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Water Conditions
Water is water, right? WRONG!!! Water is the most misunderstood element
of the aquarium. Sure you reason, there are only 2 types of water, well
and city. Well the answer is yes...sorta; let's look a little deeper.
City water is basically filtered, treated well water. Part of the
treatment is the addition of chlorine or chloramine; both will do nasty
things to your discus. To add insult to injury, they add some form of
calcium to the water, which has a direct correlation to pH and hardness.
Remember, discus do best in soft acid water, not water that you can use
to drive nails! City water must be made aquarium safe by adding some
sort of chlorine/chloramine neutralizer. If your water isn't cement
hard, it is now ready to be put in your aquarium. If your water is
contaminated by heavy metals or pollutants, discus will definitely let
you know about it! A general rule of thumb is: if your water isn't good
enough for you to drink, don't put your discus in it. Have a heart and
be humane, go get yourself and your fish a Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) unit
and you both will live longer! R.O. is another subject, we'll discuss
that later.
Well water...everyone should be blessed with my well water! At pH 5.8
and 30-50 microsiemens, if everyone had this water everyone would be
breeding discus instead of Africans and this article would end here;
however, we all don't have this water! There are 2 basic ways to soften
and purify well water. With some water, all is needed is a simple carbon
block filter, and you are ready for discus. For others less fortunate,
like my buddy who lives 45 minutes away and has water so hard that he
gets a concussion every morning when he showers, hard water can be dealt
with as he does, with a 2 stage Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) and De-Ionization
(D.I.) unit. Try to avoid salt and ion exchange units because they
remove hardness by replacing it with salt. The best way to ascertain
your water parameters is through your water company, or in the case of
well water, you can normally take a water sample to your county agent,
or a private water testing company for a nominal fee.
Ideally your discus should be kept at less than 150 ppm gH (General
Hardness) and at a pH between 5.0 and 6.5. They will acclimate to most
other water conditions, but why make them expend more energy than they
must. Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) Unit's prices have come down considerably
in the last 10 years and their operation is a snap. R.O. units remove
98% of the minerals and bacteria. Before adding the purified water to
your aquarium, you must put back the trace elements that are necessary
for life. Trace elements are available from a number of different
sources. I've had excellent luck with Recon50 from Marc
Weiss/Aquatronics.
Remember to do your water changes, feed a varied diet, keep stress
levels to a minimum, and your discus will thrive; cut corners and
problems will arise.
Water for Discus
Written by Mary Ellen Sweeney (Former editor of TFH magazine)
Discus are not really difficult to keep . . . as long as you do what
they want! What discus want is: excellent water quality, free of toxins
like chlorine, ammonia, nitrite, phosphate, etc.; correct water
chemistry, pH and water hardness; and proper temperature, between 82 and
86F. Excellent water quality is provided by your three-part filtration
system and one-part water changing system. Water chemistry is tested and
determinations are made for adjustments. The water should be soft,
between 3 and 15dH. The pH should be between 5 and 6.5. This is where
most discuskeepers have trouble. Discus would prefer not to compromise
on these values. To believe that you can acclimate discus to harder
water or to higher pH levels or lower temperatures is folly. The discus
may live, may breed even, but they are living and breeding under stress.
In fish, as in humans, stress shortens their lives and makes them more
susceptible to disease. Strive for the ideal rather than trying to cheat
the system.
WATER CHEMISTRY
You can probably walk into any pet shop and find out what the general
water conditions are in your area. That would be fine if you were trying
to decide whether to keep guppies or angelfish in your community
aquarium, but it will not do for discus. You will need to test your
water as it comes from the tap and continue to perform periodic tests to
ensure that your aquarium water is up to par and within proper range for
a number of values.
Testing the Waters
You should initially test for chloramine and chlorine, pH, and
alkalinity. Once the levels of pH and alkalinity in your raw water have
been established, you can decide how you want to handle the situation.
Some raw water is just about perfect for discus with little or no
modification. Some water needs extensive conditioning before the first
fish can be introduced. Once you know these values, you may decide you
want to keep another kind of fish! After the initial battery of water
chemistry tests, you should continue to test the above, certainly after
the first few water changes, and add a few more tests to the list:
nitrite and nitrate, phosphate, and in the planted tank, iron and CO2.
Simple, isn't it? Test kits have become very user-friendly in recent
years. All these tests can be researched in a good chemistry book and
the reagents assembled through chemistry supply outlets; however, the
test kits and probes available for the aquarium hobby are generally
inexpensive and easy to use.
Toxins in the Water Supply
The water company can be your friend or your foe. Chlorine or chloramine
are routinely added to the water in many parts of the world. A simple
color test kit will determine the presence and concentration of either.
Removal of chlorine or chloramine is part of the process known as
conditioning your water. There is more than one way to skin a cat, and
there are many ways to condition your tapwater. Conditioning is the
process of adjusting the chemistry of the water to bring it into line
with the requirements of the fishes you are keeping. Chlorine is readily
removed from tapwater by activated carbon prefiltration, aging the
water, or permitting contact of the water with the air through the use
of a spray. Chlorine can also be removed by adding prepared chlorine
removers. If you are conditioning your water with reverse osmosis or
deionization, these processes remove virtually all toxins (and a lot of
necessary elements as well, that must be replaced), but more about
reverse osmosis and deionization later. Chloramine is a combination of
chlorine and ammonia, and some water companies need to use this for
disinfection of the water supply. Chlorine is not good for fishes and
chloramine is worse. If your test reveals chloramine, be sure to use a
water conditioner that is chloramine specific. Aeration will not remove
chloramine.
Water Hardness and Alkalinity
It may be that your water hardness and alkalinity are perfect for discus
but unfortunately this is not always the case. It is far easier to
adjust hardness and alkalinity upwards as when keeping hard-water
fishes, but lowering these values is by no means impossible. It simply
involves another step in the water conditioning process. Total hardness
(general hardness) is the sum combination of carbonate and noncarbonate
hardness of your water. Total hardness is measured as, degrees, dH, or
ppm (parts per million). One dH is 17.9 ppm. How total hardness is
expressed depends upon the author and his orientation. I prefer dH
simply because as a discuskeeper, I like to see smaller numbers when I
am measuring water hardness! If I were keeping African cichlids I might
prefer to measure my water's hardness in ppm. Total hardness is usually
not a big issue in keeping discus; alkalinity is a far more important
factor in the breeding of discus. Alkalinity is sometimes referred to as
carbonate hardness(KH)or buffering capacity. Alkalinity is the important
factor in breeding discus and controlling the pH of the water.
Alkalinity refers to the level of calcium, carbonate and bicarbonate in
the water. It is measured in KH or mg/L CaCo3 or parts per million. One
milligram per liter (mg/L) is the equivalent of one part per million.
Soft water is 3dH and 0 to 50 mg/L CaCo3; medium soft water is 3 to 6 dH
and 50 to 100 mg/L CaCo3; slightly hard water is 6 to 12 dH and 100 to
200 mg/L CaCo3; moderately hard water is 12 to 18 dH and 200 to 300 mg/L
CaCo3; hard water is over 18 dH and over 300 mg/L CaCo3. The values for
general hardness and alkalinity given above do not always match each
other. It is entirely possible to have a higher reading of general
hardness and a lower reading of alkalinity. The lower reading for
alkalinity is the more desirable for discus water. Discus will do quite
well in slightly to moderately hard water. In fact, many breeders
routinely keep their fish in these values to ensure proper development
of the young fish, but for development of the eggs, soft to moderately
soft water, particularly concerning alkalinity is critical. Therefore,
it is not necessary to drastically adjust the general hardness or
alkalinity when you first start to keep discus unless the values are
very high.
Reducing Water Hardness
It is best to test the pH and alkalinity of your water before making any
investments in reverse osmosis or deionization equipment. As long as the
general hardness and alkalinity are in the ranges mentioned above, you
should have no trouble. Driftwood and peat will both contribute to
softening of the water. You may find that your slightly to moderately
hard water will respond very nicely to the introduction of a piece of
drift wood and a bag of peat in your filter! Beyond this, or if you are
at the stage where you are seriously considering breeding your discus,
you can look into reverse osmosis or deionization pretreatment of your
water. Both of these methods remove all trace of water hardness and a
very high percentage of the impurities in the water, through extremely
fine straining action in the R/O and specific resins in the DI. Water
that has been handled in this fashion is stripped of necessary trace
elements and must be reconstituted before use in the aquarium.
Reconstituting salts are available commercially. Some authorities
recommend mixing the water with 5% tapwater, but if your tapwater
contains toxins, this is not the best method by any means. Household
water softeners used in many homes are entirely unsuitable for preparing
water for discus. The resins in these units exchange hardness ions for
sodium ions and additional sodium is contraindicated in keeping discus.
About pH
Discus are very particular about pH. Keep your pH below 7 and above 5.5.
The ideal pH for discus is 6. At pH levels above 7, discus are stressed.
Below 5.5, the pH is inclined to plunge rapidly, so I find 6 to be
comfortable for both the fish and the fishkeeper. Alkalinity and pH are
closely related. Hard water naturally tends to be alkaline. Soft water
naturally tends to be acidic. This is because of the buffering capacity.
Buffering capacity represents the presence of alkalinity (carbonate
hardness) and the ability of the water to maintain high pH. It is a
chemical balancing act. Just enough carbonate hardness and the pH
remains at the desired level, too much carbonate hardness and the pH
will remain high, too little carbonate hardness and the pH will crash.
Maintain your carbonate hardness at around 10 or 15 dH and you should
have no problems with pH. Check your pH with every water change until
you are able to get a feel for how your water behaves. If you notice
that the pH drops quickly, you must add back carbonate. If your pH
resists change to lower values, you must remove carbonate. There are
many methods of lowering your pH, most with some form of phosphoric
acid, from drops to powders, but one of the gentlest and safest methods
is through the use of peat moss. Because the peat adsorbs carbonates and
acidifies the water, you should be able to maintain desirable pH and
carbonate levels through the use of peat alone.
FILTRATION
Filtration is essential. Filtration is the life support system of the
aquarium. Without filtration, your fish would soon die from the toxicity
of their own waste.
The Nitrogen Cycle
In the aquarium, beneficial bacteria---known as nitrobacters--- colonize
the biological filter media and every surface of the tank. Nitrosomonas
sp. is the nitrobacter that consumes the toxic ammonia that is produced
by decomposition of fish waste and other organic matter. The ammonia is
reduced to nitrite. The nitrite is consumed by Nitrobacter sp. and
reduced to nitrate, the least toxic end-product of nitrification. This
process is called the nitrogen cycle and is the backbone of biological
filtration. The nitrate is removed from the aquarium by your partial
water changes (or in some cases by specific resins).
Mechanical Filtration
We start with the mechanical filtration. Sometimes this is called
prefiltration. The main goal here is to remove large floating particles
of uneaten food, fish waste, and plant waste. There are many ways to
accomplish this: sponges, pads, floss; practically any inert mesh-type
material that will capture the dirt. Simple filter floss is very
inexpensive and effective. Depending upon the style of filter you
choose, the prefilter media is situated where the water first enters the
filter. It may be that you use a small sponge filter on the intake tube
of your power or canister filter. Some filters have special chambers for
prefiltration media. Even the old-fashioned box filter with a layer of
gravel and some filter floss will perform effective mechanical
filtration. These fine materials trap the dirt as the water passes
through them. Mechanical filters must be changed or cleaned weekly. Most
people do not realize that this is necessary! Mechanical filters capture
the gross particulates, solid waste, which must be broken down to liquid
before they can be converted by the nitrifying bacteria. It is far more
practical to simply remove the solid waste than to wait for it to
liquefy and then expect the biological filter to deal with toxins. This
is an error that leads to an overtaxed filtration system. So whichever
method of mechanical filtration you choose, keep it clean! This is one
area where you don't have to worry about preserving your bacterial bed.
Just wash, rinse, or replace that mechanical filter media as often as
possible.
Biological Filtration
Mechanical filtration is meant to take particles out of the water,
nothing more. Usually mechanical filtration is confused with biological
filtration because the same media is sometimes incorrectly used for both
types of filtration. Biological filtration is that bacterial conversion
of nitrogenous compounds described above in the nitrogen cycle. Where
you want to clean your mechanical filter vigorously and often, the
biological filter performs best when it can be left strictly to its own
devices with a constant flow of particle-free, oxygenated water through
the media. There are many types of biological filters. The canister
filter, which has been the mainstay of the advanced hobbyist, the
trickle filter, which made its bones in the salt- water hobby, the
simple box filter, which is used with tremendous success by experienced
fishkeepers reluctant to give up on a filter that has been keeping
fishes alive and well for the past fifty-odd years, the newcomer on the
block, the fluidized bed biofilter, and many more. Some tanks are
maintained for years with nothing more than a simple sponge filter and
air pump. The sponge filter is gently squeezed in a bucket of tank water
once a week and the resident nitrobacters do a fine job of converting
the ammonia and nitrite. Regular siphoning of uneaten food and fish
waste goes a long way to helping you keep a healthy tank with a very
simple filtration set up.
As many different types of biological filter as there are, there are
more types of media. Some examples of biological filter media include
plastic hair curlers, "bio beads," gravel, sand, sintered glass, ceramic
noodles, and so on. Biological filtration is critical to the health of
your fish. Whichever media you employ to harbor your nitrifying
bacteria, remember that you want to keep the bacteria safe from harm. It
takes about six weeks for the nitrobacters to establish themselves in
the filter. During this critical period, the ammonia and nitrite will
reach high, maybe toxic levels. Keep your fish load very low in the new
aquarium and be very careful not to overfeed. It is suggested that the
tank be run with one or two very small and inexpensive fish during this
period. The water may cloud up for a period, new tank syndrome. This is
normal and will clear up presently. Once your filter bacteria have
become established, the water will clear up spontaneously.
To maintain a healthy bacterial colony in the biological part of your
filtration system, treat the media with gentle care. When cleaning the
media, use only tank water. Do not use hot water or fresh tap water. A
gentle rinse with tank water should be all you need to do if you have
set up the system properly. The goal is to maintain the bacteria as
undisturbed as possible on the media. If your tank is without power for
any length of time, it is entirely possible that your biological filter
will crash. This happens when the bacteria are without oxygen for a
period of time. This time period varies depending upon a number of
factors, but should you find that the filter has been off for a day,
smells foul, and the fish are gasping for air at the surface, do not
simply turn the filter back on! The filter has become toxic and must be
thoroughly cleaned and the media replaced before it can be used on the
aquarium.
Chemical Filtration
Some tanks do quite well without any type of chemical filtration at all.
Frequent small water changes are employed to remove nitrate and other
toxins. However, water chemistry varies radically in different areas and
chemical filtration is sometimes necessary simply to keep the fish. If,
for example, your tap water is very high in phosphate or nitrate, you
may find that your fish don't do well until you pretreat the water with
specific resins or activated carbon. While it is not within the scope of
this article to go into great depth on water chemistry, be aware that
there is virtually no water that cannot be made suitable to keep even
such a delicate species as discus. Water chemistry is a fascinating
study and in some areas it may be necessary to become quite adept at
water chemistry and water treatment before you can keep discus
successfully.
Activated Carbon
Activated carbon in granular or powdered form provides one type of
chemical filtration. Activated carbon removes discoloration, dyes,
colors, phosphate, chlorine, chloramine, antimony, arsenic, chromium,
hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate, some of the heavy metals and
many other toxins in varying degree. It also removes many fish
medications at the end of therapy. It is ideal for prefiltration of the
tapwater to remove most of the residual toxins left after municipal
water treatment and some of the toxins that have been added in water
treatment! Activated carbon does not remove ammonia, nitrite, or
nitrate, so do not expect it to take the place of biological or
mechanical filtration. It does what it does, and it does it well, and
should be an integral part of your plan, but with full knowledge of its
properties. [Editor's Note: Some discus fanciers believe that the use of
carbon contributes to hole-in-the-head disease. While this is only a
theory and is based on circumstantial evidence, it is something to keep
in mind. This theory is nothing to panic about and may be purely
discus-lore, but if you are struggling with HITH in a discus tank, try
removing the carbon. Also note that this topic is banned from the
discus-l mailing list because of the strong feelings and opinions that
often result in sarcastic, cutting, and generally unrulely childish
behavior!] Activated carbon (AC) adsorbs the above named toxins. Based
on the concentration of the toxin in the water, the effective lifespan
of the carbon could be a few hours or a few days. Activated carbon is
not meant to be used as filter media in biological filters. It is often
combined with filter floss and left in the filter for an indeterminate
period of time. This is not the correct way to use carbon. Once it has
been used to remove toxins from the water, it should not be left in the
aquarium to serve as a biological media. There are other, more
appropriate media for this purpose.
Resins
Resins can be compared to magnets. The resin attracts a specific
substance, like nitrate. The resin is usually placed in a canister and
as the water passes through, it "grabs" all the nitrate. There are many
different types of resins that capture many substances. Resins have a
limited capacity and must be recharged in a brine solution when
saturated. There are different grades of resins, some have a long life
and some are exhausted quickly. There is no doubt that resins are highly
effective and are used extensively in sophisticated filtration systems;
however, if you use resin, you must adhere to a regular schedule of
water testing and maintenance.
Really Really Fine Filters
Diatom and micron filters are used to capture super fine particles of
dirt. The material, either diatomaceous earth or man-made micron filter
material, is so dense that even many free-swimming parasites cannot pass
through. The use of these materials for fine filtration is excellent for
discus and their water.
Filter Flow Rate
For discus, you have to be a little careful. Some of the filters on the
market utilize very high water flow rates. This is not good for discus.
Remember that they need slow- moving water, hence, a filter that turns
the water in the tank over many times an hour is not a good thing!
Peat in the Aquarium
Peat, from Canada and northern Germany, has been an aquarist's helper
for generations. Peat is an amazing substance in that it gives off
valuable tannic, fulvic, and humic acids that reduce pH and acts as a
natural ion exchanger and reduces carbonate hardness in the water. Peat
will also bind up some of the heavy metals and other toxins that may be
present in the water. The active compounds in peat are also present in
the natural black waters of the discus. It is all-natural and does
wonders in the discus aquarium. True, peat filtration will color the
water, but if the behavior of discus in peat-filtered water is any
indication, discus really like amber-colored water! Peat filtration
often triggers spawning in fish that have been flirting outrageously for
months with no results! Peat is available in aquarium shops and garden
centers. It even comes in neat little pellets that are easy to use and
economical. There really is no excuse for not using peat in the
aquarium. Just be careful if you buy your peat from the garden center.
Be sure that is does not have any additives that could harm your fish.
Peat is easy to use. Just pour about 1 quart of peat per 25 gallons of
aquarium water into a bag or a lady's stocking and seal the bag. Slip
this bag into your filter or place it in an area of the aquarium where
water will flow through the bag. Replace the peat about every 30 days or
when your pH tests start to show a rise in pH.
Back to the Discus Page
A potential method for sexing discus
Sexing discus has always been problematic at best. However, I recently
read an article in Diskus Brief which describe a method for sexing
Discus that has been very reliable for me. The method described uses
"geometry" to determine sex ... Picture a discus facing to your left ...
you would be looking at it's side. Find the Dorsal (Top) and Anal
(bottom) fins and look where the fins slope down toward the Caudal
(tail) fin ... make sure you're looking at the fins after they have
curved back toward the tail. The Dorsal and Anal Fins become (almost)
straight after the fins curve down (or up) toward the Caudal Fin ...
extend an imaginary line along this straight section of the 2 fins back
toward the tail which just touches the Dorsal & Anal Fins past the
Caudal Fin. These two imaginary lines should intersect behind the fish.
The key to sexing the fish is where the lines interest. If they
intersect INSIDE the Caudal Fin, the fish is most likely a FEMALE. If
they intersect beyond the Caudal Fin, then most likely it is a MALE.
I have tried this on 12 pairs of Discus that I am breeding ... in ALL
cases this proved to be true! I have since used this method to "create"
3 breeding pairs, plus provide a male for a female who lost her mate
(the new couple are successfully breeding). Logically, this makes sense,
since the Male fish tend to have higher bodies than the females (causing
the lines to intersect beyond the tail).
I'd love to here back to others who can test this out with their pairs
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