Among the diverse inhabitants of the aquarium world, the discus - a fish from the cichlid family - stands out with its bright colors and unusual shape. These are quite demanding on the conditions of detention and capricious creatures. Nevertheless, if you know how to properly care for them, breeding discus is even for a beginner aquarist.
Description
The body of the fish has a round shape, is strongly flattened from the sides, which makes it look like a disk. Thanks to this, she got her name. Long fins stand out well on the body. The head is small, with bulging reddish eyes. Sizes of fish range from 15 to 20 cm. Coloring is quite diverse. The most common red discus is a fish, a photo of which is posted at the beginning of this article. Against the main background, wavy blue lines along the fins are visible along the fins. On the sides there are vertical stripes. Such a motley coloring helps cichlids to hide from predators, hiding in the vegetation. The color of the fish is able to change depending on its condition. For example, with a strong fright, the general background of the body becomes pinkish-gray, and the stripes almost completely disappear. Life expectancy in an aquarium with good care can be 15 years.
Natural habitat
Discus is a fish that naturally occurs mainly in the Amazon. Wild animals are caught in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia. The fish prefers slow-flowing soft or acidic waters, where there are no microorganisms harmful to it. Usually flocks of discus accumulate in coastal thickets, hiding from predators in the washed roots of trees and shrubs. The suitable water temperature for them is 26–31 ⁰, although in shallow water it can reach 35 ⁰. Cichlids mainly choose water bodies with a sandy bottom or strewn with old leaves.
Variety of species
In the 90s of the last century, breeders bred several hybrid forms, which have won much more popularity among aquarists than natural ones. Their poor resistance to diseases and higher demands on care were offset by an unusually bright and beautiful color.
Today there are 5 main groups, which include both natural and artificially derived representatives of the genus Diskus (fish). The description of each is as follows:
- Red is the brightest and therefore the most numerous species. The main background can be any shade - cherry, orange, scarlet, etc. To maintain the color of the fish you need a special food containing specialized additives.
- Turquoise. This is the main body color of this discus. A pattern of spots and stripes is clearly visible on it. This type is most common among Russian lovers of aquarium living creatures, because it appeared in our country as far back as the 70s.
- Cobalt. It has some similarities with turquoise, but instead of a green tint, saturated blue prevails. It differs from other species in shiny stripes on the body and fins.
- Blue. It is considered one of the largest representatives of the genus. The main background is a yellow-pink hue with a dusting effect.
- Golden Discus - a fish, a photo of which can be viewed below. It has the highest cost among all of the above. The less pigment spots, the more valuable the instance.
Each named variety of discus (fish with a certain body color) has many different variations.
Conditions of detention
Given the rather large size of these cichlids and the fact that they usually populate in groups, the aquarium should be selected capacious - with a capacity of at least 250 liters. It should be separate, because the discus is very susceptible to deadly diseases that are completely harmless to other fish. In addition, they have specific water requirements. Its temperature should be between 28-33 ° C. Discus is too sensitive to water quality. Keeping with other fish undesirable, because cleanliness is of great importance for their comfortable living. It is also important to maintain pH stability at 5.0-6.0. Any sharp changes in acidity can seriously harm the health of the fish.
It is necessary to replace half the volume of water in the aquarium once a week. A prerequisite is the installation of a good filter. An effective method of water purification is zoning, but only in the hands of experienced aquarists, since excess ozone will lead to the death of discus fish. It is safer to use ultraviolet. Before you settle the fish in the tank, which was previously in use, it must be properly washed and disinfected.
Lack of soil is acceptable, but in a bare and empty aquarium, discus fish do not look so great. They get a completely different look, even if you just pour small pebbles to the bottom. In addition, soil with aquatic plants planted in it helps maintain biological balance. The main thing is that at the same time pathogenic bacteria do not enter the aquarium. Periodically, the soil is cleaned of accumulated waste products of fish.
For the natural living conditions of the discus, bright lighting is uncharacteristic, therefore it is not required even when kept at home. Although in bright light the fish look just amazing.
Greens in the aquarium
The high water temperature necessary for the maintenance of this species of cichlids, and poor lighting create certain difficulties when growing plants. Therefore, you have to choose only those that can withstand such conditions. These are mainly plants such as ambulia, vallisneria, anubias, didiplis, echinodorus. They also play the role of natural filters and do not impede the movement of fish.
Feeding
These cichlids are quite picky in food. Discus is a carnivorous fish, almost half of its daily diet should be protein. To do this, special mincemeat is prepared on the basis of beef heart, adding shrimp meat, fish fillet, nettle greens, various vegetables and vitamins. Some aquarists use animal feed in the form of bloodworms and tubifex. Caution should be exercised with such food, as it is usually obtained from contaminated water bodies and can lead to poisoning or cause any dangerous disease. Before giving such food, it is defended for at least 5 days. Discus is a fish that is fed 2-3 times a day, removing all residues after 10 minutes so that they do not spoil the water.
You can use specialized industrial feed. Accustom to them gradually. First, dry food in small quantities is added to the ground beef heart, increasing the dose every day. The training period lasts approximately 2 weeks.
Dry food for fish "Tetra Diskus" is in special demand, a bucket of which (10 l) can be purchased for 3.5 thousand rubles, and it will be enough for a long time. Ready-made food has a balanced composition, contains the necessary amount of vitamins and minerals. In addition, it increases resistance to diseases and improves the color of fish. Food sinks slowly to the bottom of the aquarium, so discus fish eagerly eat it.
Compatibility
This type of cichlid, despite its large size, is characterized by a calm and peaceful disposition. Nevertheless, it is not recommended to keep discus with other fish species. One of the reasons is the high temperature of the water, not all inhabitants of the aquarium are able to withstand it. In addition, there is a serious risk of infection with a neighbor. Any other inhabitants are lost and almost become invisible against the background of the bright color, which is distinguished by the discus. Compatibility with other fish is not bad, only on condition that they have the same slowness and are not afraid of high temperature. Armored catfish (corridors) fully comply with these requirements . In addition, they destroy feed residues, as a result of which the water in the aquarium remains clean longer.
Gender differences
You can distinguish a female from a male by the geometry of the fins. In the female, if we continue the imaginary straight lines from the edge of the anal and dorsal fins, they cross the tail. The male, at best, is slightly touching it. Males are larger, have a more pointed dorsal fin. The location of the external genitalia is also different - a wide and rounded ovipositor, adapted to secrete eggs, is clearly visible in the female.
Breeding
Discus reaches puberty at the age of 1.5-2 years, and the breeding period lasts from 2 to 3 years. If there are problems with the definition of males and females, then several fish are acquired for breeding. When it becomes clear that two of them formed a strong pair, they are transplanted into a separate breeding ground with a volume of at least 100 liters. In the tank, driftwood, clay pots, large stones and any other decorations are placed. Round-the-clock lighting should be weak. The fish should be protected from stress, so the water changes, albeit regularly, but with great accuracy. Its temperature is maintained within 28–30 ° C. Of great importance is the hardness of the water. If it is high, then fertilization of eggs will become problematic. Optimum rigidity - no more than 3 degrees.
Spawning begins in the evening. A signal to it is cleaning the substrate and shaking the fins of the fish. The female lays from 200 to 400 eggs, which are fertilized by the male. The incubation period is 3-4 days. After the same amount, the fry begin to swim. It is very important during this period to do a daily change of water by a quarter of the volume. In the early days of life, the main food for fry is special discharge on the skin of parents. When they no longer remain on one fish, another immediately swims up. After 2 weeks, parents are sent back to the aquarium.
Feeding fry
Sometimes there are too many of them, and then parents are not able to feed all offspring. It happens that they have no nutritional discharge on the skin. In such cases, in order to save the fry, you have to give them artificial food. Egg powder is made from spawning in the water and thin cakes are made. They are pressed tightly against the wall of the aquarium so that each protrudes slightly above the surface of the water. When the fry are 5-6 days old, they can be fed with brine shrimp nauplii. In the future, any quality food of the appropriate size is used.
Discus Disease
The main reason for their occurrence is non-compliance with the rules of detention. With good care, when attention is paid to the quality of water, lighting and nutrition, stress (the cause of many diseases) is practically eliminated. Discus fish are aquarium fish that are very sensitive even to minor changes. The main problems that have to be faced:
- Bowel disease. The cause may be poor-quality feed or a sick neighbor. The fish becomes lethargic, refuses food. Excrement is like white threads. Purulent ulcers appear on the head and fins. An accurate diagnosis is established only by laboratory means.
- Intestinal obstruction, dropsy. Occur as a result of poor nutrition. In the fish, the abdominal cavity swells, possibly eye-eye. In the first case, the discus takes food until the intestines break, after which it dies. Dropsy is characterized by a complete lack of appetite.
- Bacterial infection. The symptoms of this disease cannot be overlooked - the edges of the fins turn white, the mucous membrane thickens, the color of the body becomes darker. The fish loses its appetite, clogs into a corner. If rescue measures are not taken in time, her eyes gradually become cloudy, the fins and tail begin to decompose. It is treated with antibiotics.
- Parasitic diseases and fungal infections - often found in discus.
- Gill and skin fluke worms can lead to very serious fish condition. In the fight against them, special tools sold in pet stores help.
Prevention
Discus is difficult to treat, so it is much easier to avoid disease. This is only possible if the conditions for keeping pets in the aquarium are observed. To do this, carefully monitor the purity and temperature of the water, use high-quality feed. It is necessary to exclude the entry of infections and pathogens into the aquarium. Discus is a fish whose compatibility with other inhabitants must be taken into account in order to prevent stress, which is the cause of many diseases.