Who Gives A Fish Forums

I think basis had some great points about water chemistry and how it affects our discus. I've always believed that where you're located and the quality of your tap water can make a huge difference in how you care for your fish. I've been lucky enough to have decent tap water, and I think that's one reason why my discus have done so well.

I've never been one to obsess over measuring my fish, but I can tell you that they're all doing great. I've got a few that are as big as my hand or bigger, and they all seem happy and healthy. I think that's what it's all about for me - I don't need to have the biggest or the best, I just want my fish to thrive.

I love the idea of doing an experiment to compare different water change regimes, but I'm afraid I'm not disciplined enough to follow through with it. Maybe basis will take on the challenge and share his results with us.

I've always been a laid-back hobbyist, and I think that's what's worked for me. I enjoy the work involved in keeping my tanks, but I don't let it consume me. I've got other interests and hobbies that I enjoy just as much, and I think that's what keeps things in perspective for me.

I've always been a fan of the "keep your hands out of the tank" approach, and I think it's served me well. I've had my share of setbacks and failures over the years, but I've always tried to learn from them and move forward. And I think that's what it's all about - having fun, learning, and enjoying the journey.

Re: Small, Small, Daily WCs

I'm chiming in on this discussion, sharing my own experience with discus care. I've been using Dr. Novak's anoxic filtration system in my 125-gallon discus tank, housing 10 discus and some tankmates. I also have a 40-gallon breeder tank with a slow-moving plenum, home to four discus and a few tankmates. My approach is straightforward: I don't test my tanks and instead perform a 50% weekly water change, using tap water treated with Seachem safe. Both tanks are thriving, and I've had zero fish issues. This method has worked for me over the past 11 years, and I see no reason to change my approach now.

I remember a similar experiment back in 2018, it was the "Forum: Discus Grow Out Challenger Contest 2018" threads. The results of that experiment clearly showed the impact of large, daily water changes on young discus.

Re: Small, Small, Daily WCs

wilde, I love your enthusiasm, but I'm thinking of something a bit different from the 2018 contest. I'm all about being lazy, but with my new space, I'm in the mindset of "work hard now, think less later." My new water change system is almost done, and it's a game-changer. I can refill my tanks with the press of a button while doing, well, whatever I want. I'm planning to set up my tanks in my garage, and I've already got water aging barrels ready. I'm not always going to be raising discus, but I want to crack the code for certain brown base red strains. I'll document my progress, and if I fail, I'll share what I learned. My goal is to populate my show tank with a group of discus I've raised, and then I'm done. I just want to make it easy for myself, so I can be successful without too much effort. I've had big discus before, and I love them, but I've also had my share of happy fish that didn't make it to 6 inches. I'm working on setting up my system for big discus, but I'm not there yet. For now, I'll just say I'm getting there, and I'll set the bar low, so I can always exceed expectations. LMAO. I'm still following your anoxic filtration thread, and I'm a skeptic, but I love seeing what you come up with. If I can pull off my own experiment, I might hit you up for another one.