The discus belongs to the Cichlid class of fish, and naturally lives in the calm warm waters of the Amazon River in South America. Discus have a single nostril on either side, a broken lateral line and cycloid scales. The popularity of discus tropical fish however, has led specialist breeders to develop
many new color, body and finnage forms to fulfill the desires of the hobby aquarium. In fact, outside of the wild, the original species genetics are a rare sight these days.

The natural habitat of the discus fish include small rivers, streams, and other freshwater areas surrounding the Amazon river. In the wild, discus live among submerged tree roots and branches
close to shore. The discus uses these underwater features for cover against prey. Nature has evolved the wild discus with black horizontal stripes which act as camouflage and aid the fish to
blend in with its environment.

There are thousands of species of fish living in the various waters of the world, and discus tropical fish are only one of them. What is important to remember though is that each of them requires a given set of parameters to live and reproduce successfully. To keep discus in the aquarium, it is vital to understand how they function, and what conditions they need to thrive, and how variations and stress can affect them. Armed with this knowledge, you will be able to analyze the behavior and needs of your pets when they leave the Amazon for a home in your aquarium.

There are a few steps you can take when selecting a discus aquarium fish that will stack the odds in your favor.

1. Watch the fish swim naturally for at least 10-15 minutes. Do you notice any strange behavior? (sideways swimming, aggression, shyness, etc…)
2. What size are the fish versus what the shop is telling you about the age of the fish; an eight week old discus should be about 1 1/2in long; a one year old discus fish is about 6 in. long from head to tail.
3. Healthy discus fish should have a round body. If the shape is long and drawn out, it may be sick or have genetic problems. Discus fish should not have extremely large eyes in proportion to the size of their body.
4. Sick discus aquarium fish often have very pointy and sharp dorsal fin. They may also have sunken eyes and dull color.
5. Don’t select a discus fish that is shy, aggressive, or antisocial with the other fish in the tank.
6. Watch while the shop feeds the fish in front of you. A healthy fish should have a good appetite.

This has been six simple tips for selecting the best discus aquarium fish for your tank. Picking good fish at the beginning will ensure a rewarding hobby. I hope these tips help you to find healthy and happy discus aquarium fish.

A cultured sponge filter works well in discus aquariums. If you don’t have the time for the filter to naturally culture, you can use a bacterial starter culture to speed up the process. Either method will work fine, just make sure that the tank doesn’t have excessive water flow. In nature, discus fish live in
calm water, so do you best to mimic this.

You can keep discus in a completely bare tank, but I usually put a thin layer of gravel on the bottom. The discus seem to like it better. You can also add driftwood, plants, or ceramic pots, but they are not required. If you choose to add plants, make sure they can tolerate the warm water. Your discus fish like the temperature to be around 80 degrees F, so be sure that your plants can handle the heat. Nothing special is needed for lighting. I simple fluorescent strip will give off enough light for the plants, as well as the fish.

If you are planning to keep a quarantine tank, then keep it bare. And, if this is your first time keeping discus, I recommend that the initial tank be setup like a hospital or quarantine tank. These type of discus aquariums should have nothing more than water, heater, filtration, and lighting. The reason for this is to minimize variables while your new fish become acclimatized. You also need to observe them closely in the beginning, so you don’t want them hiding in the cracks and crevices. After about 30 days, you can start adding gravel and plants.

Discus aquariums need some common sense preparation in advance in order to be successful. Most importantly, is ensure proper water quality and habitat. You also need to learn how to properly acclimate new discus to your aquarium. I encourage you to learn more about the specifics of setting up discus aquariums. Topics such as food, water chemistry, and choice of tank mates are all critical to your success. Good Luck!

One common method to reduce fish aggression in a discus aquarium is to only keep fish of similar size and temperaments together. Often, the largest fish will assume the ‘alpha’ role, and it will start to dominate the other fish. Discus are social creatures in nature, so usually they don’t need to be kept separate, however one ‘bad apple’ can sometimes ruin it for everyone else. In this case, only the single aggressive fish needs to be removed.

Most of the aggressive behavior that happens in a discus aquarium is between males during breeding. The more dominant males in your tank will become aggressive with each other in order to claim and protect their female breeding partner. Since the males often view each other as competition, it is best to limit the number of males in your discus aquarium. The best ratio of males to females is usually around 1:3. This limits fish fights because there are plenty of females to go around.

The other common time for aggression in a discus aquarium will be during feeding. However, this should only happen if the fish believe that food is scarce. If your fish are fed plentiful, they are less likely to guard their resources against the other fish. Don’t take this to mean that you should overfeed your discus fish, rather it is a reminder to feed consistently and regularly. The fish will settle into the routine and calm down.

Hopefully these simple ideas have helped you think about why you may have aggression in your discus aquarium. You may have heard that discus were too aggressive to keep, however by following these steps, a discus aquarium can be a peaceful place. All that is needed is some knowledge and specific action to take. Good Luck!

One of the most important tips for keeping Discus fish, is to be ready to act fast when problems arise. A fish tank is a completely closed ecosystem, so small problems spread quickly and affect the entire ecosystem. Check your discus aquarium on a daily basis. If you can catch a problem and fix it right away, you have good chance containing it.

Most people would probably choose to ignore the internal workings of the discus fish; out of sight, out of mind. However, if we understand how the digestive system of a species works, and whether it is a herbivore or an omnivore, we can be sure to provide a suitable diet. Discus fish are not picky eaters but this doesn’t mean you should take their diet lightly. Some foods can carry parasites, and these must be avoided at all costs, as they may make your fish very sick. Because of this, many discus owners will not feed their fish any live food other than brine shrimp.

At the end of the day, if you take the time to learn how to treat discus fish well; maintain correct water chemistry and temperature, provide a proper diet, put them with compatible tank mates and give them enough space, and stay on top of potential disease, you will be rewarded with an aquarium full of some of the best fish in the world.

I hope you have realized that gaining an insight into learning how Discus fish ‘tick’ will turn ownership of this wonderful fish into a rewarding experience. With proper knowledge, anyone can build and maintain a thriving aquarium full of Discus fish, or any other species. Good luck with your adventure!