Help With Hardness Please

[Paul70]

Hi all
I live in Doncaster and unfortunately my tap water is as follows
pH after treating 7.6
amm 0.5ppm
nitrites 0ppm
nitrates 31ppm
GH 16
KH 10


My problem is one of pH and nitrates really as my filters clear the background ammonia quite quickly.

Before I got my 2 discus I was contemplating just buying an RO unit but when i visited Paul at Mad4discus (ebay) he told me that I only really need RO water if I want to breed and that an HMA unit would be better.

I would appreciate your advice so that i can endeavour to remove as many solids and other nasties from my water as I can.

I have been treating my tank with jbl pH- and this brings pH down to around 6.8 but this buffers up again the next day to around 7.4 - 7.6 and I am assuming that my hard water is to blame for this
thanks in advance
paul

 

[markandhisfish]

7.6 isnt a problem for discus , mine were in that and thrived . messing with the ph using those ph up or ph down products will cause instability and big swings in your ph which is far more harmful.

 

[Paul70]

they were bred in water of around 7.2-7.6 anyway so I am hoping they will be ok. I would still like to get some sort of water machine and my gut instinct tells me that RO is the best way to go

 

[KittyKat]

Why exactly is your gut telling you that RO is best? Your tap water might have a highish pH, but it's not exactly hard water. Think it through before you go for an RO unit just because some breeders use them.

Are you buying a breeding pair of discus? Or why only two, otherwise? How's the other tank doing? Did you do ok with the plants in the end?

 

[Paul70]

I have bought my RO unit 3 weeks ago now and my pH has come down to 6.4. i use 100% RO and re-mineralise it with brightwell aquatics discus code remineraliser. They seem to be doing ok and are displaying bright colours and are feeding and growing well.

My smaller tank is currently housing 48 guppy babies which my wife's guppies had over the course of the last 2 months and they are growing well.

this tank no longer has plants in it and just has a gravel substrate and the fish.

plant wise in my 310litre tank i have mainly straight and twisted vallis and am going to shortly be adding some amazon swords and green cabomba with some further bogwood or roots. I am not thinking of breeding my discus yet but if I do decide to try and am lucky to find a breeding pair then my 26g tank will be my breeding tank with no substrate.

In my main tank I am currently changing 20% water daily and everything seems to be going great thanks kat.