Hi everyone,
Apologies if I've missed this one, but I couldn't find any previous discussions. I'm relocating my 600L tank with discus to a new place and the water is extremely hard - 276ppm. I'm considering a water softener to reduce the hardness, but I'm unsure if it's safe for my discus. Would this be a viable solution, or are there other options I should explore?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Discus and water softeners
Re: Discus and water softeners
Re: Discus and water softeners
Try searching for "water softener" in the top right search bar. I'd advise against using one, as they work by swapping salt for the minerals they remove. Not ideal. If you're just keeping discus and not breeding, they should adapt to hard water, assuming it's free from nitrates and other issues. My own well water is extremely hard - over 400 ppm - and my discus do just fine.
Try searching for "water softener" in the top right search bar. I'd advise against using one, as they work by swapping salt for the minerals they remove. Not ideal. If you're just keeping discus and not breeding, they should adapt to hard water, assuming it's free from nitrates and other issues. My own well water is extremely hard - over 400 ppm - and my discus do just fine.
Re: Discus and water softeners
Re: Discus and water softeners
Thanks for the reassurance, Slybird. I'm just looking for the best water quality for my discus, no breeding plans here. Your experience with 400ppm well water is really helpful, I feel a bit better about the move now.
Thanks for the reassurance, Slybird. I'm just looking for the best water quality for my discus, no breeding plans here. Your experience with 400ppm well water is really helpful, I feel a bit better about the move now.
Re: Discus and water softeners
Re: Discus and water softeners
I'm with Slybird on this one. 276ppm isn't excessively hard, and your discus should thrive in it. To further put your mind at ease, I'd recommend testing for GH and KH levels. This will give you a better understanding of your water's buffering capacity and its ability to maintain a stable pH.
I'm with Slybird on this one. 276ppm isn't excessively hard, and your discus should thrive in it. To further put your mind at ease, I'd recommend testing for GH and KH levels. This will give you a better understanding of your water's buffering capacity and its ability to maintain a stable pH.
Re: Discus and water softeners
Re: Discus and water softeners
I've just ordered some test kits to double-check everything. Considering a budget-friendly RO unit as a precaution, and if needed, I'll do a 50/50 mix of RO and tap water. Thanks again for all the helpful advice so far.
I've just ordered some test kits to double-check everything. Considering a budget-friendly RO unit as a precaution, and if needed, I'll do a 50/50 mix of RO and tap water. Thanks again for all the helpful advice so far.
Re: Discus and water softeners
Re: Discus and water softeners
Iron, calcium, and magnesium are pretty common in well water around here. I've found that adding a small dose of Safe after big water changes helps keep the iron and other heavy metals under control. The calcium acts as a natural pH buffer, which is nice - it means I can go a while between water changes without worrying about the pH taking a hit. Now, municipal tap water is a different story - it can vary a lot depending on the district, and they often add things seasonally. I'd recommend testing your water or getting a statement from the water district to see what you're working with. Wells can be just as unpredictable, of course. It's tough to shake the idea that discus need soft water, but unless you're breeding or dealing with contaminants, an RO unit is probably overkill.
Iron, calcium, and magnesium are pretty common in well water around here. I've found that adding a small dose of Safe after big water changes helps keep the iron and other heavy metals under control. The calcium acts as a natural pH buffer, which is nice - it means I can go a while between water changes without worrying about the pH taking a hit. Now, municipal tap water is a different story - it can vary a lot depending on the district, and they often add things seasonally. I'd recommend testing your water or getting a statement from the water district to see what you're working with. Wells can be just as unpredictable, of course. It's tough to shake the idea that discus need soft water, but unless you're breeding or dealing with contaminants, an RO unit is probably overkill.
Re: Discus and water softeners
Re: Discus and water softeners
First test results are in from the tap, using API. Here's what I've got:
Nitrate - 20ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
PH - 8.5
KH - 240
GH - 180
Aged water is sitting, will test tomorrow and see how it goes.
First test results are in from the tap, using API. Here's what I've got:
Nitrate - 20ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
PH - 8.5
KH - 240
GH - 180
Aged water is sitting, will test tomorrow and see how it goes.
Re: Discus and water softeners
Re: Discus and water softeners
I'm no expert, so take this for what it's worth. My own tap water has a pH of 7.0, but after aging, it rises to 8.2 or maybe a bit higher. The hardness levels are quite high, with KH at 286 ppm and GH at 322 ppm. Despite this, my discus seem to be thriving with just simple aging and preheating for water changes.
Standard water softeners are a bit misleadingly named - they're actually ion exchange units that swap the ions in your water for sodium. And from my research, it seems they replace the original ions with roughly twice as many sodium ions. For example, if your water has a TDS of 300 before the softener, it might be around 600 after. Keep in mind that my testing is hardly scientific, and TDS readings can be a bit misleading. I personally bypass my water softener for my aquarium water, and I recall debates about this from years ago when I kept oscars - I'm not sure if anyone really knows the impact.
What concerns me more is the 20 ppm of nitrates in your tap water. That's at least double the safe level for drinking water. I think the limit is around 5 or 10 ppm - I'm not sure. Is this a private well or municipal source? I'm not aware of any easy ways to eliminate nitrates from tap water. Could it be that your test kit is off?
I'm no expert, so take this for what it's worth. My own tap water has a pH of 7.0, but after aging, it rises to 8.2 or maybe a bit higher. The hardness levels are quite high, with KH at 286 ppm and GH at 322 ppm. Despite this, my discus seem to be thriving with just simple aging and preheating for water changes.
Standard water softeners are a bit misleadingly named - they're actually ion exchange units that swap the ions in your water for sodium. And from my research, it seems they replace the original ions with roughly twice as many sodium ions. For example, if your water has a TDS of 300 before the softener, it might be around 600 after. Keep in mind that my testing is hardly scientific, and TDS readings can be a bit misleading. I personally bypass my water softener for my aquarium water, and I recall debates about this from years ago when I kept oscars - I'm not sure if anyone really knows the impact.
What concerns me more is the 20 ppm of nitrates in your tap water. That's at least double the safe level for drinking water. I think the limit is around 5 or 10 ppm - I'm not sure. Is this a private well or municipal source? I'm not aware of any easy ways to eliminate nitrates from tap water. Could it be that your test kit is off?
Re: Discus and water softeners
Re: Discus and water softeners
Just a bit of an update on the nitrate front. I've done some digging and it seems 20ppm is actually the average nitrate level in tap water here in the UK. I was a bit concerned at first, so I double-checked with another test. Both times, the colour was roughly in between 0-20, but if I'm being honest, it was closer to 20.
Just a bit of an update on the nitrate front. I've done some digging and it seems 20ppm is actually the average nitrate level in tap water here in the UK. I was a bit concerned at first, so I double-checked with another test. Both times, the colour was roughly in between 0-20, but if I'm being honest, it was closer to 20.
Re: Discus and water softeners
Re: Discus and water softeners
Just had a chat with Mark from Devotedly Discus, and he's reassured me that 20ppm nitrates are perfectly fine for his discus. He's had no issues with them at this level, so that's a weight off my mind.
Just had a chat with Mark from Devotedly Discus, and he's reassured me that 20ppm nitrates are perfectly fine for his discus. He's had no issues with them at this level, so that's a weight off my mind.