Hard water for discus?

[Brianwu]

Hey all, would appreciate your input in regards to hard water parameters.

Recently set up a 55 gal at my girlfriend's house. Just finished cycling approximately two weeks ago. Only red flag we had was high pH - about 8.4 out of the tap. Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, water temp were all good. Did temporarily lower pH but it constantly jumps back overnight.

I've set up tanks at my house where pH and water hardness were more ideal and were something that didn't need too much concern.

We just bought 3 beautiful discus and they've been in the tank about a week. They've turned dark for majority of the time, which I'm assured means they're stressed. All other water parameters seem fine. But I don't want to keep adjusting pH on them.

I have yet to measure the GH and KH but I know for a fact her water is very hard. There's white crust on the lid and pH remains at 8.4 even with pH treatment. She also lives by a city-like Bay Area.

My concern is if discus can thrive in hard water environments. These guys costed a pretty penny...and we would like to make sure they remain healthy, within financial reasoning.

I did start researching RO water filtration. Now these filters can cost a pretty penny as well. Does anyone have any tips for this situation?

We don't plan on breeding the discus. We would just like to keep them in prime health. Just to sort out some options; driftwood would probably not be applicable. We spent a fortune on artificial decorations that the girlfriend loves, and there would be no room for substitutions (already stubborn on décor ). Peat moss wouldn't work well as the slight discoloration would drive us crazy. Only apparent options are letting the discus deal with hard water or invest in RO water.

Can anyone chime in for some tips? I really hope discus can thrive in hard water before I go out spending more money on RO filtration.

Thanks for the help in advance!
-Brian

 

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

Discus do fine in both hard and soft water. Soft water is just needed for breeding. My water is very hard and i have two successful discus tank running. Some have discus at high ph and the fish adapt, but the key with discus is constant same water perimeters. Lowering your ph and then it bouncing back is very stressful. Itd probably be better to just leave the ph the way it is, although i personally have no experience with high ph discus tanks.

 

[treemanone2003]

Trying to adjust the pH is going to be more stressful to them instead of leaving it where it is. Discus will thrive at anything that is consistent. Once you start trying to buffer things, the constant fluctuations will become the downfall of the fish and result in an early demise. One thing that could help them is to raise the number up
In the group. Research proves that they do best in groups of at least 5 and they are not a beginner fish. They are not difficult but very delicate. Also, depending on their size will dictate the volume of daily feedings and WC's required to grow them out into large beautiful specimens. At some point your girlfriend is gonna need to make a decision on what's best for the fish. Fake decorations or fish health. A RO/DI unit may be your only option to keep them healthy and that could be a bit more pricey than some driftwood. Also a few tannins in the tank may be unsightly but is a lot easier on the wallet.


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[Mebbid]

The tannins are also less controllable than the use of an RO/DI system. Imho, if you're willing to spend that much money on the fish then another $75 for an RO/DI system shouldn't be out of your price range.

 

[Jessiicaxrosex3]

I agree. Once we get a pair then ill have no choice but that system! Any reccomendations?

 

[treemanone2003]

I just read thru your first post about having been doing fish for a while. I'd like to welcome you to the forum and share a little something I know. When it comes to Discus, forget everything you know about fish. It honestly doesn't relate. I can only presume you acquired your "beautiful" Discus from Petco. If so, you've wound up with the runts and what should've been culls from a less than desirable source. It's just what it is from the big box stores. Common denominators include: large eyes, football shape, and peppering to start with. Another more common issue with new keepers is lack lack of QT and introduction of preventable disease. All in all, it's the largest recipe for a sudden disaster. With very little research about these delicate fish before purchase, it's a 50/50% chance of them surviving and a 20/80% chance of thriving.


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[katiekelsey]

I have the same issue with my water. Except for keeping Discus your posts sounds like it came from me! I've been told my my lfs that it's better to keep the PH steady than to try and alter it.

 

[Brianwu]

I just read thru your first post about having been doing fish for a while. I'd like to welcome you to the forum and share a little something I know. When it comes to Discus, forget everything you know about fish. It honestly doesn't relate. I can only presume you acquired your "beautiful" Discus from Petco. If so, you've wound up with the runts and what should've been culls from a less than desirable source. It's just what it is from the big box stores. Common denominators include: large eyes, football shape, and peppering to start with. Another more common issue with new keepers is lack lack of QT and introduction of preventable disease. All in all, it's the largest recipe for a sudden disaster. With very little research about these delicate fish before purchase, it's a 50/50% chance of them surviving and a 20/80% chance of thriving.


Sent from my iPhone that doesn't like me. Or you !!

We actually purchased the discus from a LFS...well not really local. It was a good drive away. We've heard good things about the place and decided to check it out. They were selling wild discus as well, at a good $125 a pop for the juveniles. Good thing we didn't bite the bullet on them especially with the hard water problem I have.

So I do believe these fish are from a quality breeder, as they look better than any discus I've seen at a Petco...

 

[Brianwu]

I have the same issue with my water. Except for keeping Discus your posts sounds like it came from me! I've been told my my lfs that it's better to keep the PH steady than to try and alter it.

Thanks for all the replies everyone. It looks like I'll be researching further into RO filtration. It's good to know that discus can at least adapt to the higher pH. Just didn't know if it was the end-all-say-all.


Would definitely agree with Jess if any one can recommended RO/DI systems?