Ph Too High For Discus?

[Mr Melt]

Allright lads;
My friend had a discus that she needed rid of (due to fin nipping from one of its tankmates). The discus is quite young; maybe about the size of a coke can (birds eye view of course)!

I found out that it was tankbred (not wild), so I assumed it would be relatively fine in my tank (or at least better off; none of my fish are nippers). So in my big tank I cranked the temperature upto 27-28 and checked the PH to make sure it was fine; according to the liquid test it was 7.0 - acceptable for tankbred discus (unless I'm mistaken).

Well now I have it in my big tank; as another precautionary measure I did another liquid test of the tank; now the PH reads something between 7.2 and 7.4! I must have done the initial test wrong or something; a second PH test showed the same results (7.2) =/

I'm quite worried here; will the poor thing be ok in my tank? Tank size and temperature isn't a problem at present; its the PH I'm worrying about. The problem is only made worse by the fact that I can't rehome him (The original owner can't take it back, and the LFS suggested "euthanisation" #63###).

Any thoughts? Please don't gang up on me here; I was only trying to help a poor fish in need of a decent home =/

Also; if anyone has any tips or advice for general discus care in a community setup I'd happily accept them =)

 

[Mr Melt]

"bump"

Anyone any ideas at all? He seems to be fine at present, but I can't be fully certain.

 

[colleen0309]

If he was acclimated slowly, the pH shouldn't be a problem as long as it's steady. Is he eating and acting normal? Please don't euthanize that fish. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't develope any problems from the nipping. Keep the water clean. you may need to do extra water changes. Discus like very clean water.

 

[Mr Melt]

Thanks for the reply.

No I won't euthanise him, unless he is clearly in agony or anything similar. I don't think I'll be seeking any advice from the LFS in future....

Regarding the Discus' behaviour, he is VERY lively, swimming up and down the tank exploring; I was told that he will only eat bloodworms, yet I discovered him stealing my plecos algae wafer the other night =P

When it comes to tank cleanliness I do a weekly water change of 20% with a water siphon (cleans out excess dirt AND changes water). I then use Bioactive Tapsafe for the fresh water, use my algae magnet on the glass and clip the plants.

I've noticed no cloudiness in the eyes, no abnormal spots or lesions on the body or any mucous like deposits on the fins.

All in all he seems to be doing well! I'll keep you updated =)

 

[colleen0309]

I just noticed you have a rainbow snakehead. How does he get along in your tank? I had one for years and he ate everything in sight. Beautiful fish, but very aggressive. I don't know if I'd trust him with your other stock. Keep me posted on that discus. First sign of any trouble, let us know. They can go down hill fast, but it sounds like yours is doing pretty good.

 

[Mr Melt]

My snakehead is doing fine actually; no nipping or anything of the sort. The only concern is that one of my fish may just end up fitting his mouth one of these days (although my smallest fish are the Congo Tetras, so its unlikely =P)

I wouldn't have even considered adding a Discus to an environment with a potential bully. Even my Angelfish are remarkably peaceful (always swimming together ignoring everybody else; I think they're a mated pair actually)!