Keeping Discus Fish - Getting Your Tank Conditions Correct

So you're thinking about caring and breeding Discus Fish. Before you go out and buy your fish you will need to prepare their new home. The general consensuses is that Discus Fish are difficult to keep, but in fact can be kept with minimal effort or knowledge by almost anybody. One of the first and most important jobs that must be done is maintaining the water quality in the tank. The temperature required for Discus Fish to live is between 26 - 31?C (78 - 88?F). Most people keep their tank temperature around 29?C (85?F), which seems to work the best. Another thing to consider is the hardness and PH balance of the water. Generally for keeping Discus Fish, (as long as it's within reason) this doesn't matter all that much. However for breeding a low hardness and PH of around 6 - 7 is required for fertilization to occur. Unless you buy Discus Fish straight from the Amazon Basin (where the water has extremely low PH and Hardness Levels), then you'll be buying Discus Fish that have been bred for generations in a variety of water conditions. The final aspect to consider when creating excellent tank conditions is filtration. Everyone knows that discus require excellent water quality and that a good filter is at the heart of this. Now there is not one type of filter that suits discus best as different filters do different jobs and it just depends on what you need it for. There are basically three types of filtration these are mechanical, biological and chemical. Mechanical This is the first stage of any filtration; the water is drawn or pumped through layers of material that removes any 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. Chemical The final stage of filtration is very much controlled by you, for various reasons we may wish to add carbon or peat to the filter, these media's either absorb impurities or alter the chemical balance of the water. This is usually toped off with a fine wool pad to polish the water as it returns to the aquarium. I hope you enjoyed this article and it has given you a small insight to creating the ideal water conditions for your Discus Fish.

Keeping Discus Fish