It requires so much attention that everyone ends up slacking off and only doing the vacuuming, cleaning and water changes every week or so. The problem with the “competitive” approach is a matter of time. This is not needed if one is only wanting to grow reasonably sized, healthy, colorful discus in a decorative aquarium. So many well meaning but ill-informed individuals on social media (and YouTube video makers!) recommend high temperatures, bare bottom tanks, and 50% water changes with vacuuming every day as “essential” for ALL discus. Heavy feeding at least three times a day.to 90 0 F (27 0 to 32 0 C.) water temperature 50-70 TDS water (RO water slightly remineralized).Vacuuming and cleaning at least once a day.Competitive discus are larger and win more competitions if the following “ultra-clean” conditions are met: The larger the competitive discus, the more likely it is to win awards. There is a lot of confusion created by this distinction.ĭiscus are like many fish in that the ultimate size they reach is determined by how they are raised. We will call these discus “decorative discus”. Then there are the bulk of the hobbyists who simply want an attractive discus aquarium in their home. We will call these fish “competitive discus”. Most of the breeders of discus are also raising their discus with the goal of winning these competitions. There are some hobbyists who raise discus to win in competitions which are held periodically all over the nation. Note that something in between these two methods typically doesn’t work very well. This is the best way to keep “decorative discus”.īoth methods ensure the water is low in bacteria and very clean. Ammonia and nitrites should be zero, but the nitrates can float up. This is where each adult discus has at least 100 square feet of well-established, uncleaned, mature filter media surface area. “Competitive discus” are generally raised this way.Ģ, The “ultra-filtered way”. It has bare bottom tanks, large water changes with RO water every day, cleaning the bottom and sides of the aquarium with every day or even more. This is where everything is frequently changed and cleaned. In turn there are two good ways to keep discus:ġ, The “ultra-clean way”. There are two distinct types of discus husbandry, the “competitive discus” and the “decorative discus”. What I find absolutely astounding is that all these varieties are descended from wild fish which looked like this: Symphysodon aequifasciatus Tarzoo Rio Tefé Brazil Two Types of Discus The photos above should be enough to make any hobbyists have a serious issue with their wallet. I won’t get into the names that all the breeders in Germany and Southeast Asia have come up with. Once a week, you'll need to replace a third of the tank water, taking care to match the pH level, hardness, and temperature.Here is a random montage of different discus varieties: In addition to hovering around 85✯ at all times, the water must be of medium hardness and possess a slightly acidic pH ( sells a variety of easy-to-use kits for testing aquarium water). Your aquarium should hold at least five gallons of water per fish and include a biological filtration system, such as an electric power filter that attaches to the top of the tank. Since your Discus have been hiding behind the rocks in their tank, check the water, as these guys can be fussy about living conditions. Even today, they're considered the "kings" of tropical aquarium fish. Relatively rare at that time, the beautiful creatures frequently graced the cover of Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine. Lucky you! When I had my first aquarium, in the late 1950s, I used to dream of owning a couple of colorful Discus fish. Could they feel uncomfortable in their surroundings? I just bought two Discus fish, and they keep hiding behind the rocks and plants in the tank.
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