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.

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.

Discus Fish: How to Keep This Exotic Fish Alive

Most people say that Discus Fish are one of the most difficult species of fish to keep. Although this is true for most people who have no experience in keeping this kind of fish, you will see that keeping this fish is rather easy if you get the basics right. After you understand the basics of keeping this kind of fish, you will see that it’s quite easy to keep Discus Fish in your fish tank.

First of all, you have to see to the water quality. In most cases, poor water quality is often the reason why people have difficulty in keeping Discus Fish. When it comes to water quality, try to think where the fish originated. Discus Fish originated in the waters of Brazil, which is soft and acidic. So, you have to replicate the water quality in Brazil in your fish tank if you are going to keep a Discus Fish or any other fish found in Brazil.

You also have to keep in mind that larger volumes of water is easier to keep stable than smaller volumes. This is why you have to consider the size of the tank where you intend on keeping your Discus Fish. You have to try getting the largest aquarium that you possibly can in order for you to easily maintain the water quality.

You may already know about the nitrogen cycle. You need to consider the fact that this is very important whenever you intend on keeping any kind of fish in a fish tank or aquarium. If you don’t know anything about the nitrogen cycle, then you may want to cancel your plans on keeping a Discus Fish.

You have to remember that Discus Fish will not tolerate ammonia or nitrite in any amount. They will only be able to tolerate the bare minimum nitrite. You also need to make sure that the detritus is removed on a daily basis along with any uneaten food as this will produce ammonia in the water, which will potentially make the Discus Fish ill or possibly kill it.

The PH level of the water is also very important. Because Discus Fish thrives on a more acidic type of water, you have to keep the water PH level between 5.5 and 6.8. Discus fish will not tolerate water with a higher PH level. The hardness of the water should be between 2 and 8 and the conductivity should be around 10ms. This may be a problem if you live in a place where hard water is abundant as you will need to bring down the hardness of the water as well as the PH.

A reverse osmosis filter will be able to strip everything from the water and this will also lower the PH level as well as the hardness.

Feeding Discus Fish is not that difficult to do. If you have an adult Discus Fish, you will need to feed it 2 to 3 times a day. But, you should never over feed them as the excess food will pollute the water and it will tend to produce ammonia. The feed should be of high quality and it should be high in protein.

As for changing the water, you should do so every week. A 50 percent change of the water will do. By doing these few simple things, you will be able to enjoy keeping a Discus Fish for many years.

Easy Steps in Saving Money when Breeding Discus Fish

It would be easy to understand why so many fresh water fish aficionado loves the discus fish. It’s very attractive and most definitely one of the most beautiful creatures that one can keep in an aquarium. Some would disagree saying that there are others more beautiful but that is just a matter of opinion, an opinion that millions of aquarium owners have made by owning a discus fish today.

This mesmerizing fish though comes with a hefty price tag. Some sellers have been found to be selling their discus fish in the northern region of 250 dollars. That is very stiff indeed, especially if you want to have more than one discus fish, and if you’re going to breed them, then a pair would certainly be needed. But, if you want to have an aquarium full of discus fish and want to save money in doing so, then you would just have to breed them yourself. Breeding discus fish is not as hard as you may think; it’s not as simple either. There certainly will be some costs, but if you do it right, you will be saving money in the long run.

In starting out, you have two options. First is the certain option, which is more expensive though. All you have to do is go to a pet shop and buy a breeding pair. This can set you back about 300 dollars. But you can be sure that one is a male and one is a female. If you want to save some money, but you can’t really be sure tht they would breed, is to buy baby discus fish, about six to eight of them. You can just hope that at least one or two of them are male or female. Typically though, there would be one of the opposite sex, so you would just have to wait until they grow up.

When they reach adulthood, you will soon observe that if there is indeed a pair, both of them will soon claim a space in the tank, and start protecting it. This pair will then be your breeding pair. Have a breeding tank ready as soon as you discover them. A breeding tank should be separate from the main tank so as to protect the spawn, at the least; your breeding tank should be 20 gallons.

When you have finally established your discus fish breeding tank, transfer some of the water from your original tank, this will prevent your discus fish from experiencing stress in being exposed to a new tank. Don’t put any gravel or sand inside your tank, this will make it easier for you to clean your tank from leftover food. Just place inside a vertical surface where your discus fish can spawn. You can use an upside down pot made from ceramic, or a plant.

IT is imperative that you check on the water from time to time for rise in the water temperature and ammonia level. Daily cleaning is also a must. If you want to save money breeding discus fish, then prevent them from dying, a clean water will increase your chances of breeding discus fish from your initial investment.

Having the Right Tank for Your Discus Fish

Most unlike dogs and cats, fishes can be deemed easy to keep. Even if you don’t have a big backyard for your dog to play and exercise in, a good corner with about a meter or two of space is enough for you to have a relaxing aquarium to look at. You don’t have to train them, and side from the occasional cleaning, they can be kept wherever they are already placed. All the work though, and the expenses, come before the fishes arrive.

Like fishes taken out of the water, well, literally fishes that are taken out of the water, your discus fish will need a tank where they will live on. Unless you have a river flowing through your house, the fish tank or the aquarium will be your discus fish home for the rest of its life. So you will need to provide it with a habitat that will be conducive for breeding as well as living a life that it’s used to.

You have to note though that there are certain tank requirements for a particular breed of fish. With the discus fish, you will have two main concerns, and this is its depth and volume. The depth and the volume of the tank will be based not only on the size of the fish, but also on the swimming habits of the discus fish. A deep tank is usually the norm, 18 inches would suffice. With the volume of water, most discus fish experts would agree that for each discus fish, 10 gallons would be necessary.

To maximize the surface area, a rectangular tank is usually recommended. When buying a tank, the surface area is one of the important considerations. The tank surface area is necessary because this is where the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchanges. So if you have 3 to 4 pairs of discus fish, a 75 gallon tank would be good enough. If you can, try to add an outside filter, especially if you have a large tank, s this will be able to help out in increasing the aeration and the filtration of the tank.

The need for a large tank is not only because they can grow big, but because they grow big fast. So if you plan on buying a smaller tank know and just upgrading to a bigger one later on, you may find that this would be futile. You would just be spending more in a short period of time. A small tank will just stunt their development and will stress them out. But also remember, if the tank is too big, the young discus fish can become overly skittish and can also stunt their growth.

If you can afford to, buying two tanks is also advisable, especially if you can afford it and you want to breed your discus fish later on. You can use the smaller while the discus fish are young, and later on as a breeding tank.

Helpful Tips to Keep Your Discus Fish Alive and Healthy For Many Years

Discus Fish is one of the most popular types of fish to have as a pet. They are very colorful and they also live for a few years. They are freshwater fish native to the Amazon River basin and are very popular as aquarium fish. In fact, Discus Fish are so popular that in several Asian countries, breeding this kind of fish is a major industry.

However, the problem with Discus fish is that they are very hard to keep. They are very sensitive to water quality and also to the type of food they eat. If you don’t know how to keep a Discus Fish, then you have to first educate yourself how in order for you to continue enjoying having this fish in your aquarium for many years to come.

Of course, like with other pets, you want your Discus Fish to be healthy and free from disease. So, here are some simple tips that will help you keep your Discus Fish alive and healthy for a very long time.

For starters, you have to make sure that you keep at least six Discus Fish together. You have to remember that Discus Fish are shoaling fish, which means that you have to put them in groups. This is a great way for you to keep your pet healthy and in good spirits. You will also want to keep other varieties of fish together with the Discus Fish in order to add variety to your aquarium and make it even look more attractive.

Since Discus Fish are very sensitive to water quality, make sure that you keep your aquarium clean. 50 percent of the water should be changed every week and you have to keep the water free from chlorine and heavy metals. To do this, a water purifier will be able to do the trick.

Keep in mind that Discus Fish thrives in the Amazon River basin where the water is slightly acidic and soft. So, keep the PH level of the water lower than normal. You also need to make sure that the aquarium is away from doors that could open. This is to prevent your Discus Fish from getting stressed. Always keep in mind that if the Discus Fish is always subjected to high levels of stress, they are more likely to get sick and die.

Lastly, you have to remember to feed your Discus Fish with pellets, flakes and worms. Porkhearts and beefhearts are suitable feeds for Discus Fish. For adult Discus Fish, you will need to feed them two to three times a day. Also, make sure that clean any uneaten foods as these things will secrete ammonia which can eventually increase the PH level.

Remember these things and you can be sure that you will be able to keep your Discus Fish alive and healthy. These are some of the tips that you need to remember whenever you plan on keeping a Discus Fish in your aquarium. By following these tips, you will be able to enjoy them for many more years to come.