Breeding Discus Fish - Discus fish secrets for beginners

Last week I was at an aquatic show in Las Vegas and saw those gorgeous colorful discuses. I spoke to a few people there and I was amazed to learn that, they thought discus fish secrets is only for professionals, and no beginners should endeavor to breed them in the show tank at home.

This is a myth long held by people who grow fish as a hobby: here are some basic discus fish "secrets" that will prove to you, discus are great pets. Basically discus fish secrets fall into four categories: food, breeding, water quality and collectivity.

You can notice a peculiar behavior of discus fish when it comes to eating food. They don't eat like there is no tomorrow instead they eat only when they need thus showing its characteristics of royal blood. Frozen foods and brine shrimp are ideal foods for the discus. They eat slowly and majestically many breeders know this discus fish secret.

On the other hand another discus fish secret is that the fry feeding habits are entirely different even if you feed them thrice a day they will always fight for food

Now, Lets talk about the breeding discus fish secrets. A major problem for most owners is that they have a tough time coupling their discus. Again knowing another discus fish secret solves this problem its called collectivity. It simply means that these species like to live in groups and choose their own partners your job is to simply facilitate the right environment. Therefore, for successful breeding you'll have to form a specific discus community.

When it comes to choosing co-inhabitants there isn't much of a discus fish secret the only rule you have to follow is to make sure the discus are the biggest in the tank.

This is the most important discus fish secret, water purity Is very important to successfully breed these exotic fish As a rule of thumb avoid using more plants and use only clean water the pH level should be slightly acidic and the water temperature should be at 31 degrees Celsius at the maximum.

Breeding Discus Fish

Breeding Discus Fish - Some Important facts about discus health

Many problems of discus fish that are being discussed on online forums relate to discus fish health. This is mainly due to their sensitive nature exhibited towards environmental conditions. In order to preserve discus health try creating the natural conditions of the wild like soft, slightly acidic clean water. Needless to say breeders do everything in their capacity to protect discus health. Many breeders go the extra mile to maintain special temperature and pH level.

Its advisable to prepare their tank well in advance before you buy discus so that you can make arrangements to preserve discus health.

Though there are many problems associated with discus health, we will look into the environmental ones, which seem to be the most common. Take for example the iodine deficiency may appear due to pollutants in water or improper feeding. Lack of vitamins is also a major problem related to discus health which results in low immunity against diseases.

Make sure you follow the directions when storing food since Vitamin C is lost through oxidation. Otherwise it may lead to some discus health issues like but not limited to bleeding, fin ulcerations and Ich

Ignorance of breeders is the main cause of discus health problems. In many cases the breeder fails to provide ideal 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.

You can also find information and tips on magazines and books on discus health. The authors of such books are usually experienced breeders from whom you've got lots to learn.

If you follow some ground rules discus health shouldn't be a problem. Take for example, the water cycle, which should always be functional and no waste or uneaten food should be left in it. Over-heating can also cause some discus health issues since the maximum temperature should be 31 degrees Celsius, otherwise it will lower the oxygen level in the tank and cause your fish to suffer from oxygen starvation. Always keep a watchful eye on discus health. If possible check the living conditions several times a day.

Breeding Discus Fish

Breeding Discus Fish - How to find the best discus fish book

Since many people are involved in growing and breeding discus more and more information is becoming available in the marketplace. Each publication takes great efforts to make theirs the best discus fish book.

You may need comprehensive material handy when keeping discus fish look for the top of the best discus fish books you can find on the Internet. Ebooks are also written on this subject that can be downloaded to your computer in minutes.

Many of the best discus fish books are guides written in layman's language so that any reader can understand the information they provide. Its advisable to see some sample pages before you buy one of those advertised best discus fish books online. Choosing the best discus fish book very much depends on your personal background; be that as it may, the common thing all such guides share is the reader-oriented feature.

These best discus fish books are greatly documented and usually comes from the experience of professional breeders which will save you a lot of time and energy.

The authors of the best discus fish books are people who walk the talk they have made water biology not just a profession but a life style. You can avoid lot of mistakes by learning from mistakes of those who have gone before you; thus, the best discus fish books provide a way of avoiding the trial-error system that may often cost you the lives of your pets.

Before you buy the best discus fish book or ebook, always check the contents of the book you order online or buy from the book shop. You need to see what topics of interest in the fish breeding they cover and make sure they contain the kind of information that you're after. Look for pictures and detailed information for various discus varieties. In order to recognize some common diseases you may need illustrations in that best discus fish book or you may simply trust your guts and buy the best discus fish book One popular ebook on this subject is available on the internet Click here to go to the website.

Breeding Discus Fish

Breeding Discus Fish - An Introduction to Discuss Fish

The Discus is a large freshwater cichlid, native to the Amazon River in South America. They were first discovered/described by Dr. J. J. Heckel, an Austrian zoologist, in 1840.

His name is today used to describe the "original" Discus variant. They are increasingly difficult to come by, since most Discus Fish available today has been bred in captivity.

Originally the Discus had three colour variations: Green, Brown and Blue. However, with the Discus becoming more popular among fish keepers, and a lot of money going into research and development of different strains of Discus Aquarium Fish, You can get alomst any color you can emagineable these days

The Discus Fish is by nature a social, yet shy being. In their native habitat they live in large groups with advanced social behavoirs. It is really important when buying Discus Fish you purchase at least 4. This way they will develop their own personality.

Keeping Discus Fish has traditionally been considered to be difficult. The Discus Fish can be finicky, susceptible to disease and easily stressed if they are not kept under optimal conditions. It is getting easier, though, to keep Discus Fish. This is due to most of them being bred in captivity, and new technology being made available to help maintain optimal water conditions.

These days Discus Fish are very popular and a following rise in demand has made Discus Fish are widely available even in smaller aquatic shops, so you don't have to go to specialist stores anymore.

The Discus has been referred to as "The King Of The Aquarium", and though keeping and breeding them is certainly still a challenge for the inexperienced, the later can be very rewarding indeed.

Most Discus Fish Keepers will at some stage want to breed them. There's no doubt that doing so is a great experience - and with a bit of luck - it will even pay for the hobby.

The Discus Fish Tank

Once you decide that keeping Discus Fish is for you - the very first thing you need to consider is - "What size aquarium do I need?"

Obviously you need to stick to what you can afford, and the amount of space you have available, but remember that the aquarium you get is going to be home to your Discus Fish, so it has to meet certain standards.

You're more than likely going to have your Discus Fish on display and most experts recommend a fish tank no smaller than 120cm X 40cm X 50cm. Due to their body shape, Discus Fish tends to like deep tanks better. Also, to keep stable water conditions, you need an aquarium that will hold a lot of water.

Discus Fish are naturally rather shy, so you should keep them away from busy and noisy areas. Also, their tank should be kept away from direct sunlight and radiators(as should all fishtanks), to avoid excess heat and algae. Placing a Discus Fish tank next to a doorway is a big mistake.

Discus Fish also stress easy so it is a good idea to keep your tank at a good height. They get stressed and dont like over head movement.

What else can you put into your tank?

Putting some fine gravel in the bottom would be a good start.

If you want plants in your aquarium you can use both live plants, silk plants or plastic plants, according to your personal preference - but nothing really beats the real thing.

Other items you may want to add to your fishtank, to give it that all natural feel, would be rocks and driftwood. Both are quite welcome additions to a Discus Fish tank, as they're often present in the discus' native waters, providing them with shelter.

Gimmics like "No Fishing" signs and sunken ships or plastic figurines doesn't have place in a discus fishtank.

The decor should be kept to a minimum, as it will serve the fish tank best both functionally and aesthetically.

The Ideal Tank Conditions

Discus fish hail from the black water tributaries of the Amazon. The vegetation and substrate in these waters has a high level of humic acid that causes the water to be soft or have an acidic Ph level. The Ph level should be around 5.5 to 6.5 for Discus fish. The water temperatures range from around 26 degrees Celsius to 31 degrees Celsius. The water is generally slow moving.

Discus fish require very good water quality or they are likely to become stressed otherwise. Some people use Reverse Osmosis (R.O) water to get the quality right but as R.O. water is virtually distilled water it is not advised to use it without adding essential minerals and salts that all freshwater fish need. There are supplements that can be added to R.O. Water that will do this. Water should be changed regularly too.

The typical habitat of Discus fish is gentle water movement, a variety of plants and a diverse aqua scape of rocks, caves and bogwood. They prefer to live in a large tank.

Discus fish are generally placid fish but become very protective during breeding and nurturing of fry. It is sometimes a good idea to remove other fish during this time or partition them off.

They will eat most things from flake to live foods.

Discuss fish are some of the most beautiful cichlids you can keep however it can be a challenge to maintain the water quality to their liking. Soft water is often more difficult to maintain than hard water and discus fish are quite sensitive to this. This puts more responsibility on you to know how to maintain the fish tank and keep a regular schedule of maintenance.


Breeding Discus Fish

Breeding Discus Fish - The secrets of breeding discus

Before breeding discus, you will definitely need to learn all you can on the habits of these exotic and charming creatures. Before breeding, discus like to choose their partner alone, which may make it a little difficult and even expensive for the owner. Breeding discus should be kept in groups of maximum four individuals as the ideal formation. Keep the water warm enough and feed them properly and breeding discus will be a true joy; it won't take too long before they will spawn. To understand the principles of breeding discus you've got a lot of things to read as there will be quite some changes in your tank.

First of all you should know that breeding discus will choose an almost vertical site for their mating and will clean it before laying eggs. Don't be surprised if they spawn on the bottom or the side of the tank. After laying the eggs and fertilizing them, the two parents will be guarding the perimeter preventing other fish to come close.

Breeding discus also means noticing behavior changes in your so calm and shy fish. They are not going to become aggressive to other tank inhabitants unless the eggs are in danger. Breeding discus sometimes means having some eggs sacrificed. Therefore, the parents eat the eggs they cannot protect. It is easy to find out when you've got a pair of breeding discus; once two of them start defending a perimeter in the aquarium, you need to act quickly. It would be perfect if the owner separated the breeding discus to a different tank set up for the purpose. Don't put anything on the bottom of the tank of the breeding discus as you'll have to clean it very easily. They only need a vertical surface to deposit their eggs. To improve the environment of the breeding discus you can add a small bag of peat moss in the power filter, thus recreating the natural water conditions of the discus.

Water and food are the two main principles for successful discus breeding. For assistance and useful information on how to deal with breeding discus you may visit the following web page: www.discus-fish-secrets.com. Practical information is always welcome particularly when you haven't been breeding discus before; so, enjoy the experience and don't forget that the appearance of new healthy fry is entirely your responsibility from the beginning to the end. Good luck!


Breeding Discus Fish

Breeding Discus Fish - Quick Tips For Breeding Discus Fish

You will find that many discus owners will come to a stage were they decide its time to start breeding discus fish. Its not impossible however it can be hard work, but if done correctly can be rewarding. Like all cichlids, discus choose a spawning site then guard and rear the eggs and resulting fry.

Here are some quick tips for you...

Pairing: Discus fish really don't take well to arrange marriages, the best way to get a pair to gather is to buy a group of young unrelated fish of the same colour type and let them pair up themselves. This might happen from when the fish are half grown, spawning usually occurs when there ? of their adult size. The fish will usually remain a pair until the remainder of there lives.

Spawning: Discus will choose a near vertical smooth site, which they clean and then the female will lay any ware from 80-400 eggs and then the male fertilises them. It can take between 50-60 hours for the eggs to hatch and another 36-48 hours until their swimming freely.

Breeding Tank: Its best to keep the breeding tanks simple and to have a simple air powered filtration, spawning sites (terracotta cones, broad leafed plants or slate) and no substrate. The water needs to be very soft so the eggs can develop properly. The quality of the water needs to be excellent and have a temperature of about 84-88F. Also a suitable tank size is 24x18x18.

Feeding and Conditioning: The parents will need a good and varied diet not just to condition them to spawn, but to provide nutrition when they are feeding their fry. Large water changes, a temperature rise and heavy feeding is often a good spawning trigger.

Fry Rearing: It's a good idea to give the fry additional feedings of small foods such as (BBS) baby brine shrimp whilst with parents. You will notice after about 3-6 weeks the parents will be exhausted, also the fry will be growing fast it's a good idea to remove them. This is where lots of tanks and water changes are needed to achieve a decent growth rate. I used to grow circa. 40 fry to just under 2" in a 55G tank, and this required heavy water changing. The discus market is saturated with fish, so it best to grow 20-50 excellent fry than 80 runts. Growth is reasonable, but not spectacular.

So if you're thinking about breeding discus fish I hope these quick tips have been of some use to you.

Remember it pays to do your research.


Breeding Discus Fish