Leaving your discus unattended while you are away for holidays or vacation

We wish discus hobbyist and all others a Happy Chinese New Year! May your discus grow healthy, beautiful and make you proud!

Discus FAQ :
When going for holidays ... how to leave them unattended?

You can leave your fish and go for holiday.
Check the following:

1. Change water with clean tank
2. No feeding as the water will get polluted after heavy feeding
3. The fish can go without food for one or two weeks provided the water quality is good
4. When you come back feed them lightly and slowly increase
5. Over feed them after long starving they will get shock and die

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Facts about color enhancing hormones usage on discus fish

Effects of color enhancing

Color improvement
After enhancing you can see nice patterns and colors. It looks colorful and beautiful. When treated, discus will show their colors even when they are 1.5 inches to 2 inches in size.

Negative Effects

• Color fades when the effects of the hormones wear off. Their colors will be less vibrant.
• Growth rate will be stunted. Their size can no longer grow to the maximum size compare to untreated discus.
• Shape will be distorted. As they grow it will no longer be round as they used to be.
• Unable to breed. If exposed to overdose usage, their reproductive organ will be affected and will lead to inability to breed.

Usage of color enhancing hormones

Research and Strain Developments
Breeders would want to know the outcome of patterns and colors early before they mature. Otherwise they have to wait until they are 4 inches to 5 inches in size or 6 months to 12 months. With color enhancing, breeders can see the patterns and colors when they are 2 inches in size and will save on development time.

1. To know the result after crossing whether or not to continue the research and develop
2. To find out the qualities of the new strains after crossing.
3. To show or review colors and patterns early.

Commercial / Competitive reasons
Aquarium shops, importers and discus shops will request for enhanced discus to please their customers. They would be able to buy them at smaller sizes which will be cheaper and do not have to wait long before they can sell them. This will enable them to keep their cost down and have a higher sales turnover.

Uniformed hobbyist will usually choose treated discus as they can see their colors and patterns compare to an untreated one, which would be dull and uninteresting in comparison.

For example: Leopard snake of size 3 inches
A: untreated - Dull color, no pattern, round.
B: color enhanced - Colorful, nice pattern, round.
Which fish is good?
Mr. X will say that B is good.
Mr. Y will say that A is good.
Mr. X feels he is right because he sees the fish very colorful having nice patterns and round body. Mr. X is a hobbyist and he believes what he sees. However, he does not know what he sees is not true. The fish is still round as the enhancing is done short while ago. After a few weeks he sees the color fades and the fish not growing. The body is not as round as before.
Then he realizes he is wrong.
Mr. Y is right, as he is an experienced breeder. He can see the future of the fish in months later.

Thus the dealers will demand the breeders to do the enhancing, as the buyers are hobbyists. They are not breeders.

Do you agree on enhancing?

Anything against nature is not right or ethical and we do not agree on its commercial usage. We do hope that hobbyist will choose untreated discus and to put the effort to learn and care for them.

Be patient, you will see the genuine color and patterns later. Treat them with your tender, loving care, as a hobbyist should, they would grow to their maximum size with their natural colors.

Determine the sex of discus fish

To find out male or female in discus is not an easy task. For an Asian to tell whether a person is a Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Malay or Korean is easy. However, for an Asian to tell whether a person a German, English, American, Italian, French or Spanish is not easy.

To find out male or female in discus depends on the different strains. In different strains, they have different specific characteristics to determine male or female.

A breeder who keeps or specialize in Brilliant or Cobalt, he can tell the sex, male or female easily. It would be difficult for him to determine male or female in other strains he does not keep.

Of course there are still basic ways to determine the sex.

By nature, male is tougher and bigger. It has thicker lips as a weapon to fight. He is more aggressive. But when they are young, it is not obvious to notice. The dorsal fin of a male is pointed. The female is round. When they are young both male and female dorsal fins are round. Only when the male is older, you can see the dorsal fin is pointed.

In between anus and the spine of the anal fin. Closer is female. (Near the anal fin). The anus of the female is boarder for the tube to deliver eggs.

Method to hasten discus breeding

Good food of high nutrition
Feed your fish with perfect food that consists of good nutrition.
They also consist of minerals and vitamins to hasten their growth.
In order to have the above minerals and vitamins you will have to prepare your own food - Discus Burger

Natural live foodWild discus in rivers take natural food. They grow well and breed.
However, discus breeders do not totally rely on the natural food to feed their fish. The main diet for their discus is not natural food but discus burgers instead.

Live food like worm, daphnia, larva or bloodworm is excellent for the discus but they do have endless problems. They carry bacteria and parasites that will kill your fish.

In cities, it is not possible to have this natural food constantly supplied daily. So, besides feeding your discus fish with burger as main diet, it is necessary to feed them with natural food as a
supplementary diet.

How to pair them up?Keep a few discus fish in a community tank, putting strains that you want to breed. Feed them heavily with live food. They should be fed at least twice a day. Change water after feeding.

Maturity (when they are ready to breed)
When they are at the age of eight to twelve months old, they are more or less mature. Observe them closely. They will start looking for their partner.

Hiding at the corner When you notice there is a pair of discus hiding at the corner, chasing others away and guarding their territory. This is the pair of fish that you are looking for.
If you notice them chasing one another, find out which two always stays together. They often keep themselves at one corner.

Guarding & cleaningThe pair will guard their territory and start cleaning the area to get ready for spawning.

Breeding tankPut the pair in the breeding tank. They prefer a place where it is not too bright, light traffic and activities. Use right pH to stimulate them. Adjust the water slightly soft and acidic. Soon they will spawn after they get use to the environment.

Eggs laid at the bottom of the tankIt is normal. Do not panic. There is nothing wrong. That is the location that they find suitable. Leave it as it is. It could be the sides of tank is full of algae. Anyway, they are laying the eggs, not you :)

Cover the eggs with an iron mesh. Iron mess is a tool that helps prevent the eggs from being eaten up. Cover the eggs then they are safe.

When eggs hatches .... Once they have laid the eggs, they will take turn to care for their eggs. They will fan their eggs with their fins.

What you have to do now is as follows:

1. Monitor the temperature around 28 to 30 degrees C
2. Apply Methylene Blue to protect the eggs from preventing fungus to spread
3. Keep the water clean. Water can be partial changed. ( ¼ )
4. From then onwards you can follow additional discus breeding info

Breeding Discus Fish

When your discus starts to pair up, it is probably a sign that they are ready to breed ...

1. You have put them in one tank. It is a right thing you have done, if it is a real mated pair.
2. In breeding, discus fish prefer acidic water.
3. They will choose a suitable location they prefer. They will start cleaning it. Leave them alone they will do the rest and spawn.
4. The normal way of spawning; The female will lay the eggs and the male follows behind and fertilize the eggs.
5. After spawning apply some Methylene Blue to protect the eggs from turning fungus.
6. Both will take turns to fan the eggs.
7. After 4 to 5 days, you see the eggs become darker. That is larva.
8. You see larva starts shaking.
9. When the larva drops, the parent will pick them up and place them back.
10. For another week, the larva will start swimming and stick to the parent's body.
11. The parents will nurse the babies.
12. The first food you give the babies is artemia (Brine shrimp)
13. Then follow by daphnia and worm.
14. When they are 1 month old, you can start feeding themfish burger.

Additional Info:

1. Laying eggs but not hatching
2. Could be both are female.
3. They will take turns to spawn.
4. Eggs are not fertilized. Definitely not hatch out.
5. Take one male, which you are sure he is. Pair them up temporally.
6. Then you will confirm their sex.
7. If it is a mated pair
8. Apply anti fungus solution after spawned.
9. Use wire mesh to cover the eggs.
10. If eggs turn white again, separate them. Let the male rest for some time.
11. Of course the temperature is important. Too cold, the chance of hatching is less.

Food timing for fry

1. From larva to fry free swimming, they do not eat.
2. Second day of free swimming the parents will take care of them. The babies get the food from their parents.
3. After one week or so, you will introduce first baby-food: Artemia or brine shrimp.
4. Then daphnia, worm, discus fish burger or Tetra-bit.

Treatment with OTC and Copper Sulphate

It is very effective combination for treating discus fish, covering quite a wide range of fish diseases, especially discus fish. It kills parasites and bacteria internally and externally.

The dosage and duration of treatment is important. Otherwise most of time you will be very disappointed. But it is very effective 100%

Preparation of copper solution:
6.5 grams /1 liter of still water.

Treatment: Tank of 100 liters of water.

• 1 gm of copper solution
• 1 small spoon of Otc. (KFC small spoon)

Must change water everyday. Repeat the treatment for at least 1 week. No feeding after water changed. Feed them before water changed, if you want to.

Prevention is better than cure

Fish keeping is an enjoyable hobby that you can have your leisure hours with family and friends. Common topic to chat about with friends around you and will feel satisfied when your small beauties showing off in front of you knocking at the glass. This is the reward in return for all the effort and care you have provided them.

However, most of the time, we receive emails from hobbyist that the fish is sick and they are going to die; I am sad; I do not want to lose them; what to do; how I can help them; how I can save them. Please help. To avoid all these unhappy events from happening, we must really know what to do and what not to do.

FISH LIVE IN WATER:

We must create a comfortable home with good, healthy and suitable environment for them. They will live happily in the present home. If you change their home with different quality of water, they will show stress and get sick. Any change of water quality should be done gradually. They can tolerate in most of the water quality but change slowly and provide time for them to adapt it.

Ideal home is for fish to live in but not a place to cultivate bacteria and parasite. Fish live in this condition, where there are no parasites and bacteria, there is no reason they will get sick.

What type of water do the bacteria and parasite like? And what type of water or place they do not like but your fish like it very much? A clean tank which is free from bacteria and parasites, your fish loves it.

The water quality varies in different cities in the world. This is not an issue as we know they can tolerate in most of the water, as long as the water quality changes gradually.

The water temperature maintains from 26 degree C to 30 degrees C is ideal.
The discus fish can tolerate until 33 degree C. Most of the parasites and bacteria will die at water temperature 32 Degree C.

Can you maintain the ideal condition without changing the water quality forever? Do not introduce any parasite or bacteria into the tanks. All food and equipments should be free of parasites and bacteria. They are the greatest killers.

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Routine work:

WATER:

Water change: If it is a community tank with plants and filter, is considered as balanced. It is not required to change water as often as a bare tank. You can change 20% of water once or twice in a week.
Check the Chlorine content in the coming water from the tap, if it contains Chlorine then Chlorine conditioner must be added.

If it is a growing tank which is bare, then water should be changed everyday after feeding, otherwise the water will be polluted. Water can be directly from the tap into the tank as long as you check the Chlorine content and take necessary action if requires.

FOOD:

If it is a show tank, it is good to feed them with dry food. It is handy, easy and safe. They will eat dry food provided you train them. You select the food which has a proper diet for discus fish with vitamins, high protein and minerals.

If it is for the purposes of force growing for commercial or raising breeding stock, then raw food is recommended such as beef heart or fish burger. Feed your discus fish with mixed garlic in the fish burger once a week so that to clean up the parasites in the intestine. The fish will be healthy and live happily.

EQUIPMENT:

Nets, pails and hose should be sterilized before use. Soak them in a tank or pail with very high content of rock salt over night. They are clean and free of bacteria and parasites.

PURCHASING FISH:

It is important to pick a healthy fish. It should be round body shape, clear fins, and bright, clear eyes. When you approach near them, they knock at the glass asking for food.
Do not pick the fish with black fins, cloudy eyes, rapid breathing and clamped fins.

QUARANTINE:

All new fish must be quarantined for at least a few weeks before introducing them into the main tank. You must observe your new fish very closely whether they are okay. They will take time to adapt to their new environment.

Observe their behavior carefully. If they swim abnormally, like darting or rubbing any hard objects, they properly attacked by parasites which irritate them.

Before introducing them to the main tank, get a fish from the main tank and put her into the quarantine tank. Observe them for few days. If both from the main and quarantine tank are okay then they are ready to introduce into the main tank.

MEDICATION:

The following are used to treat parasites and bacteria:
- Formalin
- Malachite Green
- Methylene Blue
- Salt
- Metronidazole

If we can observe the steps not to introduce the parasites and bacteria to our tank we do not need the above medications at all. We can prevent all the unnecessary problems from happening. Hobbyists who carefully follow the rules will enjoy seeing their healthy little babies. They are the happy discus fish hobbyists. They will face fewer problems in their discus fish hobby.

Note: If you would like to comment on this article or to correct any mistakes, grammar, spelling or info given, we would like to hear from you, do let us know here!