Discus Basics for a Beginner

Discus fish, king of all the aquarium tropical fish, is a breed of exotic fishes and is highly popularized as aquarium fish. Discus is a native of shallow streams and lakes running off the Amazon river and its tributaries. In the wild, these fishes dwell close to the shore, among the submerged tree roots. They feature a laterally compressed, disc-shaped body which gives the fish its name 'discus'. The sides of the fish comprises of lovely patterns in green, blue, red and brown.

Today, there are several varieties of this fish for sale at local aquarium stores. Their interactive nature has endeared them to people, making them one of the hottest options as an aquarium fish. These fishes relate to people, and even eagerly rush to greet their owners. They are observed to follow movements occurring in the room, even movements on television. However, these boisterous fishes are highly sensitive creatures and require substantial amount of care while keeping them in an aquarium. Discus care plays a significant role in keeping the fish happy and healthy. Setting up a discus aquarium and proper fish care need not be a costly investment. However, one has to invest a considerable amount of time for fish care, which is a factor that has to be kept in mind before purchasing this fish. For those of you who are pondering as to how to take care of discus fish, below are some basic care tips.

How to Take Care of Discus Fish:

Discus fish care requires diligence on the part of the pet owner. As a pet owner one will have to gather as much information about the fish and its unique living conditions as possible, so as to attain a thriving ecosystem. Understanding their feeding habits, breeding patterns and other needs will help to maintain them properly. One does not want these lively aquarium fish to perish due to lack of knowledge. Some simple discus care guidelines that need to be followed are:

Water Condition: This is an important aspect of proper discus fish care. It is important to recreate the natural environment of the fish, in order to pacify their desires. Absence of appropriate environmental conditions will result in sick and aggressive discus fish. They may even die.

Water Hardness: The parameters of the local tap water needs to be investigated. Hard tap water needs to be mixed with softened water, so as to attain the desired water for the fish. Softening can be done by using a reverse osmosis filter. Water conditions that the fish is accustomed to will reduce the chances of the fish from suffering an osmotic shock.

Water pH: The softened water will adjust the pH to the desired level easily. The recommended pH for fish should be between 6.5-7.5 for display purposes, and between 5.5-6.5 for breeding purposes. Adding peat is a great way to lower the pH gradually, however, it's advisable to have someone well versed with water chemistry to do the job.

Water Temperature: As compared to other tropical fishes, discus aquarium fish requires higher temperature. This factor has to be kept in mind while selecting aquarium plants. In order to change the water temperature, all one has to do is adjust the heater's dial in the aquarium. The temperature level should be checked twice a day, with the help of a digital thermometer. Conventional thermometers are not precise, thus not recommended. For discus fish display, the temperature range is 27.5 to 29C and 30 to 33C for the breeding time.

Water Changes: Water changes are to be carried out on a weekly basis, so as to ensure the health of the discus fish. A water change replaces the stale water with fresh water, thereby discarding the impurities from the aquarium. However, the discus fish does not like changes, so one should only change 25% of the tank volume at a time. One should also clean the bottom of the tank as well as suck up the debris without disturbing the fish to a great extent. Being noisy while cleaning the tank will stress the fish out (sounds are amplified in water).

Chlorine and Chloramine: Local water supplied to most of the regions in the US, are fine for discus fishes. However, in certain areas chloramines (blend of chlorine and ammonia) are added to the water, which is deleterious for the fish. The presence of chloramine can be tested via a tester available at the local aquarium shop. One can use a dechlorinating water conditioner to free the water of chlorine and chloramines.

Food and Nutrition: Discus fishes have small stomachs which can hold only small amount of food. Omega one flake food comprising salmon as the main ingredient is good for the fish and results into greater growth and color development. Frozen brine shrimp, frozen worms and heart food also make a good food sources for the fish. Generally, fishes need to be fed once in a day, however, these fishes exhibit voracious feeding patterns and have to be fed at least thrice a day.

Filtration: Some use chemical filtration media for holding harmful substances, which are discarded during water change. Some even use carbon filtration media to remove the medications or toxins. This carbon filtration media should only be used for a short duration before removal. The power filters used in the aquarium should be furnished with adequate amount of biological filter media. This can be done by purchasing the biological filter media sold for canister filters. This will convert the market power filter (which lacks enough biological filter media) into a suitable discus aquarium filter media. If the Discus fish is fed on beef-heart, one needs to make sure the leftovers are discarded.

These were some basic discus fish care tips. Besides the above mentioned points, one should also note that the discus fishes are social creatures and need to be kept in groups. One should not introduce a lone discus into a tank filled with various other types of fishes. Lone discus fish will survive without their community, however, it will not be happy. After taking care of discus fish for a while, one can even try out breeding discus fish. However, before one gets into breeding them, one needs to master the art of maintaining the right environmental water conditions for the fish. Though discus fish care requires diligence, it is an overall rewarding experience. Hope this article on how to take care of discus fish was helpful and informative! Take care!

Different Cichlid Types You Should Know

There is no question that cichlids are fast becoming one of the most popular pet fishes. This is just understandable given the lovable characteristics of cichlids. If you want to follow the trend, you better acquaint yourself to the different cichlids types. The ones below can be considered as the most popular types of cichlids. Check to see if one of them is the one that you would like to have on your own.
• Discus fish
The Discus fish is a common choice because they are very sociable. You see, most cichlid breeds are aggressive and dominant so they are usually hard to incorporate with other fishes. Although discus fishes live in large groups, they are really very fond of schooling. The best tip when taking care of discus fish is to ensure that you get at least three of them. Their fish personality dictates that they be part of a group. Having two or only one cichlid in an aquarium would only make the discus fish sad and lonely.

• Angelfish Cichlid
You probably know it as angelfish but this type is very much a part of the cichlid breed. What you should understand is that Angelfish Cichlid is the more obvious choice for people who want fish pets that are relaxed. They are not too aggressive that most people fall in love with their natural grace. Angelfish Cichlids are also very elegant.

• Convict Cichlid
These types of cichlids are the most appealing to beginning cichlid owners. You see, Convict Cichlids are very much easy to keep. They also require low maintenance duties. The only downside is that you need to put on effort in decorating its new home. As much as possible, your tank must be very similar to its natural habitat-rocky with caves and substrate. Convict cichlids often burrow themselves so make sure you give them enough space to play around.

• Dwarf Cichlid
The Dwarf Cichlid is probably one of the most challenging to keep. However, most breeders prefer them over other cichlid types because they are less aggressive than some of its relatives like the Bolivian cichlids. They are also easy to mix with other fishes as long as they are compatible with each other. Although quite active, dwarf cichlids are very popular among breeders and cichlids enthusiasts.

• Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey is obviously named after the well-known boxer. They are loved because of their colors. They usually have greenish pecks in their tan bodies while they are young. They turn to purple gray when they get more mature. Their green specks usually turn to gold during these times.

• Oscar Fish
The Oscar fish is one of the toughest varieties. Their best feature is that they can stand almost any kind of water types. They also grow beyond 18 inches. They also have wide food choices including live food, flakes and pellets. It is easy to know if you aren't feeding Oscar fishes enough. Their colors wouldn't be that bright if they are unhealthy. So, it's the sign to watch out for.

Knowing these cichlid types can really help you jumpstart your hobby as a cichlid collector.

Is your cichlid always sick and unhappy? Are you looking for resources to help care, keep and breed healthy and beautiful cichlids? Larry Pearson is an Expert Author and an authority on caring and breeding cichlid fish.

Breeding Discus Fish - Best Practices

Breeding discus fish is truly the very next step in the development of your pastime with these entrancing creatures. If you are enterprising enough to do it, you can get some very galvanizing results. Seeing that first discus fish that you know you helped to create can provide you with an awesome sense of achievement. Then there are the different colours that can come out of these tiny fish that are just superb when they are selectively bred.

While this is often extremely rewarding, it may also be quite tedious and there's much to learn before starting. For instance, discus fish are used to being in groups so when working on getting them to reproduce, you do not want to put only 2 discus in your tank, or they will feel a little out of a sorts.

You must have a new tank for breeding your discus fish. A twenty gallon tank should do the job. You need to keep this tank extremely clean and tidy. Some plants placed in there to give them room to cover up will be fine. You are also going to need a slate or another vertical surface for them to be ready to lay their eggs on.

As I pointed out, you will need to keep the tank extraordinarily clean and to have the right temperature. To keep the water clean, change some of the water each day. Usually twenty-five to fifty percent will keep you in fine shape. Also make efforts to not leave any fragments of food in your tank when you change some water out. With reference to the water temperature, the perfect temperature for breeding discus fish is about 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

Keep an eye on the astringency of the water too. Ensure that your discus fish are getting everything that they need to keep fit and happy. If you are feeding them during mating, ensure you select a food that may provide them with all of the nutrient elements they require as malnourishment will only cause to make you annoyed at why the breeding process isn't working.

You will need to have another tank to keep the babies in so they may not get some of the bugs that some adults have. When you get your first baby discus, you'll be wanting to ensure that you understand about feeding and ensure that the babies have everything they need to grow and develop.

Do not feel bad if your first try isn't successful. Breeding discus fish can take you a little while to get it down and worked out. If you aren't getting it the first time, go do more research and see whether you can find what you probably did inaccurately.

Maybe make yourself a check list from your studies to insure that you do not forget anything when you are making an attempt to make them mate.

Breeding discus fish can be an extraordinarily rewarding experience and for the entrepreneurial hobbyist, can make you some cash on the side when you get good at it. Just remember the things that I have told you here and you will do just fine.

Tips on Keeping and Breeding Discus Fish

If you're seriously interested in knowing about discus fish breeding, you need to think beyond the basics. This short article takes a closer look at things you need to know about. Ideal for breeding discus fish are 20 or 30 gallon tall fish tanks. You should provide some vertical surface in the tank (e.g.: inverted flowerpot) that will enable them to lay their eggs.

In order to provide some shelter for the pair you could add some potted plants to the breeding fish tank. They can be kept in bare tanks but benefit from bog wood and plants as these help the discus feel safe knowing they have somewhere to hide. If they get stressed and scared in a bare tank they can dash around and hurt themselves. Use some sponge filter for the filtration system to handle the biological load. Also required is a outside power filter which picks up any waste that might be in the water.

Discus fish come from the calm warm waters of the Amazon River and prosper when these conditions are replicated in the home aquarium. For both general maintenance and breeding of discus the pH should be maintained between 5.5 and 7.0, the temperature between 83 and 86 degrees F.

Water changes should be performed weekly. However a small water change should be done every day, or every second day. Frequent water changes increase appetite and promote mating activity in discus. Notice that discus will often spawn after a water change!

If good water quality is maintained the discus will have large appetites and should accept any food offered to them. Spawning discus should be fed frozen blood worms, beef heart, frozen or live brine shrimp, live white worms or Tetra Color Bits. In order to avoid parasites invading the tank you should never feed live tubifex or black worms to discus.

A "happy" breeding pair will lay eggs every week for a period of about 4 months. Usually discus will go through two of these spawning cycles in a year. The female will lay around 80-400 eggs and then the male fertilises them. It can take between 48-60 hours for the eggs to hatch and another 60-72 hours until they are swimming freely.

Immediately upon becoming free-swimming the fry will move to their parents sides, and start feeding off them during this time. The fry will feed off their parents sides for as long as you leave them together, however they should be offered small foods such as baby brine shrimp. You will notice after about 3-6 weeks that the parents will be exhausted, also the fry will be growing fast. It's a good idea to remove them at this stage.

Discus Fish

Indonesia is rich with natural resources and fish is one of our major industry that have been in existence for many years both for salt and freshwater. Discus is one of the hundreds of ornamental fish varieties bred. Many of them breed Discus for local and export markets. As we all know that breeding Discus is not a fixed science rather it's an art and this can be only obtained from experience and through trial and errors. All breeders have had their share in the learning curve to reach the level of expertise that they have now that enables them to produce beautiful discus.

This fish is the good companions of gourami.