Checklist For A Discus Tank

Putting together a discus fish tank is probably the most crucial element of discus care, but it really does not need to be an ordeal. Actually with a bit of organization it is actually a really gratifying undertaking. Before you think about choosing a discus aquarium you must think about 3 areas:

first off how big a fish tank will I need?

Discus fish need a lot of room, consequently a Fifty five gallon fish tank will be the smallest size that you'll need.

2nd have I got a spot to place the tank?

Discus don't really like bright lights or noises, and so the fish tank will have to be in a proper space, in addition to still stay in open view so you're able to enjoy your discus.

And then third what's the purpose of the Discus Fish Tank?

Is it going to be a display aquarium or a breeding fish tank, this may effect details like the size of the aquarium and also if you would like plants in there or not

Once you have considered all these components and chosen what fish tank you wish to buy, next the most critical point to bear in mind will be; the vast majority of difficulties with discus are almost always caused by a single thing:

Bad Fish Tank Conditions

Discus are sensitive fish. Their immune system just isn’t set up to handle poor conditions. So when putting together a discus aquarium what we looking to do is recreate, as accurately as you can, the natural habitat . This is achieved by planning and putting together the aquarium the right way.

And so let’s start out at the start of appropriate tank set-up and examine the apparatus you will need for the discus tank. Here is a set of the fundamentals:

- A tank (for discus, larger is better)

- Aquarium lid

- Tank stand

- Heater (two is better)

- A thermometer

- Filters

- Lights

- Air pump

- Stand for your tank

- Bucket

- Net

- Test kits

- Cleaning tools

- Decorations

-A reference book

Choosing The Fish tank

I highly recommend obtaining a tank in a specialized fish store, you will find 2 chief factors behind that

1. Employees will tend to be more knowledgeable in comparison to a general store

2. Fur and feathers off their animals may contaminate you tank in a general pet shop.

Then you can determine whether or not you desire a glass or acrylic fish tank, This is actually an individual choice and I wouldn’t propose one over the other.

Aquarium Size

This is likely the most critical thing to bear in mind when buying a fish tank, for the fact that you cannot change your mind later. A larger, longer tank is ideal for discus, they need to have area to move around and, since they're community fish, you have to have multiple discus fish as part of your tank and that means you will be needing plenty of room for all these fish!

Ensure you use a suitable spot for the fish tank prior to purchasing one. You never want to get yourself a 55 gallon fish tank, merely to bring it home only to find you have nowhere to put it.

Filters

I would recommend biological filters for your discus aquarium, discus don’t do so well with chemical filters.

Bad water quality is simply the number one reason why discus get sick, so deciding on the correct filter is very important.

Heaters

Discus like their water to be between 80 and 86 degrees F (27-30°C), this really is really important, discus are tropical fish thus if the water gets too cold then they should become ill. Consequently possessing a couple of heaters is good, they'll heat the water in a large tank a lot more uniformly and if one were to break you then don’t have a big drama to deal with.


This should aid to construct a discus tank. You may insert items such as decorations and plant life to truly make your discus fish aquarium really feel just like a home for your discus fish

Popular Discus Species Both Natural and Developed

They're just about the most loved of all the aquarium fish and because of the various discus species, you can easily see why.

The Discus is a really brilliantly coloured, disc shaped fish which is part of the Cichlid family. Angelfish is another common popular member of the cichlid family. One of the things that causes discus fish appear so great in a home tank is due to the length they achieve, of about 10 inches. It should really be outlined , that discus is known as a tricky breed of fish to keep, with many unique needs.

There exists two discus fish divisions: natural discus and cultivated discus. These divisions signifies origin of the discus, the species original found in the Amazon and the ones which are a result of cross-breeding.

The earliest wild discus fish was uncovered by Johan Heckel, and therefore bears the name Heckel Discus. The unique colouring of this discus includes a dark strip down the midsection of their torsos, with a blue or red body. The Green Discus are, as you might expect, a variety of greens, with the addition of dark stripes and brilliant spots of red along their middle.

The most widespread of the natural discus species is the Brown Discus. Whilst this isn't the most spectacular discus, with a few faded stripes and odd pieces of color on the fins, but it's by far the most sturdy of all the wild discus fish. The last wild discus type is the Blue Discus. Much the same in style and design to the Brown Discus, but with really beautiful dark blue colouring everywhere on it's body.

Even though the wild discus may well present a multitude of colours, it gets appealing when you consider the discus fish that originate from breeding of discus fish. One of the newest of these discus fish types is the Albino Discus. So dubbed because of their unique white bodies and striking red eyes.

The Blue Diamond Discus is possibly the most appealing of all discus fish. It has especially striking blue colouring with red eyes. The fact it has diamond in their name is due to it's fins being substantially thinner compared to the majority of the other discus fish, which provides it with a diamond like shimmer!

Despite the fact that there are several varieties, care is the same for most. All discus will need blackwater; water by using a a similar consistency as that of the Amazon. There are blackwater extracts that you can buy from pet stores. The fish tank dimensions are really important that you need to consider the fact discus should reach 10 inches or maybe more, with the temperature between 82-88 Fahrenheit. When it comes to feeding discus, one can find amazing flake food available and even though they can eat some live food, this should be kept to a minimum.

Discus fish are spectacular and can make the home fish tank a focal point, but take care as discus fish care could be very involved and quite challenging.

General Discus Care Advice

Discus care is not as tricky as many make out, in fact being the owner of and caring for discus fish is a really enjoyable experience, particularly with correct knowledge of the way to look after your discus fish. discus fish are frequently known as “The kings of the aquarium” and for excellent reason. They are elegant, regal, spectacular, striking and challenging. They may have received a bit of a reputation for being frustrating fish to take care of, this isn't exactly true, in actual fact caring for discus fish can be quite gratifying and with a little bit of care in the proper areas you can have a entire discus aquarium full of vibrant and healthy discus. A few essential things to bear in mind are correct aquarium setup, discus diet and ways to prevent discus diseases. It is additionally necessary to think about purpose of your fish tank; is it a display aquarium or is it going to be more of a breeding tank.

Discus behaviour

Every proud discus owner will know, in contrast to other tropical fish which often avoid contact with their owners, Discus fish tend to be rather curious and friendly. A keen awareness of their environment is clearly evident by the way they frequently observe their owners move around the room and quite often discus are even know to watch movement on television.Being friendly and personable by nature, discus will identify and also rush to welcome you when you approach the aquarium as well as eat right out of your hand. Their trusting and open nature is the reason people fall in love with these amazing fish. Discus fish also will create a hierarchical structure with an alpha fish being the top fish. This dominant discus is normally the largest and will be the first one to feed and also pair off.

Discus Tank Mates

This crucial and quite often overlooked part of discus care could make the difference from a happy, lively discus fish and a stressed out neurotic wreck of a discus. Like most humans; Discus fish are generally really picky when it comes to who they live with, it is therefore very important to choose the best friends for your discus fish. Seeing as discus fish will be rather settled and subdued, may come to be bullied by other kinds of big or aggressive fish; freshwater Angelfish is one example. Therefore it's best if you wisely plan which tank mates you wish to add to the Discus tank. Additionally it is necessary not to overcrowd the fish tank, discus fish need to be kept in small groups and can get distressed if their aquarium is too small or populated. Some fish which are best suited to live with discus fish are as follows:

- Emerald catfish
- Royal Whiptail
- Black Ruby Barb
- Dwarf Loach
-Tetra (my personal recommendation Neon, Cardinal and Rummy Tetras look great)
- African Butterfly Fish
- Other small cichlids
-And of course other types of discus fish

Feeding discus

Discus are actually like to eat small meals so it's advisable to feed your discus smaller meals more often, rather then one large meal once per day, grown-up discus should be feed two to three times each day, whereas new discus should be feed roughly Half a dozen times each day. Overfeeding discus fish can be a serious problem, their shape and the fact that their bladder is right on top of their bellies is the reason they they just don't react well to over feeding.

When you abide by these discus care tips and hints you will get a whole aquarium full of happy and healthy discus.

Discus Diseases

Discus certainly are a stunning and stylish fish, they could add something that's pretty cool to a aquarium, although they are vulnerable to certain discus disease.

Discus diseases come up for numerous reasons. Largely most are attributable to poor upkeep and care of the discus and the fish tank. Everything from sub standard water composition to the temperature can certainly effect the discus and cause them to end up sick. By mainly always keeping the aquarium clean and regularly changing the water, you could hold back a lot of serious diseases from ailing these cherished discus.

Pathogenic agents are unseen, little creatures which could infect the tank water plus your fish. They may exist and breed in both the water and under the slime that covers the fishes body.

Different ways that pathogens would be allowed to contaminate your discus is that you've placed other fish which don't mix very well with the discus fish in the aquarium could potentially cause stress and anxiety for the discus fish which will diminish their body's immune system. This could easily permit pathogenic agents the opportunity to cause your fish serious difficulties. Yet another trigger could possibly be little things like banging into the aquarium, often by accident, excessively. This will likely cause stress to your discus fish and this can have a very similar impact on their immune systems.

If you notice a problem with your water, fix it right away otherwise you are merely asking for infections to attack your discus. A fantastic way to stay away from may be to check on your water with a pH detector routinely. If discus fish do not get the required level of nutrition, this tends to of course mean discus disorders are more likely to come about.

There are a handful of frequent, nasty diseases which a discus fish might possibly get. One example is; hole in the head disease, this is not a great thing for the discus fish to get, given it must be treated immediately. Since the more time your discus has had this condition, the trickier will probably be to cope with. An incredible as well as simple way for you to care for this problem will be to turn up the temperature within the fish tank to about Thirty-six degrees Celsius. Be sure to ramp up the aeration, as the the temperature will definitely decrease the aquariums oxygen level.

In case you are frightened the heat will result in excessive stress, you should employ drugs.

Gill flakes is another widespread disease. This disease is in fact caused by a form of parasite that infects the gills which ends up in the discus having respiratory problems along with a distorted capacity to swim.

Whether you might be contemplating obtaining discus fish, or perhaps are already a discus owner, it's very important for you to heed this information regarding discus care. Then again please don't over worry about your fish, only use common-sense and when you are stumped by a dilemma, look online or read a discus care book and hopefully you should prevent discus disease.