Discus fry tank water buffer tips

[Blossom]

Lido's over here like 'ignore the test kit,' lol. But seriously, fry are tougher than we think. My crew survived a pH crash to 6.5 when my buffering substrate wore out. Just keep the water clean and warm, and they'll cut it.

[vivid22]

Has anyone tried peat moss for buffering? I've got a bag in my HOB filter, and it keeps the pH at 6.7 in my 10-gallon fry tank. Water's tinted, but the fry don't mind.

[Bamda]

Has anyone tried peat moss for buffering? I've got a bag in my HOB filter, and it keeps the pH at 6.7 in my 10-gallon fry tank. Water's tinted, but the fry don't mind.

Yep, but it's sketchy with fry. The tannins can mess with their slime coat. I'd stick to coral or commercial buffers. My go-to's Brightwell Aquatics KH Buffer, dosed per their chart.

[mystic]

For precise control, a dosing pump with a KH buffer solution works. I automate mine to maintain 3 dKH, pH 7.0, in a 55-gallon system. Overkill for most, but fry growth rates doubled versus manual dosing.

[DuskRay]

I'm just here learning. My fry tank's a mess, pH all over, but they're eating and swimming. Maybe I'll try the coral thing. Tank's a 5-gallon with a tiny sponge filter, no heater (room's warm).