Discus Fish Information

Return To; Discus Fish Breeding

 Discus fish originate from calm waters of the Tropical Amazon River basin and today are offered in many beautiful, bright colors. They vary in size from 2” to 7” and their bodies are round and flat with extended fins. They have red eyes, and many have a series of vertical stripes called bars on their bodies that are helpful for camouflage. Although discus fish are not the easiest fish to keep in an aquarium, having the proper discus fish information before you buy them will make the process much easier for you and the fish.

Tank

Before putting discus fish in a tank, it should be well cycled and plant life should be established or artificial plant should be in place. One important piece of discus fish information to note is like all tropical fish, ammonia or nitrites in the tank can be toxic to fish. You should monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels and keep the tank clean and well filtered. The live plants will help filter the ammonia and nitrite as well. The tank should be large enough to house a school of 6 to 15 discus as they are schooling fish and act peaceful in groups. A 29-gallon tank is the smallest size that will accommodate discus fish, and you can put 4 to 6 discus in a tank that size. The discus fish need plenty of room to swim, and there should be a number of plants for them to hide in.

Water

Another important piece of discus fish information is that because they are tropical fish, they need warm water to live in. The temperature should remain consistently between 85 to 88 degrees. Slightly softer water is recommended, and the pH level should be slightly acidic, between 6.5 and 7.0 is good. If you plan to attempt to breed your discus fish, you will need to maintain the optimal conditions for water temperature and pH. If you don’t plan on breeding, you still must monitor water conditions frequently to ensure the health of your fish.

Feeding

A useful bit of discus fish information is that they are omnivores, so they will eat both plants and meat. A balanced diet consisting of Spiralina flake and Omega one flake with an assortment of meaty foods such as brine shrimp, live or frozen and frozen bloodworms, will keep your discus fish healthy and happy. It is important not to over feed discus fish and pollute your tank. While they will scavenge plant detritus and other matter from the tank, because of the risk of nitrite, it is important that the tank be kept very clean and mostly free of detritus.

Learn More; Discus Fish Care