Advice Needed To Soften Water For Discus

[jimn]

Someone has said an ro unit can be attached to a gardens hose. Does this mean i don't have to install it to my water supply and can just use it when required by connecting a hose to my kitchen sink and running the water through the r o ? is discus buffer a chemical alternative to a r o unit or something used along side it. i am confused!!

R/O units can be connected to any water supply with some water pressure. It does not have to go under the kitchen sink but can be fitted to any tap in the house. Most people have them in the kitchen so they get clean drinking water, but if you just want it for the fish you can have it in the bathroom, laundry or outside. Anywhere you have a tap you can have a R/O unit.
Most units must remain wet once they have been used so it is a good idea to leave them connected to the water supply or at least keep them sealed to stop them drying out between uses.

Discus buffers are usually chemical based buffers used to lower the PH & GH of the water. These can be used in addition to a R/O unit but are generally not required because the R/O unit will have removed most of the mineral content from the water (thus lowering the PH & hardness).
Some discus buffers will contain tannins to help create "blackwater". Blackwater is the term used for heavily tea stained waterways. The brown discolouration is caused by tannins (chemicals released from dead plants) in the water. Tannins are known to have health benefits to fish and can encourage softwater fish to spawn. It does however, cause your water to go yellow or brown, depending on how much tannin is in the water.
Driftwood often releases tannins into the water causing the fish tank to go yellow or brown.

There are also ion exchange units that can be used to remove minerals from the water. These work by swapping molecules in the water for molecules in the unit.

o.k this is the first time I have used a forum but would like to say thanks to everyone for the advice I have been given. I don't feel quite so clueless now.

jim

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

The Discus in my tank are in normal tap water with a Ph of 7.5, with no problems...


R/O units can be pretty pricey, get ready to put down some doe! I only skimmed through the posts in this thread so, sorry if my information has already been mentioned!


As mentioned, peat will help lower Ph by increasing the amount of tannins in the tank water. Incase you didn't know, it is going to turn the water a brown color. Tannins are very acidic, that is the main part. You can also use peat with driftwood, these are also rich in tannins and will also help lower the Ph. Together, both of these methods can be combined to create a soft, acidic tank with the look of a natural discus habitat. Just make sure you replace the peat regularly.


I don't think anyone has mentioned C02 injection yet either. This can also be beneficial to plants and help reduce algae! This is another good way to achieve the water quality you would like. DIY C02 systems can be made, or bought. Either way, neither method is very costly. Pressurized C02 systems are great for plants, but are very expensive, if you are going to get one for the sole or main purpose of lowering the Ph, then you mine as well just get a R/O unit.