Discus Fish Care & Feeding

Discus fish are common pets in home aquariums. Discus fish care and feeding is easy if you know some basic guidelines. To keep discus fish you must prepare their food, keep discus-compatible fish in the tank, provide a suitable habitat, purchase a filter and know about common discus health issues.

Discus Food

Dried flakes

Discus fish eat many types of food. Fish food flakes are suitable for discus, and there are tropical fish food blends that contain the vitamins discus need. Vitamins such as carotene from salmon and natural food sources such as kelp improve the color display of discus, according to Rocky Mountain Discus. Discus also enjoy eating live plants, and pet stores offer tropical plants that discus eat. In the wild the discus eats slime off rocks and plant matter that falls in the jungle streams, as well as insects.

Discus Compatibility

Tetras are compatible with discus.

Discus are not an aggressive fish. The discus is easy to keep in a tank with peaceful fish such as tetras since it does not normally attack other fish and does not have large teeth to do much damage anyway. The biggest compatibility issue with discus is other tropical fish in the tank. Discus have large and colorful fins, presenting a target for more troublesome fish such as bettas.

Discus Habitat

Discus fish are originally from rivers in the South American jungle. Some discus are imported, and many are farmed by breeders in the United States. Locations such as Florida provide similar weather to the discus' home. As fish from a tropical jungle environment, the discus enjoy a tank habitat with similar characteristics. Tank heaters are necessary in many locations. The rivers in the jungle contain decaying plant material that adds acids to the water, so discus also prefer an acidic tank environment.

Discus and Water Flow

Discus are relatively hardy. They live in rivers with a lot of jungle debris, so they can tolerate some pollution. The rivers and other water bodies in the Amazon that discus inhabit are relatively slow or even stagnant. A pump and filtration system is best for discus, providing that the pump is not circulating water streams stronger than the discus prefers.

Discus Diseases and Treatment

A common discus illness is bloat, caused by eating improper foods, such as fish flakes balanced for other tropical fish. The medication metronidazole kills internal parasites affecting the discus. According to Rocky Mountain Discus, medicated fish flakes containing metronidazole target the parasites inside the discus, and effectively eliminate them. The medicated fish flakes should be combined with a water change and addition of medication to the water for best results.

References

• Rocky Mountain Discus: Food and Medications
• University of Florida: Candidate Species for Florida Aquaculture
• Aquarium Fish: Signs of Stress and Disease

Resources

• Badman's Tropical Fish: Compatibility Charts