Discus Fish: Understanding Them and Their Natural Environment

Keeping discus fish as pets can be an interesting hobby. However, before you actually buy your first batch of discus fish, you need to keep in mind that you first need to understand the fish as well as their environment in order for you to successfully keep discus fish as pets and also keep them healthy and happy for a long time.

First of all, you have to keep in mind that discus fish originated in the Amazon River basin. They thrive in streams and lakes surrounding the Amazon River. They also come from the cichid family of fish and they like deep water.

For this reason alone, you may want to get the largest and deepest aquarium that your home and budget can allow.

You also have to remember that discus fish are social creatures. They live and travel in groups of at least 6. So, make sure that you have at least 6 discus fish swimming around in your aquarium in order to keep them happy and prevent them from getting lonely. With more discus fish in your aquarium, they will be less prone to misbehaving. You have to keep in mind that lonely discus fish tend to be aggressive to their own kind as well as to other species of fish.

Getting a discus fish in groups will also ensure breeding, which will eventually increase the population of discus fish in your aquarium. As you can imagine, having tiny discus fishes swimming around your aquarium is a very rewarding sight.

In their natural environment, discus fish are known to be grazers. This means that in their natural environment, they will constantly seek food. This is why you should try feeding your discus fish a few times each day. However, you may want to prevent over feeding them. The rule in feeding discus fish is to not feed them more than 5 times a day and less than 3 times a day.

You should also keep in mind that discus fish may acquire different kinds of diseases. They may have problems with parasitic worms. You can observe their healthy by taking a look at their feces. Clear or white feces are hints that your discus fish may have internal parasites and that they are unwell and need attention.

Also, you should observe their behavior. If your discus fish go on food strike, it’s a clear sign that they are unwell. The color of their scales will also get darker, which is also an indication that the discus fish is sick.

These are some of the things that you need to understand about discus fish. Keep in mind that you have to set up your aquarium as well as the conditions in it that mimic their natural environment. Doing so will keep your discus fish happy and healthy.

Keep these things in mind and you can be sure that you will be able to enjoy your pet discus fish swimming around your aquarium for a very long time. 
