How to Treat Black Spots on Discus Fish

Return To: How to Treat White Spots on Discus Fish

 The best way to reduce Pigeonblood freckling also referred to as “peppering” is to keep the aquarium background and bottom light. The lighter the color the less freckles the Pigeonblood Discus will display. This is also true with other Discus, if you want them to show off their brighter colors keep them in light surroundings. If you want them to display a darker color, then keep the bottom and background colors dark to black. Nature has pre-wired Discus fish with a natural camouflage mechanism to help avoid being detected by predators and blending into their environment. In their natural habitat, displaying their black bars help them to blend in with the reeds and grasses. Through captive breeding methods, stains have been developed over the years whereas the black bars have been bred out of Discus fish. This was done to bring out the most vibrant of color in the fish, Discus are brighter when eliminating the black. This kind of mutation would never happen in the wild, fish showing to much color would be bait for predators, and therefore eliminated from reproducing.

In the Pigeonblood Discus strain, their natural camouflage has been genetically manipulated, so instead of displaying vertical bars, they instead show off black freckles. These black spots are not a disease and do not require any medications to treat them. A simple change in the décor of the tank will achieve the desired look that you would like them to display.

You can always tell if a Discus has Pigeonblood lineage if it shows soot around the nose. Even the cleanest of Pigeonbloods have this distinctive marking.

Read More: Why Are Discus Fish Called Pigeonblood