystal clear man and hate to see a colour in the water...... my GH and KH needs to be between 4-8 (read this) but Ray says between 8-10 What are your parimeters at the minute paddy! I may not need to use either PH up or down, We'll see what my PH is when i have been to the LFS and will post tomorrow!
08-08-2006 19:57 by vu1974	Dude... Keep it simple..the more complicated you make it the more prob. of messing up. Keep it stable..stability is the key. Its more important than attaining certain parameters. Begginers read alot of info. from lots of places and think they have to attain certain parameters. I would not reccomend any chemicals. Make sure your filter is fully mature. My water parameter ph 7.5 - 7.8 GH 6 Kh 6 Ammonia, Nitrite 0 Nitrate 10 2x30% week Water changes One last thing, the dechlorinator use DOES NOT remove all the heavy metals.
08-08-2006 20:05 by Lexter	i heard pH up and down is a waste of time, a short cut, if your hardness is not correct the chemicals only briefly change the pH, you will be fluctuating your pH which isnt good for any fish let alone discus, putting chemicals into tank, and also spending money!!!! my old arguement is, unles you got ENOUGH money to burn on the PROPER equip, be it RO or carbon dioxide etc, keep fish that suit your tap water parameters, i do agree much can be made of water parameters and being overly fussy, but for me, i dont keep any fish unless i stand a good chance of breeding it, and to do this you often have to replicate the more "ideal" parameters, you see discus in local fish shops, in London (pH 8.0), thats a load of ***
08-08-2006 20:07 by Lexter	i meant the fish shops telling you the discus are "happy" in normal london tap water treated with conditioner, if you gonna keep discus you might as well do it properly is what i say, and credit to my main man MC Madness Malawi, he who isnt afraid to ask questions wins...... good luck pal
09-08-2006 08:44 by PaddyD	Well Not keeping Discus at the mo. But looking back at My records they seemed to average out at pH 7.2 gH 8. Ammonia 0 nitite 0 nitrate 15. The most important thing is really stability as lexter says. I kept discus in that tank for several years - with no problems -
09-08-2006 09:02 by Malawimad	My Tap Water PH 7 (dropped 0.2) GH 8 KH 8 Amonia & Nitrite 0 The test showed a little amount of nitrate, the lfs shop has said that my tap water is as good as perfect for discus, He has told me to filter over PEAT to maintain stability, He has also told me to get a 10 gallon drum and filter that over PEAT constantly for top ups and water chnages..... I'm as good as there guys, Just need to find a good metal remover... I will add as little chemicals as possible, I have spoken to my supplier and his PH is 7.2, Mine is 7.... I'm onto a winner i think!
09-08-2006 09:15 by Lexter	i thought stuff like Aqua Safe was good enough to remove metals??? Malawi-Man, if you end up getting loads of different little things to make your water better, you might as well get an RO system eh???
09-08-2006 09:26 by Malawimad	So did i lex.... I have been told i need to add nothing, Just to maintain the levels i already have... So another words i'll only be using an aquasafe for chlorine and metals nad filtering over PEAT.... Thats it..... think i'm fortunate to have good tap water! I dont need to add any PH up or down, my tap water is safe for discus as long as i remove the metals and chlorine.... Going to add some platties at the weekend, run that for a month then add the discus once the filter has matured!

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