Showing posts with label Discus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Discus. Show all posts

2018-04-04

Facts About DISCUS HEALTH

English: Discus fish. Aquarium in dehiwala zoo
Discus fish. Aquarium in dehiwala zoo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The most popular concerns about discus fish are those related to their health since they are know for being very sensitive to environmental conditions. It is essential for discus health that you recreate the living conditions they are used to in the wild: soft, slightly acidic clean water. Of course breeders do everything in their power to protect discus health given the fact that they also require special temperature and pH. Therefore if you plan on buying discus fish, you should start preparing their tank a month in advance to make sure you ensure discus health.

There are many problems associated with discus health, but I will mainly refer to the environmental ones, which seem to be the most common. For instance, the iodine deficiency may appear due to pollutants in water or improper feeding. Then, another problem related to discus health is the lack of vitamins in the food, which on the long term may create low immune system and deficient wound healing for instance. Vitamin C is essential for discus health; hence make sure you store food properly or you risk losing this vitamin though oxidation. Absence of this vitamin leads to bleeding, fin ulcerations and many other problems.

Many of the discus health problems appear because of breeders ignorance or failure to provide the proper living conditions. Once you take up breeding fish, there is a responsibility involved like with any other animal; should you find yourself overwhelmed, you can always turn to special discus health services provided by vet units. Information and tips you may find in books on discus health or on sites such as www.discus-fish-secrets.com are highly reliable and make a very good start when in comes to taking care of discus health. The authors of such books are usually experienced breeders from whom you have got lots to learn.


 Discus health should not be an issue for someone careful enough to follow some ground rules. For instance, the water cycle should be functional all the time and no waste or uneaten food should be left in it. Discus health is threatened in case of over-heating. Do not go over 31 degrees Celsius, as this will also lower the oxygen level in the tank and cause your fish to suffer from oxygen starvation. Monitor your discus health on a regular basis and check the living conditions daily or even several times a day if possible so that nothing goes wrong.




2018-03-02

Before you Buy DISCUS FISH - 6 Easy Tips You’ll Need to Know

Tips To Buy Discus Fish

My New Discus Fish.
Photo  by g_aquarian 
The discus fish is an incredible animal to care for.  If you have any interest in a discus, I'm sure you understand how expensive these fish can be. Let me share these top 6 hints with you before you make a discus purchase. Now you will have the knowledge to make the perfect decision when you’re shopping for a new discus.

Before you Buy Discus Fish - Health

A healthy looking discus ought to look healthy. Signs of an unhealthy fish will likely consist of them staying on top near the surface, bloated gills and also examine unusual spots or parasites hanging off of the fish. Look for DNS labels on the side of the aquarium. This implies at one point something was sick and the fish store would not sell the fish. These are warning signs of sick fish. Make sure to ask the fish owner about these tanks on occasion they use this term for quarantine reasons as well.


Before you Buy Discus Fish - Second Tip - Response of The Fish

This tip is good for checking the awareness and responsiveness of the fish. Have the Breeder or fish keeper feed the fish. If the fish doesn’t take interest in the fresh food this is generally a sign of unhealthy fish. The fish should eat the food, however, when it doesn't eat the discus should show interest in the fresh food. If your supplier will not feed the fish because “sir I just feed them” Say him goodbye and look for a new store

Before you Buy Discus Fish - Third Tip - Stay Safe With Adults or Juveniles

When you’re new to the hobby save yourself some problems and only buy juvenile or adult fish. Discus adults have a better tolerance to water condition changes, while babies must be watched more carefully

Before you Buy Discus Fish - Fourth Tip - Dealer Quarantine

What is quarantine? This is from the time the seller obtained the fish to the time he decides to sell it. You should ask the dealer how long they've had the fish. In most cases, an effective guideline is to hold a fish in quarantine for about a week or so to keep them from spreading disease. Ask your dealer if the fish have been treated with any medicines and have been dewormed as well. These are some simple questions which provide you with some good background and some history of the fish.

Before you Buy Discus Fish - Fifth Tip - Internal Checks Of the Discus

Discus passes waste consistently, so check the bottom of the aquarium making sure you observe waste. You are watching for the waste to be a black in colour. Whenever you observe a white looking feces ask the supplier regarding this because this is normally an indication of intestinal worms These are crucial aspects to look for and it may be advisable to discover a new store to purchase your fish at if you can't get a reasonable explanation from your dealer.


Sixth Tip - Water Chemistry

You should find out the chemistry of the water conditions before you decide to purchase discus fish. Be certain to ask your supplier what the present ph and dh amounts are of the aquarium containing the discus. The fish owner’s tank conditions and your aquarium ought to be moderately close to one another. You should walk away from the store if the store owner has very offbeat tank chemistry. This is often an indication they don't have adequate experience in dealing with discus. Ask the fish keeper how they would advise you acclimate your new fish. Water conditions will vary slightly so this is a vital question to ask.

Keep these important suggestions in mind the next time you decide to get your brand new discus. Now you've got the information to acquire healthy discus fish so you do not end up unintentionally getting a fish which seems to be good but dies in few weeks

    About The Author: Steve Jones is an expert fishkeeper who specializes in discus fish and owns an aquarium shop in upper Michigan.
    Article Directory: Article Dashboard



2018-02-12

Cheap DISCUS FISH - 3 Important Tips

Discus Fish
If you are planning to have an aquarium in your house then one of the best fishes to consider is cheap discus fish. This type of fish has very attractive outer looks that add beauty to your entire aquarium. However, it is likewise important to observe some maintenance tips when raising this kind of fish to ensure that they survive long enough to breed and reproduce.

This type of fish generally requires close attention to keep them healthy at all times. You may also need to observe proper environmental requirements for its survival to ensure their health and breeding capacity. One of the important things that you need to observe when raising cheap discus fish is to keep the aquarium balance. In other words, you need to create a well-balanced environment for the fish for its optimum health.

One of the things that you must always remember is that this kind of fish requires ample space to swim around. The most ideal space provision is 1 fish per ten gallons of water; hence, if your tank capacity is 40 gallons of water then the ideal maximum number of discus fishes is four. Raising more than this number is already considered as an overcrowded place for them to live healthily. Hence, it is best to observe this rule of thumb.

Another equally important aspect that you should consider is to place the cheap discus fish in tanks that are taller; or in deep aquariums. They prefer to swim around in deeper tanks rather than in longer yet shallow tanks. The ideal depth for these fishes to swim around is 3 feet tall; hence, consider purchasing aquariums with at least 3 feet in water depth. Although, they can swim around in swallow tanks with depths lesser than three feet; however, it may sometimes cause stress among them as they are not able to dive down deeper than what they are used to swim.



Lastly, but definitely not the least among the tips on raising cheap discus fish, is to keep the water clean and well balanced in terms of PH factor. The most ideal PH of aquarium water for this kind of fish should be within the 5 to 6.5 PH range. Similarly, its water temperature should be within the range of 82 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit for its optimum health.

These 3 important tips on how to raise cheap discus fish are useful when planning to raise this type of fish in your aquarium.



2018-01-02

DISCUS FISH Health - How to Keep Your Discus Happy and Healthy For Years


Discus fish health truly has 2 main areas of concern and those are the fish's water and the discus fish's food. Of smaller concern, but worth discussing is that you must do a little analysis before you put your discus fish in with other species in your tank. They may not be good tank friends and this could cause your new pet stress.

Knowing what signs to have a look for can help enormously with discus fish health for the easy reason that treatment of sicknesses is boring and hard. It's best to do everything that you can to be preventive in your attempts at frustrating any stress causing environmental issues.

There are occasions where adding some medication to the water will solve the problem, however, this is not the case almost all of the time. Your discus fish's water is like the air that we breathe as humans. Should our air be soiled and polluted, we'll develop health issues. With discus fish, you need to keep their water clean and at the right temperature and pH levels. You will need to do a partial change in the water one or more times a week changing out between twenty-five and fifty percent of the water. You should have an excellent biological filter and ensure that it stays clean.

An alternative way to be fully certain that your discus stays healthy is by utilizing and reverse osmosis filter. A reverse osmosis filter uses a little, semi-permeable surface that permits only water molecules to pass through it, filtering out minerals and trace substances which are unhealthy for the discus. When using one of these, you could have to think about adding some minerals as this removes everything except pure water and there are a few things that your fish wants.

One of the largest health concerns with discus is bugs and worms that they can develop, and their immunological systems will keep them in check till they become stressed. Observing the fecal matter of your discus fish can show symptoms of bugs or worms in your fish. White feces, clear feces are 2 signs. Apart from their feces, you can tell mostly by their behavior. Bugs can bring about a number of observable symptoms from hiding, developing a darker color to food strikes and not eating.


Often times if a number of these symptoms happen, you can try doing a water change in the tank. Discus fish are terribly delicate to their environment and could cause them stress. If this doesn't do the job, there are medicines that you can put into the water that can help clear up any discus health issues.

Among those are metronidazole. Metro, as it's known, is step one in treating bugs should your discus get infected. Also common with these bugs are worms, so you must find a de-wormer to be employed in coordination with your Metro treatment.

As stated before, prevention is way easier than treatment when it comes to discuss health. Following these tips, while ensuring your discus has proper nutrient elements and feeding will ensure that you could have satisfied and healthy discus fish.


    Evelyn Stone is a discus fish expert. - Article Directory: EzineArticles


2017-12-21

Keeping DISCUS FISH: It’s all about the Water



First of all, you have to keep in mind that discus fish are considered to be one of the most beautiful types of fishes that people love to have in their aquarium. The aesthetic quality of discus fish is really eye-catching and once you are able to see one, you will surely want one as your own.

However, the problem with keeping discus fish is that they are quite difficult to take care of. You see, there are several factors that you have to keep in mind when you plan on taking care of discus fish as your pet.

Basically, taking care of discus fish is not that hard. Although first timers will find it difficult to care for discus fish, you will soon get the hang of it and start taking care of discus fish easily.

You have to remember that discus fish need very specific living conditions and diets. Many fish enthusiasts even say that beginners should not attempt to take care of this kind of fish as it will just frustrate them especially if they don’t know what they are doing.

Discus fish are very temperamental but if you do the necessary research and apply it in taking care of the discus fish in your aquarium, you will be able to have a discus fish that will thrive in your aquarium and also grow happy and healthy.

The secret to taking care of discus fish is the water. You need to keep in mind that unlike other fishes that needs no specific water condition to thrive, discus fish will need to live in special tanks with water that is specifically treated to the point that it mimics their natural environment.

By giving them the proper water condition they need to thrive, you can be sure that your discus fish will be able to live for a very long time and they will also be a lot healthier and more active.

The temperature of the water must be kept stable. In their natural home, discus fish usually thrives in water with temperatures between the range of 28 and 31 degrees Celsius. Any higher or lower than these temperatures will be enough to kill the fish or not let them survive for long. This is why you may want to invest in a water thermometer in order for you to constantly monitor the water so it won’t exceed or drop below the required temperature.

The acidity of the water should also be kept at a constant level. The water pH for discus fish to thrive in should be between 5.5 and 7. Any more acidic or alkaline than these numbers is a sure way to kill your discus fish.



Lastly, the water hardness should also be considered. Although discus fish are not that sensitive to water hardness, it will play an important role in keeping them healthy. The optimum hardness of water for discus fish to thrive in should be between 1dH and 8dH. This will be quite soft, which is perfect for discus fish to live in.

Remember these tips and you can be sure that you will be able to get your discus fish to thrive in your aquarium. This will not only keep your discus fish healthy, but it will also keep them happy and comfortable.




2017-11-13

Dealing With DISCUS FISH Disease

A Discus Fish In The Princess Of Wales Conservatory - Kew Gardens.
Discus Fish - Photo   by Jim Linwood 
Discus fish disease is one of the things you want to learn not only because you want to know how to deal with it but also prevent the disease from striking your fish. One of the most common problems among specific big cichlids including the Discus fish is having a hole in the head. Early detection and treatment is very important because the longer the disease exists, it can be the cause of death of your fish.

Even if the fish heals after the treatment, the wound can leave a permanent scar. Treating the wound while it is still small is strongly recommended. You can treat the disease by increasing the water temperature from 30 degree Celsius to 36 degree Celsius for a couple of days, 8 to 10 days is ideal. Remember that an increased water temperature should be combined with increased aeration to keep the oxygen level up. You can combine heat treatment with Metronidazole, this should be administered orally. You can give this to your Discus fish once every three days. If your fish is not responding well to heat treatment, you can just use the Metronidazole treatment.

Another Discus fish disease is gill fluke. This is very common among Discus fish and it is very dangerous for Discus fry. Gill Flukes are external parasites that destroy the gills and cause heavy breathing and irregular swimming. The affected fish can become totally paralyzed and can sink down to the bottom of the tank. 

You can cure this by using formalin. Infested parents can still spawn but when the offspring grow to about the size of a 10 cent coin, gill flukes transmitted by the parents can become a serious problem. Another form of Discus fish disease is being affected by internal parasites. The fish can have internal parasites without posing some serious threats but sometimes these parasites can grow uncontrollably and that's when the problem begins. 

Common symptoms include emaciation and white feces. While it can be difficult which specific parasite affects your Discus fish, a dose of Metronidazole usually clears the problem out. If your Discus can still eat, you can prepare a solution of 200 ml water and 10 ml liquid Metronidazole and soak its food in it for an hour. Feed your Discus fish with the medicated food every 2 days for a period of 10 days. If your fish is no longer eating, you would have to force feed it using a syringe without a needle.




2017-11-03

BREEDING DISCUS For Beginners

English: Red Turquise Discus Fish فارسی: ماهی ...
Red Turquise Discus Fish - (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
More and more people take up the fish breeding hobby, which would explain a large number of materials and documentation sources that teach breeding discus for beginners. Whether you choose an online e-book or a guide you buy from the bookshop, breeding discus for beginners may prove more easily said than done sometimes. You need to pay all the attention because if you follow some very strict guidelines, the rest of the breeding discus for beginners is truly piece of cake. Let’s see how you recognize the best materials about discus.

First of all, if you have no knowledge of the living conditions of the discus in the wild,  the material about breeding discus for beginners should help you learn how to recreate the most close-to-natural environment you can. In the same category of breeding discus for beginners falls the understanding of the feeding specificity. Normally you feed the discus frozen bloodworms and shrimp, but you may learn that a bag of moss placed in the water will create a closer imitation of the Amazon, as the normal background of these creatures. Thus, breeding discus for beginners requires lots of detailed information and goodwill on the part of the apprentices.

A great place to learn the secrets of breeding discus for beginners is a site such as discus-fish-secrets revealing you plenty of tips about the tank conditions and the prevention of disease too. Lots of e-books and videos that deal with breeding discus for beginners are advertised online, the good part is that they come up with solutions that are close within reach and not too difficult to understand. Make sure you choose one that looks reader-friendly meaning that you don’t need a huge amount of work to understand the supposedly easy breeding discus for beginner’s techniques.





2017-09-15

DISCUS AQUARIUM - How to Reduce Aggression in Your Discus Fish

Many people will say that keeping a discus aquarium is tough because the fish are always fighting with each other. While it is true that discus can be aggressive with each other and even the other members of your tank, there are plenty of things you can do to lessen the problem and keep a healthy harmonious ecosystem.


The most common method used to reduce aggression in a discus aquarium is to combine fish with similar size and temperaments. Frequently, when one fish is larger than the others, it will start to exhibit dominant behavior and will soon become aggressive with its tank mates. Discus are social schooling fish by nature so they generally don't need to be separated, however, one 'bad apple' can sometimes ruin it for everybody. Usually, though only that single fish needs to be removed from the
aquarium.

Most of the aggression issues that occur in a discus aquarium are among males during mating periods. Usually, if you are keeping several discusses, a dominant male will emerge, and he will view the other males as competition to his females. Therefore, it is often a good idea to limit the number of males in your tank. The ideal ratio of males to females in a discus aquarium is around 1:3. That way no single female is relentlessly chased around your tank
during mating.

Other than mating, the other major reason for aggression in a discus aquarium is competition for food. If the fish find that food is scarce, they are more apt to be aggressive and guard what resources are available. However, if food is plentiful, their aggression is reduced. Do not take this as a license to overfeed your discus. Rather, it is a reminder to be consistent with your feeding schedule and portions. The fish will become accustomed to your routine and will calm as result.

Hopefully, these simple ideas have helped you think about why you may have aggression in your discus aquarium. You may have previously felt that discus was too aggressive to keep, however, if you create the proper environment, a discus aquarium can be a peaceful place. All that is needed is some knowledge and specific action to take. Good Luck!



2017-09-01

Tropical DISCUS FISH - Instructions You Need To Know

Tropical Discus Fish are a magnificent aquarium fish. They are remarkably beautiful and full of life.  With their attractiveness comes a price nevertheless. The discus can be a moody fish. They aren’t similar to the Wally world cheap fish you see inside a main retail chain. Tropical discus fish will require some advanced care to keep them healthily. Please don’t let this intimidate you. With a little guidance, you can be on your way to having a good-looking tropical discus fish aquarium.

Discus Fish
Discus Fish - Photo by ozz13x


Aquarium Balance

Aquarium balance is the number of fish you should keep in your aquarium at one time. The broad rule of thumb should be to limit an individual discus fish per each ten gallons of water your aquarium can withhold. Discus love room to roam, using this guideline will keep your fish from feeling stressed and overcrowded.

Tank Size and Shape

Discus prefers a tall sized aquarium. If you were to have two aquariums and one was six foot long and eighteen inches deep and the other tank being four feet long and 3 feet deep. The discus would prefer the taller of the two tanks which would be a 3×4 aquarium. Keep in mind if you have a tank like the first one I mentioned I don’t suggest you buy a new aquarium. They are merely aquarium suggestions they are not gospel. The only rule you should follow when picking out an aquarium for tropical discus fish is to make sure the tank is at least eighteen inches deep.

I myself don’t advocate anything lesser than a thirty-gallon aquarium. This is just my own opinion. I don’t like to utilize anything lesser than thirty gallons because of the smaller the aquarium the harder it really is to care for the water. Plus I like to have more than 2 discus per an aquarium.

Feeding Your Discus

Tropical discus fish are particular eaters. It is advisable to ask the breeder what brand of food your new fish prefer to eat. Although Discus do not require any special diet they do like to eat what they have been feeding on throughout their life time. To change their diet feed them the new food in small doses. Increase the dosage for about a week to get them accustomed to the brand new food. This is a secure and stress-free way to alter their diet.

Water Quality

Water quality is of the most important and keeping your water quality clean and stable and the right temperature is a MUST! You will want to keep the water temp between 82 and 86 degrees.

Water changes are the first and obvious way to keep your water clean and stable. When making water changes only change about 15 or 20 percent of the water at a time. Do not make drastic water changes. It puts more harm than good on your discus and will cause them a lot of stress.


Water Chemistry

Chemistry is a little more advanced so let me share some important factors with you. You need to test the water hardness. You need to have soft water usually between 3 and 15dh. Now don’t forget about ph. This needs to be between 5 and 6.5. PH will be the most difficult factor among first-time discus owners. This is important to learn because discus like to maintain a stable ph. Do not compromise their ph level.  You will think everything is fine because the fish will live and in some case they may even breed but in reality, your fish will always be stressed and have a short life span.

These are some of the most important factors you need to succeed at in order to keep tropical discus fish.


Steve Jones is an expert fish keeper and owns an aquarium shop in upper Michigan. 

Article from articlesbase.com




2017-08-03

Tank Requirements For DISCUS FISH

For Discus fish, there is 2 consideration in tanks - tank depth and volume. Because of their size and swimming habits, a minimum of 18" is needed for tank depth, the deeper the better. Regarding volume, a good rule of thumb is that each adult discus will need 10 gallons of water. Larger tanks will also give more stable water conditions, and take into account other considerations the minimum size for a discus show tank should be no less than 55 gallons.  

Something's Fishy
Photo by puliarf

It is also advisable to use a rectangular tank.  Not only are they cheaper, but are more efficient, because they maximize surface area.  Surface area is the most important factor in buying a tank.  Why?  Because it is only at the surface of the tank that gas exchange occurs.  (Oxygen in, Carbon dioxide out.)  Assuming you have a seventy-five-gallon show tank, and its biological filter is working as required, up to twenty young fish 3 inches in size, or 6 or 8 fully adult discus can comfortably inhabit the tank. An outside filter may be added to large tanks to increase basic aeration and biological filtration needs.

Keep in mind that when young discus fish are small, they grow fast and become quite large in a short period of time if fed well and water quality is maintained. If your tank is too small they will not be happy and it will quickly stunt their growth. Juvenile discus should not be kept in overly large tanks. Being a social fish, Discus tend to become very skittish in large tanks. In our hatchery, we place 6 Discus up to 1.5" in a 29-gallon tank. They will be moved to larger tanks when they get to 2.5", and show possible signs of "pairing off".   Always try to buy the largest tank you can afford for discus fish.

If breeding Discus is a consideration, later on, tanks can be down sized to twenty gallons per pair. At our hatchery, 29-gallon rectangular glass tanks are utilized for every breeding pair.
A bare bottomed tank with at 2 ½ gallons of water per inch of fish, a couple of sponge filters and a canister filter with activated carbon in it is used to begin the process. This is maintained at 6.6 - 6.8 PH, and the temperature is set at 82 to 84 degrees F.  We make 50% water changes weekly, and some breeders will go as high as 95%. Optimal results would be achieved with a 15% water change daily.  Because Discus produce slime on their body, and it is shed regularly, it coats the inner surface of the tank and promotes bacterial growth. A safe bet is to wipe down every discus tank every week.  There are commercial sponges and brushes available to do this chore.



Because Discus are large fish, they require clean water and proper filtration.  The tank must be "cycled" and tested for nitrates/nitrites before placement of Discus in the tank.  Our policy is to use fish such as some of the more common cichlids to "cycle" the tank.  A good rule of thumb here is to wait at least 4 weeks before attempting to place Discus with the "cycling" fish.  If you are active in the aquarist community, a friend might possibly loan you some "cycling fish" to begin your project, and the "cycles" can be returned to their owner upon completion of the cycle.

Discus prefers soft water, due to the constant rainfall and run-off in their natural habitat. We are more concerned, however, with cleanliness.  It is much better to have a high quality of hygiene in the tank than it is having optimal water conditions, though we strive for both.  Discus will adapt to most conditions, including PH up to 7.8 and 350-ppm micro siemens of hardness, but cannot survive in constantly changing water conditions or dirty water.

    by Alden Smith
    Alden Smith is a published author and has been marketing on the internet for 7 years.  His website, King Discus, is an active gathering place for discus breeders and lovers of discus fish.
    Article Directory: EzineArticles


Discus Fish Care Handbook

2017-07-06

The Basic Do’s and Don’ts in DISCUS FISH Breeding

Having a fish tank at your home not only increases the aesthetics and the ambience of your home, it also provides you an avenue to relieve stress. Many homeowners which have aquariums in their houses swear to the fact that aquariums provides them with a sense of calmness, but of course, the fish inside the tank does a lot to make this happen. And one of the most sought after tropical freshwater fish today is the discus fish.

IMG_6495
Photo by GIALIAT

A lot of discus fish owners today have seen the great potential in making money of their pets. First off, you have to realize that the discus fish is not just like your ordinary goldfish, they can be quite costly and selling their fry has the possibility of making them money. You too can be able to venture in this, providing you know what you are doing.

Some would say that breeding discus fish can be very difficult, well, if you make the most common, and sometimes most obvious mistakes, then you may just end up spending more and just plainly waste your time. To help you get started, here are a few do’s and don’ts in discus fish breeding.


The Do’s


Do buy a big tank if your existing aquarium is small. For a pair of discus fish, a 27 gallon tank will suffice, but if you have more pairs, then you should get a bigger one, 75 gallons will do the trick for 3 to 4 pairs of discus fish.

Do give your discus fish an area in the tank for them to spawn. Discus fish lay their eggs in a flat vertical surface area at the bottom of the tank. Some use certain plants while some say that an overturned pot will do.


Do vary the diet of your discus fish. When your fish are breeding, a varied diet is important to boost their reproductive system upping their chances of spawning. Aside from the pellets and granules, you can also feed the breeders bloodworms and brine, fresh or frozen as discus fish are carnivorous fishes.

Do keep their habitat livable. This means maintaining the temperature and the pH level of their water. Discus fish tend to get stressed when the water experiences an abrupt change or if its dirty.

The Don’ts

Don’t allow your tank water to get dirty and filled with food debris at the bottom. Any debris left can cause bacteria to develop and make your fish ill. This then will hamper the breeding process.

Don’t overfeed your discus fish. Just give them the recommended amount of food. Adult discus fish should only be fed twice a day.

Don’t be in a rush. Be patient. Breeding fishes doesn’t happen overnight, just keep on trying.

And lastly, don’t forget the obvious; you will need a female and a male discus fish. Try to learn how to spot the gender of your discus fish, this way, if you want to start if with just a pair, you will be able to see if they are indeed of the opposite sex.




2017-05-12

Tips To Remember Before You Buy a DISCUS FISH

Discus Fish are one of the most popular types of fishes to have in a freshwater aquarium. They are very colorful and they can also be the center attraction of your aquarium. If you did your research about Discus Fish, then you know how expensive they can be.

English: Discus fish. Aquarium in dehiwala zoo
Discus fish.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you are planning to buy a Discus Fish as an additional fish in to your aquarium, here are some tips that you need to remember before you actually buy one. With these tips, you will be able to know how to buy a Discus Fish, which is very important in order for you to avoid wasting your money.

First of all, when buying a Discus Fish, you have to remember that a healthy Discus Fish should look healthy. Discus Fish that tends to stay on top of the tank or near the surface is a sure sign that they are sick. You should also look out for bloated gills as well as unusual spots. Also, be on the lookout for parasites hanging from the fish.

You should also stay away from tanks that have a DNS label on them. DNS means “do not sell” and the fish here are most likely to have a disease.

You should also test the alertness and responsiveness of the fish. To do this, have the breeder or the keeper feed the fish. If the fish is passive and doesn’t take interest of the new food available, this may be a sign of unhealthy fish. The fish you buy should eat the food or at least take interest in them. If the keeper says that they just fed the fish, then you should look for another place to buy a Discus Fish.



As much as possible, you should buy an adult Discus Fish. This is highly recommended for first time owners of Discus Fish as adult Discus Fish costs lesser to maintain than juvenile ones. You need to remember that juvenile Discus Fish are far more sensitive to water quality and food quality than adult Discus Fish.

You also have to know about the dealer quarantine. This is the time where the dealer obtained the fish and the time they decide to sell the fish. The longer the dealer quarantine is, the better it will be for you. Usually, the fish should be in quarantine for at least 2 weeks. This is to make sure that the fish is not spreading any diseases. Also, you need to make sure that the dealer tells you if the fish have been subjected to medicines or if they have been de-wormed. By asking these questions, you will be able to have a good idea about the background of the fish.

Lastly, you have to take a look at the aquarium chemistry. Make sure that you ask the dealer about the current water condition that the Discus Fish you plan on buying is currently living in. This will give you a good idea on how to set up your aquarium and also help you if the dealer of the fish knows what they’re doing.

Remember these tips and you can be sure that you will be able to purchase a great Discus Fish that will live for a very long time in your aquarium.



2017-04-17

Understanding DISCUS FISH - Most Important Things

Understanding discus fish and their environment is vital to starting in this interesting past-time. Discus fish are native to the Amazon Stream Basin in the lakes and streams surrounding it. They are from the cichlid family of fish, and like deep water. Because of this, you would like to get about the biggest aquarium that you are able to afford to get and still be ready to slot in your place.

Discus Fish
Flickr Photo by ozz13x


Discus fish are quite social creatures and like to travel in colonies of at least 6. This makes them more assured with their group and may be less susceptible to misbehaving. This is also a way to determine if you can get some of them to partner up and then you will get into breeding and having them mate.

It is very rewarding to end up in possession of some tiny fish for your tank. Understanding discus fish and knowing that they are grazers naturally meaning that in natural settings they will virtually consistently seek food, so be happy to feed your fish a number of times during the day. Try and keep from over feeding though. One of the guidelines is to not feed them more than five times each day and make the amount such that it's about 3 to 5 percent of their body weight.


Discus fish are subject to a selection of sicknesses with the main problem being that of parasitic worms. You can monitor the healthiness of them by observing their feces and behaviour. Clear or white feces will be a hint that they're unwell and need attention. Behaviorally, if their skin becomes a darker color, or if they hide a lot or go on food strikes, this can be another pointer that your discus is unwell.

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The color of your fish can be manipulated through the food that it is fed and through hormones also. Some of food out there that publicize this feature will keep your fish's colours bright for ages however without some certain nutrient elements in their diet, their colours can fade over a period of time.

The discus fish is named such due to the flat shape of their bodies. They're so wanted due to their stunning markings and their usually social nature. Their water is their world and one of the most vital things that you can do to make certain your discus are satisfied and healthy is to keep the water as clean and pure as you can. Unclean water is going to be one of the most important things which will make your discus fish stressed and unwell.

Understanding discus fish will help you make an ecstatic discus colony and supply you with years of joy and viewing pleasure. Try the pointers that you have been given here and you may do just fine looking after these dazzling creatures.

    Evelyn Stone is a discus fish expert.
    Article Directory: EzineArticles



2017-03-24

Can You Buy Discus Fish Online?

Discus fish are available to buy online, if you decide to get your discus fish online then you must make sure that you know everything that there is to know about discus fish and taking care of them before your order any discus fish online.

There are many fish owners who consider discus fish to be quite difficult to look after and they are not often recommended to inexperienced aquarists. Although discus fish are not particularly difficult to manage, they can often become susceptible to stress borne disease and can die if they are not kept in optimal conditions. Ammonia cause from fish waste and bad water temperatures are the main threats to the discus immune system, in their natural habitat they live in distilled water and the chemicals which are more often than not added to the municipal water supply can harm the fish. Many discus fish owners choose to change water using RO water, however if you do use RO water you must be sure to add minerals back into the water that it takes out.

Gasp!
Discus Fish - Photo by basheertome 


Before you buy your discus fish online you should make sure that:

1  You have a tank large enough to contain your discus fish- 20 to 27 gallon tanks should be sufficient for your discus fish

2  Do your homework- make sure that you have read through discus fish care books that you know how to take care of them, what they eat, the water pH, temperature, breeding- there is a lot to know before you get started.

3  Make sure that you have all of the equipment that you need to keep discus fish- filters, food, ornaments for the fish to hide behind etc.

4  Make sure that you have a safe and quite place to keep your discus fish tank

Once you have considered all of the facts about discus fish, then you are ready to buy your discus fish online! But where can you find discus fish online? There are dozens of websites which offer links to stores where you can order discus fish- these vary in prices and shipping charges to you might want to do a little bit of research before you settle for your buyer.



You should take into consideration; cost of fish, cost of shipping, shipping time and you should also consider whether or not you can trust the website to deliver your discus fish safely and in a healthy condition. If you want to find more information on where you can buy discus fish online, then do a quick internet search to find out everything that you need to know.




2017-03-21

PH Levels in The DISCUS TANK

Because it is imperative that discus fish have optimal water conditions, much has been written about this subject,  This is the plan put in place to insure proper PH water levels in our hatchery.

Allnut Enterprises' breeder, Nick Lockhart of Noblesville, Indiana, has many ingenious ideas as to how to accomplish things in the hatchery.  We begin our experiment with two matched pairs: two red melons, and two leopardskins.  They are lovely, friendly fish, and have been getting acclimated to our tanks and the aquarist since the end of June.

Initially, we begin to prepare for the new arrivals by setting up the tanks in this manner:  water was tested for PH and nitrite levels, and a proper ecosystem for active bacteria was begin by populating the tank with cichlids that Nick has been raising prior to the purchase of the discus.  When we felt that the water/bacteria levels were correct, we set up the meeting with the breeder, and made the trip to Bloomington, Indiana.

Upon arrival at home base with a travel time of about an hour and a half, we immediately begin to acclimate the pairs to their new home.  We were advised by the breeder to let them acclimate to the new tank water by "floating" the bags containing the fish for approximately one hour to equalize the temperatures, and to add a cup of water to the bag from the tank to equalize PH levels.

We did not, however, follow this procedure.  We took approximately six hours to acclimate by adding a cup of the tank water to the bag each hour, and keeping a close eye on the discus and PH levels, because they were stressed from the trip. A Hanna PH digital meter was used for testing, which gave us a very accurate reading.  As large changes in PH in a short period can shock the discus, we were careful in this approach.  Our water at the time matched the water in PH levels from the breeder closely.

Because the two pair were bought for breeding purposes, Nick was not comfortable with the PH level, which at that time was at approximately 7.5, high for optimal breeding conditions of 6.5-6.9.  What to do?

We had read that hanging a mesh bag of peat moss would help to lower the PH, but were not happy with the idea of having debris from the Peat in our tanks, which are kept scrupulously clean. We knew there had to be a better way to accomplish this goal.

Because Nick lives in town, and has city water, he uses a Reverse Osmosis filtering system to insure that the water is free of chemicals and suitable for the aquarium.  Knowing that Peat Moss will lower the PH in an aquarium system, and having a large bag left over from making culture for Grindal and White Worms, he took a 5 gallon pail, and drilled a series of holes around the perimeter of the bottom of the pail, using a 3/32" drill.  He then lined the bottom of the pail with a think layer of regular aquarium filter floss, and topped that off with a thick layer of Peat Moss, with the finished pail being about two-thirds full.



The outlet hose from the RO system was then allowed to drain into this pail.  Setting the pail over the top of the holding tank, the water slowly drained down through this medium into the holding tank.

Initial test of the recycled water showed a drop in PH to below the base of 7.0.  We have been adding the water to the discus tanks slowly through water changes so as to not shock the fish, and at our business meeting this weekend, Nick informed me that the PH levels in the discus tanks are now at approximately 6.6, which is the optimal level for breeding discus.

Cost of the project?  If you already are using an RO system, and have a holding tank, you will spend a twenty dollar bill getting the Peat Moss and filter floss.  Not bad, considering a breeding pair of dicus can run you $425 dollars!