Filter Question

[Lord Fishheart]

I will be running 2 x Fluval 205 filters for my Discus only tank after Christmas.

The filter has 3 compartments for media.

Currently I have ceramic rings in the top two and charcoal in the bottom one.

I have been told that charcoal is not much use, and was considering switching the charcoal to peat granules.

Do the members of this board recommend this as a good idea?

 

[rabbut]

I'd personally replace with either more bio-media or floss, bio-media being lower maintanance Charcoal has been linked to HITH disease in Discus, though how true this is is anyones' guess. Personally, I only associate it with poor diet, but there could be a genuine risk there if you want to believe the authors of some sites

The issue with using peat, is that you will probibly be doing large waterchanges with the Discus in. If you have enough peet in there to make a diffrence to much, it will caurse a pH swing at EVERY waterchange, stressing the fish If you are going to do something that lowers pH, you have to do it in a way where you can alter it before the water hits the tank for large waterchanges, or you are likely to hit issues, when you are doing those waterchanges. If you did smaller, say 20% daily, waterchanges, then it could a a viable metod of pH adjustment, but the pH would not move that much in that time, though you would get plenty of tinnins pH takes a long time to move with peat, and every waterchange would reverse it's effects...

HTH
Rabbut