DevotedToDiscus
Fish Herder
I am posting a blog sharing my journey of trying to breed my Discus(would have posted it under New World Cichlids, but couldn't insert pics there for some reason)......
Anyway here I go...............
I will try to make this as informative as possible, but also a story of how things progress. Now first off I cannot make any promises on behalf of my fish that they will perform, but they will be encouraged as much as possible!
I have been keeping fish for a little over 3 decades now,but it has been the last 3 years which have seen me keeping Discus. I know that there will be a lot of folk here who have a lot more experience in keeping and breeding this fish, and this blog is not meant to be some sort of expert advice, but simply my experiences of these beautiful and interesting Cichlids.
It took me a while to take the plunge and buy my first Discus, as like many others I was scared of the perceived difficulty of keeping them. Yet I have not found them anymore difficult to care for than any other fish I have kept, yet I do find them more rewarding than some of the others.
OK, so here is my opinion on what is required for breeding Discus...... 1. Fish 2. Water 3. Food!
This not a joke, but it really is that simple.
1. Fish – A pair of breeding fish are needed, and these can be sourced in one of two ways. Either you can buy a breeding pair(expensive) or grow a number(6+) together and, with your fingers firmly crossed, wait for a pair to marry. The latter is what I have done.
2. Water – Discus need good clean and soft water,with a pH of 6-7 to breed successfully. If you can provide them with this and keep it like that(which means a lot of water changes) then they will have a big appetites and want to eat a lot, and that in turn will usually spur them into spawning.
3. Food – While Discus can happily be fed dried foods like flake and pellets, it is no secret that live and frozen foods greatly improve their health and vitality. While attempting breeding, my fish will only be fed frozen bloodworms and live brine shrimp, as this will minimise any waste in the tank.
My pair are about 1 year old now, and last week I spotted them in my main tank cleaning a piece of bogwood as if they were getting ready to lay some eggs and sure enough a couple of hours later they laid a batch of eggs. There was no way that they would have any chance of keeping those eggs safe from their tank mates, as they were living with 16 other Discus, 30+Cardinal Tetras and half a dozen Corys......... so time to check them into the honeymoon suite!..................
Anyway here I go...............
I will try to make this as informative as possible, but also a story of how things progress. Now first off I cannot make any promises on behalf of my fish that they will perform, but they will be encouraged as much as possible!
I have been keeping fish for a little over 3 decades now,but it has been the last 3 years which have seen me keeping Discus. I know that there will be a lot of folk here who have a lot more experience in keeping and breeding this fish, and this blog is not meant to be some sort of expert advice, but simply my experiences of these beautiful and interesting Cichlids.
It took me a while to take the plunge and buy my first Discus, as like many others I was scared of the perceived difficulty of keeping them. Yet I have not found them anymore difficult to care for than any other fish I have kept, yet I do find them more rewarding than some of the others.
OK, so here is my opinion on what is required for breeding Discus...... 1. Fish 2. Water 3. Food!
This not a joke, but it really is that simple.
1. Fish – A pair of breeding fish are needed, and these can be sourced in one of two ways. Either you can buy a breeding pair(expensive) or grow a number(6+) together and, with your fingers firmly crossed, wait for a pair to marry. The latter is what I have done.
2. Water – Discus need good clean and soft water,with a pH of 6-7 to breed successfully. If you can provide them with this and keep it like that(which means a lot of water changes) then they will have a big appetites and want to eat a lot, and that in turn will usually spur them into spawning.
3. Food – While Discus can happily be fed dried foods like flake and pellets, it is no secret that live and frozen foods greatly improve their health and vitality. While attempting breeding, my fish will only be fed frozen bloodworms and live brine shrimp, as this will minimise any waste in the tank.
My pair are about 1 year old now, and last week I spotted them in my main tank cleaning a piece of bogwood as if they were getting ready to lay some eggs and sure enough a couple of hours later they laid a batch of eggs. There was no way that they would have any chance of keeping those eggs safe from their tank mates, as they were living with 16 other Discus, 30+Cardinal Tetras and half a dozen Corys......... so time to check them into the honeymoon suite!..................