My dad wants discus, clown loaches & perhaps a few tetras in his 45 gal tank. He knows how big CLs get but he lives on the second floor and plans to use the tank as a grow out tank, buying a 120 gal for the basement in the future. The problem is the water out of his faucet is very soft and acidic. I tested his aged water and I get the following pH 6.2, KH 40 ppm, GH 25, Nitate 20 and everything else is like 0. Is there a good way to buffer his water? Add coral maybe to his aged water barrel and tank filter? And what water parameters work well for CLs and discus together? I know a bit of aquarium salt work well with CLs but how about discus? Any help is appreciated.
Dad wants a Discus and Clown Loach tank.
- Thread starter OscartheGrouch
- Start date
How old are your test kits, and what kind are you using?? Nothing seems too out of place, but the nitrates. Federal law regulates the amount of nitrate allowed to be in drinking water. Read up here
Just a note that you can buffer the water to a higher ph by using a substrate intended for African lake cichlids. "Tahitian Moon" is an attractive black sand that does the job. White aragonite sand will do the job too but the clown loaches would go into their pale coloration on light colored substrate! Thought I'd mention this because having coral in a freshwater tank is odd looking imo, but yes, coral rock works very well too. Most hardcore discus nuts like to keep the ph around 6.5 to 7.0. so you don't have far to go
WyldFya;984112; said:
Hmm that can't be good. It's double the legal limit. Maybe that's why my family is so
. The test kit is brand new actually. I've been using Jungle's 6 Tests in One Strip Quick Dip.loach43,
My dad has a Fluval canister for the tank and I read somewhere that you should get rid of the charcoal for discus. That's why I suggested putting the buffer in the filter replacing the charcoal portion. Tahitian Sand might look nice in the tank but I'm not sure if I can add much. Breeders seem to raise their discus in higher and higher ph now. I guess I don't have to change the ph if they start breeding though.
My dad has a Fluval canister for the tank and I read somewhere that you should get rid of the charcoal for discus. That's why I suggested putting the buffer in the filter replacing the charcoal portion. Tahitian Sand might look nice in the tank but I'm not sure if I can add much. Breeders seem to raise their discus in higher and higher ph now. I guess I don't have to change the ph if they start breeding though.
Jungle in general is not a very good company for quality products. Switch to something else. I'd personally recommend API test kits for beginners, Red Sea Fresh lab deluxe for intermediate to advanced (and especially for planted keepers of all levels), and la motte, or salifert for very advanced keepers.
the discus is cool but clown loach.... no
you shouldnt get any cl cuz they easily get sick and die
you shouldnt get any cl cuz they easily get sick and die
Thanks for the advice on the test kits. Mountain Dew isn't imported from China is it? (brushing my teeth with Chinese toothpaste) Ewurm: you know how low a ph can CLs still do well?
Please elaborate further why. Do note that we have our own choices, decisions and experiences. Just because it did not work out for you doesn't mean others shouldn't keep them at all. I have kept clowns for quite a long time yet I have not seen a single case of ich despite the notoriety that clowns are prone to ich.fishloverblake;984831; said: