Complete Discus fish care guidance for a healthy lifespan

Cichlid popularity is growing widely because of their numerous eye-catching varieties. Discus fish is also a part of a Cichlid family. Discus fish is recognised as ‘king of aquarium’; the reason behind this thought varies from person to person. Some consider that it is because of discus fish care requirements and some think that it is because of their majestic beauty and fascinating colours.

This stunningly beautiful discus fish originated from the waters of Amazon in South America. There are still several debates about the varieties and discus fish type. Discus fish can give a Karizma and elegance to your aquarium with their bright colours and attractive beauty. Keeping discus fish can lead to challenging and stressful work because of their specialised requirement in water and diet, and that is the reason it is widely known that discus fishes are not for beginners.

It is suggested that you should start from captive-bred that are much easier to keep.

Lets us look at some of the critical factors for Discus fish care 

Discus fish care guide

The behaviour and compatibility with the fellow fishes

Being a cichlid member, discus fish can also show some aggressive behaviour towards one another, especially when attempting to pair off. Try not to keep shy and submissive fishes with discus fish because they can’t compete. Most of the experienced aquarists do not mix too many other species with discus fish. One should be quite selective before choosing the tankmates for discus fish like you can include cardinal tetras, neons, Loaches, barbs, rainbowfish, platies, and much more such that can tolerate the water condition required by discus fish.

Discus fish tank setup

Discus fish are quite sensitive to the rapid change in water condition. So it is suggested to maintain the perfect pH of the tank. Discuss fish need warm and acidic water of pH between 6 and 7 and hardness should be around 1° and 4°dKH. The temperature should slightly vary for different varieties of discus fish, but the commonly recognised temperature should be nearly 82° and 86°F.

If you are intending to buy a discus fish, then it becomes necessary to ask about the water chemistry they were raised with. It will help you to keep your discus fish in a healthy and suitable water condition. They are quite sensitive when we talk about water conditions, and hence they require pristine water quality and weekly changes of 10% to 25%.

The idle tank size for every fish is one of the most concerning topics. Discus fish tank setup for proper growth should be around 75-gallon aquarium or even more big when they are grown.

The substrate should be sand of excellent to medium grade, smooth-surfaced gravel as discus like to forage along the bottom for food. You can also mix some light plants that will help them in providing shaded areas and cover.

Difficulty level for discus fish breeding

Discus fish breeding is quite tricky related to taking care of discus fish. This may be the reason for the higher price of discus fish. Captive-bred discus will pair up and spawn comparatively quickly. But young inexperienced parents may eat their eggs the first few times, mainly if other fish are present. After producing, substantial body mucus secreted by the parents for a few days until they start to free-swim. Parents will transfer the young back and forth many times a day.

Conclusion

The complete care of discus fish includes several essential factors. Such as Discus fish tank setup, Discus fish tank mates, Discus fish temperature and many such vital factors that you should keep in mind for better growth and health of your discus fish. It is highly recommended do some research before placing the discus fish.