smidey Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Hi all I am about to add some discus to my community tank. I cannot locate any good books that explain how to maintain water at a PH of 6.5. I'm sure all the discus enthusiasts out there will know where to find it. Is it a case of constantly lowering the ph (my area tap water supply very acidic) or is there a way of maintaining it at that level. Smidey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 How acidic is your tap water? If already so you need not alter it at all. Much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted August 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 sorry all, showing my inexperience. my water has a pH of 8+ which is obviously alkaline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Is your tap water 8 or is it your tank water?. As fish waste decomposes it will naturally make your tank more acidic. I would be inclined to not worry too much about the pH of tap water being 8, as the amount that you add to your tank during water changes should not alter the overall pH dramatically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted August 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 hi, my tap water is over 8. My tank stays constant at around 7.1. If i use "ph down" to lower it to 6.5 how do i maintain it at that level? Smidey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 use peat. discus love peat and it lowers your ph naturally. just put a bit in a stocking and hang it near your filter inlet/outlet, wherever it gets good water flow. i think it can be used for around a month but not too sure. it will turn your tank a slight tea colour but it is very natural and apparently its quite relaxing for discus. also it might pay to start aging your water so you can put some peat in the aging bin too so your not putting hard water into your tank each change, discus prefer aged water too as the ph often drops after the water has degassed (chlorine evaporated). i know of people who keep and breed their discus in 8+ but peat isnt too much of a mission to use, it is a bit trial and error until you get the right mix so add a little, if its not soft enough add some more until its right (best to do this before the discus are added) and then when it needs changing youll know what amount to use. you dont need exactly 6.5, 7.5 is fine, but try for lower than 8 hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 hi, my tap water is over 8. My tank stays constant at around 7.1. If i use "ph down" to lower it to 6.5 how do i maintain it at that level? Smidey i would not use ph down or anything like that. A good way of doing it is using drift wood in your tank. You can also get the ph down by adding peat, also makes the water very soft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 oh, just to add about the ph down thing. the reason it isnt staying down would be your kh is probably quite high, it will work for a while but soon your ph will jump back up and that will upset your fishies. i would get a base line test of your tap water done at the LFS and see what its at (both kh and gh). kh is what keeps your tap water steady and if your gonna alter water you will wana keep tabs on it just to make sure all is well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted August 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Thanks Sharn & TM. Again I find something published in a book not to be a hard fast rule. Anyone else keep discus in 7+ PH levels? I have swamp kauri in my tank so i figure it does the same as drift wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 mines at about 7.2 at present. my tap water is very soft kh wise and i get swings (and risk crashes) if i dont add bird grit which increases kh (and ph a little), i have found 7.2-7.4 is the ideal range for me as thats when the kh gets to 4 degrees. a lower ph (and kh) is better for breeding though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted August 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 oh, just to add about the ph down thing. the reason it isnt staying down would be your kh is probably quite high, it will work for a while but soon your ph will jump back up and that will upset your fishies. i would get a base line test of your tap water done at the LFS and see what its at (both kh and gh). kh is what keeps your tap water steady and if your gonna alter water you will wana keep tabs on it just to make sure all is well Thanks Sharn, I test PH levels regularly and is always around 7.1. Before water treatment the tap water is over 8. I have not yet lowered the tank water, wanted to find out if it could be maintained lower for when i do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discusguru Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Why do you want to lower your PH to 6.5? I would leave it at what ever PH itis as long as it's stable. Once you starts to adjust the ph you will get a lot of swing which will stress the discus. The ph will start to come down after you add the fish to the tank due to the bio load. Getting a container to age and degas the water for waterchanges is a good idea. Like Sharn pointed out, put a bag of peat in the storage container to lower the ph of the tap water. Add an airstone to it to disperse the clorine and gasses.bring the temp of the water close to the tank temp by puting a heater in. That way you minimise the stress on the fish when doing waterchanges. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted August 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 Why do you want to lower your PH to 6.5? I would leave it at what ever PH itis as long as it's stable. Once you starts to adjust the ph you will get a lot of swing which will stress the discus. The ph will start to come down after you add the fish to the tank due to the bio load. Thanks Discusguru, I have "Aquarium Owners Handbook" and it states the ph needs to be 6.5. The more local knowledge I hear makes what the book says rubbish, think I'll get rid of the book. My ph is stable at 7.1+- so I will stear away from trying to alter it & let it run it course. Smidey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discusguru Posted August 27, 2006 Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 Yep, if you're into discus don't follow the book. If you need any advice you're better off posting it here and there'll be heaps of people with first hand experience here that will be more than willing to help you out. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted August 27, 2006 Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 books = lol. lots of things in books are good but they get outdated so quickly they become no longer relevant. they use to think discus "needed" to have pH 6.5 or would die, so people messed with their pH a lot and bought heaps of products to lower it but just ironically ended up killing their discus due to all the pH swings. discus do come from acidic water though (6-6.5), so if you naturally have acidic water that is best for them as it replicates their natural environment much more closely. what people know now is that stability is the key, not the swings. it's like you'd get use to living in thailand if you went there, but you wouldn't like nz climate one day then thailand climate the next and so on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 27, 2006 Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 Most public water supplies will be slightly over pH7 so that the water is not aggressive so every water change you will be chasing the pH. Get them used to what you have (slowly) unless you want to breed them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted August 27, 2006 Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 if your ph is around 7.1 and your kh isnt insanely high then your right on the money with not messing with it. discus are actually pretty tolerant as long as youve got clean, stable water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted August 27, 2006 Report Share Posted August 27, 2006 yes alanmin is right, I believe he means most councils make the water alkaline so that there is no acid to wear away the utility/water pipes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted August 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 Thankyou all, you are all great. On comes the new fish! Smidey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 You're welcome, goodluck bud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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