Who Gives A Fish Forums

Heard a lot of wild stuff about water changes for Discus, like you gotta do 90% daily or they'll croak. My crew's in a 75g with sand, driftwood, and a Fluval FX6. Been doing 50% weekly, params stable at 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate. They're chillin', but am I missing something?

Nah, you're good. The 90% daily thing is overkill unless you're breeding or have a tiny tank. I've kept Discus for years in a 120g with pool filter sand, Eheim 600, and RO water. 30% twice a week keeps nitrates under 20. Key is consistency, not extremes.

blueguy wrote: ↑Tue May 27, 2025 8:09 pm Nah, you're good. The 90% daily thing is overkill unless you're breeding or have a tiny tank. I've kept Discus for years in a 120g with pool filter sand, Eheim 600, and RO water. 30% twice a week keeps nitrates under 20. Key is consistency, not extremes.

Exactly this. My 100g with Discus and Cardinals gets 40% weekly, Seachem Prime, and a Tidal 110. Nitrates never spike above 15. People stress over frequency, but stability's what matters.

Yo, my LFS told me Discus need distilled water or they'll freak. That sound sketchy? I'm using tap with Prime in a 55g, sponge filter, and they're vibing. But now I'm second-guessing.

Distilled's unnecessary unless your tap's garbage. Test your KH and GH—Discus like soft water, but they adapt. My tap's 8dGH, 4dKH, and I buffer with peat in the canister. 60g, AquaClear 110, weekly 35% changes. Zero issues for 3 years.

What's the deal with aging water? I've got a 40g with Discus and Rams, no room for storage barrels. Can I just temp-match and dechlorinate straight from the tap?

Thanks, all. Gonna stick with my routine but maybe bump to 40% if nitrates creep up. Appreciate the sanity check.

gleek2 wrote: ↑Wed May 28, 2025 1:02 am What's the deal with aging water? I've got a 40g with Discus and Rams, no room for storage barrels. Can I just temp-match and dechlorinate straight from the tap?

Aging's mostly for chlorine gas-off, but Prime handles that. I direct-fill my 75g with a Python, mix hot/cold to 84°F, dose Prime as it fills. Discus and Angels don't care. Just don't blast 'em with ice-cold streams.

My buddy swears by 'no water changes, just plants.' His 90g's a jungle with Discus, but nitrates sit at 40+. Sketchy or nah?

40's pushing it. Plants help, but they ain't magic. My heavily planted 80g still needs 25% weekly to keep nitrates at 10. Discus start sulking over 20 in my experience.