Blue Diamond Discus
Blue Diamond Discus
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Generally, your Blue Diamond Discus and discus in general are shy and peaceful in your aquarium. They do not like stress, they don’t want to be disturbed or have a feeling that they lack protection. Good aquarium partners for discus fish are Angelfish and smaller Characides, Tetras for example. You have to be careful and note that if the neighboring fish are too small, the small fish will be intimidated by the discus fish and may even be eaten. Avoid the Catfish with sucker mouths because they sometimes attach to the sides of discus and eat the mucus membranes.
Some folks feel that discus fish in general are not hardy enough fish and may be too difficult to raise. If you are having and difficulty at all, then I highly recommend the Discus Fish Secrets book, which will keep your discus as healthy and happy as possible. If you are not careful, they often become susceptible to disease and die if not kept in optimal conditions.
At a minimum, your aquarium for discus should be kept within a temperature range of 26-31 C; a temperature of 29 C is thought ideal for adults. Babies and young fish should be maintained at 31 C degrees. The water should be very soft and acidic; a pH of 5.5 – 6.5 is considered good for wild caught discus.
Captive bred fish adapt very well to harder water and to pH up to 7.2, except when attempting to breed, in which case soft and acidic is best. VERY clean water with frequent large volume water changes is necessary for the health of these fish. Allow approximately 40 litres of water in the tank per each adult fish.
Water quality must be very high, as discus do not tolerate pollution of any sort very well. A good tank will be equipped with a high capacity biological filter and be fully cycled (which usually takes a month or more.) Ammonia and nitrites should be kept at 0 ppm. Nitrates should also be kept as low as possible. Weekly water changes are important, except in the case of a very heavily planted tank with high nitrogen compound grounding capacity and a very small biological load.
Feeding discus is sometimes a challenge. They have no unique nutritional requirements; they can be raised on just about any high-protein fish food. However, discus are often extremely cautious about new foods; it is not unusual for them to go for weeks without food before accepting a new type of food. After starving for a month discus will almost always accept a new food, but this may stunt the growth of younger fish.
If you are having any difficulty at all with your Blue Diamond Discus, then get the best book available and protect your investment in your fish and aquarium. Click here to get your copy of Discus Fish Secrets.
You can read more information at Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discus_(fish)
Many aquarists consider discus to be finicky and not particularly hardy. They often become susceptible to disease and die if not kept in optimal conditions.
Aquariums for discus should be kept within a temperature range of 26-31 C; a temperature of 29 C is thought ideal for adults. Babies and young fish should be maintained at 31 C degrees. The water should be very soft and acidic; a pH of 5.5 – 6.5 is considered good for wild caught discus.
Captive bred fish adapt very well to harder water and to pH up to 7.2, except when attempting to breed, in which case soft and acidic is best. VERY clean water with frequent large volume water changes is necessary for the health of these fish. Allow approximately 40 litres of water in the tank per each adult fish.
Water quality must be very high, as discus do not tolerate pollution of any sort very well. A good tank will be equipped with a high capacity biological filter and be fully cycled (which usually takes a month or more.) Ammonia and nitrites should be kept at 0 ppm. Nitrates should also be kept as low as possible. Weekly water changes are important, except in the case of a very heavily planted tank with high nitrogen compound grounding capacity and a very small biological load.
Feeding discus is sometimes a challenge. They have no unique nutritional requirements; they can be raised on just about any high-protein fish food. However, discus are often extremely cautious about new foods; it is not unusual for them to go for weeks without food before accepting a new type of food. After starving for a month discus will almost always accept a new food, but this may stunt the growth of younger fish.
