Discus

A discus fish is a member of the Cichlidae family of fish. They are sometimes affectionately referred to as the ‘king of the aquarium’, thanks to their regal beauty and elegant colours.

A variety of colours are available for this type of fish as a result of selective breeding. For this reason, they are popular choices for freshwater aquariums, adding a distinctive and sophisticated beauty. Discus fare far better when kept in a school of at least six fish, meaning you are able to have a real selection of colours, to add a real visual flare to your aquarium.

Discus fish require an aquarium of at least 75 gallons; they grow to be pretty large, so when fully grown they will need plenty of room to swim around. It is best to invest in a tall aquarium, as this is the most appropriate for their body shape.

The natural habitat for discus fish is the floodplain lakes and flooded forests of the lowland Amazon River basin and its tributaries. As a result of seasonal flooding, these areas are famous for extreme changes in the level of the water. Discus fish congregate near fallen trees for shade and protection. They thrive best in quiet waters and will seldom be found anywhere there is a strong current or wave action.

Consequently, the water movement within the tank should be gentle. The aquarium’s décor should feature large broadleaf plants and driftwood; arrange these vertically to give the effect of downed trees and branches, emulating a discus’s natural environment. Floating plants are also suitable additions, giving your discus fish plenty of shade and cover.

Discus fish forage at the bottom of the aquarium for food, so the substrate should be finer, smooth-surfaced gravel or sand.

You should keep the temperature of your aquarium’s water between 82 and 86 F. If you are keeping wild Heckel discus, the temperature should be closer to 90 degrees F.

To ensure the health of your discus, you must keep them in clean water. A clean aquarium with a constant exchange of fresh water will help to ensure the health of your discus fish.

Research has shown that discus who swim in tanks which have the water changed regularly are more likely to grow larger.

This species of fish produces substances that are harmful to it, so it is very important that you change the water regularly to remove these toxicities.

Weekly water changes of between 10% and 25% are highly recommended. Discus that have been bred in captivity should be kept in dechlorinated tap water. You should always ask about the water they were raised in, to ensure you keep them in a suitable environment throughout the fish’s lifetime.

Discus fish are omnivores and will thrive on things like shrimp pellets, algae rounds and high quality granular or flake food. Adult discus are fed twice a day, while younger discus fish should be fed at least three times each day.

As a treat, you can feed them frozen and live foods; this also helps to induce spawning. Some breeders feed discus fish beef heart, although this is not a natural food for them. For the best results, try to rotate their diet each day and feed them food that they can completely consume in between 2 and 3 minutes. Remove any food that has not been eaten within 5 minutes.

When properly looked after in a home aquarium, a discus fish can be expected to live for an average of 10 years, although they have been known to live as long as 15 years. They can grow up to eight inches.

Discus are generally peaceful species of fish, but they can be aggressive towards each other, particularly when it comes to pairing off to spawn. You should remove any shy or submissive species if they are unable to compete with discus.

Suitable mates include peaceful community fish like neons, cardinal tetras, danios, pencilfish, gouramis, emperor and rummy-nose tetras. Clown loaches and certain dwarf cichlids are also suitable to mix with discus. These fish are also able to stand up to the high temperatures and low pH levels that discus fish require.

Discus are a schooling fish, meaning that you should keep them in a community of at least six other discus. If you only keep one discus alone in a tank, it may not live for as long as it might if it were in a school of other discus.

If your discus fish were bred in captivity, they should pair off and spawn quite easily. Young parents with little or no experience may eat their eggs the first few times after spawning.