Discus Fish Food Recipe

1 1/2 lb fresh beef heart
1/2 lb shrimp (shelled)
1 bunch of spinach
1 package of unflavored gelatin powder
1 multivitamin tablets (Centrum)

Take the beef heart and trim away all the veins and fat. Use a food processor to mince the beef harts. Place the beef heart in cheese cloth and rinse under cold water. Try to rinse as much of the blood out of the beef heart as possible and squeeze it when you are done. This will help keep your aquarium water clean. Chop up the shrimp now as well. Boil or microwave the spinach until and soft and it up. Put everything you have so far in a bowl and add the gelatin powder. The gelatin will act as a binder and help everything stick together. Now, crush the vitamin tablet and add it to the bowl. Mix thoroughly. Put the mixture into zip lock plastic bags, flatten it out, and put in the freezer. When you are ready to feed to your discus, break off small portions and thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

By making your own food, you have truly taken responsibility for your discus fish care into your own hands. It is really one of the best things you can do for your fish, and doesn’t take much time, since one batch can last for months. If you take the time to make your own fish food, I think you will quickly see an improvement in the health and vigor of your discus fish.

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.

Hole in the Head

Hole in the Head is a common discus disease. Early treatment is important because the longer it lasts, the harder it is to cure. Left untreated, your discus fish will die. One common method to treat Hole in the Head disease is to raise the water temperature to about 36 degrees C for 8-10 days. You must make sure to increase aeration at the same time, since the additional heat will lower oxygen levels. If you notice that the heat treatment is stressful to your discus, you must lower the temperature and try medication.

Gill fluke

Gill flukes are a type of discus disease involving external parasites that infect the gills and cause heavy breathing and erratic swimming. Gill flukes are an especially bad problem for discus fry since their immune system is not strong enough to fight the infection compared to adult discus. Gill flukes can be treated with medication, but the best practice is to isolate discus fry into their own tank as soon as they are big enough to eat external food. This way, they won’t be infected in the first place by the adults.

Bacterial infections

Bacterial infections usually occur in aquariums with less than ideal conditions, but they can also happen in well maintained tanks as well. It would be impossible to identify every possible type of discus disease bacteria here without access to a laboratory, but fish stores can supply you with broad spectrum antibiotics that will treat a number of different infections. Make sure to follow the directions closely, so as not to overdose your fish. In many cases, a significant improvement can be seen within 8 hours.

Most cases of discus disease can be prevented in the first place by regular water changes, a clean diet, and quarantine methods. However, if your discus fish become sick it is important to take action immediately. In an enclosed ecosystem such as a fish tank, small problems become big problems quickly. I encourage you to become knowledgeable about various fish diseases and treatments so that you will be ready to act if need be. Good Luck!

The first step to breeding discus fish is to find a compatible pair of fish to mate. The sex of discus fish is hard to determine, so it is recommended that you put at least six fish together, and let them pair off naturally. Make sure to mix fish from different stock to avoid genetic degradation.

The way to tell when discus fish are ready to mate, is that they will pair off and become territorial towards the other fish in the tank. When this happens, it’s time to isolate the pair and transfer them to their own breeding tank. A 25 gallon tank with some vertical surfaces for spawning will work fine. Also, you may want to include some hiding places.

Water conditions must be kept under careful control during the breeding process. Nitrogen levels should be close to zero. You should also do a partial (30%) water change every day in the tank where you are breeding discus fish. Make sure the new water is tested every time before you add it.

You need to make sure your fish are getting the right types of food and also actually eating when you are breeding discus fish. Remember too, that poor water quality will stress your fish and decrease their appetite. Make sure any live food you use does not introduce disease and parasites to your discus
fish.

In summary, if you give your discus fish what they want: clean water and healthy food, they will give you what you want — babies. It’s also never a bad idea to get some expert advice and read books that can give you a step-by-step plan for breeding discus fish.

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!

Product Overview

Discus Fish Secrets is a manual that promises to teach you how to easily keep and breed discus fish. The book was written by tropical fish enthusiast, Rob Clark. Rob has been keeping and raising discus fish for more than 10 years, and shares his first hand knowledge about the do’s and dont’s of discus care in the book.

Discus Fish Secrets covers several topics such as what tank size and shape is best for discus, the best filtration methods, tricks for getting the best water chemistry, and what types of discus are best for beginner owners. The manual also goes over what foods are best for discus, how much they should be fed, and how often.

Lastly, Rob has information for owners who are already keeping healthy discus fish, but are now interested in breeding. Discus Fish Secrets explains how to tell when your discus are ready to breed, gives common errors people make when breeding, and specific steps about how to care for fry once they have hatched.

Evaluation & Customer Feedback

If you are already interested in discus fish, you probably have found that specific information from an experienced source is hard to come by. This book is great because it is a complete ‘blueprint’ to keeping, breeding, and raising discus fish. Is is full of practical time tested advice from a fellow aquarium lover to help you to raise happy and healthy fish.

One negative I found with the book is that I would have liked to have more explanation into discus diet needs. Rob covers the basics, but I would love to find some more information about food preparations outside of commercial fish food.

The general online consensus from owners of this manual is that if you are new to discus fish, or if you have tried breeding unsuccessfully in the past, Discus Fish Secrets is a great resource to have. It contains practical advice and information from an experienced expert who has organized everything for you in one place.

Product Details

Click Here To Visit The Official Discus Fish Secrets Site

Probably the #1 cause of water problems is failure to test the water before adding it to the tank. With discus care, this is doubly important because as you probably already know, discus are prone to stress easily. The tap water in your area is full of chemicals designed to help humans, but this is usually not the best thing for your fish. Also remember that your tap water ultimatly comes rain water and runoff, to the chemistry is constantly changing due to the increase in the world’s pollution. For these reasons, it is critical that you test your water at every change.

Chloramine and Chlorine
Chlorine or chloramine are routinely added to the public water supply in many parts of the world. Chlorine is damaging to discus fish and chloramine is worse. The presence and concentration of either chemical can be found with a tester that you can get at your local aquarium shop. “Conditioning your water” is a synonym for removing chlorine or chloramine and is an essential part of discus care.

Water Hardness
If the water hardness is not correct for your discus, it can be adjusted. It’s easier to increase hardness up rather than down, but lowering these values is still possible, it just requires an extra water conditioning step.

About pH
Discus can be picky about pH. Keep your pH between 5.5 and 7. The ideal pH for discus care is about 6. Discus can get stressed at At pH levels above 7. Below 5.5, the pH is can drop too rapidly, so I find 6 to be comfortable for both the fish and the care taker.

This has been a brief overview of water chemistry as it relates to discus care. This only covers the high level basics, and there are times such as breeding when special care must be taken to ensure different conditions. In general, discus are really not hard to care for, as long as you give them what they want. And, what they want is fresh clean water.