Keeping Discus Fish in Hard Water

Beliefs passed through the hobby may not exist necessary, beneficial or even authentic - as you'll discover:

Information technology's said they need RO water

All Discus will live in h2o prepared past a contrary osmosis filter - only exercise they all demand it?

Much will depend on the water your fish accept spent their lives in prior to reaching your tank.

Wild Discus volition require soft, slightly acidic water and mostly the only fashion to achieve this is to employ a reverse osmosis filter. Some areas of the UK accept soft h2o on tap, only, even so, information technology would be wise to run it through carbon.

Asian Discus are also raised in soft h2o, so volition appreciate the same water grooming for wild Discus. Some aquarists acclimatise their Asian Discus to UK tapwater, merely elevation breeders such every bit Jeffrey Tan advise soft water.

European-bred Discus, however, are quite happy and will even brood in harder water - the reason being they accept now been tank-bred over several generations and have adapted to information technology.

Your all-time course of action is to seek the communication of your chosen Discus supplier, but an increasing number of keepers are considering an RO filter a product very much of the past.

You shouldn't mix fish from different suppliers/countries

In my stance the answer is no, but if that didn't happen the hobby would grind to a halt.

Keeping Discus successfully is made easier by eliminating the known risks and in that location'due south conclusive bear witness that sometimes, when two batches of fish from different sources are put in the same tank, it can accept devastating results - with ane set becoming very ill in merely a few days.

I need to stress that this is not an Asian/German 'thing', as it's oftentimes referred to in the hobby. Information technology can involve two batches of fish that have but been purchased from different shops.

So how exercise we avoid it? Don't do information technology! Withal, if y'all want fish from dissimilar places so there's a unproblematic process to follow.

Usually people will have a happy tank, get out, buy some new Discus, pop them in the tank and 48 hours subsequently observe a problem. Then keep your fish in carve up tanks while the newcomers undergo a flow of quarantine.

During this fourth dimension avert transferring even a unmarried driblet of water from 1 tank to the other.

Later a few weeks accept a new fish and an existing fish and put them in a tank together. If subsequently ten days they are fine you lot can reasonably assume that all is well.

If the fish are going to 'cross contaminate' information technology will show itself inside a 48 to 72 hr period. This is more often than not referred to every bit 'Discus plague' and tin can be treated, although not always successfully, using salt dips/formalin and malachite green/acraflavin.

Yet is the risk worth the worry? Only the individual fishkeeper tin can make up one's mind, My advice, however, is to avoid known risks.

Discus must take a carmine middle to be considered a worthy specimen

In the primary, wild Discus do have bright red eyes, and then some fishkeepers consider a red eye a must characteristic.

Nevertheless, most Discus available today are domestically-bred mutations and the eye can be yellow/red/albino then on.

Regardless of the colour, ever pick fish that take an heart proportional to body size. It should also look clean and bright, as the middle is a good indicator of the fish'south state of wellness and age.

Males have longer ventral fins than females

Sometimes but not always. Discus fins are similar fingernails, continually growing and 'dropping off' - not literally, but the fish is able to replace the soft areas of its fins.

I believe the size and shape of the fins is directly linked to fish genetics, the quality of the diet and h2o provided for it.

Males, when breeding, practice often have longer ventral and dorsal fins than females, but I believe this characteristic is more than an indication that the fish is in good status than annihilation else.

They must have a very low pH to survive

Discus volition survive in a wide range of pH values and once again the origin of the fish volition need to exist taken into consideration, but it is indeed a myth that the pH in the wild is constantly very low.

During the rainy season the water in rivers and lakes will have a virtually neutral pH.

Far more important for domestic Discus is a consistent pH - and nearer to neutral the better.Abiding adjustment of pH in h2o is poor husbandry and will inevitably pb to health issues.

Don't feed them beefheart considering it'southward not natural

Nonsense. Virtually of the world's Discus breeders feed a beefheart mix and, in some cases, take done so for more than 50 years.

Feed your Discus what you see fit and offering a varied diet, as feeding is part of the fun of keeping fish! People ofttimes say "I wouldn't want to eat the same food every mean solar day" — simply we consume to survive and for pleasure. Animals just eat to survive.

Feeding Discus is a subject area on which every keeper will accept an stance, usually different!

Discus will only take red foods

No. Discus will also happily take brineshrimp, mussel, whiteworm so on.

Fish use more than just their sight to locate food, but there's a school of thought that, considering of their color, red foods are much easier to see. A well-known make of granulated nutrient was initially produced blue, but trials indicated that a red version was eaten start, so red was promoted!

Salubrious, happy Discus will consume a variety of food, the important factor beingness to feed them regularly and in sufficient quantity.

They need to be given bare bottomed tanks

Discus don't, but they are messy and people who keep them in such tanks usually practise so for their own reasons.

Information technology's easier to remove the waste, wipe down the sides and generally keep bacteria and pathogens minimal, but in a domestic setting people will often desire a busy tank with substrate and aesthetically that's quite understandable.

Maintain it properly and all will be fine. The most important regime is to remove uneaten food.

They won't brood considering they were taken away from their parents and no longer take the parental instinct

This is a very hot and circuitous subject, but extensive tests would appear to disprove this 'myth.'

They tin can be sexed just by looking at them

Even adult Discus are hard to sex but looking at them. Getting it right all of the time is impossible. Lookout man their interaction and it becomes easier.

Spend some fourth dimension looking at the 'tubes'. Males' are pointed, females' shorter and blunt.

1 matter's for sure though. If a pair forms in a tank it is blatantly obvious, equally they will shove the remainder of the fish up the other end!

Sexing Discus under 14cm/5.5" is all but impossible.

They tin can't ever be sexed simply by looking at them

Equally you proceeds experience you get an instinct as to each fish's sex, but getting it right is hard and at some betoken they will humble you lot.

You shouldn't purchase small ones

It's not a good idea to buy pocket-sized Discus in groups of less than eight to ten — the reason being that Discus are shoalers and get their security from existence part of a shoal. Would-be buyers often say they will take 'a couple to try them' simply this really is the wrong fashion to go on Discus.

They shouldn't exist mixed with angelfish

Discus don't alive with angels in the wild, merely many enthusiasts keep them together in domestic aquaria.

As with whatsoever fish, there's a risk of cross-contamination and with both being territorial and, in the instance of the angels being predatory, there'due south a potential problem. My doctrine is, as e'er, to avoid known risks.

These fish are very difficult to keep...

You tin can make Discus keeping as hard as you similar! People practice, but those who relish the best success and savor in the hobby volition in the primary keep things very simple. Domestically-bred Discus are really no dissimilar to any other fish and these are the very basic rules:

Keep them in groups, as they are a shoaling species.
Provide them with chemically clean water.
Undertake weekly h2o changes of a minimum 25%.
Install a fully mature biological filter.
Maintain a consistent pH and hardness, as advised past the supplier.
Initially buy good salubrious stock. Look around and don't purchase on impulse.
Feed them well, Discus will eat a lot.
Keep your easily out of the tank! Don't have that literally, but don't become looking for not-real issues.
Join the PFK forum and a dedicated Discus forum, and establish a relationship with your supplier.

Making the right preparations

There are many opinions and different methodologies seem to work for different Discus keepers.

With better fish quality now available, water preparation filters being more affordable and with knowledge gained and shared in PFK and on the Internet, it'south possible for anyone to go along Discus.

No more mystery and secrecy — but follow these tips:

Tank size: Bigger is amend, as more h2o makes it easier to maintain quality. If you buy smaller Discus the more h2o you will accept and the better they will grow.

I think a 120 l/26 gal tank is minimum and, with prudent husbandry, one fish per 20 litres of water is fine.

H2o parameters: These volition depend on the source of your Discus, and then discuss the effectively points with your supplier. However, the mutual denominator for whatever Discus is to provide chemically clean water — and plenty of it.

Discus like information technology a bit warmer than bread and butter tropical fish and 28-30°C/82-86°F is fine. Discus volition not tolerate ammonia or nitrite for very long. They are more tolerant of nitrates, merely keeping this as low as you can with h2o changes is extremely benefical.

Size to buy: This volition once more depend on several factors, not least your budget! With nearly Discus being mutations/hybridised, the bigger they are the more sure you lot can be of what the fish will ultimately await similar.

What y'all see is what you get with fish 10cm/four" and larger. When buying smaller look more for skillful shape and activity. Buy those constantly looking for nutrient and allow them to develop into what they are.

Avoid shy fish and always ask to see the fish feeding before buying. Take home a group, unless calculation to a collection or buying a convenance pair.

Filtration: A mature sponge filter will do the job, simply an undertank sump or canister filter will exist more than efficient at removing solids.

H2o preparation: The water needs to be chemically clean and costless of chlorine, chloramines or heavy metals. Reverse osmosis or HMA filters are the well-nigh economic way long term. Over-the-counter additives remove and demark these factors, but apply a carbon-based filter for all-time results.

Expert fishkeeping advice every month – subscribe to Practical Fishkeeping and become your start iii issues for just £ane each, plus get a Free Aquarium Masterclass Guide.