How much water changes sould i do on my discus tank?

[Aquarium advice master]

Ok thanks

 

[Fresh2o]

I would base the percent and frequency of water changes on the bioload and changes in the parameters. You need to do daily testing to determine how much nitrate is generated per day and over a period of days. From there you will get a better picture of how much and how often. Each tank is different.
I like the nitrate reactor idea. Of course it does not replace PWCs but it helps. A heavily planted tank is a natural approach to managing nitrate.

 

[bshenanagins]

I would base the percent and frequency of water changes on the bioload and changes in the parameters. You need to do daily testing to determine how much nitrate is generated per day and over a period of days. From there you will get a better picture of how much and how often. Each tank is different.
I like the nitrate reactor idea. Of course it does not replace PWCs but it helps. A heavily planted tank is a natural approach to managing nitrate.

I agree, I'm heavily planted and my nitrate does climb pretty fast by the end of the week but I'm pretty well stocked. But if your not experienced with plants and your focusing on the fish the reactor may be a better route in regards to simplicity. But absolutely it is an aid not a replacement for water changes.

 

[Aquarium advice master]

Ok thanks

 

[Fett999]

The main reason that some discus owners say do a 50% water change a day is that they are feeding beef heart to them. This is a notoriously messy food for a notoriously messy eater. If you are feeding beef heart then I would probably recommend a fairly large water change directly after the discus have finished eating otherwise it will ruin your water quality rapidly. Depending on the aize and dimensions of your tank I would probably say 2 water changes a week as a starting point would be good with regular water tests. You may find as time goes on that you can drop the frequency back to a water change a week. This is what I tend to do on my main tank which has discus in it and the params are fine.

 

[bshenanagins]

The main reason that some discus owners say do a 50% water change a day is that they are feeding beef heart to them. This is a notoriously messy food for a notoriously messy eater. If you are feeding beef heart then I would probably recommend a fairly large water change directly after the discus have finished eating otherwise it will ruin your water quality rapidly. Depending on the aize and dimensions of your tank I would probably say 2 water changes a week as a starting point would be good with regular water tests. You may find as time goes on that you can drop the frequency back to a water change a week. This is what I tend to do on my main tank which has discus in it and the params are fine.

I knew I wasn't crazy lol