what is peppering of discus?

Question
I am from INDIA.i once bought a pigeon discus of 5 inch size.it was ok..but suddenly after a month it got black stripes on its body.i wast able to understand what it was and came to know that it is peppering(that is what some said)...i want to know
1)when it was 5 inches long..it had no peperring...then why suddently after a month it got peppered?
2)i am planning to buy 6 heckel x discus...of 3 inch size.i wanna know if they will get peperred when they will grow up?any ways to keep it at bay?
3)ph of my tap water is 8 as it has high iron concentration.so i removed 50% water 2 days consecutively with AQUAGUARD water.ph of my aquaguard water is 7.6...can discus stay at a ph of 7.6? if not tell me hwo to reduce ph plz.

Thanx

Answer
Hi Rameez

1) Pigeon Discus will always show peppering at one point. It changes with their mood, stress and even a dark substrate and/or background will cause it. There are some things you can do to avoid it...keep the water clean, change or install a light colored background.

2) The only species that show pepper is the Pigeon species. All the other species of Discus have bars which come and go according to the mood and stress level.

3) DO NOT alter the pH of your tank. A stable pH of 8 is much better than a fluctuating pH. Discus will be just fine in a pH of 8 as long as it is stable. I also do not recommend changing 50% of the water every 2 days.

Hope this helps, good luck!

Richard