| Beautiful but Temperamental | | | | Determining Mom and Dad |
| Aquarium discus fish in my opinion are the most | | | | In a little bit of time you start to notice mom and |
| beautiful fresh water fish you can keep. Now I | | | | dad. What I mean by this is you will see two fish |
| know some people might say cichlids or clown | | | | pair off and they will start defending their |
| loaches however it's not the point. With their | | | | territory against all of their other tank mates. |
| beauty comes a price Discus can cost in upwards | | | | When you notice this behavior you have found |
| of 300 dollars a fish. Yeah I know it sounds crazy | | | | mom and dad. Now it's time to move them both |
| and I would never pay or recommend someone | | | | into the breeding tank. A breeding tank is a tank |
| pay such a price for a fish. However where I'm | | | | separate from the main tank you put your fish in. |
| from in Michigan you can expect to pay around | | | | I recommend at least a 20 gallon tank for |
| 45 bucks for a juvenile and up to 100 bucks for a | | | | breeding discus. |
| full sized adult. Even though these price are high | | | | Setting up the breeding Tank |
| when you follow some careful tips you may only | | | | When you set up your breeding tank use the |
| have to buy two fish for your tank. | | | | water from the original tank to keep them |
| Breed and save. | | | | unstressed during the exchange. You want to |
| Keeping discus is only the first fun part of the | | | | keep the bottom clear, no rocks no gravel. The |
| hobby. Breeding is taking your fish keeping to the | | | | reason for this is to make it easier to keep the |
| next level and a very popular method to save | | | | water clean by removing any leftover food and |
| money on your expensive fish. Keep in mind this | | | | waste. The only decor you want in the tank is a |
| is not as easy as it sounds; it is not as difficult as | | | | vertical spawning surface. "Aquarium Discus Fish" |
| it sounds either. Breeding discus is very popular | | | | lay their eggs like angle fish do. They like to |
| among discus keepers because of the high cost | | | | spawn there eggs on a vertical surface. A vertical |
| of the fish. In some cases the fish will even bred | | | | surface would be either a plant or an upside down |
| without any special care giving you a nice surprise | | | | ceramic pot. if you so desire you can put a |
| in a few weeks. | | | | potted plant to give the fish some shelter but it is |
| Breeding Tips | | | | not necessary by any means. Filtration is another |
| There are a couple of ways to get started | | | | important factor. Use a sponge filer for the |
| breeding your discus. When you are setting up a | | | | biological load. I like to use small power filter as |
| new aquarium discus fish tank you have two | | | | well and put a little bag of peat moss in the back |
| options. The easiest option would be to buy a | | | | to keep the pH level in check. |
| mating pair for your fish dealer. This is the fast | | | | IMPORTANT BREEDING TANK TIP |
| track way to start breeding your fish however it | | | | Keep in mind the breeding tank is a usually a lot |
| is the most expensive one. Some mating pairs | | | | smaller than your original tank. You have to watch |
| can cost between 100 and 300 dollars. The next | | | | this tank for ammonia spikes and water temp. |
| option is to purchase a group of at least six | | | | Check the water every day and clean the waste |
| juvenile fish. When using this method it isn't one | | | | out of it every day. This is very important in the |
| hundred percent guaranteed however it usually | | | | breeding process. Discus like clean water and will |
| does work in most cases. | | | | not breed without it.. |