Water For Discus Fish

Initially, you will need to test for chloramine and chlorine, pH, and alkalinity. Although some base water is quite good for the discus with little or no buffering, some water will need extensive conditioning before the first Discus can be introduced into the tank. Once you know the levels of PH and alkalinity, water chemistry tests should be conducted on a regular basis.Test on a regular basis.Toxins in the Water Supply.

It has been debated a lot about whether to keep discus fish in hard water or soft water. Here's the first rule I use when buying and importing discus fish;Match the water conditions of your supplier.

The softer water will be easier to adjust the ph to the desired range for the discus fish.
Young discus fish should not be kept in very soft water as there aren't the right minerals present for good growth. They should be raised in slightly hard water with a natural ph. In this water they should grow quickly and healthy.


Adult Discus For my adult discus I again use tap water filter through carbon and left to stand but I also add aquarium peat. This softens the water a little and is fine because of the tap water I have. You may have to use RO water mixed with filtered tap water.

Aging the water through carbon filtration (mechanical), aging the water, and proper aeration will be of benefit. Constant water changes in the Discus tank will only leach these buffers, and then you are unsure of where your water chemistry is at. 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.

Because it is imperative that discus fish have optimal water conditions, much has been written about this subject, This is the plan put in place to insure proper PH water levels in our hatchery. The breeder to let them acclimate to the new tank water by "floating" the bags containing the fish for approximately one hour to equalize the temperatures, and to add a cup of water to the bag from the tank to equalize PH levels.

Discus Fish Secrets