Water chemistry for Discus Tank

Testing the Waters
Here, they speak about the different water parameters that MUST be followed if they are to insure that our Discus friends are kept happy & healthy.

Determining the levels of pH & alkalinity in your base water is step in this technique. Although some base water is nice for the discus with small or no buffering, some water will need extensive conditioning before the first Discus can be introduced in to the tank. One time you know the levels of PH & alkalinity, water chemistry tests ought to be conducted on a regular basis.

Initially, you will need to check for chloramine & chlorine, pH, & alkalinity. In case you are a city dweller, lots of this information can be gotten from the city waterworks, & although a nice suggestion to do so, I would not recommend that you rely exactly on this information. At anywhere from $275 to $425 for a breeding pair, an preliminary investment for a respectable PH/TDS meter is well qualified. Currently at King Discus Hatchery, they use a Hanna Combo PH/TDS meter that measures in ppt (parts per trillion) for the most correct reading of our tanks.

These tests will be for nitrite & nitrate, phosphate. In the planted tank, you will need to also check for iron & CO2. Check kits are simple to make use of if instructions are followed to the letter. A specific number of drops of the testing reagent must always be correct, following instructions on the check kit, or check results can be skewed. Check kits & probes obtainable for the aquarium are cheap & straightforward to make use of, & can usually be bought at your local pet supply store, in the event that they concentrate on aquarium keeping.

Check on a regular basis. When you are comfortable with this technique, it is time to & add a few more tests to the battery of tests performed.

Toxins in the Water Supply
Be aware that Chlorine or chloramine are routinely added to the water in many urban areas. Using a simple color test kit to determine the presence and concentration of either is very advisable. Removing these elements of chlorine or chloramine is a vital part of the process to properly condition your water. Conditioning is carefully adjusting the chemistry of the water to raise it to the parameters required for Discus keeping. Aging the water through carbon filtration (mechanical), aging the water, and proper aeration will be of benefit. Be aware, though, that aeration will not remove chloramine from your water. Chlorine can also be removed by adding prepared chlorine removers, but Nick Lockhart, the breeder for King Discus Hatchery, is not fond of using buffering agents. Constant water changes in the Discus tank will only leach these buffers, and then you are unsure of where your water chemistry is at. Nothing will harm the Discus more than wild fluctuations of PH.

It is much more advisable to use reverse osmosis or deionization. We use RO, with a special Peat Moss filter to accomplish our parameters. The process of RO with fine tuned filtration of the RO water will remove virtually all toxins, but one must be aware that Discus cannot live in pure RO water, and steps must again be taken to insure proper levels of acidity/PH in the RO water. Chloramine is a combination of chlorine and ammonia, and some water companies need to use this for disinfection of the water supply.
If these simple tests are done on a regular basis, and care is taken to insure that there are no wild PH swings in the Discus tank, your success as a Discus breeder are much higher.