When Do Discus Fish Get Their Color

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 *When Discus fish first hatch and begin free swimming, they all look the same, a brown body with extremely large black eyes compared to the rest of their body. As they grow and begin to take shape, all Discus fry 1 to 1-1/2 inch begin to take on a solid burnt reddish/orange color regardless of their inherited genetic color. At a size of 2 to 3-1/2 inch, they begin to show about 10% of their genetic color. Typically, blue colored fish begin to show a bluish sheen earlier than red colored Discus, and spotted Discus fish develop the slowest.

When Discus fish are 1 year old and 5 inches in size or larger, they are now showing 70% of their true genetic colors. Whether stiped, solid or spotted the percentage of color development will be the same for all genetic colors at this age. Spotted fish still lag behind in pattern development and need another year’s worth of growth before their striated lines break up into more definitive spotted patterns.

It takes all Discus fish 2 years to reach full color! Patterns and full body colors are completely developed, and they will not get any more intense. On the other hand, older Discus fish colors will fade as they reach 6 to 8 years old. Discus fish are at their peak appearance for 4 years between the age of 2 and 6 years old.

Rapid growth and diet will help in their overall color development. A diet rich in Beta Carotene and Astaxanthins, which is naturally found in Krill, and Omega One flake will help Blue, Red and Orange Discus fish reach more vibrant colors earlier. While Yellow and White Discus should be fed a neutral diet of bloodworms and limit the intake Astaxanthins to keep the yellow and white as vibrant and undisturbed as possible.

If your Discus fish are not showing the colors that you expected when they are young, this is normal. Feed more often to achieve faster growth, and incorporate the foods mentioned above into their diet to enhance early color.

Learn More: Do Discus Fish Need Salt in Their Aquarium