Discus Fish Care

Much to the surprise of many tropic fish owners, discus fish care has revealed special features specific to this breed that makes it stand apart. Therefore, when you design your aquarium make sure you plan the discus fish care area properly. They make great friends and pets; as you will find out, discus fish respond to you and have a social and bonding behavior unparalleled by other breed. When you make discus fish care a hobby, you'll see they react in the most pleasant of ways, watching you moving around the room or even eating out of your hand. No wonder people love them.

Considered the pride of any fish breeder, discus fish and their care raise a few issues, though not to complex I dare say. When you plan your aquarium it is really important to set up its purpose: is it going to be a family show tank or can the discus fish use it for breeding? Discus fish care is not painstaking at all; on the contrary, it brings immense satisfaction. For instance the family habits you notice during discus fish care moments will stress out the active role the male discus takes in the raising of their fry.

Keep in mind the fact that these fish are extremely clean and they like pure water all the time. Therefore, a special part of the discus fish care should focus on keeping a close watch on water recycling, temperature and the oxygen level. In order to avoid various diseases due to improper discus fish care make sure all the living parameters are within the normal values. For instance, good discus fish care means the water is at a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius at the maximum; if it gets warmer the level of oxygen drops and you'll be confronted to oxygen starvation.

Another aspect of discus fish care is the establishing of colonies of nitrifying bacteria in the filter. This is essential since no discus fish care measures allow you to put the fish in a tank without these bacteria. They are responsible for keeping the ammonia and the nitrites under control by consuming the fish waste as food. Therefore, you may choose several nitrification methods in the process of discus fish care, the most important being the type of filter you decide to use. Plants also contribute to reducing the amount of toxic substances in the water, but you will still have to change it on a regular basis.
Discus Fish Care

Discus Fish Care - Facts About Discus Health

The most popular concerns about discus fish are those related to their health since they are know for being very sensitive to environmental conditions. It is essential for discus health that you recreate the living conditions they are used to in the wild: soft, slightly acidic clean water. Of course breeders do everything in their power to protect discus health given the fact that they also require special temperature and pH. Therefore if you plan on buying discus fish, you should start preparing their tank a month in advance to make sure you ensure discus health.

There are many problems associated with discus health, but I will mainly refer to the environmental ones, which seem to be the most common. For instance, the iodine deficiency may appear due to pollutants in water or improper feeding. Then, another problem related to discus health is the lack of vitamins in the food, which on the long term may create low immune system and deficient wound healing for instance. Vitamin C is essential for discus health; hence make sure you store food properly or you risk losing this vitamin though oxidation. Absence of this vitamin leads to bleeding, fin ulcerations and many other problems.

Many of the discus health problems appear because of breeder's ignorance or failure to provide the proper living conditions. Once you take up breeding fish, there is a responsibility involved like with any other animal; should you find yourself overwhelmed, you can always turn to special discus health services provided by vet units. Information and tips you may find in books on discus health or on sites such as Discus Fish Secrets are highly reliable and make a very good start when in comes to taking care of discus health. The authors of such books are usually experienced breeders from whom you've got lots to learn.

Discus health should not be an issue for someone careful enough to follow some ground rules. For instance, the water cycle should be functional all the time and no waste or uneaten food should be left in it. Discus health is threatened in case of over-heating. Don't go over 31 degrees Celsius, as this will also lower the oxygen level in the tank and cause your fish to suffer from oxygen starvation. Monitor your discus health on a regular basis and check the living conditions daily or even several times a day if possible so that nothing goes wrong.
Discus Fish Care

Discus Fish Care - How to setup a discus aquarium?

Every once in a while, I get questions about creating the proper environment for discus fish. It involves a certain amount of work and documentation for achieving the best living conditions this exotic fish needs.

The very first question you need to answer about your discus aquarium refers to the tank size. This will depend on the size of the room you've got at home and your financial resources.

If possible put these discus guys in a deep tank as these little creatures feel better in lots of water, not to mention that the more the water, the more stable the conditions. An ideal size of a discus aquarium should be at least 120 cm x 40 cm x 50 cm.

Remember the discus fish feels shy when it doesn't trust the surroundings. Keep the discus aquarium away from any noise or direct heat and light sources.

When you keep it in excess heat the plants overgrow and discus suffers due to lack of oxygen. One more thing, you shouldn't be causing them any undue stress as I said they are shy creatures If possible put the aquarium somewhere on a higher shelf as these fish are disturbed by movement. The stratum you place on the bottom for a discus aquarium is very important.

In case you create the discus aquarium to show off to your friends and family then fine gravel is great to place on the bottom of your tank, but if you are like me and use it only for breeding then leave the bottom uncovered. Thus, the discus aquarium is easier to clean as you don't have to disturb the fish during the mating period.

When it comes to plants to put in your discus aquarium, I suggest you go for the natural ones the artificial ones may look good but guess what? they won't do any good to the fish. I think you can even order the plant selection for your discus aquarium by mail and have it delivered at home.

I know many people are concerned about the aesthetic dimension of their discus aquarium If you feel the same way you may choose rocks and driftwood as decorations. Such items are close to the discus fish native waters where they mainly serve as shelter. Before you put those rocks make sure they don't have any metal ore or other contaminants.

I recommend, you use the rocks that are of the same color and texture though you may use different ones to bring diversity for your discus aquarium. Similar texture prevents functionality problems particularly when the rocks have the same provenience, You will have to sacrifice on good looks sometimes if you really care about the health of your pets.

Discus Fish Care

Discus Fish Care - Why growing discus can be very interesting?

I'm astonished to find the growing popularity of discus as a hobby for many people all over the world. Just as dogs make great companions discus fish make a great show. Aquariums all over the world have become the home of this king of the exotic species.

You should see the expression on the breeder's face when they manage to get some baby discus. They are immensely satisfied because what started as a hobby is now boring fruits and not only that discus are also unique in their social and loving behavior.

If you ask people who breed discus as a hobby they will tell you about discus showing signs of connection to the environment outside the tank. These guys who have discus as a hobby spend a lot of time around the tank, cleaning, feeding or simply watching the discus.

Like Dogs, they can recognize their owners in time and they can get as close to you as to eat out of your hand. When breeding discus as a hobby, some owners report that discus watch them when they are moving around the room.

Most of the time, discus enjoy silence and a close community with other fellows from the same species. If you take discus as a hobby, you may want to take into consideration that they prefer living in close communities that is together with several other members. The dominant discus would be the first to couple, followed by the others if proper conditions are met. You have to separate the couples in a different tank when they are raising their fry even if you breed discus as a hobby.

For anyone that takes discus as a hobby, it is important that all the proper living conditions are kept under constant observation. Using powerful lamps may overheat the water and should be avoided at all costs instead you can use spot lights if you have discus as a hobby,. There is not much difference between breeding discus as a hobby and breeding them at a professional level, after all, discus require the same attention no matter your devotion. You have to be watchful and take good care of your pets even if you take discus as a hobby.

Discus Fish Care