Step 1 – Water Parameters

The King of the Aquarium, Discus fish are one of the most beautiful freshwater fish available for the home aquarium. There are many myths and opinions from breeders to keep them in specific water parameters. Discus are found in floodplain lakes and flooded forests of the lowland Amazon River basin and some of its tributaries. So freshwater resource is an ideal source to keep Discus healthy.

We recommend our clients a very simple guideline to source the water for Discus Keeping without much chemicals used. If you do not source fresh water, replace the same with Reverse Osmosis water or the water sourced in Mineral water cans so that pH will be between 5.9 and 7.0. Chlorine, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate should be 0 ppm before you introduce Discus. Please do not use any chemical products unless required to bring the above said water parameters. Allow the biological filtration system to run effectively as said in the below section to ensure all these highlighted values come under control automatically. (If you source fresh water or corporation water, it is better to keep a dechlorination agent to remove chlorine during regular water changes)

Step 2 – Biological Filtration System

The most important and essential part in Discus Keeping is to, set up a tank with proper biological filtration system. Ensure to install an external filtration system such as Canisters, Hang-On filters or Top filters that contains enough space to load the medias. These medias are capable of converting or reducing the levels of Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate to Oxygen with the help of beneficial bacteria that grows on these media upon the filters running for days (barebottom tank will require ~7 days run and planted tank with soil as substrate will require ~21 days run). Note that if these external filters are turned off for couple of hours, these beneficial bacteria will die and the cycle have to be restarted to establish the biological filtration cycle.

Step 3 – Tank Size

Aim for a stocking density of around 5-10 gallons per adult discus. Ideal tank size of minimum 3ft L*1.5ft H*1ft W is recommended. The bigger the tank, the better is the growth rate of Discus. Ensure to cover the background image of the tank with a Solid Sky Blue or White. It will be better if the tank can be covered on all the 3 sides with background stickers except the front facing so that Discus will feel secure.

A Simple Scaping is the best for easy maintenance and care. Discus itself is a Beauty. Please do not add more decorative stuffs to the tank that will steal the Beauty of Discus.

Step 4 – Tank Scaping

The tank scaping can either be a planted or a barebottom one based on your needs. You can surf our Official YouTube channel for various tank settings of our clients across India. You can also get in touch with our Design team for tank scaping suggestions and filtration system installation procedures.

Step 5 – Placement of the tank

The placement of the tank should also be given a careful consideration. Placing the tank directly across from a window or bright light would be a poor choice. It will make the discus feel exposed and anyone passing the tank will create a shadow that may spook the discus.

Step 6 – Lighting

If the aquarium light is turned off at night, then a night light should be kept on in the room so that the discus never go from light to sudden darkness and vice versa. Sudden light will make them scare and they may hit to the walls of the tank or objects in the tank. A few may even jump out of the tank if it’s uncovered. It is recommended to follow the lighting procedures to avoid Discus getting uneasy and screamy.

Step 7 – Discus Tank Mates

Having right Discus tank mates is a major part for successful Discus Keeping. You need to ensure that the Discus tank mates are not creating any issues for Discus. Never add any Non-Quarantined fishes from any source into a successful Discus tank setup. Please note that the impacts on this devation will devastate the entire tank into an empty one on course of time if the infections spread.

Step 8 – Discus Feed

This is the most important part for successful Discus Hobby as the market has a lot of options and opinions to get confused with. We strongly recommend dry pellets, flakes from renowned brands ONLY. For Discus food products, please refer our Discus food Products page.

In the interest of hobbyist’s request, we also supply Premuim Quality Freeze Dried Worms that can be fed weekly once to your Discus crew.