Scientific Name: Symphysodon aequifasciatus
Common Name: Discus
Care Level: easy to moderately difficult
Size: 7-8 inches
pH Range: 6.0-7.5
Temperature Range: 28-30 degrees Celsius (82-86° F)
Origin: Amazon, Brazil
Temperament: peaceful
Compatible Tankmates:
These are suitable for community setups although care must be taken when selecting their tankmates. These fish are easily stressed so boisterous tankmates must be avoided. Similarly, fish that have a tendency to nip others' fins should not be kept together with this fish.
Diet:
Omnivorous. Discus in excellent health conditions will eat almost anything although avoid excessive meaty foods which may result in digestive upsets as proteins are not easily digested by their body system.
Tank Size for Adult: 20g for a pair.
Narrative:
Discus is considered the king of all the aquarium fish due to their elegance and regal movement. These are regarded as the most beautiful of all tropical fish. For decades, these have been bred to develop dozens of strains to satisfy the hobbyists wishing to keep these fish.
Discus hail from Amazon basin of Brazil and can be found swimming together with the angelfish. For a fish with deep and laterally compressed body, they can be found in shallow portions of the rivers often stalking amongst the tall reeds and tree roots looking for prey. Water there has subdued lighting due to the tannic acids released by decaying vegetative matter found on the forest floors. The water has very little movements thus these fish are unable to tolerate any currents as dictated by their body structure.
Discus can reach almost 8 inches in body diameter so deep tanks are recommended when attempting to keep a group. The tanks must be furnished with driftwoods and heavy plant matter for them to be able to seek refuge. The temperature must be kept steady at 28-30 degrees Celsius as they become more vulnerable to pathogens if kept in temperature lower than what is required.
For beginners, it is best to obtain your fish from local breeders rather than your local fish store as the quality of the stocks you get are guaranteed to be in excellent health condition compared to the ones found in your local fish store. It is generally recommended to keep young discus (with body size no bigger than four inches) in barebottom tanks where maintenance is much easier as they require plenty of feedings on daily basis and water changes to compensate for the amount of wastes produced as these fish can easily stunt their growth if their requirements are not met properly.
Most people keep discus in planted tanks where they look quite stunning as they parade around the tank in a regal manner. However, it must be noted most plants lack tolerance for high temperature. This is also similarly applicable to tankmates. Boisterous and nippy tankmates are best avoided. Angelfish, rams, apistogrammas, corydoras and tetras generally make fine additions provided the selected tankmates can tolerate 28 degrees Celsius and above.
Discus are not sexually dimorphic so sexing is not possible until spawning stage. Discus tend to be choosy in picking their tankmates so allow the juveniles to grow and as they grow, they begin to select their partners and eventually pair off as they become sexually matured. Like the angelfish, males are distinguished by their pointed ovipositors which are positioned forward whereas females have round ovipositors positioned backward.
Breeding is not the same as the angelfish as they are a little more difficult to breed. After they chose their spawning spot, the female then starts laying her eggs on the spot and the male tries to release his milt to be able to fertilize the eggs. Sometimes, first time spawners will eat their eggs so you need to be patient when this happens. It takes time before the discus learn how to take care of their eggs properly. Most breeders use upturned terracotta pots when breeding these fish. Other alternatives are PVC pipes and slates. The resulting fry should never be removed from their parents as they rely on their parents' slime coats in order to grow. This mistake was what had baffled some breeders in the 1980s thus leading to frustrating experiences until the actual feeding behavior was discovered.
