Tuesday 15 July 2008

Breeding Discus Fish - 3 Ways to Encourage Spawning

So you have a mature pair of discus fish that have shown an interest in each other but there not laying any eggs.

The most important factor in discus breeding in the water quality, make sure it is soft, acidic and clean. If you have this water, your most likely stressing over why there isn’t hundreds of eggs in the tank. If you have discus ready to lay eggs there are a few ways in which you can give them a helping hand.

The first way you can tempt them to lay is to feed a rich diet of frozen bloodworms for about a week. Feed it everyday as well as their other meal. This should condition the female and get her ready to breed. Other foods that are good for breeding discus are white worm, adult brine shrimp and chopped up crab sticks or prawns. Make sure you buy frozen food as there is less chance of disease.

Another way to encourage your discus to breed is by doing a 25% water change but drop the temperature by a couple of degrees of the water going in. This imitates there natural habitat and can trigger spawning. This is a little trick I use on all my young pairs when trying to get them to spawn. Make sure all the pH and hardness is the same making only the temperature different.

The third trick in getting your discus to breed is by separating them for a couple of days before reintroducing them. To do this you can add a tank divider or move the male to another aquarium. Make sure the female gets plenty to eat when the male is away. When you reintroduce the discus just keep a close watch over the next 24 hours as males have known to be aggressive towards the female. They should start the courtship over the next couple of days and hopefully lay eggs after.

There are more ways to encourage your discus to breed as well as many more tips on breeding and caring for discus fish on my site www.discus-fish-secrets.com

Rob owns Discus Fish Secrets website helping begginners and advanced fishkeepers with discus problems including keeping and breeding them. Please visit the site for more information on breeding discus.
Breeding Discus Fish

Wednesday 9 July 2008

Keeping An Aquarium Fish Tank Is A Great Hobby For Children

Aquariums come in all shapes and sizes. Setting up an aquarium or fishtank is a great hobby for young and old alike. A great way to get your kids involved in keeping fish is to take them to the local aquarium. They will see a variety of fish and aquatic life and will learn about their habitats. Seeing the fish close up will inspire them to want to keep their own fish. Keeping an aquarium will not only teach your child responsibility for another living creature(s) but many other things that will help them with their school work. They will have to understand water quality and how to maintain the water so that it is habitable for the fish. This will help them in science and chemistry at school. They will be a witness to the life cycle of many fish species and this will help them with biology. They will also get great pleasure out of watching the personalities of the fish come out. Some will be aggressive, some will hide behind plants and there will be much pleasure in watching their own little world take shape.

Children who would like to keep some aquarium fish in their bedrooms will be successful if they study fish before they set up a fish tank. There are many books in libraries or book shops that cater for children. They explain the basics and help them to start their first tank. Probably the first bit of advise they will need is to start small and build the aquarium up as they become more experienced. Choose aquarium fish that are hardy and adaptable to water conditions. Good fish for new aquarium owners include include goldfish, danios and angelfish. These fish survive well, but they must be cared for properly. The care of these fish is usually a great learning experience for young children.

Most people start with tropical fish tanks because they are easier to look after. You can get all types of fish in a tropical fish tank but the cichlid varieties seem to be the most popular. Cichlid fish are found in tropical regions in parts of South America, Asia and Africa. They are popular because they are quite active fish and have elaborate courtship and behavior routines. Some cichlids, like the discus fish, have beautiful coloring and are fascinating to watch. Watching fish can be quite therapeutic and stress relieving.

Many cichlids are also pretty hardy fish that will survive in varying water conditions. However if you get a new fish then it is important to know all about it. You should know what type of water quality is best for it, what type of habitat it likes, what it eats and whether it will be compatible with the fish that you currently have.
Breeding Discus Fish

Sunday 6 July 2008

Breeding Discus Fish - Now anyone can breed discus

Gone are those days when professional breeders bragged that they can only breed discus. With the development of internet and access to high quality information anyone can breed discus. Discus breeders have started their online stores and you can buy discus online.

Therefore if you want to buy some great exotic fish from an authorized discus breeder all you need to do is perform a simple search on the Internet and see which the closest facility in your neighborhood is.

Any careful discus breeder whether he/she is amateur or professional can be successful at forming a nice colony. There are many discus breeder forums on the Internet where you can join the discussions with other breeders to learn more about this. A few years ago, only professional discus breeders where likely to grow these splendid fish, but now they make the joy of millions of aquariums all over the world.

If you really want to be a discus breeder, it is a good idea to acquire all the necessary knowledge to make breeding a true success. . First and foremost, you should learn about the tank dimensions and adjust it to the area where you want to place it. Discus breeders often mention one important thing: to keep the fish away from noise or heat sources.

Whenever you are not sure, you can always ask a discus breeder for advice, especially when you buy the fish from an authorized facility. Such people have an experience of years or even decades in the field and can tell you the much needed information. Keep in mind that even if you buy the fish from an authorized discus breeder, you'll still have to keep them in quarantine in a separate tank before you put them together with your other fish. Creating the most 'natural' condition is what separates the professional from amateur but if you follow simple guidelines you can beat the professionals at their own game Click here for more information

Breeding Discus Fish

Breeding Discus Fish - Where to find Discus fish info

Discus fish info is available in many different forms both online and offline. If you search like a good detective you can find discus fish info in magazines, books and guides and also on the Internet. There are many hobbyists like you who provide discus fish info since they took a special interest in these creatures and breed fish as a hobby. Therefore the discus fish info found online is the voice of experience assisting you in preparing the perfect habitat for your pets.

In case you are looking for some very special discus fish info it is a good idea to ask the experts. You can also check with a few discus fish info pages and see what solutions they offer and whether they are the same. You can check with a guide or ask a vet if you find the info contradictory. Keep in mind that health problems may sometimes be addressed differently, depending on the conditions that led to a discus form of disease.

Moreover, discus fish info may prove useful in almost all the regular steps one should take in order to create a nice aquarium. Since every breed of fish has its peculiarities discus fish info is a must from filter and water nitration to choosing the best plants. What do you think will happen if you simply mixed different kinds of fish that are not used to share the same habitat? Ignorance is not a bliss when it comes to discus fish info as it may lead to you losing the fish and wasting lots of money; the former is more painful than the latter; hence better start looking for documentation instead of guessing what to do next.

Needless to say, online forums and chat rooms are a great source of discus fish info. These communities sometimes have separate columns for discus fish info and general news on breeding exotic fish. Its always a good idea to subscribe to e-magazines related to your hobby, in order to receive fresh discus fish info on a regular basis. When you are planning to change or improve something in your tank, make sure you get all the discus fish info necessary to keep your pets safe and prevent any disease or health issues.

Breeding Discus Fish