discus keeping

[davwato]

I have been keping discus for 2 years now with no death and i rekon all this chemical thing you wotty about is a load of rubbish. All i worry about is the ph and thats it all this hardness and amonia is nonsence.

(*Moderator's edit of crude language* Please note this is a family forum)

[discusmaster]

Mate, you have to be kidding.

Go on then. let your ammonia spike, see how long your fish survive in the toxicity.

As a first post you have shown yourself to be a moron, are you sure your name isnt Rytis?

:roll:

[davwato]

no seriouly i never check my fish chemical levels except ph and out of my 8 discus none have ever been sick or died

[Proteus]

In your original post you stated that you dont worry about the ammonia or hardness. You did not say you didnt worry about testing for it.

I have had tanks which I havent checked any levels aside from pH for 2-3 years and have never had a problem. If your pH remains stable then that means you have a good level of Carbonate Hardness (KH), if your pH starts to drop it also can mean a slow build up of Nitrates.

i.e. If you know your stuff, pH can give an indication of many other levels.

General Hardness (GH) is not a huge factor with keeing Discus unless you come from an area that does have hard water or high TDS levels, then other mediums are utilised to balance this.

[mcloughlin2]

Mate , i dont test for ammonia unless i see a change in my fish's behavior ...

But that does not mean its a load of rubbish ...

Do some research and see the hard scientific proof that is available on ammonia ...

I personally have lost fish because of it so i can tell you it is not a load of crap ...

How about you post some pictures of your tank ? I find it very hard to believe someone would register just to waste a post saying that unless they want to cause trouble ...

:)

[samir]

another brilliant person !!! I'm not getting involved :roll:

[davwato]

dont have a digital camera but i have 9 neons, 11 rummy nose, 2 bronze catfish, 1 gold spotted pleco, 2 rams, 2 glass catfish, 8 discus, 4 clown loaches

[nicholas76]

You may simply just be fortunate to have water that dosent require that much checking.


my water is so soft that if i didnt moniter and add Kh id have dead fish all the time. For instance my tap water ph will swing from 7.4 to 6.7 over night. if i dont add kh.

in relation to ammonia testing well... i have lost fish due to spikes when I first started off. I rarely do now as im confident in my routine.

Still it should be encouraged and its not crap.

[Ben]

Sounds like a very well filtered and cycled tank to me.

Keep up the great work mate.

[Robdog]

What kind of figures would we be talking about in terms of a crash?
Nicholas just said 7.4 down to 6.7. Doesn't seem like that drastic a change.

[jcarlilesiu]

My water with a KH of 5 degrees sways from about 7.2 to 6.6 due to CO2 injection. However, I never have any other toxic problems. Since the tank was established, I never see any ammonia or nitrite. I have to dose nitrates in moderation to keep my plants healthy.

I think its important to remember that many of these concerns over toxic properties in the nitrogen cycle are geared towards new tanks and new fish keepers. Most people with established tanks don't need to worry about these things, however to call them "unimportant" based on your exclusive situation is pretty irresponsible.

But, hey, what do I know, Im the brand new guy

[nicholas76]

What kind of figures would we be talking about in terms of a crash?
Nicholas just said 7.4 down to 6.7. Doesn't seem like that drastic a change.

it is when its a drastic swing and your ph bounces like a yo yo over night..

thats my experience anyway.... again it could be specific to my region my water.

[Bluerain42]

dont forget that a pH of 6.7 is almost 10 times more acidic than a pH of 7.4.

[jim from sydney]

What kind of figures would we be talking about in terms of a crash?
Nicholas just said 7.4 down to 6.7. Doesn't seem like that drastic a change.

be careful here Ph is on a log scale (to the base 10) meaning that 6 to 7 means 10 times higher not 1. hence make the changes slowly please.

[jim from sydney]

What kind of figures would we be talking about in terms of a crash?
Nicholas just said 7.4 down to 6.7. Doesn't seem like that drastic a change.

be careful here Ph is on a log scale (to the base 10) meaning that 6 to 7 means 10 times higher not 1. hence make the changes slowly please.

i meant 10 times higher in number of course