Why are discus expensive?
Discus are expensive because it is difficult to raise young discus. Breeding discus requires a lot of hard work and care. Small mistakes result in significant mortality. While adult discus are relatively robust and hardy fish, the young ones are an entirely different story.
Why is it difficult to raise young discus?
Several factors contribute to the difficulty of raising young discus and growing them to subadults. The main include:
- Water requirements for the young (consistently soft and low pH water). If water parameters are not constant, young discus will have problems with developing their swim bladders. This results in so called “belly riders” and high mortality of the fry.
- A well-matched breeding pair willing to cooperate when taking care of the young. Some pairs tend to engage in aggressive behavior which in extreme cases may lead to one of the parents eating the young.
- A breeding pair that has the natural instinct to care for the young (instead of eating the eggs or hatching fry).
- A breeding pair that comes from a healthy genetic line (in-breeding often results in deformities in the young).
- Strongly hierarchical behavior of discus. Even at the stage of young fry starting at two weeks stronger fish bully the weaker ones impacting their growth and causing mortality.
What causes this difficulty in raising discus?
First, any aquarium, even the best kept, is different than the natural environment. Further, the ability of the parents to feed their fry with a secretion of their skin is very helpful in nature, however, makes it difficult for the breeders to raise young without their parents. The big farms often raise other tropical fish by artificially incubating eggs. This method rarely works with discus. While it is possible to raise young artificially, it requires a lot of tedious work and mortality is still significant resulting in very few fish reaching a subadult age.
Based on my experience, to some extent the difficulties are caused by artificially breading discuss that have weak parental instinct, as well as selective breeding and in-breeding.
Another factor is the relatively small number of eggs laid by the female. It is rare to have a spawn of more than 200 eggs. This is a small number compared to many other fish species.
Are discus difficult to keep?
Adult discus are relatively easy to maintain if you provide them with the right food and ensure frequent water changes.
What is the best food for discus?
The short answer is: diverse and with no frozen foods. The best food is a combination of dry flake or granule food with frequent addition of freeze-dried foods such as tubifex and black worms. Avoid frozen foods and especially those that come from fresh water sources such as blood worms and daphnia. The organisms that originate from fresh water are likely to contain parasites such as hexamita and camalanus. These are deadly to your fish if not treated appropriately in time.
How often should I feed my discus?
The general rule is to feed them in small amounts of food several times a day. Compared to other fish discus have small stomachs relative to their body size. They like to forage for long times and eat slow. Discus often “chew” their food before swallowing or even take it and try several times before eating (which is reflected in the scientific name: Symphysodon).
Should I feed a beef heart mix to my discus?
Beef heart mix is a nutritious food for discus. If used carefully and not excessively, it can be given to discus. Any uneaten beef heart mix will, however, immediately turn into a bacteria growing factory. This can lead to serious infections very quickly (e.g. bloat) and cause mortality in a matter of days. My advice is to avoid beef heart mix unless you are an experienced discus keeper.
How often should I change my water?
This mostly depends on how many fish you have. In densely stocked aquariums (e.g., one fish per a gallon of water) such as in breeding farms, significant water changes are needed every day to avid problems with water quality leading to health problems and mortality. In tanks with low fish density (e.g. one fish per 20 gallons) changing water once every 10-14 days will be sufficient. It is possible to go on a three week holiday and not change the water while you are away, if you skillfully adjust the feeding pattern and fish density in your tank.
Having said that, the only general rule that always works for water changes is: the more often the better.
Can I keep my discus in tap water?
Many places selling discus, to market their product, claim that you can keep discus in tap water. Depending on the water in your tap it may be true or not. Discus thrive in soft and slightly acidic water. The ideal water for discus is just below the ph of 7. They do well however in water of up to a pH of 7.5. If your tap water’s pH is above 7.5 you need to treat it to lower the pH. In water of alkalinity more than 7.5 your discus will run into all kinds of problems.
Is it possible to determine the sex of discus?
The only method that always works is to see the spawning fish. When they spawn you will see which fish lays the eggs (the female) and which one fertilizes them (the male). You will also notice that the female’s tube is much broader than the male’s, which is a logical reflection of the need to deposit the eggs. You will, however, need to closely watch the mating pair to make sure that one of the fishes is actually a male. In extreme situations, in a tank with no males and only females present, in their desperation to reproduce, two females may lay eggs together. If you do not pay enough attention, you may be convinced that you have a breeding pair, while in reality you have two females laying eggs. Then you will wonder why the eggs are not hatching. This is exactly why an experienced breeder will never purchase a so-called “breeding pair” without seeing thm raising fry.
With mature, older discus (usually at least 2-3 years old) it is possible to observe that males tend to be slender and a bit bigger. I can assure you, however, that I myself have experienced situations, where a fish that seemed to be a beautiful male started laying eggs and turned out to be a female.
Some people claim that males are more aggressive and tend to be the dominant fish in the tank. This is not true. I experienced many situations when the bully in the tank was a female.