discus emergency!

gtitan56v8

Help! Ok, I was doing a routine ph test on my Discus tank, number was 7.4. Higher than I like by almost one whole point. So like always I added API's ph down. I had a major bounce and now my ph is 8.0!!!!!!! I am freaking out and have limited knowledge. I dont want to chemical the crap out of my fish but I am struggling. My bounce was caused by hard water. I took 4 gallons out and put in distilled to try and soften it.

Tank info... 100 gal, 4 med Discus, tetras, not planted

Lupin

Stop adding pH down. It is not proving useful and will do more harm than help. What decorations are you using? What substrate are you using? What is the pH of your tapwater?

gtitan56v8

tank decorations are slate, plastic immitation stone bridge, black river rock, lava rock

substrate is tahitian black sand

tap water ph is 8.6 and moderately hard

Falina

Definitely don't use ph down. It causes major intabilities. If the Discus are tank bred they are likely to be able to adapt to harder waters.

To soften the water it's best to use driftwood, indian almond leaves, peat to the tank.