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Re: [APD] How do you guys do water changes?????
My experience is that some of my discuses are very sensitive to changes in
pH or something, and just by doing 20% water changes, I noticed that their
belly will swell like they've been fed and show signs of diarrhea and won't
eat for a day or two. I assume it's from a pH shock of some sort.
I use a dechlorinator so it's not the chlorine issue.
There is no such thing as pH shock, and your Discus can't "feel" pH any
more than you can in a swimming pool. [Mythology persists, and rarely as
well as among Discus growers.]
We don't have enough info to be sure, but your description sounds a lot
like someone who is using a dechlorinator when they should use a
dechloraminator. [Hypo-based product instead of "Amquel" or "Prime" o/e.]
That process *is* pH sensitive, and a burst of deadly ammonia can be
released if your new water has a high pH. Old-style dechlorinators flood
the chloraminated water with ammonium when the bond is broken. [It is
ammonia in higher pH water and very hard on fish.]
The two likliest causes for your symptoms are sudden change of osmotic
pressure conditions (most unlikely at only 20%) or ammonia released from
improperly-treated chloramines. I vote for the latter, maybe combined
with a resident hexamita o/e infection.
Wright
--
Wright Huntley - Rt. 001 Box K36, Bishop CA 93514 - whuntley at verizon_net
760 872-3995
"Outsourcing" is condemned for sending a few American jobs overseas.
What is the appeal, then, of "outsourcing" our entire national security?
[The exact same politicians are insisting that it be handled only by the
UN, and never by our own resources.] -- WH
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