Discus Care isn't really as tough as a lot of people make out, in actual fact being the owner of and caring for discus fish is a very rewarding experience, especially with proper knowledge of how to care for your discus fish. discus fish are often referred to as "The kings of the aquarium" and for good reason. They're elegant, majestic, beautiful, colourful and challenging. They've already obtained somewhat of a reputation for being frustrating fish to care for, this is simply not in reality the case, in truth owning discus fish is tremendously pleasing with actually a little bit of care in the right areas you'll have a entire aquarium brimming with vibrant and healthy discus. A few essential things to bear in mind are correct tank setup, discus diet and ways to prevent discus diseases. Furthermore, it is important to consider the purpose of your aquarium; is it going to be a home discus aquarium or will it be more for breeding purposes.
Discus behaviour
Every proud discus hobbyist knows, when compared to some other tropical fish which avoid contact with people, Discus fish are rather curious and friendly. A keen awareness of their surroundings is clearly evident as they often observe their owners move around the room and quite often discus are even know to look at movement on TV.Being friendly and personable by nature, discus fish will recognise and rush to greet you any time you approach the aquarium as well as eat straight from your hand. Their trusting and open character is the reason people fall in love with these awesome fish. Discus also will live in a hierarchical society having an alpha fish being the leader. The dominant discus is commonly the largest and will be the first one to feed and pair off.
Discus Tank Mates
This essential and quite often not considered part of discus fish care is likely to make the difference between a happy, lively discus and a stressed out neurotic mess of a fish. Like most pet owners; Discus fish can be very picky about who they live with, making it very important to select the right tank mates for your discus fish. Seeing as discus fish are rather tranquil and subdued, may be bullied by other kinds of large or aggressive fish; freshwater Angelfish for instance. Therefore it's wise to properly plan which tank mates you would like to introduce to the Discus fish tank. It is also important to not overcrowd the tank, discus want to be kept in small groups and will become distressed if their tank is too small or populated. Some fish that will be suitable to live together with discus fish are listed below:
- Emerald catfish
- Royal Whiptail
- Black Ruby Barb
- Dwarf Loach
-Tetra (my personal recommendation Neon, Cardinal and Rummy Tetras look great)
- African Butterfly Fish
- Other small cichlids
-And of course other types of discus fish
Feeding discus
Discus fish are actually like to eat small meals it is therefore far better to give them little meals more often, rather than just one large meal once daily, older discus fish should really be feed 2-3 times every day, whereas new discus fish should really be feed about 5 times per day. Overfeeding discus fish could be a serious issue, their body shape and the fact that their bladder is right above their bellies is why they they do not react well to over eating.
When you adhere to these discus care guidelines you will end up with a whole tank packed with happy and healthy discus.
Discus behaviour
Every proud discus hobbyist knows, when compared to some other tropical fish which avoid contact with people, Discus fish are rather curious and friendly. A keen awareness of their surroundings is clearly evident as they often observe their owners move around the room and quite often discus are even know to look at movement on TV.Being friendly and personable by nature, discus fish will recognise and rush to greet you any time you approach the aquarium as well as eat straight from your hand. Their trusting and open character is the reason people fall in love with these awesome fish. Discus also will live in a hierarchical society having an alpha fish being the leader. The dominant discus is commonly the largest and will be the first one to feed and pair off.
Discus Tank Mates
This essential and quite often not considered part of discus fish care is likely to make the difference between a happy, lively discus and a stressed out neurotic mess of a fish. Like most pet owners; Discus fish can be very picky about who they live with, making it very important to select the right tank mates for your discus fish. Seeing as discus fish are rather tranquil and subdued, may be bullied by other kinds of large or aggressive fish; freshwater Angelfish for instance. Therefore it's wise to properly plan which tank mates you would like to introduce to the Discus fish tank. It is also important to not overcrowd the tank, discus want to be kept in small groups and will become distressed if their tank is too small or populated. Some fish that will be suitable to live together with discus fish are listed below:
- Emerald catfish
- Royal Whiptail
- Black Ruby Barb
- Dwarf Loach
-Tetra (my personal recommendation Neon, Cardinal and Rummy Tetras look great)
- African Butterfly Fish
- Other small cichlids
-And of course other types of discus fish
Feeding discus
Discus fish are actually like to eat small meals it is therefore far better to give them little meals more often, rather than just one large meal once daily, older discus fish should really be feed 2-3 times every day, whereas new discus fish should really be feed about 5 times per day. Overfeeding discus fish could be a serious issue, their body shape and the fact that their bladder is right above their bellies is why they they do not react well to over eating.
When you adhere to these discus care guidelines you will end up with a whole tank packed with happy and healthy discus.
About the Author:
If you are thinking of getting discus fish for your home or office, then read my discus care articles. They contain a lot of very useful information about caring for discus fish