Discus (Symphysodon aequifasciatus)

blackandyellow

I can´t believe nobody has mada a comment about Discus. What can I say... they are gorgeous fish, a challenge to keep that require a lot of commitment on water quality. Most Discus fans will say the only way to keep them OK is in a bare bottom tank, but that for me kills the whole idea of having them. I have three in a planted tank and for the first time in over 15 years of fishkeeping, I got them to feed correctly on something other than live foods, they are happy and even hand feed from me, not shy at all. If you are very tiddy with your maintenance give them a try. Lovely fish with personality they will follow you around

kisame1235

I currently have 3 of these fish 2 wilds and one tangerine . They are a pleasure to keep they get along with almost everything . Their currently my favorite tank .

andreaz

I have six discus in my 125 gallon, 2 of which are going on 3 1/2 years old. I think the perception of these fish is that they are difficult to keep, however with the way they are now bred in captivity most are able to do fine with the usual upkeep. I do not add anything to my tap water except for water conditioner. They do great and my water parameters are perfect. (This will differ depending on your regional water quality) They are in a planted tank with a Flourite and Florida sugar sand bottom. Wild caught however may be more demanding on water conditions, I have not tried these.

Walking_Target

People overestimate the water quality needed to keep these fish. With heavy planting and average water (6.8-7.5pH, 100ppm gh) Discus can thrive. the only time you need superbly soft water is for mating, where harder water causes the egg casing to harden prematurely, preventing fertilization.

freshp

I have four in an 85 gallon tank. They are not hard to keep at all if your practice routine tank maintenance. They are awesome fish and are very tame once established in your aquarium.

shellyluvsfish

I just love my discus fish. I agree that they really are very personable fish. Each one has a personality of its own. Mine all follow me around the room and will take food right from my fingers!

Dr.sam

I have nine . the pest food for them a haert of cow Cut into small pieces .

The.Cuda

i had 3, 2 of em died (got a disease from my angelfish). the one that survived is so cool.. it's easy to feed, not scared to approach me at all when its feeding time. and it swims with my barracudas.

Planted-Community

not as hard to keep as once said as many have been bread to live in hard water

Psionic

I have 7 juvies and they are fun to watch. At first they were very skittish and would hide easily at anything. Now they're calm and even swim around my siphon as I'm cleaning the tank every day. They can be picky eaters sometimes, but mine are little piggies and are eating different frozen foods and tetra bits. My pH is at 6.8 in the planted tank they're in (co2) and they're perfectly fine. I also use tap water with conditioner in it and that's it.

Psionic

I have 7 juvies and they are fun to watch. At first they were very skittish and would hide easily at anything. Now they're calm and even swim around my siphon as I'm cleaning the tank every day. They can be picky eaters sometimes, but mine are little piggies and are eating different frozen foods and tetra bits. My pH is at 6.8 in the planted tank they're in (co2) and they're perfectly fine. I also use tap water with conditioner in it and that's it.

kamikaziechameleon

A curious question, what depth of tank would you say is a minimum requirement to keep these fish. Below it lists and adult length of almost 10 inches, what is their height? some appear almost twice as tall as long. Just thought it was a relevant observation.

Kimberline

They are top swimmers so the taller the tank, the better. They are totally awesome fish. My kids are all grown up and these fish have become my "kids" :)

Sleek1607

How big does a tank need to be to keep 2-3 of these fish?