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Aquarium Discus Fish - Important Tips To Remember
Discus fish in my opinion are the most beautiful fresh water fish you can keep. Now I know some people might say cichlids or clown loaches however it's not the point. With their beauty comes a price. Discus can cost in upwards of 300 dollars a fish. Yeah I know it sounds crazy and I would never pay or recommend someone pay such a price for a fish. However where I'm from in Michigan you can expect to pay around 45 bucks for a juvenile and up to 100 bucks for a full sized adult. Even though these prices are high, by following these careful tips you will be on your way to keeping a beautiful Discus aquarium.
Aquarium Discus Fish - First Tip
The first tip I would like to touch on is aquarium balance. When I say aquarium balance I am talking about the amount of fish you should maintain in a single tank. The safest rule to abide by is to only keep one discus per ever ten gallons of tank water. Discus like their space so use this rule to keep your fish happy and they won't feel crowded.
Aquarium Discus Fish - Second Tip
Tank size and shape is the second parameter to consider. Discus prefer a tall sized tank. What do I mean by tall? You want to try to get a tank which is taller that longer. Say for instance if you had a tank which was 6 feet long and only 18 inches deep you would be better off trying to find a 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide aquarium. With this being said if you have a good size tank like the first one I mentioned. I don't suggest you run out and purchase a new tank. These are just tank guidelines they are not gospel however as a rule you do want to have at least an 18" tank depth. I personally don't recommend anything smaller that a 35 gallon tank. This is just my personal opinion. I don't like to use anything smaller that 35 galls because the smaller the tank the harder it is to maintain the water. Plus I like to keep more than two fish in one tank.
Aquarium Discus Fish - Third Tip
Feeding is the third tip to abide by. Discus are set in their ways. Upon bringing your new discus home ask the breeder what type of fish they are accustomed too. Discus do not have any special diets however they do not like rapid food changes. To change their diet feed them the new food in small doses. Slightly increase their dosage for about a couple of weeks. This is a safe and stress free way to change their diet.
Aquarium Discus Fish - Fourth Tip
The fourth tip in this series is one of the most important tips you need to know. This is about water quality. Keeping your water chemistry clean and stable is a MUST! First you need to keep the water clean by making sure you change it when needed. Now Let me elaborate on chemistry. Proper water temperature for discus is between 82 and 86 degrees F. You also need to test the water hardness.The water should be soft, between 3 and 15dH. The PH level is next important factor. This needs to be between 5 and 6.5. PH id probably the biggest factor which most fish keepers have some trouble with. Discus do not like to compromise these PH factors. They will survive in other PH conditions however do not fool yourself in doing so. The fish may live and even will breed, The problem is they will always be stressed and their life span will be compromised. The bottom line is always test your water conditions and make very gradual changes when need be. When you make drastic chemistry changes this puts more harm than good on the fish causing them an abundance of stress.
About the Author
About The Author
Steve Jones is an expert fish keeper and owns an aquarium shop in upper Michigan. Discover more advanced Aquarium Discus Fish Secrets at http://www.aquariumdiscusfish.info
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