help with DISCUS

Question

My aquarium in process   Hello Sir
I am from India.Local aquarium shops here have hardly any real knowledge about maintenance of fish and other important stuffs.So decided to contact ADA japan,who in turn forwarded me to ADA India.from their retailers i came to know many stuffs about discus.i bought ADA treated drfitwoods xl (3) for my 4 feet in length aquarium with LA PLATA sand as substrate.the ph of water was 8.they asked me to add some mineral water(which is difficult fr me to do on a regular basis) so that i dnt require to use much quantity of BE SOFT product of ADA which reduces the water hardness.just adding 3 CAPS of be soft after 2nd time 50% water change...drops the ph to 7.8...Isnt that a suitable ph for discus or do they require even lesser ph? i read somewhere tankbred discus can thrive easily at ph as high as 8.5,but the water should be stable.what is correct and wat sud i do? help MR EXPERT!!!
i want to know also what discus will look best in BLACK BACKGROUND..i want to keep same colored discus 4 with cardinal tetras

Answer
Hi Rameez,

Please don't let your water pH levels to go beyond 7.8. I'm not sure what you saw that recommended a pH level of 8.5, but the ideal water pH level is at 5.5 - 7. Once pH level go past 7.8, it is considered as acidic and is not good for your fish.

As for a black background, it really depends on the shape of your tank and the lighting. Try different types of light and see which will bring out the most beauty of your discus. However, please refrain from using extremely bright lighting as it will be stressful for the fish.

Hope this helps!
-Sam