Water Chemistry  

Imagine, what would life be if we don’t have air to breathe? Water is air to the discus fish. If you’re breathing in thick smog all the time then it’s a certainty that you would get sick, maybe develop cancer, or even choke to death in an instant. So, in maintaining the water of your tank, you not only need to keep it clean, you also have to get the right pH levels and the proper temperature which will simulate the waters where the discus fish came from, which is the Amazon river. 

The PH level of the water is very important. Because Discus Fish thrives on a more acidic type of water, you have to keep the water PH level between 5.5 and 6.8. Any more acidic or alkaline than these numbers is a sure way to kill your discus fish. Discus fish will not tolerate water with a higher PH level. 

Although discus fish are not that sensitive to water hardness, it will play an important role in keeping them healthy. The optimum hardness of water for discus fish to thrive in should be between 2dH and 8dH. This will be quite soft, which is perfect for discus fish to live in. The hardness of the water should be between 2 and 8 and the conductivity should be around 10ms. This may be a problem if you live in a place where hard water is abundant as you will need to bring down the hardness of the water as well as the PH. 

You need to remember that sudden change in water chemistry can eventually lead to high stress levels for discus fish. And, if your discus fish is constantly experiencing stress, they will be more likely to get diseases and even die. 

Tap water is full of chemicals which can be very harmful to discus fish. It may be helpful for your healthy but the chemicals can be very damaging to your discus fish. This is why it is important that you monitor the water’s chemistry every time you change the water in your discus fish aquarium. 

In most parts of the country, chlorine and chloramines are added to water supplies. And, as you can imagine, chlorine is a chemical that is not good for discus fish. Today, there are available test kits that you can use to test the water if these chemicals are present in the water and also how much of it is present in the water. 

Water conditioning is the process of removing these chemicals from the water. This part is essential in order for you to properly care for your discus fish. 

A reverse osmosis filter will be able to strip everything from the water and this will also lower the PH level as well as the hardness.  

As for changing the water, you should do so every week. A 50 percent change of the water will do.