Discus Food: High Quality Diet for High Impact Aquarium
In the wild, discus are accustomed to swimming through the murky, warm waters of the Amazon River in small to medium family groups, hiding among the dense root systems of the rainforest. Wild discus have a variety of foods in their diet, including insects and their larvae, minute plant particles, and small water-swimming worms. The average fish hobbyist is used to feeding very limited diets to their fish. On the other hand, while discus can survive on one type of quality fish food they certainly won’t thrive. Discus have special dietary needs and much like everything else, they require the highest quality discus food.
Clean as Drinking Water: Discus Water Parameters
The biggest marker of future success for any discus owner is the ability to keep a balanced aquarium with great discus water. A balanced aquarium will have consistently clean water conditions, constant temperature and healthy water chemistry with no ammonia, no nitrites and very low nitrates (less than 10 ppm). For keeping discus, clean water is an absolute must due to the evolutionary traits of the discus. Discus evolved in the slow-moving pristine soft waters of the Amazon River basin. The Amazon River contains very few organic compounds in its slower tributaries and flood plain. This is where discus thrive. Replicating these conditions in your aquarium is sure to lead to discus success.
Fish Tanks & Aquariums – What You Need to Get Started
Whether you’re a novice looking to break into the fish hobby or an experienced ichthyologist with multiple tanks, the success of your fish depends on a great start with the right tank. Fish tanks and aquariums can be intimidating at first. After all, there are many different options, styles and sizes to choose from. To complicate matters, fish keepers all seem to have a different opinion on what tank or aquarium is best.
When choosing a fish tank, you must first determine which fish species you intend on keeping in the tank. In fact, the species you keep determines almost everything about the equipment you need to purchase – especially fish tanks and aquariums. To identify which species you should keep requires a lot of research upfront, before you go to the fish store.
Discus Care or the Art of Keeping Discus Fish using Tips from Nature
When you’re embarking onto your first discus care journey, you may be a little intimidated by the multitude of warnings that tend to frighten new discus hobbyists. While it’s wise to heed these warnings, don’t let them disenchant you from starting the hobby! Freshwater Discus Fish require more specialized care than other fish, but they’re the most rewarding aquarium pets you can own. They have unique personalities, feed from your hand and tend to love their owners. They can even recognize their owners and who feeds them.
To fully understand the methods of keeping discus fish, it’s important to understand where they come from. Discus come from the Amazon River, where slow moving, dimly lit warm waters are pristine and soft. They grow in groups of five or more and glide through the root system of the Amazon River, their bars camouflaging their thin bodies.
Freshwater Discus Fish: King of the Aquarium
There’s nothing quite as beautiful as a huge aquarium full of brightly colored mature freshwater discus fish
Freshwater discus fish are South American cichlids that are round (hence the name “discus”) and characteristically known for their gorgeous colors. They love the deep dimly-lit waters of the Amazon River and disguise themselves in the long reeds and dark root systems with their stress bars and thin shape.
Into the Wild: Keeping Wild Discus Fish
In the wild, discus fish live in the slow-moving dimly lit waters of the Amazon River and its lakes, swimming among the thick root systems supported by the Amazon’s huge freshwater supply. In this dark wild environment, the waters are murky, warm and pristine. The root systems of the Amazon create very soft waters too, with little mineral content and acidic pH. Wild discus fish thrive in these soft acidic warm conditions in small to medium family groups. Discus evolved a flat shape to allow them to hide easily in the deep root structures that penetrate the Amazon. Their colored bars (nine in total) help them to camouflage as they glide in and out of vertical plants.
Tropical Fish Species – The Best For Your Tank
Contrary to popular belief, most new fish keeping hobbyists will find that selecting their fish before they choose their tank will help them immensely in the long run. Choosing your fish before you choose your tank means that you come prepared for that fish’s future needs. Some tropical fish species grow over a foot long. Certainly you don’t want to buy a ten gallon tank for this species! This guide is designed to help you choose which species of fish will fit your lifestyle and equipment.