The Discus Fish – The Myth
When I first decided to stay with the king of the aquarium, I was told by many veterans to “don’t go down that road, boy, it will all end in tears”. However, I decided to treat myself to keeping a Discus aquarium ago and never looked back. In those days all modern equipment was unheard of and rain or stream water was all the rage.
As long as you give your fish a large tank with suitable companions, for example cardinal tetras or rummy nose tetras and a thick planting with broad-leaved plants and subdued lighting, nothing could be easier.
Today, with reverse osmosis water available, there is no excuse to fail with discus fish. The following water parameters are ideal for discus:
- Ammonia- 0ppm
- Nitrite- 0ppm
- Nitrate- no more than 10ppm
- pH-6.5
- dH-2-3
- Temperature- 28-29°C
Feeding is of paramount importance and a good varied diet of dry and frozen foods are desirable. I usually feed my discus fish Tetra Prima, a dry pelleted feed, frozen bloodworm and tubifex. With a good diet, you should see your fish turn into living jewels.
Discus fish breeding – the ultimate goal
Today it is quite possible to breed and breed your own discus fish, the main requirement is patience. There are two ways to go:
- The first is to buy 6 small discus, breed them and let them mate naturally.
- The second is to purchase an adult breeding pair from a reputable source.
In my opinion, the ideal tank for discus spawning is a 18-inch cube. This size allows the fry to be next to the parents at all times. When the time is right and your discus is ready to spawn, you will notice the pair rocking and leaning towards each other, the fins taking on a black appearance.
The next step in the spawning process is when the fish begin to clear a spawning site. This can take anywhere from half a day to 2 days. The spawning site can take a variety of forms, ranging from aquarium wood, broad plant leaves, filter pipes within the tank, and sometimes the glass of the tank.
You can also purchase a spawning cone that are specifically designed for discus to spawn.
Once your fish are satisfied that the spawning ground is clean and ready, the female will do some testing while encouraging the male to follow her. Then the female will lay the eggs and the male will fertilize them.
The discus guards the eggs until the big time comes and you have a wriggling mass of fry at the spawning ground. After about 3 days, the fry are free-swimming and begin to graze on mucus on the parent’s side. CONGRATULATIONS!! YOU HAVE RAISED DISCUS FISH
