Ocean Green Discus
Ocean Green Discus
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(Symphysodon aequifasciatus)
The Discus fish is known as the King of the Aquarium. Perhaps the most beautiful of all tropical fish, the Discus is also one of the more difficult fish to keep and is not recommended for beginners.
They require excellent water conditions, frequent water changes and higher water temperatures than most other tropical fish. Most successful fish keepers house them in a species only tank because of the high water temperature requirement.
Frequent water changes daily or every other day of around 25 percent seems to be a popular option with Discus keepers. Some owners do a twice weekly 40 percent water changes and others have done a once a week water change at 50 percent. Check your water parameters often with a test kit, and be your own judge as to what is best.
Stability in water conditions is the key to keeping them and trying to change water paremeters will do more harm than good. Discus fish can be kept in a wide range of hardness levels and it is when you are breeding them that the water hardness level will become more important.
There are many color varieties of this cichlid to choose from with many more being introduced all the time. If you are interested in this fish, be prepared to spend some serious money on this one of a kind tropical fish. If you're on the market to buy them, there are many online websites that specifically sell this fish. Shop around and get recommendations from others for good places to buy them.
Many Discus keepers will only get the best available foods for this fish. Vitamin enriched flakes and live, frozen and freeze dried fish foods can be given.
As far as the tank setup goes, consider using live plants in the tank to help keep the water pristine and make a more natural looking environment. The advantages of a planted tank are increased nitrate utilization, hiding places for the fish, and a pleasing decorated look.
Using gravel in the tank is a contested issue. Some owners will not use gravel for fear of poor water quality due to dissolved organics and waste buildup in the gravel or soil. Others believe in a bare bottom tank to limit nutrient buildup. In my opinion if you put in the extra time and effort to throughly vacuum your gravel the look in the tank is very appealing. However, there is much to be said for bare bottom tanks (in my opinion) because they make controlling the water parameters that much easier.