Discus Problem

[hillmar77]

Could be alot of stuff that did him/her in. I'm not sure what your nitrates are, but I usually like to use it as my indicator for waterchanges on my Discus. Anything Over 5 on nitrates and I do a 50 percent water change, Also I like to use Purigen on my filtration just for the great job it does lowering nitrates and disposing of bio waste. Also you might want to check on your GH/KH too, and also check to see if you have any fluctuations in your PH over time.

Thanks for your input but if I had nitrate wouldn't my other 3 discus suffer the same problem? Sorry to sound naive I'm not up with the jargon GH/KH what is that?

I'm not saying that nitrates is what killed your discus, but is something that should be looked at when keeping a crystal clean aquarium for these sensitive fishes.
Actually why I say nitrate is important is because usually high nitrates are caused by decaying food, high bioloads, and dirty filtration. The result of high nitrate is that on juvi discus, it will stunt their growth, and the only real way of reducing it is through water changes. Because we want our Discus to grow to their full potential, lots of frequent and big water changes are needed to keep the nitrate level in check. That's why I use the 5ppm or lower nitrate reading as my water change routine.
As for the importance of KH/GH , its something alot of people overlook in our hobby but does play a very important role in our fish's health.
KH is primarily the measure of Calcium and Magnesium. GH is all other elements that compose hardness. Combined they create what is known as our "buffering system". The hardness of the water maintains our pH. More importantly the minerals maintain Osmoregulation preventing Osmotic shock and potentially disease and/or death. Regardless of species kept, all fish require a minimum level of minerals to thrive. Since most fish are raised in hard water conditions, we should strive to maintain at least a minimum level of KH/GH of around 4. The biggest point here is the difference between thriving and surviving. Many fish do adjust to low levels but will never reach the coloration and health of fish in the proper mineral content.

 

[Better is Betta]

Could be alot of stuff that did him/her in. I'm not sure what your nitrates are, but I usually like to use it as my indicator for waterchanges on my Discus. Anything Over 5 on nitrates and I do a 50 percent water change, Also I like to use Purigen on my filtration just for the great job it does lowering nitrates and disposing of bio waste. Also you might want to check on your GH/KH too, and also check to see if you have any fluctuations in your PH over time.

Thanks for your input but if I had nitrate wouldn't my other 3 discus suffer the same problem? Sorry to sound naive I'm not up with the jargon GH/KH what is that?

I'm not saying that nitrates is what killed your discus, but is something that should be looked at when keeping a crystal clean aquarium for these sensitive fishes.
Actually why I say nitrate is important is because usually high nitrates are caused by decaying food, high bioloads, and dirty filtration. The result of high nitrate is that on juvi discus, it will stunt their growth, and the only real way of reducing it is through water changes. Because we want our Discus to grow to their full potential, lots of frequent and big water changes are needed to keep the nitrate level in check. That's why I use the 5ppm or lower nitrate reading as my water change routine.
As for the importance of KH/GH , its something alot of people overlook in our hobby but does play a very important role in our fish's health.
KH is primarily the measure of Calcium and Magnesium. GH is all other elements that compose hardness. Combined they create what is known as our "buffering system". The hardness of the water maintains our pH. More importantly the minerals maintain Osmoregulation preventing Osmotic shock and potentially disease and/or death. Regardless of species kept, all fish require a minimum level of minerals to thrive. Since most fish are raised in hard water conditions, we should strive to maintain at least a minimum level of KH/GH of around 4. The biggest point here is the difference between thriving and surviving. Many fish do adjust to low levels but will never reach the coloration and health of fish in the proper mineral content.

That is very interesting and of course I did not know about the measure of calcium and magnesium. Being new at keeping discus what do I need to buy or do to make sure my fish get the correct water conditions. The place where I bought these fish from never give you this vital info. This place breed discus in the hundreds...happy to sell you the fish but never pass on the importance on how they should be kept. I've read so much information on discus and some of it contradicts each other that I'm getting frustrated on what proper way to care for them. Look how many people have different views on water temperature. I just want to display my fish and have no intentions of breeding them so should I start from scratch? What would YOU recommend for the correct temp (I do have corys with them) and PH and water conditions etc.

 

[hillmar77]

I keep a temp of 84 degrees F , seems to be a good median to keeping the discus happy and my plants and cory etc. not stressed out. As for PH, always strive for a stable PH, hence check PH after a water change vs the PH before the water changes and note any changes.
And No you shouldn't start back at scratch, like any fish you keep its a learning experience and just apply any new knowledge that you acquire along the way to your application. Also try to get a GH/KH test kit just to see what type of buffering your water has.

 

[Better is Betta]

I keep a temp of 84 degrees F , seems to be a good median to keeping the discus happy and my plants and cory etc. not stressed out. As for PH, always strive for a stable PH, hence check PH after a water change vs the PH before the water changes and note any changes.
And No you shouldn't start back at scratch, like any fish you keep its a learning experience and just apply any new knowledge that you acquire along the way to your application. Also try to get a GH/KH test kit just to see what type of buffering your water has.

You've been a great help thanks