Hey everybody! New and... maybe you can help?

[discusdrew]

My names Drew and though I'm sure I'll come accross people I know on here, I am new to this site! And right off the bat I will make it known (hopefully without getting shunned) that at least at the moment I am choosing not to keep a saltwater aquarium I have always been interested in delecate freshwater tanks that supposedly couldnt or shouldnt be done. Most recently in the last 3 months I have become addicted to discus and I think I will find the advice of coral keepers will be more than well suited to answer any questions I may have about my new discus, in particular, very precise water conditions.

That said heres something to start off with, I recently discovered that I get a Ph swing with our local tap water from 7.8 to 8.2 when a direct "tap to aquarium" water change is done, primarily due to the heavy heat and airation that my tanks hold at for the keeping of discus. I have a new beautiful discus that I just brought in on wednesday of this last week around 2pm, he ate fine the first night and has since tapered off to eating nothing at all, and is now very subdued, hiding in the corner. He is acting very lazy, clamping his fins, holding to the bottom of the tank. No external parasitic or bacterial invasion can be seen.

My thoughts so far: I need to control this tap water swing as my new fish is not adjusting to it well in a little 10 gallon QT tank and the swing can be harmful period to all of my discus (6 total around 5"). So I need to age my water with aeration and a heater. I need help with this guys if anyone has any recommendations of quick fixes or a way to help out. I need a container to hold my water in, I know the type I should have and know that local recycling places can get them for very cheap or a few other places. I do not get paid until Friday however and this is a problem NOW, this little guy is not holding on well at all. Any suggestions for a quick fix? Anybody have old holding tanks they are willing to get rid of? Will deffinately pay for them if at all possible. Im trying to think of a SAFE item to use in the mean time, I can come up with aeration, dont really have an extra heater to use at the moment but I can get that worked out if anyone has any suggestions on what to use?

Holy crap, that wasnt supposed to be that long so thanks for reading and look forward to knowing you all!!
-Drew

 

[kpiotrowski]

most use rodi water for discus. not to "shun" but there are plenty of discus formums out there that would be happy to share their experience.

 

[Chichas01]

I would go check the freshwater boards over at WetWebMedia: Freshwater Aquarium Articles and FAQs Index ....

 

[user 26995]

Not shunning you either, but just offering up another site that has some discus keepers on it that would be happy to help you. They are a pretty nice group. Hope to see you there.

Washington FishBox

 

[discusdrew]

I was looking for a local group, so pisces I appreciate your suggestion and thank you. Lots of discus forums, very few in the Northwest.

 

[discusdrew]

I just signed up on there so hopefully I will get some info from them, to the point of RODI water, it is ideal for discus given our relatively high PH but the system is less important than stability in PH which has to take first priority as of now. Note that I would need holding barrels to begin a RODI system too so the same issue is at stake.

 

[returnofsid]

Rubbermaid trash cans are safe for holding RO/DI water. Have you spoke with Barbie at Aquarium Solutions? She has a lot of knowledge with Discuss and also can put you in touch with other local people with lots of Discuss knowledge.

 

[user 26995]

I use a a couple 14 gal rubbermade trash cans and a brute 32 gal garbage can for holding water.

 

[discusdrew]

I know Barbie very very well, unfortunately she is off today and tomorrow, she suggested a treatment with metro originally to get him eating again buy she did not know about the PH swing that is taking place, though she knows that I did not age my water. Several of my discus are from her and she is a great resource, just unavailable at the moment. AHHHH!!! I just need a bigger bucket! haha For now I moved my new discus out of quarantine to a big tank with my school, it isnt ideal but that tank can make it 4 days until I get my paycheck and can purchase the equipment that I need to make this happen. I suspect this PH swing is what has been causing the issues, though it is really strange that I havent had any problems with my other discus.

 

[returnofsid]

Are you running a Co2 reactor of any kind? Have you had anything die off that could be decomposing, causing a drop in pH? Is your water getting enough circulation/oxygen? Each of these things could contribute to a pH swing.

You can also use rubbermaid storage totes, for temporary fish QT. A flowerpot for fish to hide in, a pump and a heater and you're set.

 

[returnofsid]

If I'm understanding this correctly, the pH swing that you're dealing with is the different pH between your tank water and your tap water? Are you allowing your tap to run for awhile, prior to using it? Keep in mind that your tap water hasn't been oxygenated, so will have a lower pH. If you have an aerator on your faucet, this should help to oxygenate the water. Putting your water into a rubbermaid container and adding an airstone would also help to raise the pH. You could also use baking soda to temporarily raise your pH.

 

[discusdrew]

Good suggestions, the tank is well circulated and oxygenated, which is why when the tap water is added the PH is rising .4 For a discus that is a big deal, I am choosing to not do CO2, because I will be switching to partial RODI water after a holding system is set up with airation and heating. I just need to get that system set up. As it is a discus tank I can assure you that decomposition and the like are not the problem. It is simply a difference cause by airation changing the carbonate hardness in the water which in turn swings the PH. I just need it stable, so for now Im using a 10 gallon tank to aerate the water and heat it for a day then doing daily water changes using that water, given that my main tank is pretty large that is not a big water change but it will have to do for now until Friday when I get paid and can set up a more permanent system. The discus are used to 50 percent daily water changes but they should be fine with these smaller water changes for a few days until I can get something in place. Ugh, I really wish I had the resources to get this fixed now but alas this is the best solution I can think of for now. Im still dreading losing a very expensive fish but I suppose thats my fault.

Ive checked for this problem (PH swinging from tap to tank) before and found that it stayed the same so idk what has changed... municipal water maybe? Ugh I wish I didnt have to deal with this right now.

 

[1guydude]

Im shunning u!~ Go to a FW site yo! Cmon...run a powerhead and a heater with the water before u do the change... do fw people even use phs and heaters? lolseriously? Anyone know a turtle forum thats wat im starting lol.

 

[1guydude]

also i heard they treat the tap water around this time of year... or something theyve added or something. Might wanna call ur water company and c wats up. RO/DI bro!-d

 

[discusdrew]

If you read the post than you know that it HAS to be because of municipal water changing something, otherwise my water never had a PH change in the past. I monitor my tanks to the same extent you do, look up what it takes to keep discus, it is very similar to your hobby so uhhh, the commentary was rather rediculous and partially uncalled for. If you read my post then you know that a holding tank with airation and a heater is the solution and the questions asked involve getting those materials not on how to do it "yo". And yes RODI is the next step, as talked about previously.

 

[1guydude]

i dont watch my levels and ive never done a fw tank sry. I did read and i know ur q's were answered...i just like being my obvious i guess. sry have fun and welcome to the sw site!

 

[kpiotrowski]

If you read the post than you know that it HAS to be because of municipal water changing something, otherwise my water never had a PH change in the past. I monitor my tanks to the same extent you do, look up what it takes to keep discus, it is very similar to your hobby so uhhh, the commentary was rather rediculous and partially uncalled for. If you read my post then you know that a holding tank with airation and a heater is the solution and the questions asked involve getting those materials not on how to do it "yo". And yes RODI is the next step, as talked about previously.

thinking that you monitor a fw discus set-up to the same extent as a reef tank is just ignorant. its an insult to every hobbiest on this forum and our wallets are flying out of our pockets want to slap you upside the head...don't worry cuz they are empty from all the money we spend monitoring and controlling!

 

[discusdrew]

Ok, you guys seem to be a very accepting and loving bunch so really if it doesnt involve the point of the topic than why are we bringing it up? I made that comment in response to an ignorant post that was made just before that by one of your members. I am in no way discounting the work, time, and resources that SW enthusiasts spend to properly control and maintain their tanks. I ran saltwater reef set-ups for a number of years before I fell in love with discus and began moving to them strictly. My point was that a properly run discus aquarium is the closest you will come in the FW world to what it takes to run a saltwater reef, and that can be proven true if you would like to give it a try. So really at the end of all of this.... theres no real reason to be bashing eachother in the slightest, I have respect for everyone in this hobby, and I would presume anyone with any amount of maturity would feel the same way. If this is how this forum treats everyone looking for help then I find that very disheartening.

 

[Skimmy]

i am neither insulted, nor do i want to slap anyone atm... keep it up tho, that may change.

cant believe u guys dont have anything better to do than to troll a noob with Q's..
who cares if its freshwater Q's?? get a grip folks.

 

[Skimmy]

discusdrew, dont let these tards ruin your day...
you can pm me personally with Q's if you wish to avoid the peanut gallery.