Features
- 500ml / 17 fl. oz
- Provides minor and trace elements utilized in important neurological and
metabolic reactions, and which are incorporated into natural biopigments
for coloration.
- Replaces minor and trace elements used by aquarium inhabitants, and which
are lost through chemical filtration (use of filtration media such as resins
and activated carbon).
- Composed of purified water and ultra-high purity materials.
- Formulated utilizing extensive research on chemistry of the waters naturally-inhabited
by discus, as well as discus trace and minor element requirements.
Description
DiscusCode
Unique complex that provides trace and minor elements in ratios
found to be beneficial to discus and other fishes that share the same waters
of origin.
Technical Overview:
The role that trace and minor elements play with discus and other fishes is
related to neurological and metabolic processes (in which these elements play
critical roles), as well as overall coloration (trace and minor elements are
often at the core of pigments known to enhance coloration). Dosing a trace
and minor supplement with every water change performed is an effective method
of delivering these substances for maximum benefit.
Discus are native to many of the quiet waters of the Amazon River basin,
primarily inhabiting pools, small creeks, and streams of (primarily) blackwater
habitats. Low pH (5.0+/-0.5), caused by lack of buffering molecules, and low
conductivity are characteristic of these waters, and while it is often the
goal of the newcomer to discus husbandry to maintain their fish in these natural
conditions, attempting to do so can make their care somewhat more difficult
than when allowing pH and conductivity values to be slightly higher. While
available to hobbyists were wild caught as recently as 10 years ago, captive-raised
(“tank-bred”) discus are the mainstay of the dedicated hobbyist
today. As such, water conditions in which discus may be maintained are quite
dissimilar to those of their native habitat, largely because of the ease of
raising fish in the relatively hard, alkaline water that is characteristic
of the United States and much of Continental Europe (where much of the discus
breeding is done; water conditions in Southeast Asia, from where the majority
of captive-raised discus originate, is also harder and more alkaline than
is found in a blackwater habitat). Maintaining discus within the following
ranges is recommended: pH 5.5 - 7.0; dGH 10 - 15; dKH 3 - 5; obtaining the
water parameters in which your discus were bred (if not wild-caught) and maintaining
them in these conditions is also a good practice to follow.
A number of popular ornamental fish species, such as Cardinal Tetras and other
characins, Angelfishes, Festivums, and Uaru are often found in the same waters
in which discus originate; hence, DiscusCode may also be used in aquaria housing
these fishes with equal success.
Instructions and Guidelines:
Basic: Shake product well before using. Add ½ ml (~10 drops) of product
per 25 US-gallons of aquarium water every other day. When used in this fashion,
250 ml treats up to 2,500 US-gallons (9,464 L). This dosage may also be used
for freshwater community aquaria.
Advanced: With the exception of iron, there are no hobbyist-grade test kits
that provide reliable measurements of the concentrations of many minor and
trace elements present in freshwater aquaria. It's therefore not possible
to chemically determine exactly how much of a trace and minor element supplement
to dose; rather, you must rely on the appearance of the livestock to make
that determination. We encourage new users of this product to dose 1 ml per
10 US-gallons weekly for the first four weeks of use; this corresponds to
dosing 0.14 ml (~3 drops) per 10 US-gallons each day. Then, gradually increase
the weekly dosage to 2 ml per 10 US-gallons over the following four weeks
and maintain this dosage. Starting at a low dosage will not cause any harm
to aquarium inhabitants, and will enable you to notice subtle changes in the
appearance of the system that indicate the effectiveness and need for the
product. Daily dosing maintains more stable concentrations (and a more natural
environment) than dosing weekly, in which the concentration of elements spikes
just after dosing and then gradually decreases throughout the course of the
week. Though trace and minor elements are essential to critical biological
processes, the gross overdosing of a trace and minor element supplement can
be harmful to aquarium inhabitants. Minor and trace elements are made unavailable
in aquaria largely by adsorption to particulate organic matter (POM); therefore,
aquaria with large amounts of latent organic material may require slightly
heavier dosing of this product to compensate for that which is bound. In all
cases, latent organic material should be removed as thoroughly as possible
from aquaria because of the negative impact that it can have on water quality.
The use of activated carbon will remove trace and minor elements both passively
and actively, requiring that this product be dosed after the use of carbon
filtration media.
Caution:
Keep out of reach of children. Not for human consumption.
Guaranteed Analysis:
Zinc (min) 0.0092 mg/oz.; Iron (min) 0.00095 mg/oz.; Manganese 0.00052 mg/oz.;
(min) Cobalt (min) 0.000052 mg/oz.
Ingredients:
Purified water, Sodium metavanadate, Zinc sulfate, Nickel chloride, Chromium
chloride, Sodium feredetate, Manganese chloride, Strontium chloride, Cobalt
chloride.
