Water Chemistry

[AdamT138]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post as I’m new to the forum.

I’m just about to take the plunge and start keeping discus in my tank but I have a general question about water chemistry.

The tap water in my area is very hard and has a pH of around 7.5. From what I have read this is not ideal for discus. However, the shop I will be getting my discus from has very similar water chemistry to me and at the moment they all seem happy. I’m not sure how well they can adapt to the surrounding environment.

Would it be best to try and change my water to suit the discus by lowering the pH and softening the water or would it be best keeping them without modifying the water (obviously still remove chlorine and choramines etc).

The only thing I’m worried about is that if I try to change the chemistry of the water I will be constantly adding chemicals to the tank. Surely this is not the best option as it would cause the environment to fluctuate which would be stressful for the fish.

Any suggestions would be appreciated,

Thanks,
Adam

[DiscusEden]

Hi Adam,

Welcome to the forum!

Where are you from?

It would be worth asking the shop whether they are using any RO (reverse osmosis) or rainwater to mix with the tapwater.

I'm not sure whether it's batter to have stable water conditions, or try to create ideal tap conditions - this may depend whether you're willing to invest in an RO unit.

Other more experienced members may be able to give you better advice....

HTH,
DiscusEden

[Merrilyn]

Hello Adam, and welcome to the forum.

While it's true that discus prefer soft and slightly acidic water, the strains we get today have been domesticated for a long time, and are very adaptable. Just how hard is your water. You say it's very hard, but can you give the measurements?

The only really effective way to soften your water would be to run it through an RO unit. That would remove most of the calcium and minerals which are making your water hard. It's then normal to add a percentage of tap water to the mix, because pure RO water won't support life.

A pH of 7.5 isn't too bad, although your fish will be healthier and more active at a slightly lower pH.

I guess the short answer is, that if another fishkeeper or shop is having success maintaining discus in the local water, then you should be successful too.

However if you want to breed, then you really will need to soften your water and drop the pH by whatever means are necessary.

[AdamT138]

Thanks very much for your comments.

The water has a hardness of around 240mg/L of CaCO3 so I guess it’s very hard. I’ve tried filtering the water through peat or using a water softening pillow but neither has really achieved much.

How about collecting and using rain water? – I’m from England so that wouldn’t be much of a problem! Or maybe I should invest in an RO unit.

The shop only uses tap water to keep their discus. Many of them seem fine but one or two appear to be suffering signs of fin rot. I’m not sure if this is because they are being kept in basic hard water.

Thanks,
Adam

[benjohnson]

Hi Adam

What part of England are you from ? I live out in Marlborough in Wiltshire, and we get quite hard Chalky water. I bought an RO unit for about £100 and its the best money I ever spent. Water comes out pretty much perfect now.

As Merrilyn said, pure RO wont support life, so you need to get an additive to add back into the RO , or mix it with some tap water ( as long as it doesnt jack your PH about to much which was the problem I had)

I use a thing called dorset discus magic mix. Its designed for Rain and RO water , and it works a charm. They do 2 different types, a normal discus one which is orange in colour, and a discus breeder one which is blue. I have used both for the last couple of years with great success. Keeps the PH stable and the fish are looking great .

Hope that helps, if you want any more "local" info let me know :o)

Cheers
Ben

[benjohnson]

Hi Adam

What part of England are you from ? I live out in Marlborough in Wiltshire, and we get quite hard Chalky water. I bought an RO unit for about £100 and its the best money I ever spent. Water comes out pretty much perfect now.

As Merrilyn said, pure RO wont support life, so you need to get an additive to add back into the RO , or mix it with some tap water ( as long as it doesnt jack your PH about to much which was the problem I had)

I use a thing called dorset discus magic mix. Its designed for Rain and RO water , and it works a charm. They do 2 different types, a normal discus one which is orange in colour, and a discus breeder one which is blue. I have used both for the last couple of years with great success. Keeps the PH stable and the fish are looking great .

Hope that helps, if you want any more "local" info let me know :o)

Cheers
Ben

[AdamT138]

Hi Ben,

I'm from Durham. Thanks for advice about the RO unit. I think I'm going to treat myself to one.

The only thing is I can't find out much about them. All of the people I have spoken with don't use them.
How big are they? Are they easy to set up?

Thanks,
Adam

[benjohnson]

I have a 75 Gallon Per Day unit... and its not too big. About 40 x 40 x 10 cm's id say

The problem I had was that you either have to run them constantly as the membrane isnt allowed to dry out else it will stop working, defeating the object of the unit ! :-)

I bought my unit from RO-MAN. I also bought 3 extra taps, and put hose on the inlet/ outlets with a tap after about 10 cm. That mean's I can shut it off and it keeps the system filled with water . After consultant with RO man they said this was perfectly fine to do, all you need to do is "flush" the unit for 30 minutes prior to use if its been sat there fopr any more than a day with water in it. Ive been using it this way for about 18 months now with no problems.

RO-MAN are definately the best branded RO units we can get in the UK IMO . Their website is www.ro-man.co.uk. If you have any questions about their units they are really helpful :-)

I get it out in the morning, connect it to my outside tap using an adapter , run it and then generate my water, then pack it up at the end of the day and put it in a box and store it ready for next time. Easy as !! I can get about 92 litres every 8 hours out of it which is plenty for me.

Hope that Helps. Give me a shout if you want any more info :-)