
The easiest trick for keeping happy discus is to raise the water temperature. What Is the Ideal Temperature for Discus Fish? Based on our experiences, this care guide offers practical advice and useful tips for beginners starting their first discus tank. We’ve spent many years keeping discus personally at home, caring for them in our fish store, and helping customers be successful with them. In reality, only a small percentage of people are able to follow those rules, and the rest of the world uses more low maintenance methods. However, they’re notorious for being extremely difficult to keep, with Internet forums often recommending strict practices like 100% water changes every day. Both parents carefully guard the young for about a month, feeding them using secretions from their skin.Discus fish are one of the most beautiful freshwater fish in the hobby, known for their spectacular colors and large, circular shape. The eggs stick to the surface of an object, like a submerged plant or branch.Īfter about two or three days, the eggs hatch and the young fry emerge. Reproduction occurs via spawning, where the female lays eggs and the male fertilizes them outside of the body. As breeding season arrives, the fish pair off and seek an isolated region to reproduce. The schools roam through waters in search of food. Schools may contain several dozen fish, depending on the species and the region. These fish are quite social and live in groups known as schools. You can house them with the same species, or other species that live in similar regions. They prefer slightly acidic water and warm temperatures. Because their native habitats flood frequently, they require regular water changes to stay healthy. You should house these fish in an aquarium no smaller than 55 gallons. Instead, only purchase captive-bred animals. This can deplete native populations and spread disease to your other fish. However, you should never purchase pets that people have captured from the wild. Their odd shape and bright colors draw the eye. Yes, these fish do make good pets in home aquariums, but only for more experienced aquarists. However, the IUCN has not evaluated this species. Habitat destruction and pollution impact the waterways that they live in. Regardless, human activity does impact their native habitats to some extent. However, they do not collect them extensively from the wild, as people successfully breed this fish in Asian fish farms.

People keep all three species as pets in home aquariums. Humans interact with these fish quite frequently. This generally reflects the flood and drought seasons when food availability changes. While animals in aquariums eat primarily commercially-produced fish foods, their wild counterparts alter their diets seasonally. They also search the water for detritus, or small floating pieces of edible matter. They feed on algae, plankton, insect larvae, and other small invertebrates. These fish are primarily omnivorous, which means that they eat both plant and animal matter. A large population also exists in fish farms in Asia. People also keep these fish in home aquariums across the world. You can find all three species in South America, primarily throughout the Amazon River Basin. Each of the three species has its own unique preferences, though most prefer floodplain habitats. Some also live in clear waters of rivers and streams. Others live in whitewater habitats with lots of suspended mud or clay. Some live mostly in blackwater habitats with warm water and acidic pH. They occupy primarily freshwater ecosystems. Its appearance is somewhat similar to that of the brown variation of the green species.Īll three species live in similar habitat types.

The brown has a yellowish body with light brown stripes, iridescent blue pattern on the upper fins and head, and red pattern on the lower fins. Don’t let the name “brown” fool you, even that variation has bright colors and patterns.

Size varies based on the species and where they live. This means that their bodies are tall from top to bottom, but thin in width. As their name suggests, they have a disc-shaped body that is laterally compressed. Their bright colors and odd shapes make these fish quite unique.
