Discus

[mario chainsaw]

hello people , i was considering getting some discus for my new 76 gallon aquarium and was wondering if i used water from the river for water changes would this be good or bad . or better or worse than useing tap water ?what do yous think

 

[minxfishy]

I wouldnt advise using river water for changes, you have no idea what could be in the water. Is there a reason you think your tap water may not be any good for them?

 

[tenohfive]

As minx said, you don't know whats in the river water. I take it you treat your tap water with something to neutralise chlorine and chloramines?

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

I think if you could find a way of filtering the river water well, it might work out. A 3 or 4 stage filtration system using carbon, foam, ect. could take out pollution and disease. If it doesn't work though, you have a good chance of introducing disease or parasites. Along with pollution or what ever else is in the water. If you don't want to use tap water then I would use rain water. It has a very low Ph. The only problem would be you would need to add some minerals into it.

 

[tenohfive]

Until the OP posts back we won't know but I suspect he's wondering if its practical because he has the option to use river water, rather than because theres anything wrong with his tap water.

Assuming your tap water is normal, same as most peoples then tap water is the better option.

 

[mario chainsaw]

thanks very much guys for your replies .
its not that theres anything wrong with my tap water it was just that i thought river water would be good because it would have no chlorine in it and i keep hearing about r o units and that,and i am just trying to explore every possibility before i decide what to do
r o units cost money and i have already spent about £650 getting my aquarium water treatments etc.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Rain water is pretty much R/O water. If you live somewhere that rains a lot you can easily build a holding tub/ barrel for rain.



R/O really isn't used because of the lack of chlorine but the Ph/Hardness of the water.

 

[tenohfive]

What DiscusLova said. RO units are not an essential part of the tropical aquarium, unless your natural pH is too high to keep certain fish.

 

[mario chainsaw]

well i have a water barrel under the outlet of the gutter on my shed will i be better using this water than tap water ?
did i hear someone say i would have to add nutrients or minerals to this water ?

 

[mario chainsaw]

you see how some discus keepers change water on a daily basis how often do they clean their ext filters ?

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

well i have a water barrel under the outlet of the gutter on my shed will i be better using this water than tap water ?
did i hear someone say i would have to add nutrients or minerals to this water ?

Yes, you should add a common mineral supplement into the water if you choose this route.

For changing the external filters you mean the carbon or sponges? Personally, I don't use carbon in my Discus tanks. Simply fill a bucket of tank water and gently shake the sponges in it. NEVER rinse the sponges in tap water. NEVER squeeze the sponges. If they are really dirty and you need to replace them only do it one at a time every four weeks. If you mean carbon, then you can change it out every month as usual.

 

[mario chainsaw]

no i didnt mean that ,what i meant was if you do a water change every day how often do you clean your filter?

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

no i didnt mean that ,what i meant was if you do a water change every day how often do you clean your filter?

I clean mine out every few weeks. I take it a part and rinse it out. Make sure the propeller isn't clogged, etc. As I said, I normally clean out my sponges once a week but it really depends how dirty they are.

 

[rabbut]

I wouldn't use rain water if you live in a built-up area, at least not without filtering it first. Tap water with dechlorinator added is what I use for my discus, with two 30-50% waterchanges weekly, though they will need more regular changes untill they reach 5 inches. I clean one of my two filters each month

Rain water in a build-up area will have collected polution from car exhausts, factories e.t.c on it's way down to earth, and could be just as bad as river water. Tap water is strictly regulated and won't be harmful. There are no regulations on rain water, and very few on river water. Tap water is your lesser of three evils

If you must use rain or tap water, run it through three stages of filter. Floss to remove sediment, carbon to remove polutants and a UV to remove parasites. The flow through your DIY filter will need to be slow to ensure that each stage is at it's most effective. To give an idea, for me to be comfy doing a 50% change on my own tank with rain/river water, I would want all 150l to pass through the filter in two or more hours to be sure that the water was safe. On top of filtering, you then have to add minerals before use. IMHO, it's too much work for NO real benefit.

Discus don't need a low pH unless they are wild caught. Domestic discus aren't likely to have been raised in water with a pH lower than 7, and my tank runs at about 7.5

HTH
Rabbut

 

[fry_lover]

I wouldn't use rain water if you live in a built-up area, at least not without filtering it first. Tap water with dechlorinator added is what I use for my discus, with two 30-50% waterchanges weekly, though they will need more regular changes untill they reach 5 inches. I clean one of my two filters each month

Rain water in a build-up area will have collected polution from car exhausts, factories e.t.c on it's way down to earth, and could be just as bad as river water. Tap water is strictly regulated and won't be harmful. There are no regulations on rain water, and very few on river water. Tap water is your lesser of three evils

If you must use rain or tap water, run it through three stages of filter. Floss to remove sediment, carbon to remove polutants and a UV to remove parasites. The flow through your DIY filter will need to be slow to ensure that each stage is at it's most effective. To give an idea, for me to be comfy doing a 50% change on my own tank with rain/river water, I would want all 150l to pass through the filter in two or more hours to be sure that the water was safe. On top of filtering, you then have to add minerals before use. IMHO, it's too much work for NO real benefit.

Discus don't need a low pH unless they are wild caught. Domestic discus aren't likely to have been raised in water with a pH lower than 7, and my tank runs at about 7.5

HTH
Rabbut

Just out of interest Rabbut

What's the pH and hardness of your tapwater up there in Leeds? Cheers