Discus

[Rudy2860]

I have been doing some research and have seen alot of talk about using an R.O unit

but i was wondering , Ken and afew others, how do you do your water changes?

I think that doing daily water changes with my water would not be the best idea because it would cause too much pH variation

I was thinking about doing a 2-3 day 25% change with aged water from my tap with conditioner in it of course.

What do others do? This is probably the only issue holding me back from getting discus

 

[Cian McLiam]

Hi Rudy,

I think in the long term, using tap water will cause difficulty for you if you decide on Discus. There can be toxins like metals and pesticides in tap water that may eventually take a toll on the fishes central nervous system. Running it through a pipe filled with activated carbon (rinse well before use) will help to some degree if your tap water is already soft, if you have hard water then RO or de-ionization are the best route.

If you do have hard water, I wouldnt bother trying to change the pH any other way, the hardness in the water will cause the pH to shoot back up, whereas with RO you have complete control over the hardness and pH.

I change 15% every day at the moment, but before I got the Discus I did this for two weeks to get the water in the tank exactly like the water I prepare using the de-ioniser, that means I can change as much as I want and the fish will only notice the reduction in phosphates, nitrates and bacteria. If you have to use tapwater, you could end up causing fluctuations in water quality that are worse than having slightly imperfect water constantly.

So, to summarise, if you are using RO, you can change as much as you like, but I would advise against more than 30% daily.
If you are using tap water, then I would do two 20% changes weekly and no more. You could buy a gravel cleaner that runs the water through a filter then back into the tank to keep the tank clean. A bare bottom tank is a better choice if you stick with tap water also.

Ken

 

[G_Sharky]

I currently use age tap water right now, I have a barrel with an airstone and a heater that matches the temp of my tank. I'm lucky enough to have good tap water(ph 7.5, gh 80 mg/L, kh 60 mg/L). I got to know a breeder near my area and I was told that juvenilles would do good on slighty hard water and RO units is used for breeding purposes, but i'm planning on getting one as soon as I got approval from my dad. The key is water change, I do 25% every other day and make sure that you wipe your tank walls and vacuum the gravel very well. Discus would do better on Bare Bottom tank though so if you don't have a tank already set up you might wanna give it a good thought, Good Luck and Discus are a lot of fun and once your hook you won't go back. Oh make sure that when your purchasing Discus, buy only from breeders or to anybody who knows what they are doing and are not on it just to sell. My first Discus is from a bad source and didn't last long......

 

[Dave]

I have two discus and have had them for over 8 months now. They're in a 300l tank along with a couple of Angels and some Rams Danio's and Catfish. I have a Sand substrate. My Filter is a Fluval 4, and Im quite lucky because my tap water is good.

I would never say I was a discus genius, probably just lucky! I do a 10 - 20% water change once a week with tap water and everything is fine.

My discus are great, they feed from my hands and would eat forever if I let them. The thing with discus (IMO) is that it depend where they are sourced from and how they are bred. Alot of popular types of discus that have been bred in captivity (for example the pigeon blood) are hardier fish than people think. This doesn't mean they can be neglected but I do think they can withstand a greater variation in water type. Although I would say to buy discus that are greater than 3-4"

I know alot of discus lovers would say Im stupid but I only speak from my own experiences.

 

[G_Sharky]

I'm glad your Discus is doing great Dave . I'm just wonderin how fast they grew within those 8 months....

 

[drobbins27]

I was thinking about doing a 2-3 day 25% change with aged water from my tap with conditioner in it of course.

Thats a lot of conditioner, dont you think?

 

[Doggfather]

QUOTE (Rudy2860 @ Mar 31 2004, 06:34 PM)
I was thinking about doing a 2-3 day 25% change with aged water from my tap with conditioner in it of course.




Thats a lot of conditioner, dont you think?

it sure is! but if it does the fish good...got ahead

 

[Dave]

Thanks G_Sharky, One of the discus has grown about 2" in 8 Months, he eats beefheart, blood worm and tetra pellets. My other one won't eat any veggies or any thing he only eats bloodworm and beefheart so he has only grown about 1-1.5"

I would love to get another discus but ive been told i would be overstocked