Setting up a discus tank and pH questions

[VOZIE]

I need help setting up at discus tank. I have a 45g tank which I am still cycling. I have used about 80% RO water and 20% tap water. I have a small number of plants and Co2 in the tank. My problem is my PH is at 7.6 and I need to get it down to about 6.8 and maintain it there. My tap water is high PH but I was told it's good to use as a buffer. Can anyone give me advise. Cheers.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Moved to Cichlid Discussion.

 

[DiscusDennis]

Hi Vozie,
I've been keeping Discus for awhile and I've heard of people keeping their Discus (with no problems) at PH over 8.
The thing with Discus is they REALLY need clean water especially young ones. If young ones don't get alot of water changes they end up being stunted (very small).
With adult Discus you can get away with once a week water changes but adult's are very pricey.
If I was to do a 45 gallon Discus tank with substrate & plants I'd definately buy adults.
All my Discus tanks are barebottom and get daily water changes with tap water....dechlorinated of course.

Hope that helps,
Dennis

 

[roydooms]

45g is a small tank for discus. Unless you'll get a proven pair. If not, discus prefer a shoal of 5, minimum. I'll get at least 55g for bare-bottom tank and minimum of 75g if not. Is your CO2 DIY?

 

[jetajockey]

I'm keeping my discus in soft mid 7's ph. I think adjusting the ph would probably be more trouble than its worth. If your up to buying a r/o unit then it'd be much cheaper to do water changes and keep your ph at whatever level you want it. I also agree that they do better in larger groups, a 45g is really too small as a permanent home.

I don't really understand the bare bottom tank thing, I get the point of being able to clean up any waste as soon as it accumulates, but a proper planted substrate is going to soak up mulm and waste and make it available to plants, which in turn will keep the water clean.

Maybe I'm just lazy, but I'm not into constant maintenance that I've seen some discus keepers really push (daily wc's and vacs, sometimes all the way up to 90%)

 

[roydooms]

Bare-bottom is mostly for breeders or for those that power feeds discus to make them grow a lot faster and rounder. More food=more waste.

As for the pH, the reason I asked if he runs a DIY CO2 or a system is because if he has a ph controller, that will keep the ph consistent. That's what I use. I keep mine at 6.3. Benefits my plants as well.

@jeta: how often do you clean your tank? I do 2-50 to 60% PWC a week.

 

[jetajockey]

I do a 40-50% wc every 3 days on all of my tanks. Also, I'm very understocked (8 discus and about 2 dozen danios in a 125g) so that keeps the water quality up as well, along with all the sword plants soaking up nitrates.

 

[roydooms]

I only have 6 discus in a 125g but I have 15 cardinals, 8 rummynose, 13 corydoras, 2 ABP and a dwarf gourami. I'm going to add probably 4 more discus. With what I have now, nitrates doesn't go over 20ppm nitrates. I have lots of plants and I think that's helping. With all that PWC i think I'll be fine as long as I'm consistent. discus is more work than other fish but is worth it.

 

[VOZIE]

Sorry about late reply. I have two co2 canisters in the tank in order to try and keep a constant stream. I have a small amount of plants and bog wood. I do not want to breed so won't be power feeding. I am still playing around with the tank at this stage whilst it's empty. I want to be able to get the hang of having a stable ph rather then just a low ph which may swing causing major issues. At this point I am using 75% RO And 25% tap water to see where my ph will settle. I am trying to avoid adding many products to the water as reading other threads it can cause a swing in the ph.

On testing the water it's saying my ph is 7.6 which at this stage as the tank is also cycling I am not to worried. However I am starting to question my test kit now as it's starting to get old and everything I test including RO water is showing 7.6. My test kit is a test tube and drops to go in it. I can't remember the name.

I am guessing now is the time to learn this not when fish are in it. Once I am confident that the water is good quality and the ph is settled then I will think about stocking. Little concerned about tank size now too.

Are discus fast growing fish or will I have time to see if I am able to keep them alive before investing in a bigger tank. Is this fair on them. The down side to this hobby is that a mistake cost the lifes of your fish which sadly I do become attached to.

 

[roydooms]

My smaller discus grew 2" in a month and a half. From 3" to 5".

What do you mean by CO2 canisters in your tank? The canisters are in the tank? Is this the one that you can buy at petco/smart? Or a CO2 tank?

 

[VOZIE]

Sorry I did not explain that well. They are not pressure canisters it's fermentation ones. I think that's what they call it. Yeast and sugar etc then defused in the tank. Again this may not be a permanent thing it's just playing around to get the right combination. I have one in my other tank for the benefit of the plants and it really seemed to help. I was also told that co2 helps lower ph.

Do you bread your discus and power fed etc. For a display tank can I expect them to grow that quick. I was planning on a diet of frosts blood worm, lavi, and prima food which has done wonders for my community fish.

 

[roydooms]

Sorry I did not explain that well. They are not pressure canisters it's fermentation ones. I think that's what they call it. Yeast and sugar etc then defused in the tank. Again this may not be a permanent thing it's just playing around to get the right combination. I have one in my other tank for the benefit of the plants and it really seemed to help. I was also told that co2 helps lower ph.

Do you bread your discus and power fed etc. For a display tank can I expect them to grow that quick. I was planning on a diet of frosts blood worm, lavi, and prima food which has done wonders for my community fish.

You have a DIY CO2.

Yes, CO2 lowers pH. pH swings due to CO2 is not bad for fish though. I used to powerfeed my discus when they were smaller. I have a discus pair. I'm setting up a 30g breeder tank for them.

I feed my discus frozen bloodworms, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, and sometimes sinking pellets for discus.