Checkerboard Discus

The checkerboard discus (Symphysodon sp.) is named for the blocky, grid-like arrangement of dark markings it carries over a lighter ground, a pattern that reads almost as squares across the flanks on well-marked fish. No two are identical, and the pattern usually tightens and gains contrast as the fish matures, so young stock gives only a rough guide to the adult look. Like all discus it is a disc-shaped cichlid from the warm, slow waters of the Amazon basin.

Aquarium care

• Needs a tall tank; discus use vertical space more than length.
• Warm, stable water at the upper end of the tropical range.
• Frequent partial water changes; discus respond badly to accumulated waste.
• Keep in a group of five or more so aggression is spread rather than focused.
• Quality discus granules, frozen bloodworm and beefheart preparations, fed unhurried.
• Give the tank time to settle before adding them; they are not a fish for a new setup.

Suits a keeper who enjoys watching a pattern develop over months rather than buying a finished fish. House them alone or with calm warm-water companions such as cardinal tetras and sterbai corydoras. Large plecos are a poor match, as some will rasp at the flanks of slow, flat-bodied fish.

Stock rotates with each shipment, and livestock is sold for local pickup at our Lethbridge store. See the discus collection for what is available now.