February 21, 2008

Discus Fish Care - How to Care For Discus Fish

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People often say that Discus fish care is very difficult! Well that might be true if you don’t apply the basics care techniques right from the start. Once you have understanding of the characteristics of how to care for discus fish and put into practice what you know, I think, is quite easy to keep any Discus fish, wild or tank bred.

Water Quality
If during breeding, your Discus fish fall ill or you have a problem with their health, the root cause is certainly as always the water quality. You know, the natural water habitat of discus fish in amazon river, Brazil is soft and acidic. So it is important to replicate the same type of water environment in our home aquarium. You should also bear in mind that a larger volume of water is easier to keep stable than a smaller volume, hence when choosing your fish tank, in other words get the largest tank you possibly can.

With the understanding you are familiar with the Nitrogen Cycle (if not you need to fully understand this). Discus fish will not tolerate any amount of Ammonia or Nitrite, and only the bare minimum Nitrate. Therefore, make sure the detritus is removed daily together with any uneaten food, as this often quickly form Ammonia. Anytime you intend to feed beefheart to discus fish always feed them at day time, not at night, as there are usually fatty bits that don’t get eaten up and you don’t want that to be left in the tank overnight. Ph is of course very important to discus fish care, as it is the measure of acidity and alkalinity. Ph of 7 is neutral, that is between acid and alkaline.

Discus fish like the Ph between 5.5 and 6.8 and will tolerate Ph between 7.0 to 7.4. While Heckles like it between 5.0 to 5.5. General water hardness should be between 2 and 8. Conductivity should be about 10ms. If you happen to live in a hard water area, you will need to bring down the hardness and probably the Ph as well.

Reverse Osmosis filter, which strips everything from the water and in the process lower the Ph and the hardness is highly recommended; this will of course depends on alkaline and how hard the water was to start with, you can then mix back a percentage of filtered tap water to acquire the correct Ph, hardness and conductivity. To accomplish this use a filter which removes heavy metals and chlorine, the filter will not alter the Ph or hardness of the water passing through it. All this basic simple steps will help you a great deal on how to care for your discus fish.

Feeding
The frequency of feeding, the quality and the amount of food given is very important for discus fish care. For example, for adult discus fish, feed them 2 to 3 times a day, do not overfeed them as the food will quickly pollute the water. Feeding should be high quality flake, Prima, beefheart, (make your own if you can, as it is well worth it in the long run), high protein foods, live food like white worms or small earth worms (make sure they are washed and purged 24 hours in advance on shredded newspapers before feeding). Do not feed Tubifix, Bloodworm, or any processed frozen foods that are not gamma radiated, or over the counter frozen food, because you can’t tell if it has not thawed out on route to the retailer? This often cause major problems, it’s better to use your own homemade beefheart.

Water Changes
Do regular water changes every week. Discus fish like constant water parameters, so 25% water change every week is excellent. If you follow these simple basic discus fish care approach you should have trouble free healthy Discus fish for years to come. Goodluck with your pet fish.

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February 15, 2008

Treating Eye Disease In Discus Fish

 Discus Fish Eye Problems:  

Causes Of Symptoms: Cloudy cornea, opaque lens, pop eye, swelling, blindness.

  •     Cloudy cornea can occur as a result of a bacterial invasion. Antibiotics may help.
  •     Opaqueness can happen as a result of poor nutrition or a metacercaria invasion (grubs). Administer foods with added vitamins and changing the diet to include variety.
  •     Pop eye (exophtalmia) has known to occur as a result of rough handling, gas embolism, tumors, bacterial infection, or vitamin A deficiency. Gas bubble or bacterial infection can successfully be treated with penicillin or amoxicillin.
  •     Blindness can also be caused by poor nutrition or excessive light. Lowering the light level and a change of diet to include lots of variety can help prevent it.

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February 9, 2008

Facts about discus fish health you should know

The most popular concerns about breeding discus fish are those that relate to their health since they are sensitive to stress and disturbance. It is important for discus fish health that you recreate the natural living habitat they are used to in the wild: slightly acidic, soft clean water. Absolutely, discus breeders will do everything to protect their discus fish health judging with the level of money and commitment involved. Hence, if you are planning to buying discus fish, you should start by preparing their tank a month in advance to ensure discus health.

There are problems connected with discus fish health while breeding them, but I will focus mainly on the environmental ones, which seem to be the most prevalent. For example, the iodine deficiency may become manifest due to pollutants in water or improper feeding. Another problem associated with discus fish health is the lack of vitamins in their food, which on the long term may create low immune system and deficient wound healing for instance. Vitamin C is quite important for discus fish health; therefore make sure you store their food properly or you risk losing the vitamin through oxidation. Lack of vitamins in their food will lead to bleeding, fin ulcerations and many other problems.

Many of the discus fish health problems occur due to discus breeder’s ignorance or inability to provide the proper living environment. whenever you decided to take up discus fish breeding, you should know that there are responsibilies involved like caring for any other pet animal; should you find yourself facing difficulty, you can always turn to special discus health services provided by vet units. Information and tips you may find in books on discus fish health or on sites such as www.discus-fish-secrets.com are highly reliable and will give you a solid good start when in comes to taking care of discus fish health. The authors of such books are usually experienced discus breeders from whom you will learn a lot from.

Having problem with discus fish health should not be an issue for breeder that’s careful enough to follow basic discus care principles. For example, the water cycle should always be functioning and no waste or uneaten food should be left in the tank. Discus fish health can be threatened due to over-heating. You shouldn’t go over 31 degrees Celsius, as this will result in lower oxygen level in the tank and cause discus fish to suffer from oxygen starvation. Monitoring discus fish health on a regular basis and checking the living conditions daily or even several times a day if possible so that nothing goes wrong is a must.

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January 4, 2008

Keeping discus fish - The secrets of keeping discus fish

A lot of books and materials in last decades has been written about keeping discus fish than any other aquarium fish spicies. Anyone who’s thinking about keeping discus fish as pet in the aquarium should get well informed about their care before actually purchasing them. Discus fish are considered royal fish native from the calm and warm Amazon waters that charm through their behavior. Discus fish keeping involve having some knowledge about their characteristic and care, what to offer to keep the pet fish in optimal condition. Discus fish are considered creatures of changing behavior that also manifest personality.

While breeding discus fish, you discover that they are quite shy and calm as usual, but when they mates they can become often domineering to their co-habitant due to breeding domain protection. Keeping discus fish will bring lots of both challenges and rewards. It should be noted that, the weakest discus in the group often suffer bullying which sometimes resulted in death. As a result, it is advisable not keep discus fish in a groups of than minimum of six. Thus you increase the confidence of the group members and lower the risk of “community” misbehavior.

When keeping discus fish you have to respect their habits. For instance mating is a matter of personal choice when it comes to parenting. Therefore, arranged matches are not to the like of the discus that are independent in their choice of a partner. Keeping discus fish that go through the breeding process is best achieved in a separate tank especially prepared for the purpose. In case you’re keeping discus fish couples together with the rest of your aquatic pets, you risk having some nasty violent behavior because of territorial claims. Discus fish prepare the perimeter where they are going to have their babies by cleaning it first and defending it throughout the whole period.

Once you have fry, you’ll be surprised that discus feed their young alone. However, when keeping discus fish of such different ages together, it is good to assist the parents’ effort by also giving some special food to the fry too such as baby brine shrimp. After three or six weeks at the maximum, keeping discus fish together with their fry is not at all recommended. You should separate the fry and leave the exhausted parents recover. Use a separate tank for the fry and feed them at least three times a day.

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December 20, 2007

Discus fish info - How to find discus fish info to help in preparing the perfect habitat for your pets fish.

For people that are interested in exotic aquariums design, discus fish information are widely available in magazines, and guides or on the Internet. A lot of the discus fish info available on the internet comes from discus enthusiast that have special interest in these exotic fish pet and breed discus fish as a hobby. Hence the discus fish info found online is the experience of discus fish breeders to assisting you in preparing the perfect habitat for your pets.

In case you require some special discus fish info it is a good idea to seek for advice from several other sources. Check with few discus fish info websites and see what solutions they provide and whether they are the same. In case the discus fish info you find are contradictory, the best thing to do is either check with a recognized discus fish info guide or talk to the vet. Health problems can sometimes be solved differently, depending on what conditions led to a discus form of disease.

Additionally, discus fish info will prove useful in almost all the measures one should take in order to create good aquarium. From choosing filter, nitration to choosing the best plants, discus fish info is a must, especially since every breed of fish has its own characteristics. What would it be like if you mixed different kinds of fish species that are not used to sharing the same habitat? Lack of knowledge of discus fish info could lead to you losing the fish and wasting lots of money; hence better start looking for documentation instead of guessing what to do next.

Lastly online forums and chat rooms are also great sources of discus fish infos. Many of such internet advantages come together with discus fish info general news on breeding exotic fish. You the option of even subscribing to e-magazines related to your hobby, hence receiving fresh discus fish info on a regular basis. Should you ever need to better or change something in your tank, make sure you get all the discus fish info necessary to keep your fish pets safe and prevent any disease or health hazard. Failure to comply with basic safety rules can be tragic for your fish, therefore, make sure you always stay informed all the time!

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December 13, 2007

Facts about discus health You Should Know

The most concerns about discus fish are those related to their health since they are know for being very sensitive to environmental conditions. In order to keep discus in good health conditions, it is important that you recreate good habitat they are used to in wild, soft acidic clean water. Of course breeders do everything in their power to protect discus health given the fact that they also require special temperature and pH. Therefore if you plan on buying discus fish, you should start preparing their tank a month in advance to make sure you ensure discus health.

There are a lots of difficulty connected to discus health, but the environmental problems seem to be the most common ones. For example, iodine deficiency may manifest itself due to water pollution or lack of proper feeding. Another problem associated to discus health, is lack of vitamins in discus food, which in long term may bring into being low immune system and bad wound healing for example. Vitamin C is essential for discus health; hence make sure you store food properly or you risk losing this vitamin though oxidation. Absence of this vitamin leads to bleeding, fin ulcerations and many other problems.

Many of the discus health problems appear because of breeder’s ignorance or failure to provide the proper 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.

Discus health should not be an issue for someone careful enough to follow some ground rules. For instance, the water cycle should be functional all the time and no waste or uneaten food should be left in it. Discus health is threatened in case of over-heating. Don’t go over 31 degrees Celsius, as this will also lower the oxygen level in the tank and cause your fish to suffer from oxygen starvation. Monitor your discus health on a regular basis and check the living conditions daily or even several times a day if possible so that nothing goes wrong.

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December 8, 2007

Discus fish breeding secrets tips

Maybe you’ve been aquatics and have seen gorgeous colorful discus in their entire magnificence. A lot of people thinks that discus fish breeding secrets are for the professionals, and that no beginners should attempt to breed discus in the show tank at home. This is far from the truth: here are some basic discus fish keeping “secrets” that will prove to you, with right knowledge discus are great pets to breed. There are three or even four outlines or parameters to follow within the list of discus fish secrets: food, breeding, water quality and last but not least collectivity.

The discus fish breeding secrets related to feeding show huge difference between the behavior of these fish and other exotic species when eating. It is normal to feed them once a day on frozen blood worms or brine shrimp. Many breeders really get to know discus fish when it comes to eating at leisure. These fish are by no means greedy; on the contrary they will eat slowly and majestically, as if expecting to be admired. However, in regards to the fry feeding habits, they are completely different. They need to be fed at least three times a day, they will almost fight over food.

When breeding discus fish, most discus owners have the problem of cohabit their discus. This is when collectivity proves its importance. One of the discus fish secrets is that they like to live in groups of at least six, and also choose their partner on their own. Hence, for successful breeding you’ll have to form discus community. There are no discus fish secrets when it comes to the choice of co-inhabitants. The only rule you have to follow is to make sure the discus are the biggest in the tank.

And lastly, water purity has the final word in the list of discus fish secrets, you’ll need to successfully breed these exotic fish. You need to keep in mind that discus can only live in very clean water, with not too many plants. Another discus fish breeding secret tips is to maintain the pH level slightly acidic and the water temperature at 31 degrees Celsius at the maximum.

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November 29, 2007

Discus fish photos - How it can be helpful to breed discus fish

When you want to create a show fish tank and don’t know what species of fish to include in it, some discus fish photos will easily help you solve the dilemma. There are a lot of website on the internet that has varieties of discus fish photos you can look at. Most of them are uploaded for advertising or promotional purposes, but not all the time. Discus breeders also use discus fish photos for display to their customers or prospective customers to show the varieties of aquarium fish they have; this will enable them to develop thier business and attract clients.Professional breeders, use the discus fish photos to develop their business, after all this is how they make a living. But there are also plenty of other sites where discus fish photos are shared by breeders or people who share the same hobby.

Besides solving the choice difficulty, discus fish photos have another very practical side to them.For example, discus breeder who have a tank might suddenly notice some changes in their fish.May be they look in poor health or has developed body noticeable changes. This where discus fish photos will come handy,it will help you to know the sort of disease affecting your exotic fish. For instance the Ich, characterized by white spots on the fish body can be easily identified if you’re familiar with some discus fish photos. It might the case of you or your partner having to visit the vet, he or she will use discus fish photos to identify the problem.

Additionally, discus fish photo quality is an atrractive of choosing good discus guide or book.Book that doesn’t have good description and quality relevant discus fish photos wouldn’t be attractive to buyers. Furthermore, it is not uncommon either to have discus fish photos in large private collections or exhibitions; among the wide life creatures that can live happily in captivity they seem unique.

Discus fish photos fans can upload or download free photos from various web pages and forums or can choose to buy entire galleries devoted to discus fish photos. Very professional discuss fish photos may be even sold to special magazines that tackle life in the wild, and good money is said to come out of it. However, taking discus fish photos in the wild is not only a challenge, but a true adventure and a life devotion to the subject. Therefore, not anyone can do it within the blink of an eye!

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November 21, 2007

Tips On How To Source For Discus fish info

For anyone interested in designing an exotic aquarium, discus fish info is far and wide available in magazines, books and guides or on the Internet. A lot of the discus fish facts accessible on the internet comes from discus enthusiast that have interest in keeping golden discus as a hobby. For this reason,|As a result,] discus fish information found online is as a result of active contribution of discus enthusiast to assist you in preparing good ambience for your pet. A good example of resourceful web pages is discus fish secrets.com that provides major guidelines for a great show tank and professional benefit in all sorts of discus difficulty

In case you require some very special discus fish facts it is a good idea to ask advice from numerous sources. Check with a few discus fish info pages and see what resources they offer and whether they are the same. If by any case you discover disagreeable discus fish facts,the best thing to do is to look for acknowledged discus fish guide or speak to the vet. Health problems may sometimes be solved differently, depending on the ailment that led to a discus form of disease

Additionally, discus fish infomay affirm to be valuable in all steps one need to take to make good aquarium.] From filter and water nitration to choosing the best plants, discus fish info is a must, particularly since every breed of fish has its peculiarities How would it be if you put together diffrent species of fish that are not compatible to share the same home? Not having the right knowledge about how to care for discus fish can lead to you losing the fish and also cost you a lot of money; hence it is better to look for discus fish info guide instead of guessing.

Last but not least, online forums and chat rooms are a great source of discus fish info. A lot of those internet sources has discus fish info columns on how to breed exotic fish. You may even subscribe to e-magazines related to your hobby, thus receiving fresh discus fish info on a regular basis. Should you ever want to change something in your tank, make sure you have all the discus fish info necessary to keep your pets safe and avoid any disease or health damage. {If you fail to comply to minimum safety standard can be disastrous for your pet, hence, make sure to stay current all the time.

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November 15, 2007

Discus fish health - the secrets of how to keep discus healthy

Discus fish health has been a highly debated issue on Internet forums, chat rooms, and in some discus fish magazines. The problems appear to be cases of failure by many discus owners to properly preserve their discus fish health. Ways to have perfect healthy discus fish are very simple and easy steps to follow: keep them clean, well-fed,loved them and everything should work great. Avoid combining discus with all sorts of other species as they may not be compatible. The results of co-inhabitance with other incompatible species may have severe effects on discus fish health as well as on that of the rest of your aquatic pets.

Discus fish will be fine without any health problem if you place them with fish smaller than themselves, so far they are not catfish with sucker mouths. The species is dangerous to discus fish health as they attach to their scales producing severe tissue injuries. Some of the environmental discus fish health problems can sometimes be solved by simply adding some medicine in the water, but this happens in most fortunate of cases. That is why it is so important to prevent rather than cure. To learn more about the discus fish health risks you can have a look at discus fish secrets.com.

Discus health fish very much depends on its nutrition; feed your discus enough protein and they will have all the energy necessary. Similarly, amino acids are also very important, as they come from the meat you feed your discus. The only discus fish health problem that may arise here might come from over-feeding that may lead to water deterioration and lower standard of living conditions. Your discus fish health should be well protected if you have a very powerful biological filter in the aquarium and you perform regular water changes.

The most adequate method for water filtration and preservation of discus fish health is by reverse osmosis. This is made possible with the help of semi-permeable membrane inside the filter that allows only water molecules to pass through it. It removes minerals, trace and any other substance, while producing pure water that is so necessary for your discus fish health. A few minerals should however be added in the water to actually recreate discus fish health-friendly environment.

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