what is the correct PH for discus

[robertl]

Hello,
I have been reading alot of threads and it seems to confuse me more and more each time this issue gets brought up. I live in california and the tap water has really high PH. I have been having problems with my discus tank I am thinking it is because of the PH. Can someone please help me out? If there are any breeders out there, can u tell me at what PH are the fish raised in? The last four I bought were from Thailand and I paid alot of money for them and I lost one. The other ones are slowly coming around. I see some threads saying 5.5 - 6.5 some are saying above 7.0. I am not understanding why there are so many differences. THX!!!

[nicholaskhoo]

Robertl,

Greetings n welcome!
Different breeders adopt different methodology or approach when it comes to raising discus. That's why you will hear some prefer lower ph and some would just stick to the original ph from their tap water. Either way, its fine to grow and raise discus. You mentioned the ph back in california is really high? What's the reading like, robert? And what problems are you facing now with your discus? Any pics to show? It would be easier for us here to identify the problem if u could lay out your problems right on the table.

Here's something i would like to highlight, based on my experience and knowledge. pH is not really a major issue when it comes to raising discus, at least for me. I have been raising discus with ph ranging from 7 - 7.5, even for my breeding pairs. I've heard from breeders in penang that pairs tend to fair better if the ph level is less than 7. This will aid the pair in producing more mucus to ween the offsprings. But i have not personally tried this before. But that's beside the point. Hope im not confusing you.

Remember the venerable maxim "If it aint broken, dont fix it!"...cheers mate!

[robertl]

Hey nicholaskhoo,
Right now the three I have left, only one of them seems to being doing pretty good. The other two is really dark in color almost black. They don't seem to be as active and seems to hide alot. The ph in my tap water is 8.0+. The PH in my tank right now is about 6.8 but it has taking me quite a long time to get it that high. I have talked to a few people and they have said that drift wood can lower the PH in the water. Is that true? Because I have 20-30 LBS of it in my tank. I am trying to get the level to about 7-7.2 but it does not seem to be budging. I thought if I was to change out 25-35 gallons once to twice a week it should do the job but it is not. I have a 125 gallon tank.

[nicholaskhoo]

robert,
Can i check wif u....how big is your tank and how many fishes u have in there? it seems like your fishes are skittish, which goes to say why they turned dark and seemed to be hiding. Try to keep the tank partially dark by covering it wif newspaper. This allows them to explore other parts of the tank without any fear. Then tear one piece off per day until the front tank is fully exposed.

ph of 8 sounds okie. But what im worried is when u carry out water changes, the ph will increase from 6.5 to 8 (original reading from your tap water). Now, that's pretty risky. And how often u change water per day? I assume u only do water changes once or twice a week?

Yes, driftwood can lower the ph due to the tannins excreted (u will noticed that the water is similar to the color of tea). But its not necessary to use driftwood, robert. There are other better alternatives which are also inexpensive, such as peat moss.

Here's wat i would strongly suggest u to do...try to stick to the original ph of the tap water instead of trying to adjust the ph all the time, which will be more detrimental to the health of your discus. Fluctuation of ph will also cause the fishes to be skittish n hence, they turned dark.

Cheers!

[soyadude]

Tannins from driftwood don't contribute to pH values.. decaying organic material does. The breaking down of organic material contributes to hydrogen levels in the water and thus lowers pH. Driftwood, although it may mantain its shape is actually slowly decaying, but not at a very fast rate, so it contributes a little to acidity. Decaying leaves and finer materials contributes to the lowering of pH faster as it's easier to break down.

I agree with nicholaskhoo about having the fish adjust to our local water parameters rather than adjust to their recommended pH values. Chances are they will do fairly well as long as your local water pH is consistent and not in the extremes. It can become a chore and a costly exercise to constantly adjust your pH values to your fish. This is only really necessary for wild caught fish as most tank bred fishes were bred in the most common water parameters of the breeder's region.