Discus coming tomorrow!!!! Tank Prep Questions

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new2natives

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Dec 1, 2007
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ohio
180g tank, lightly stocked, plenty of filtration, and 5x 4" Discus coming tomorrow :naughty::naughty:

The guy is keeping them in 7.0 tap


I checked water parameters yesterday, and i am at 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, <5 nitrate, and pH 7.8

I did a WC last night to remove my nitrates (and will be adding another established filter or two tonight/tomorrow)


Do you think I should try to buffer my Ph down between now and tomorrow?
The water in the tank now is just my tap, and dechlor, so I guess it must run in the 7.6-7.8 range regularly.
They say the worst thing for discus is changes in pH, so i'd like to adjust it before they get here if I need to adjust it at all.

I plan on acclimating them very slowly, so it wont be a sudden change in pH


And lastly if I do buffer it down, whats the best way to do it? Obviously I will have to be doing it on a regular basis from now on (if I go that route)
 
I also know a lot of people say not to worry about pH unless you plan on breeding them

I dont PLAN on breeding them (obviously not for a while) but i sure wouldnt mind if it happens, so I would like the tank to be suitable for it in the future.

So should I buffer it now, and keep it there forever?
Or would it be better to SLOWLY acclimate them to my 7.8 tomorrow, and then slowly bring the pH down over the next few months?
 
leave your ph alone. are you getting domestics? they will breed in ph over 8. watch your fish closely during acclimation. I got my wilds thru the fed ex and I don't believe in acclimation. I stopped doing it years ago and never lost a fish. I float the bag for the temp them drop them in. fish are not going to adjust to a different ph in a few hours, and I believe it's best to get them out of the bag water and into your nice clean tank as soon as possible.
 
Dont worry too much about the ph. but if you wanted to bring it down, i'd do it now before you get the discus. they sell perfect ph buffer solution at the pet stores. only drawback is that you have to keep adding that stuff every so often, like after large water changes. With all my discus, i used regular tap water and they seemed fine, even bred in it.
 
They are domestic

Bred by Sonny in Florence KY, then raised by a guy in Dayton, and now on to me :)
 
Don't mess with it. I've had discus from all types of water conditions in my pH at 7.6 - 7.8 and they are fine. I don't even drip acclimate them. If the tank temp and pH is higher than the bag water they come in, I just scoop them out of the bag and plop them into the tank. Healthy discus are highly adaptable fish, especially if they're tank-bred.

Changes in pH are not bad for discus, but constant fluctuations are. Most people think discus require a low pH and they spend a ton of money and time on chemicals to alter their water. With all the water changes often involved, the chances of keeping a stable pH using chemicals are slim. These constant fluctuations are what stress out discus. They like stable parameters.
 
i agree with people saying not worry about ph. Just save that money and efforts for WC. when your tank is up, can you post some pics?


good luck and welcome to discus world!!!
 
As stated, leave it alone, and just acclimate them slowly.

What's more important with discus (if you want to breed, and especially wilds) is soft water and low GH. PH has nothing to do with these. I could have hard water with a low ph, or soft water with high PH. PH means very little. TDS and GH is what really matters. And the only real way to soften your water is with RO. But for your fish and your purposes, use the tapwater, and don't mess with it.
 
MKD said:
i agree with people saying not worry about ph. Just save that money and efforts for WC. when your tank is up, can you post some pics?

good luck and welcome to discus world!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks! Pics will be up as soon as they are in and comfortable!
I've kept just about everything in the fish world (aside from the $200+ fish) and over the last few months I've thinned out my stock, and invested most of my time/energy into this peaceful community tank, and I like it more than some of the ]V[onster setups I have had
I think once the discus are in, its going to be my all time favorite!


jcardona1 said:
As stated, leave it alone, and just acclimate them slowly.

What's more important with discus (if you want to breed, and especially wilds) is soft water and low GH. PH has nothing to do with these. I could have hard water with a low ph, or soft water with high PH. PH means very little. TDS and GH is what really matters. And the only real way to soften your water is with RO. But for your fish and your purposes, use the tapwater, and don't mess with it.
Click to expand...

Is there a test kit for hard/soft water?
And what is TDS and GH ??

** And by the way jcardona1 your discus tank is simply stunning. Out of this world !!! When I was debating on if i should/shouldnt give up the monsters and do discus, your tank is what made me say YES for sure.
I tried to aquascape my tank similar to yours, but found it next to impossible!! So I gave up! Its going to look good, but yours is amazing!
 
LOL thanks! TDS = total dissolved solids, a measure of all particles floating in the water. Harder water has higher TDS, softer water, lower TDS. GH = general hardness, a measure of magnesium and calcium in the water, what determines your hardness. Yes, there's ways to test for hardness. Water hardness is determined by your GH. To test that, I recommend the Hagen/Nutrafin KH/GH test kit. Don't use the API one, it's a piece of crap

737024921_260.jpg



For TDS, you can use a digital TDS meter. I have this one. Dirt cheap, and works like a charm.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hanna-Primo-Con...235?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item439b6637ab
 
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