All About Discus Fish

The Discus is a large cichlid from the Amazon River, its tributaries and flood planes, in South America. Discus and its variants were first described in 1840 by Dr. Heckel as Symphysodon discus, this name is now in use for the Heckel discus variant. The three "original" colour variants received their own name, the Green Discus Symphysodon aequifasciata aequifasciata, the brown discus Symphysodon aequifasciata axelrodi, and the blue variant Symphysodon aequifasciata haraldi.

More and more people are choosing to keep Discus Aquarium Fish over other fish and care for it. By becoming more popular more money is going into the industry which assists the funding for research and the development of products and different strains of Discus Aquarium Fish.

The discus is a social fish and lives in large groups in their native waters, and has a very advanced social behaviour; they are one of the few real schooling cichlids. Remember to keep this in mind when starting care for discus; always purchase a group of animals. They need the social interaction to develop their character to its best potential.

Currently, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the original colour variants in pet shops, only the Heckel is sometimes imported. Most of the discus fish you encounter today are captive bred colour variants. At this time the list of described colour variants is nearly endless. Some of the discus colour variants have lost their stripes and therefore their natural ability to communicate in the school. But as always these new variants are finding their way to the aquarium hobbyist quickly for exceptionally high prices and this will stimulate the breeders to try to find a new one. One of the advantages of the captive bred discus is that they are now much easier, not easy, to maintain as the imported ones. They are much more tolerant concerning water conditions.

It is getting increasingly easier to keep Discus Aquarium Fish with new technology to improve water quality and Discus Fish health which could be the cause of the rise in demand. New dealers and breeders are growing rapidly and even small aquatic shops are stocking a range of Discus.

They are beautiful but yet still remain a challenge to keep and breed with the later been very rewarding and will even pay for the hobby. Most people that keep Discus will at some stage want to breed them as it is a great experience.

This guide should give you the knowledge to be able to keep your Discus Aquarium Fish at a good standard and help you breed them without any big problems. Even if you’re a beginner this guide should be the only one you need.

The Tank

The very first question you should ask yourself is, “What size aquarium do I need?” This depends on your budget and the room you have in your home.

Size

If you are having a display tank I would recommend you host them in a tank no smaller than 120cm X 40cm X 50cm.
Discus Aquarium Fish do better in deep tanks and the more water the tank holds the more stable the water conditions tend to be. For a breeding tank a 48cm X 30cm X 30cm tank may be used which is adequate for its purpose.

Position

Discus Fish are very shy fish and tend to hide when they are not confident so keep the tank away from noisy and busy areas especially near door ways and halls. Keep away from direct sunlight and radiators as sunlight will cause algae and excess heat. The only other factor to take into consideration is the height of the tank, the higher up the better as Discus are phased by movement above and this may cause them undue stress.

Substrate

This depends on whether you are breeding your Discus Fish or displaying them. If you have a display tank I recommend you use finer gravel. If you are breeding recommend you have a bare bottom tank as it is easier to clean.

Plants

If you are going to have plants you can either use plastic plants or live plants. I personally don’t like or use plastic plants but it is down to your personal preference. Lately, silk plants have become all the rage and they look much more realistic than plastic, which would add to the aesthetics of the aquarium.

In a display tank you can now get a good Discus Fish plant selection by mail order, these plants tend to be cheaper and better than those you find in aquatic shops. In a breeding tank you may either leave them out or just have one or two potted plants in the tank.

Décor

You may wish to decorate the tank with rocks and driftwood. Driftwood is suitable for discus as their native waters often have roots and driftwood where they find shelter. Rocks should be checked for any metal ore and contaminants. Also try and keep rocks of a similar colour and texture, preferably from the same source, though a different piece adds nice contrast.

Sunken ships, no-fishing signs and plastic mermaids do not belong in a discus tank. Care meas something else than senseless decorating. Try and keep décor to a minimum, it will serve the tank both functionally and aesthetically.

Filtration

It is a well known fact that Discus Fish require excellent water quality, and a good filter is at the heart of this. Now there is not one type of filter that suits a Discus Aquarium best as different filters do different jobs and it just depends on what you need it for.

Types of filtration

There are basically three types of filtration these are:

1) Mechanical
2) Biological
3) Chemical.

Mechanical

This is the first stage of any filtration; the water is drawn or pumped through layers of material that removes any free floating debris from the water. This is important, as sediment will block the next stage of filtration rendering it useless. If the flow rate of your filter drops off then clean or replace the mechanical media immediately.

Biological

The heart of the filter, basically bacteria will live in this area of the filter, they convert the fishes waste, (ammonia) to nitrite and finally nitrate, thus creating a safe environment for your Discus. Porous materials such as ceramics feature in the form of noodles and chips. These have millions of pores in which beneficial bacteria crucial to the removal of ammonia and nitrite, reside and establish colonies. It is important to never clean the media in tap water. You should rinse the media in tank water from water changes, when it is required.

Chemical

The final stage of filtration is very much controlled by you, for various reasons you may wish to add carbon or peat to the filter, these filter media either absorb impurities, or alter the chemical balance of the water. This is usually topped off with a fine wool pad to polish the water as it returns to the aquarium.

Filtration Media

Filter media is the stuff that goes inside your filter mainly an external filter. It cleans the water and removes the harmful toxins from the water.

Mechanical Media

Any media will have mechanical capabilities, but the idea of dedicated mechanical media is that it protects the biological media from becoming clogged with debris. It usually tend to be sponges of some sort or the other. What ever you use it is best to use many layers to filter out the dirt. If maintained regularly then the mechanical media can washed out and re used several times, if left too long you will have to throw it away and replace with new media.

Biological Media

This is the heart of the filter and so long as you use sufficient pre filtration it is unnecessary to ever clean it. Biological filter bacteria live here, they colonize any nook, cranny or rough surface, so it goes without saying that the more surface area your media has the more bacteria will gather on it, thus improving the filtration process. Bacteria will cling to any surface from smooth gravel to the modern ceramic rings products which I use that offer massive surface areas. Ceramic rings products are available in any aquatic outlet and are highly recommended for any flow through filter. If at any stage the biological media does become clogged with muck, it is vitally important that it is washed in old tank water. Do not use tap water, you will kill all the friendly bacteria, which in turn leads to total filter failure, ammonia or nitrite poisoning and ultimately dead fish.

Chemical Media

It may at various times be necessary to add some activated carbon to your filter to remove medications or dyes from the water. Also you can use peat to soften the water, or perhaps Nitrate and Ammonia removing resins. Any chemical media should be last in line of the filtration process, and it is important to adhere to the instructions supplied as to the life span of these media, because some of them will let the toxins back into the water once exhausted.