January 4, 2008

Keeping discus fish - The secrets of keeping discus fish

The last decades have seen more materials written about keeping discus fish than any other fish species. Whomever is thinking of keeping discus fish as pet should first of all, get some informations about discus care before buying 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 known to be creatures of varying demeanors that also shown dominance.

When keeping discus fish you’ll notice that they are calm and shy in general, but when they make couples they can often become aggressive to their own kin and others due to breeding territory protection. Keeping discus fish will bring lots of both challenges and rewards. First of all, within a group it is often common that the weakest discus be severely bullied, a treatment that can sometimes result in death. Therefore, keeping discus fish in groups of minimum six individuals is considered ideal. 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 example, coupling is a matter of personal preference when it comes to parental care. Hence, trying to match discus with other mate out of their choices will not be resisted. Keeping discus fish that go through the breeding process is best achieved in a separate tank especially prepared for the purpose. If you are keeping discus fish mates together in same tank with your other fish, you are risking having aggressive behavior due to territorial protection. 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. Nevertheless, when keeping discus fish of varying ages in one place, you should also help to feed the fry by giving special food such as baby 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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