Starting A Discus Aquarium

Cichlids are the most popular types of tropical fish to keep in an aquarium. It is estimated that there are over 15,000 separate species of cichlid, one of which is the discus fish (Symphysodon spp.) . Discus fish are popular with hobbyists because they have distinctive behaviors and are exceptionally beautiful (they also have dorsal and anal fins that blend into the body to give the fish the look of a discus shape). This article will discuss the things you need to consider when starting a Discus aquarium.

Discus originate from the Amazon river basin. This water and habitat in quite diverse but the most common traits tend to be slow moving, soft water of a temperature around 28 deg. Celsius (82-83F). The sunlight is generally diffused by thick plants and trees. The aquascape would include driftwood and would be of a good depth. The natural habitat can help when creating the ideal fish tank.

Thus you would want to keep your Discus aquarium in a fairly quiet area. You would not want the tank near a stereo for example or in an area that is likely to see lots of activity. The lighting should be subdued. Although a varied aquascape that includes plants can act to diffuse the lighting and the fish can rest under leaves or pieces of wood.

As the fish are quite large you would want a deep tank so that they can swim freely. You will need a fish tank heater to keep the temperature at 28 deg. Celsius.

The standard setup for the aquarium would include an under-gravel filter, heater, thermometer, a gravel substrate and a mechanical filter. After this, you could add plants, driftwood or rocks to give the fish tank a better look and be more in keeping with the natural habitat of the Discus.

Discus fish do not root around in the substrate like other cichlids, so you do not have to be so conscious of getting the right gravel. The only thing that should be considered is that it doesn't consist of calcium or any other chemical that will increase the ph level of the water over time. You can ask for gravel like this, that is either man-made or natural, from your local fish shop.

Discus are fairly sensitive fish so it is important to keep the water quality good at all the times. Although as more of the species are bred in captivity they become more hardy to varying conditions it is always a good idea to be fairly experienced in maintaining a fish tank.

Find all the products you need at http://www.fishtank-supplies.com for starting your new Discus aquarium. The site has features on fish tank maintenance and lighting for fish tanks. Adrian Whittle writes about keeping both fresh and saltwater fish.
Keeping Discus Fish

Keeping Discus Fish – Ideal Fish Tank Conditions For Discus Fish

Many people that keep amateur fish tanks have come to love the cichlid varieties of fish. They are noted for their huge variety that display interesting and complex behaviors that are fascinating to watch. They are also noted for their beautiful markings and colors. One such species is the ever popular discus fish. This article will describe the typical nature of the discus fish and the ideal conditions and habitat for a discus fish tank.

Discus fish hail from the black water tributaries of the Amazon. The vegetation and substrate in these waters has a high level of humic acid that causes the water to be soft or have an acidic Ph level. The Ph level should be around 5.5 to 6.5 for Discus fish. The water temperatures range from around 26 degrees Celsius to 31 degrees Celsius. The water is generally slow moving.

Discus fish require very good water quality or they are likely to become stressed otherwise. Some people use Reverse Osmosis (R.O) water to get the quality right but as R.O. water is virtually distilled water it is not advised to use it without adding essential minerals and salts that all freshwater fish need. There are supplements that can be added to R.O. Water that will do this. Water should be changed regularly too.

The typical habitat of Discus fish is gentle water movement, a variety of plants and a diverse aqua scape of rocks, caves and bogwood. They prefer to live in a large tank.

Discus fish are generally placid fish but become very protective during breeding and nurturing of fry. It is sometimes a good idea to remove other fish during this time or partition them off.

They will eat most things from flake to live foods.

Discuss fish are some of the most beautiful cichlids you can keep however it can be a challenge to maintain the water quality to their liking. Soft water is often more difficult to maintain than hard water and discus fish are quite sensitive to this. This puts more responsibility on you to know how to maintain the fish tank and keep a regular schedule of maintenance.

Starting a fish tank ? Find all the products you need at http://www.fishtank-supplies.com . The site has features on all types of equipment you need for tropical fish tanks, including fish tank heaters and getting the best fish tank lights . Adrian Whittle writes about keeping both tropical and saltwater fish.

Keeping Discus Fish

Keeping Discus Fish - Ideas On How To Breeding Discus Fish

It is not unusual that exotic fish owners find breeding discus fish a little bit demanding. The difficult part about raising discus fish is finding the right pair, this arises from the fact that discus fish likes to choose their partners alone, and not everyone suit their favor. In that circumstances, you have two options for your breading discus aquarium fish; you can either buy a pair or raise them together in a group and hoping that they make a pair. The initial option is not the best, since discuss fish pair can be as expensive as few hundred dollars, which is quite a lot.

Hence, the most beneficial option you have is to start breeding discus fish by creating discus group of at least half a dozen members and keep your fingers crossed that you get at least one pair among them. How do you know if they are pairs ? Hopefully, from now on breeding discus fish will not be that difficult if you follow the basic principles. First of all, the new couple will put up demarcation in the tank and will start to defend it against any trespassers. Which means, is time for you to move to the second phase of breeding discus goldfish.

Prepare a separate tank for your discus fish and keep it simple as much as possible. Don't be obliged to put something at the bottom of the fish tank, what they need is a vertical surface that will enables them to lay their eggs. Discus fish will soon begin to spawn. Don't start worrying about the eggs that look whitish, those are the infertile ones, and as for the rest, is possible that the parents may eat some of them and protect the rest. The interesting part of breeding discus fish is that they feed their own siblings for few weeks.

In about 21 days you will have to move the fish into a special tank as is not uncommon that the discus fish might have been injured by their babies who eat their scales for example. Once they are off parental care, the breeding discus fish will begin a new reproduction cycle and you may soon begin to have more siblings afterwards. Throughout the feeding period, water and feeding are essential, hence, make sure no mistake is made.

Victor Ephenus owns Discus Fish Resources website discusfishresources.com with informations helping beginners and advanced fish keepers with discus problems including keeping and breeding them. Please visit the site for more information on discus fish and breeding discus.

Keeping Discus Fish

Keeping Discus Fish - The Secrets Of Breeding Discus As A Hobby

Discus breeding as a hobby has become so popular worldwide that discus fish keeping has turn into a multi-million dollar industry and discus aquariums is fast becoming the home of this exotic fish. For a lot of breeders, raising this exotic fish as hobby brings huge satisfaction especially when they manage to get some cute baby discus too. It is quite rewarding to see what start as hobby raising discus has turn out to be a lifetime experience. Now what's special about keeping discus as a hobby? Fish breeding is a challenge and many aquarists find that attractive. What make discus fish special as a pet is it beauty and unique social behavior.

It is quite a surprise to those who breed discus as a hobby to notice after sometime that discus begin to show signs of connection to the environment outside the tank in which they reside in. You know breeding discus as a hobby require spending time attending to the welfare of the fish(i.e feeding, checking the tank constantly,lighting etc). It is said that discus recognize it owner quite quickly and they can get close to you as far as even to eat from your hand. It has also been noticed by some discus owner while breeding them that it watch them move round the room and even react to Tv noise.

Apart from their shy and generally peaceful aquarium inhabitants, discus are sensitive to stress and disturbance or lack of protection, they like quiet and close community with other fellow fish from the same species. As an aquarist, you may need to pay close attention to discus cohabitants especially since they like close communities and living with other fish from the same species. It has also been claimed by some aquarists that keeping them together with other species like angelfish will introduce parasites or diseases and small characides like tetras. It is noticeable that the dominant discus would be the first to couple and followed by others if Aquarium water chemistry, Feeding, Lighting and other breeding conditions are met. Once you've notice the couple while breeding discus, you should move pairs into another tank to allow them to raise fry.

Those who takes breeding discus as a hobby, it is important discus living conditions are constantly monitored. You should be careful with the lighting because too much light will warm the water above accepted level and reduces the oxygen level. There's not a lot of difference between breeding discus as a hobby or as a professional, discus require the same amount of attention in respective of which side you belong.

Victor Ephenus owns Discus Fish Resources website discusfishresources.com with informations helping beginners and advanced fish keepers with discus problems including keeping and breeding them. Please visit the site for more information on discus fish and breeding discus.

Keeping Discus Fish

Keeping Discus Fish - Hard or Soft Water?

It has been debated a lot about whether to keep discus fish in hard water or soft water. People have had success with both methods so it’s not an easy answer but I will share with you, how I do things and what has worked for me.

Here’s the first rule I use when buying and importing discus fish;

Match the water conditions of your supplier.

If you follow this rule you will be at a great advantage as the discus will already be accustomed to the water you provide. This will cause a lot less stress than moving discus used to hard water into soft water. Now your water doesn’t have to match exactly but if it is about right things should be OK. Don’t go getting stressed if your hardness is out a couple of degrees.

Once fish are settled here’s how I like to keep mine.

Young Discus

Young discus fish should not be kept in very soft water as there aren’t the right minerals present for good growth. They should be raised in slightly hard water with a natural ph. In this water they should grow quickly and healthy. For my young discus I use tap water filtered through activated carbon and then left in storage barrels for at least 24 hours. This will make sure all the chorine is out of the water.

Adult Discus

Adult discus, once 5in should be kept in soft water but still not at breeding conditions as they may still be growing but don’t need the minerals like young discus fish. By lowering the softness and ph of the water you will trigger breeding activity between the adults and should get a few breeding. For my adult discus I again use tap water filter through carbon and left to stand but I also add aquarium peat. This softens the water a little and is fine because of the tap water I have. You may have to use RO water mixed with filtered tap water.

Also if using peat to soften water, make sure it is of the aquarium variety. Other garden peat can contain chemicals that can harm discus fish so just be careful.

On a final note, there is no right or wrong hardness to keep discus these days because they are tank bred through generations and have acclimatized to harder water. Just follow these guidelines and you should be fine.

Rob owns Discus Fish Secrets website helping beginners and advanced fish keepers with discus problems including keeping and breeding them. Please visit the site for more information on discus and keeping and breeding discus fish
Keeping Discus Fish