Setting Up A Discus Amazon Biotope

[Lord Fishheart]

I currently keep a Fluval Roma 200 as a community tank, but I am wishing to convert to Discus keeping after Christmas.

I have been researching the natural habitat of the discus fish and have decided I would like to create a biotope tank.

I have bought a few books and I am doing my research now before I venture into new ground.

Firstly, I have bought a huge piece of bogwood (currently boiling in my kitchen at work!!!) and this is going to be the focal point for the tank. I then am going to buy some redmoor wood to act as roots etc.

I will be using http/www.seapets.co.uk/product-det...de/954950.html caribea white sand for my substrate.

I have also researched some plants I will be putting in, will not be overplanting the tank, will have plants dotted about.

I will be putting 4 or 5 discus in and a shoal of 20 cardinal tetras, plus some Corys.

I have read loads of articles on water changes, what does this board recommend??, I currently do 25% on my community tank weekly.

Also, would be grateful if anybody could confirm the PH parameters which Discus are to be kept in.

Also, if PH is too high, how would I lower it?

My tap waters parameters are:

Just tested my tap water and got the following results:

Stick test

GH 6.0
KH 0.0
PH 6.0
Nitrite 0.0
Nitrate 0.0

Liquid based test

PH 6.0
Ammonia 0.0
Nitrite 0.0
Nitrate 0.0

I think my water is perfect for keeping discus? am I right? any advice is appreciated

 

[Colin_T]

I would increase the KH to prevent the PH from dropping suddenly. I would probably increase the PH to about 6.8 or 7.0 as well. This will probably happen anyway if you increase the KH.

 

[rabbut]

Acctually, for tank bred stock, the pH is too low IMO. Tank bred fish will have seen a pH above 7 from about 3 days old to arriving with you. That is what they are used to. A low pH actually seems to upset and stress them IME. The pH and GH are about right for Wild stock, but I would take strip hardness tests with a very large pinch of salt. Most surgest a KH reading that is higher than the GH one, which simply isn't possible For that reason I question their accuracy Any chance you can get liquid drop tests for the KH and GH? If KH is genuinely 0 it is a problem and there is nothing to support the pH and as a reasult it will crash, especially if bogwood is in there

Raising the pH and KH is easily done with coral gravel in the filter. You want to target a pH of 7-7.5 for TB stock

I do two 50% weekly waterchanges on my system, but you can get away with weekly 50%'s for fish over 5" in most cases. I do more often ones to ensure the tank can keep running if I were ill on a waterchange day. Discus are fussy with water quality, and waterchanges are possibly the most important part of their care. With you raising the pH and KH above that of your tap water though, you will want little and often waterchanges to avoid pH and hardness shock when you re-fill Something like 20% daily or every-other day is what I would target depending on stocking heavyness.

As your research should have indicated, you need a 55g minimum with 18" height and 5 discus to spread the agression of them when they hit the fish equivilant of puberty

HTH
Rabbut

 

[KpT]

BACKING YOU ON THIS ONE MATE

Hope it looks great at the end

I have a biotope for cardinals and rams and my PH is 6.5 but i think discus might like it a bit lower.

Good luck

Sam

 

[petertr]

Is the water really that soft in Ferryhill?