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Symphysodon aequifasciatus
From The Aquarium Wiki
(Redirected from Discus)
| Discus | |
| |
| Discus | |
| Species | Symphysodon aequifasciatus |
| Family | Cichlidae |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Min. Tank Size | 208.198 liters 208,197.648 mL 55 US Gallons (208.2L) |
| Size | 20.32 cm
6-8 " (15.2-20.3cm) |
| sg | Freshwater |
| pH | 6.0 - 7.5 |
| Temp. | 299.15 K 78.8 °F 538.47 °R 303.15 K |
| Water Hardness |
6-13 °d |
| Stocking Ratio | 1:1 M:F |
| Availability | Common |
| Diet | |
| Life Span |
6-10 years |
| Habitat | |
| This animal is available captive bred | |
Contents |
[edit] Alternative names
- Discus, King of the Aquarium
- There is a huge array of various colours now created through selective breeding, see them here.
[edit] Synonyms
- Symphysodon discus
[edit] Sexing
- These fish are not easy to sex visually.
[edit] Tank compatibility
- Be cautious with what fish you put with Discus, as they will not tolerate most bacteria, which many fish such as Gouramis may produce. Careful selection is important, as larger fish such as the Angel, or Plecostomus may injure the discus, while smaller tankmates such as Neon Tetra, Cardinal Tetra, Cherry Barb, etc., may be considered food. Entirely peaceful fish such as Corydoras can make good tankmates with Discus.
[edit] Diet
- High protein diet is a must. Discus are cautious when accepting new foods. mysis shrimp and krill are excellent foods. It has been suggested that Bloodworms only be fed to adult discus and only sparingly. The worm's rough carapace can cause constipation if overfed, which can cause mortality especially in juveniles. Caution should be taken with frozen brine shrimp, as they dissolve, they tend to overly cloud the tank. Cloudy water from food may lead to sickness or death of your discus.
[edit] Environment Specifics
- This fish requires the highest standards of water quality. A large tank with still or slowly flowing water is required. Discus prefer a planted aquarim but care must be taken to provide plants that can survive the high temperature of the water. Tanks for Discus generally need bi-weekly water changes of 20%-30% to ensure that water quality is kept pristine. The pH must be kept in check and stable. They must have a low pH and soft water with low levels (<20mg/l) of nitrate. Many keepers accomplish this through peat filtration.
[edit] Behaviour
- If left in groups, ranging from 2-4, one dominant discus may self-proclaim itself as the leader, bulling around other discus. Having a number greater than five will usually thin out the chain of dominance. Discus will usually leave fish too big to eat, alone.
[edit] Identification
- Wild discus are normally murky brown in color, although some sort of color and/or pattern may be visible. Captive bred discus are, for the most part, exceptionally colorful, rivaling even some of the most beautiful marine fish. This is usually caused by selective interbreeding. It has been said a discus may interbreed several times before defects begin to show.
[edit] Images
 Pigeon Blood |
 Gold Pigeon Blood |
 Red Leopard |
 Green |
[edit] Videos
| Discus on show at Aquarama 2007 | Wild Discus |
