Discus Fish Care - Risks of your discus fish catching disease

Discus is bred in aquariums all over the world even though it originated in the Amazon River; discus fish are not too vulnerable to diseases. However, all breeders should be well-informed about the risks of discus fish disease, as they are often exposed to various health problems because of improper care conditions. As a matter of fact breeders are the ones responsible for discus fish diseases. Improper care, poor or inadequate living conditions, co-inhabitance with other breeds are usually responsible for the various discus fish diseases.

The most prevalent discus fish diseases are the ones common to fresh water fish in general. For instance the ammonia poisoning is a discus fish disease that appears because of improper nitrogen cycle in your aquarium. This may be due to adding tropical fish in the water before the ammonia has been eliminated or maybe the filters don't function properly. Change the water regularly and avoid over-crowding the tank in order to avoid this disease. If you notice red and swollen gills or the fish staying at the water surface gasping for air it might be due to this disease.

Ich is another common disease that is caused by poor water quality it is characterized by the appearance of white spots on the fish body and fins. The best way to fight this discus fish disease is by increasing the water temperature and administrating medication available in any pet store.

You can take the carbon filter out before adding the medication, as the filter might absorb useful substances. Make sure you have a quarantine aquarium in order to prevent any discus fish disease.

Oxygen starvation which is one of the discus fish diseases can be caused by inappropriate temperature of the water. A higher water temperature also requires an increased level of oxygen in the water. Therefore, you can easily avoid this discus fish disease by taking care of the aeration level, speeding up the flow rate of the filters. I recommend you turn off the tank light for a while, as this also causes temperature to rise and exposes the fish to the risk of the oxygen starvation discus fish disease. Always, keep in mind that the ideal temperature for the discus fish is 31 degrees Celsius at the maximum.


Discus Fish Care