Basic Discus Fish Careby Rob Mellor

Are you thinking about getting some discus then and want to know a little about them. Have you been to the aquatics and seen some lovely colourful discus in there show tanks. <BR><BR>A lot of people will tell you that discus are only for advanced fish keepers but in my experience they are easy to keep as long as you follow some basic rules. <BR><BR>First of all, discus require clean water free of chlorine and heavy metals. You may be best to invest in a water purifying unit. Make sure the water is on the soft and acidic side. pH between 6.0 and 7.5 with a general hardness between 5 and 15. Now is you want to been them these will have to be lower. <BR><BR>The water should be well filtered but slow moving and be heated at around 82 – 86F. <BR><BR>Another point to cover is that discus are best suited to large deep aquariums as they commonly grow to around 6 or 7 inch. They prefer to be in shoals of no less than 6 when they are growing up. <BR><BR>They can be kept in bare tanks but benefit from bog wood and plants as these help the discus feel safe knowing they have some where to hide. If they get stressed and scared in a bare tank they can dash around and damage there selves. <BR><BR>Ideal tank mates for discus include small tetras from South America i.e. neon tetras. They are also ok with various cat fish and plecs but please make sure the discus is the largest fish in the aquarium. <BR><BR>Discus can be fed on most aquarium foods and practically like sinking pellets. They also like frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp. Young discus should be fed 3 times a day and adults just once.