discus breeding water softener

[masterd]

My Discus aren't breeding and I think it's the water hardness. I've got a 75 gallon tank, sand substrate, and a Fluval canister filter. Water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate, but the GH is around 10 dGH. I feed them beef heart mix twice a day and do 30% water changes weekly. Should I cut the hardness with peat or RO water?

[EasyGo]

Peat can work but it's messy and might tint your water. RO is cleaner but you'll need to remineralize. I use a mix of 75% RO and 25% tap in my 120 gallon, with Seachem Equilibrium to hit 4 dGH. My Discus spawn every 3 weeks now. What's your pH? They prefer it under 6.5 for breeding.

[Frosty]

Peat can work but it's messy and might tint your water. RO is cleaner but you'll need to remineralize. I use a mix of 75% RO and 25% tap in my 120 gallon, with Seachem Equilibrium to hit 4 dGH. My Discus spawn every 3 weeks now. What's your pH? They prefer it under 6.5 for breeding.

Yep, RO's the way to go. I run a 60 gallon with 50% RO, driftwood, and almond leaves. pH sits at 6.2, GH at 3. They've been laying eggs like crazy since I dialed it in. What's your tank temp? Mine's at 86°F for breeding.

[Lavida]

Ain't got time for RO, man. I chuck peat pellets in a mesh bag in my HOB filter. Water's tea-colored but my Discus don't care, they're too busy making babies. 55 gallon, sponge filter, temp at 84°F. GH dropped from 12 to 5 in two weeks. Just sayin'.

[spance]

RO's overkill unless you're breeding for show. I've had success with just tap water and a pinch of tannins from oak leaves. 90 gallon, Eheim filter, GH around 8. They spawn monthly. How old are your fish? Juveniles under 12 months rarely breed regardless of water.

[sunsets]

Ain't got time for RO, man. I chuck peat pellets in a mesh bag in my HOB filter. Water's tea-colored but my Discus don't care, they're too busy making babies. 55 gallon, sponge filter, temp at 84°F. GH dropped from 12 to 5 in two weeks. Just sayin'.

That's wild! I might try peat in my quarantine tank first. My main's a 100 gallon with FX6, GH at 9. They've paired but no eggs yet. You using any particular brand of peat pellets?

[lad]

My LFS guy swears by mixing distilled with tap. 50/50 split gets my 40 gallon breeder to 6 dGH. Cheap and easy. I run a sponge filter and keep the lights low. They've spawned twice this month. What's your water change schedule like?

[masterd]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. Gonna test RO and peat separately in my smaller tanks first. My main tank's pH is 7.0, temp 85°F, fish are about 18 months old. Appreciate the help!

[EasyGo]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. Gonna test RO and peat separately in my smaller tanks first. My main tank's pH is 7.0, temp 85°F, fish are about 18 months old. Appreciate the help!

Smart move testing first. Your pH is a tad high, try adding some driftwood or almond leaves to nudge it down. My breeding tank's got a piece of mopani wood that keeps pH steady at 6.4. Let us know how it goes.

[Frosty]

18 months is prime breeding age. If you go RO, grab a TDS meter to track hardness accurately. I aim for 150 ppm in my breeder. 75 gallon, dual sponge filters, daily 10% water changes during spawning. They're fussy but worth it.