Discus-an article by me.Not quite finished

[cheesy feet]

Discus in general

Discus Cichlids have taken on the name ‘King of the Aquarium’ for many reasons, such as colour, shape & behaviour. First off discus can come in many different colour morphs such as Pigeon blood, Red Turk, Blue Turk, Diamond, Blue Diamond, Snakeskin, Marlboro Reds, Red Melons, Just to name a few. I would be here all day if I were to write all the colour morph varieties! Let’s just say the possibilities of discus colour morphs are endless.


Discus with blue pigment show of their colours best when the aquarium has marine lights (14,000 K +).In planted aquariums the Blue Turk looks fantastic as it stands out through the green background of plants.


Picture-Cheesy feet. Sub adult Blue Turk.

Now, their shape as their name suggests is like a Discus, with an almost circular appearance. The only cichlids which even come close to the Discus body shape are Angels, Severums or the Uaru; however these are even very different to Discus in shape & colour. Their unique shape just adds to their striking appearance, making them even more attractive to fish keepers.

Note the Discus (not as in fish) like shape. As Discus become more mature they take on a more round appearance.


Picture - Cheesy feet

Behaviour, now maybe this isn’t an as valid reason to own these cichlids as there colour or shape, but still they are very friendly cichlids if kept in shoals of 5 or more (try to aim for odd numbers of discus in shoals as this spreads their aggression). You will not get board of them swimming up and down the tank in unison, begging for food and exploring around the aquarium.

As Discus are one of the most spectacular cichlids in the world you do not expect them to be easy to care for & affordable? Well you are right, but if you follow my guidelines you should have few problems. As Discus are becoming even more popular and there are many breeders you can purchase Discus’ at a reasonable price (£10.00-£20.00 for common colour morphs). There are so many easy ways to get an ill discus that I am not going to list them, but I will highlight them throughout this article. Most illnesses/parasites are from poor water quality or introduced by new fish or food.

Discus Details

Size-A healthy discus can reach as large as 9 inches, however 6-8 inches is more common.
Tank size-As a rule 2 adult discus should have at least a 30 gallon aquarium, and then add at least 10 gallons for each Discus. The aquarium should be 16’ + in height (as they are nearly high as they are long). KEEPING ONLY ONE DISCUS WILL RESULT IN STRESS AND EVENTUALLY DEATH.
PH-6.0 -6.5 is needed for breeding. My Discus’ live in a Ph of 8.4!
GH-2-11
KH-1-6
dH- 0-3dH
Temperature- 25-29°C (77-84°F), 28C-31C when attempting to breed

Diet

Discus are Carnivorous so feed live /frozen foods (with live there is a chance you’re Discus/Discus’ could easily get a parasite infection) such as; Blood worms, Glass worms, Beef heart, Tubifex worms. Frozen foods that are high in protein are also ideal. For staple you can use Tetra Prima granules for Discus or Sera Discus granules. It should be around 50-60% granules and 40-50% frozen/live. I personally do not use live food as the live food purchased at my fish shops seem to always result in a fish developing an illness.

Habitat
Discus cichlids are found in planted and wooded areas in the slow moving backwaters of the Amazon River system. This water is soft, warm and has little current. They are found in groups of large numbers, well at least when they are not spawning. Their natural food is a mixture of aquatic inverts, small fish, insects and fry plus any naturally occurring foods that may be available. Many other commonly kept South American tetras (such as the Cardinal Tetra) and cichlids can be found in these waters, which are ideal tank mates.

How to feed
Feed your Discus at least 3x a day, varying in foods each time. If you can feed them 5 x daily with small amounts this should speed up their growth rate. Overfeeding will lead to deaths and stunting. So if you have doubts if you are feeding your Discus the right amount, feed less! The myth of granules expanding ( because they haven’t absorbed water when the Discus has consumed them) inside a Discus resulting in bloating is a myth, maybe if you are feeding your discus on catfish pellets this might happen. It will not occur with the correct food though.

Useful tips when Buying Discus

When looking at the fishes health, don’t just look at the Discus you have set your eye on, examine the other Discus/fish it is in with. Chances are with Discus' if one is ill so is the other.
The signs to look out for are;
•Stringy white faeces.
•Thin pale Discus/fish
•Discus/fish with noticeable abbesses, fungus or ripped fins.
•Discus/fish gasping for air at the top of the water or laying on the bottom of the aquarium on their side.
•If they are in an aquarium with unacceptable tank mates(i.e. Silver dollars) chances are they’re under a lot of stress and could have an a parasite infection.
•If you see a discus with a white area and part of this ‘white stuff’ hanging of it is actually the Discus’ slime coat, it may have been damaged by another fish or even when it was caught. Either way a damaged slime coat can lead to infection/disease which leads to death.
And anything you might think is unusual!

Filtration
There seems to be a bit of a controversy as to what is the best filtration for Discus. IMHO sponge filters are the best when breeding/growing on Discus. They quickly collect good bacteria & do a good job of purifying the water. As Discus cichlids eat loads of messy foods and are a classic cichlid (messy) you should aim to at least x2 the tanks recommended filtration. In one of my discus aquariums I have a Bio life wet/dry filter; this keeps the water clean and the Discus happy. In my other aquarium (40 gallons) I have 2 sponge filters capable of filtering a 60 gallon tank. Then on top of that I have a Magni jet (for up to 200 litre aquarium) Sponge filter which I have changed to all bio media with bio balls. I found that the two sponge filters were not capable of doing the job alone. So as I say, aim for at least 2x your recommended filtration and just choose what filter is in your range. If you have got the money aim for 10 xs Biological Filtration,then you will be able to do less water changes & spend more time watching your fish!.



So my water is not acceptable for Discus, how do I lower the pH?!



This pinned thread will explain it all-. Try to avoid most chemicals. However purchase tank bred Discus and you won’t need to change the waters pH as the Discus will already be acclimatized to it. As I have stated my discus are in a Ph of around 8.4.



Maintenance
The more water changes and the more times you feed your Discus throughout (remember it’s not the quantity of the food, but the amount of times you feed them) the day the faster the growth. Feed at least 3 xs daily. Change water at least every 4 days for fry & at least weekly for young Discus and at least every two weeks for adults. If you see a large amount of waste (small waste on the bottom of the aquarium is common but should also be sucked up with a siphon/python/gravel vac) build up on the bottom of the aquarium regularly you should revise how much you are feeding , what your filtration and water change routine is & suck it up immediately. You should clean the filter media every 2 months in the aquariums water, keeping the good bacteria and ridding it of old waste. If using a RO (Reverse Osmosis) unit (and using the water from it for WC’s) you will not need to add any chemicals to remove the chlorine/chloramines. However if you are using tap water you may want to test your chlorine/chloramines levels in your water. Adding water with a lot of chlorine/chloramines in can kill the good bacteria on filters resulting in a mini cycle. You can buy commercial products which remove chlorine/chloramine for the water.

Tank mates
It is fair to say the best tank mate for a Discus is another Discus, however there are many possibilities. Here is a list of compatible fish & what kind of fish won’t be compatible.
Compatible-Gold Nugget Plecotomus - Baryancistrus sp.
Upside downcatfish - Synodontis nigriventris
Polka dot catfish - Synodontis angelicus
Black neon tetra - Hyphessobrycon herbertaxlerodi
American flag fish - Jordanella floridae
Twig catfish - Farlowella acus
Whiptail catifish - Rineloricaria sp.
Kuhli loach - Pangio (Acanthophthalmus) kuhli
Cardinal Tetra - Paracheirodon Axelrodi
Clown Loach -Botia Macracantha
Corydoras Catfish
Imperial Zebra Plecostomus
Siamese Algea Eater
German rams
Angel fish (on occasion they can bully the Discus & starve them of food)
Emerald Catfifish - Brochis splendens
Black Ghost Knifefish - Apterontus albifrons
Spotted Headstander - Chilodus punctatus
Pictus Cat - Pimelodus pictus
Clown Peckoltia - Dekeyseria pulcher
Others which are not usually recommended but i keep with mine are Praecox Rainbow fish (neon rainbow fish) or the CAE
****************atoo Cichlid - Apistogramma cacatuoides
Bolivian Ram - Mikrogeophagus altispinosa (my personal favourite tank mate for Discus)
Dwarf Loach - Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki
Pearl Gourami - Trichogaster leeri
Harlequin Rasbora - Rasbora heteromorpha
Black Ruby Barb - Barbus nigrofasciata
They should not be kept with fish which may try to suck their slime coat of ,i.e. Common plecos & Sailfin plecos(and others belonging to the Panque group), or other fast moving/fin nipping fish such as Tiger barbs & Blue Gouramis.Please PM me if you have any other tank mates for Discus which are not on this list.

So I know what a Discus Cichlid is, and what requirements they need but what tank set up do they need?

There are three ways you can go.
•Heavily planted aquarium with Bogwood/Mopani (optional) roots and Discus. The only advantage you get from setting up a tank like this is the appearance and the fish which will love it; everything else is a general PITA! You must stop algae and maintain the plants while keeping a healthy environment for your Discus. If you want to set up an aquarium like this I suggest you have a look through the pinned articles on the planted tank section of the forum.
•Bare Bottom (no substrate). Usually used for growing on young Discus or for breeding Discus. Many advantages with this set up. I.e. can be easily cleaned, less or no algae issues & generally a much easier way to keep the water clean. You can use any of the normal decors and even potted plants such as the Amazon sword. IMO Amazon swords are a must because Discus use these plants to rest on when sleeping.
•Normal set up. Gravel/sand as substrate and Bogwood/Mopani (do not use rocks which may raise the pH) roots for decor. This kind of set up is quite easy to do, but as it will not have plants I doubt discus will like it much.

I've had my tank set up for a while now, and I want to go the next step. How do you breed Discus?

To start of you will need a minimum of a 55gallon aquarium (keep it bare bottom so you can quickly remove waste) & 6 sub-adult/adult Discus .Your pH should be between 6.0-7.0 ,kH of 1-6,gH of 2-11,dH of 0-3 .You will need to feed them (the parents) a very good diet(as shown earlier on).You will probably find that Discus can breed in different conditions to this, but these are ideal conditions .In time you should notice that some Discus form pairs. Once this happens separate the pair which has formed and place them in a minimum of a 30 gallon aquarium. Perform water changes every day or every second day, it is proven Discus cichlids breeding & feeding responses are triggered when water changes are performed. It is thought that it simulates the changes in season in the Amazon River. Once your pair is established they may lay eggs as many times as 15x a week! The eggs take roughly 2 days to hatch and become free swimmers another 3 days later. You will notice the fry stay to the parent’s side and eat the slime on the sides of them. After they have been free swimming for 5 days they will become hungry, you can feed them brine shrimp at this stage. Remove the fry after 2-3 weeks as the parents can become stressed & it is a risk to their health. Breeders recommend feeding 6 xs plus a day for hatchling Discus as their appetite will be strong & this is the stage where they will grow rapidly. Try to do water changes everyday day after the last feeding on your rearing tanks. Then the processed is repeated!



Conclusion



Discus cichlids are fantastic fish & have definitely earned their name ‘King of the Aquarium’. I have to admit they are definitely the most attractive fish I have (owning 8 of them myself). These fish are not for a first time hobbyist; however any fish keeper who has enough knowledge to be able to run an aquarium (and keep the fish alive in it!) should have success with Discus. They are not as hard to care for as some people say, which normally stated in outdated test books, if master your feeding & water changing routine you will find these fish as easy to care for as any other fish (well maybe not any fish).

I hope you have found this information usefull however it isn’t finished yet. I will get some better pictures of my Discus (cleaning them tomos evening) and edit the information when I find mistakes. So if you have any advice, ideas or pictures please PM me and I will add them, of course giving the credit to you! Btw atm i am still adding information,once i have finished adding information i will hand over to someone to edit. I need pictures from you guys for different colour morphs.I havn't added my pictures yet as i havn't had time.

Thanks

Blue Turk

Pigeon Blood

Red Turk