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Discus shyness and generally peaceful aquarium inhabitants has surprised many tropical goldfish fish owners, discus fish care has revealed special features specific to this discus fish breed that makes it stand apart from other aquarium fish. Therefore, when you are designing your aquarium make sure you plan the discus fish treatment area properly. They make great pets as you will find out, discus fish respond to you and have a social bonding behavior unparalleled by other aquarium fish breed. When you are making discus fish care a hobby, you will  notice that they react in the most pleasant of ways, watching you moving around the room or even eating out of your hand. No wonder they are popular all over the world and people love to care for them.

Discus fish care raise few issues for fish breeder, but not a complex one that cannot be tackle as far as caring for discus fish is concerned. So, when planning your aquarium, it is important to determine from the onset its purpose. Is it going to be a family show aquarium fish tank or can discus fish use it for breeding? Caring for discus fish is not difficult at all; quite the contrary, goldfish care brings immense satisfaction. You just need to make sure all issues related to aquarium care is maintained properly.

You should bear in mind that these fish are sensitive to pollution and they like pure water all the time. Hence, large part of caring for discus fish should be focus on  water recycling, temperature and the oxygen level. This is to avoid outbreak of diseases due to lack of proper care or adherence to aquarium water chemistry. For example keeping water temperature at 31 degrees Celsius at the maximum; if it gets warmer the level of oxygen drops and you’ll be confronted with oxygen starvation is a good discus fish care practice.

Another area of discus fish treatment you should know is, establishing of colonies of nitrifying bacteria in the filter. This is important because no discus fish care permit you to put the fish in aquarium tank without the bacteria. Their responsibility is keeping the ammonia and the nitrites under control by consuming the fish waste as food. Therefore, you may choose several nitrification methods in the process of caring for discus fish, the most important being the type of filter you decide to use. Plants also contribute to reducing the amount of toxic substances in the water, but you will still have to change it on a regular basis.

Due to names based on colored varieties resulting from controlled breeding, Symphysodon aequifasciatus is referred to as the Pigeon Blood Discus Fish. The body of pigeon blood discus fish is a light orange with black marbling; the fins are brown with a look of turquoise. Provide plenty of substrate, rocks and hiding spots. Discus require soft water so a water conditioner is highly recommended.

The pigeon blood discus fish requires an advanced level of care due to its feeding habits and water filtration requirements. Territorial during spawning, this otherwise peaceful fish is among the schooling group, forming a well-defined nuclear family.

Discus become a bit territorial when breeding, so it is best to breed well-established pair, or keep a group of young discus and allow them to pair themselves. Warm, soft, slightly acidic water is required for spawning. The pair will clean a flat surface (usually a broad leaf or the side of the aquarium) before spawning. The parents must not be removed from the fry; the fry feed on their parents’ mucus.

Quick Statistics:  
Temperament: peaceful
Family: Cichlidae
Native To: Amazon River Basin
Diet: Carnivore
Adult Size: Up to 12"
Temperature: 80° - 86°F;pH 6.1-7.5; KH 1-3
Care Level: Difficult
Minimum Tank Size: 50 gallons
Color form: Brown, Orange, Turquoise,& White
Scientific Name: Symphysodon spp
Environment: Freshwater

Feeding:
Pigeon blood discus fish prefer foods are freeze-dried bloodworms and tubifex, high-quality flake, and meaty frozen foods. Feed discus with variety of food to ensure complete nutrition.

If you have been looking for information on how to breed freshwater discus fish, you are at the right place. Breeding fresh water fishes in captivity can be quite challenging and many aquarists find that attractive. Freshwater fishkeeping is by far the most popular branch of breeding discus as hobby, and also one of the most rewarding aspects of keeping fish, and something all aquarists strive to do well.

With the arrival of "The Super Simple Guide to Breeding Freshwater Fishes" by Laura Muha, hobbyists at all levels need not to worry any longer about what to do. Passionate fishkeeper and journalist Laura Muha explains in compelling and "super simple" ways:

• How to recognize and nurture breeding behavior
• Where and how to house your spawning fish and its fry
• How to feed breeders- and their fry- at all stages
• How to nurse ailing fish back to health

What you should know about the author:

Laura Muha is a renowned science writer who recently took the plunge into aquarium keeping. She is a columnist for Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine, where she writes on the aquariology of various fishes from a science writer’s perspective. Laura teaches journalism at Columbia University, and she lives in New Jersey with her husband and expanding fish families.

Review of the book:

"The Super Simple Guide To Breeding Freshwater Fishes, a practical guide for both commercial and private freshwater fish owners. Chapters discuss the history of breeding fishes in aquaria, how to condition adult fish, raising the fry, disease prevention, notes on hybrids, species-specific guidelines and instructions, and more. The species catalogue includes such popular types of fish as livebearers (guppies, etc.), anabantoids, catfish, characins, cichilids, cyprinids, and rainbowfish. Color photographs on every page beautifully illustrate this handy, plain-terms guide, printed on sturdy, water-resistant paper stock. A "must-have" for anyone interested in successfully breeding freshwater fish."

Buy The Super Simple Guide To Breeding Freshwater Discus Fish here 

With elegant compressed rounded body shape and notable gorgeous colors of green, red, brown and blue, discus fish are among the most popular aquarium freshwater fish in the world. Discus are native of the Amazon River, discus fish are popular in aquarium fish and aquaculture in a lot of countries hence they are spread all over the world especially in Asia is a major industry. When they are grown, discus fish have the height and length of about twenty to twenty-five centimeter(8-10 inches) and they make great pets, bringing a drop of lively color to your house. You should make sure you know everything about the needs of this tropical fish breed, though discus fish are not very fragile, they still require a lot of care.

Discus fish make great aquarium inhabitants and they can be cohabitants with other species in the aquarium, the best choices would be the tetras or the uaru species. Generally discus fish are very peaceful animals; they are a bit sensitive to stress and a disturbing environment. However it would be advisable not to combine them with fish that are a lot smaller, as the discus fish may eat them. It is totally unadvisable to combine catfish with any variety of discus fish since the former may eat the latter. Like all aquarium animals, discus fish require optimal living conditions; otherwise they will be exposed to disease and may die.

Normally, aquariums for fish discus should be kept within a temperature range of about 26-31 degrees celsius ( 82-86 F); a temperature of 29 degrees celsius (84 F) is ideal for adults. Babies and young fish should  be maintained at 31 C (86 F) degrees. The water should be soft and slightly acidic; a pH of 5.5 - 6.5 is considered to be good for wild caught discus and  you will have to recreate and maintain the same conditions.

Keep in mind that discus fish are very clean animals, and the water quality you put in their tank has to be very high, without the slightest trace of pollution as discus goldfish does not tolerate pollution of any sort very well. You need to use a high capacity filter to cycle the water continuously. There are plenty of information sources to learn more on discus fish and their breeding; such a reliable site is www.discus-fish-secrets.com that will definitely assist you in satisfying the needs of your discus fish. Always stay informed on feeding and breeding habits of your tropical goldfish, as you’re thus watching over their health.

Whoever wants to go into discus fish breeding needs information on discus care, since discus fish are generally considered to be sensitive to stress and disturbance or lack of protection. In regards to discus care, a lot of attention should be focused on creating proper living environment in a well adequate water tank. Discus fish love deep water, so make sure the aquarium you are using is proper for the discus group you want to colonize. In general terms discus care presents no uncommon issues; all the breeder needs is to preserve the correct aquarium water chemistry parameters necessary for healthy living conditions. Otherwise, things should go smoothly.

For example an important element in discus care is the weekly water change; discus require at least 25% of water in the tank changed each week. The water change should be done on weekly interval to make sure water parameters are maintained at constant levels. You shouldn’t change large amount of water from the tank at once because discus can become stressed as the water parameters are likely to fluctulate. The quality of the water must be high as discus doesn’t tolerate very well pollution of any sort. Moreover, for special discus care use a filter that eliminates the heavy metals and the chlorine without altering the water pH. Keep in mind that a larger water volume is more easier to preserve and stablize as compared to a small tank for instance. In case you feed the discus fish on beef-heart, make sure that you clean all the food leftovers as these will ruin the water.

If you are having a separate tank with fry, special discus care is required here.The reasons are simple, the more you feed them, the more water quality lowers due to food leftovers, hence in the case of baby discus you need to change at least 30% of the water three times a week. Through careful discus care, uneaten food and waste are eliminated, not to mention that the more simple you keep the aquarium the higher the water quality. You should avoid using a lot of plants and decorations in baby discus breeding tanks because they collect lots of dirt underneath and consequently discus care health issues may arise that may hinder the growth of the fish.

For more tips and education on discus care, have a look at a site such as discus fish secrets.com. Due to sensitivity of discus fish, special attention should be paid to measures that will improved discus care during breeding period. If there is any disease affecting your fish or you notice any unusual changes, find some extra support and solutions besides the regular discus care. The vet or some professional breeder may assist you in some crisis situation involving discus health care, particularly since things may have gone out of control.