Discus Aquarium.
Discus is one of the most beautiful aquarium fish. Discus fish are inhabitants of clear, white, and less frequently black waters in the tropical regions of South America. The coloration of discus is variable and depends on water composition, food, and temperature. Males are slightly larger, featuring a more convex forehead and wider pelvic fins. In females, the edge of the anal fin has an indentation, while in males it is more convex and straight. Females are less brightly colored, with more yellowish tones in their coloration.
An aquarium from 120 cm long and at least 40 cm high with proportional width to provide sufficient swimming space. An aquarium from 100 liters, but preferably 200-400 liters. The minimum water requirement per adult discus should be 35-40 liters, but preferably 50 liters or more. For a small fish of about 5-6 cm, 10-15 liters is enough. However, one should not forget that discus grow quite fast (reaching almost their maximum size at 12-15 months of age), and these harmless cuties will require additional volume in half a year. In a large volume, discus grow noticeably faster, not to mention the other advantages of a large reservoir. An aquarium of less than 100 liters is practically unsuitable for keeping discus.
Simply put, a standard 200-250 liter aquarium of classical or near-classical shape is the minimum volume that will not lead you to purchase another aquarium in the near future, along with new, more powerful equipment for it. And the larger the aquarium size, the faster your pets will grow and reach a larger size, the more stable the aquatic environment in the aquarium will be, and the much more freedom you will have in implementing your design ideas for aquarium decoration. Aquariums should be tall, preferably not lower than 50 cm. The length of the aquarium is not as important as in the case of active schooling fish.
Peaceful, not very active fish, discus are schooling fish, and only in a school environment do they successfully grow, staying in a group in the middle layer of water, loving shady places and diffused lighting. These are schooling fish, they need to be kept in a quantity of at least 6 individuals, and preferably about 10. They can be kept in a general, but preferably species-specific aquarium. The species that best gets along (and looks best) with discus is the angelfish (Pterophyllum). Additionally, you can settle a school of bright characin fish in such an aquarium, while we strongly recommend choosing only 1-2 species, Ram cichlids, loaches. You can put a pair of Pterygoplichthys in it, which feel great in conditions of elevated temperature and intensive water exchange, and which will subsequently become the main cleaners of your aquarium. The so-called SAE (Siamese algae eaters) are useful, with at least 1 individual per 100 liters being highly recommended.
A good discus aquarium, tastefully decorated with plants and driftwood, always impresses with the unusual shape and coloration of the fish. Rich vegetation favorably emphasizes all the charm of these fish. The most successful solution for a decorative aquarium with discus is as follows: a dark background on the outside at the back of the aquarium (preferably black), and inside the aquarium, for added realism, several well-boiled small pieces of driftwood attached to the back wall combined with a small number of expensive artificial plants.
Discus are rather timid fish that require the provision of hiding spots and secluded corners densely planted with vegetation. Tall-growing plants in the background, patches of plant thickets with shortened stems and large upward-growing leaves, floating plants, driftwood. Discus has long acquired the reputation of a difficult-to-keep, delicate, and moody fish, but the truth is that with proper care, all the above-mentioned problems disappear. Creating such an aquarium requires professionalism many times greater than for other aquariums. This is due to the high demands of keeping discus.
First of all, this applies to temperature. It should be maintained within a narrow range of 28-31 degrees. Such a high temperature is not suitable for a significant part of plants. It is undesirable to set the temperature to 28°C for discus fry. At a lower temperature, the probability of disease increases sharply. The maximum temperature (during treatment) can reach 34-35°C for several days. When subsequently transferred back to the usual 29-30°C, the fish may refuse food for some time. After 1-2 days with intensive water changes, everything normalizes.
Secondly, most discus do not like brightly lit areas, so the lighting must meet plant growth requirements while creating open areas with muted lighting. Discus look much more beautiful when illuminated with specialized spectral lamps like “Power-Glo” or “Life-Glo”. Under such light, discus that feature a gray-black-blue “dusting” over a primary yellow-orange background sparkle with amazing bright blue strokes. And ordinary turquoise ones become truly “royal” turquoise.
The selection of plants must be approached thoroughly. First of all, you need to focus on ensuring that the discus breeding temperature is suitable for the plants, as not all plants tolerate high temperatures (28-31°C). The first candidate is Vallisneria, both ordinary and spiral, but giant is best. An unpretentious, fast-growing plant with green, narrow, long leaves. Quickly forms groups. Especially suitable for both the middle and background in aquariums. Nymphaea or tiger lotus. A beautiful and highly variable plant with leaves ranging from green to reddish-brown and a variable amount of purple spots.
Anubias is a slow-growing, hard-leaved, unpretentious plant. It grows into a bush with offshoots. There are many varieties – dwarf for the foreground, medium and giant for the central and background areas. Can be grown both on driftwood and in substrate. Aponogeton crispus looks good in any aquarium, a very unpretentious plant, although it grows better in soft, slightly acidic water with a nutrient-rich substrate.
Thanks to its reddish-brown leaves, Cryptocoryne beckettii is highly valued by aquurists. Cryptocoryne balansae (Cryptocoryne balansae) is a beautiful plant with long, narrow, crinkled leaves. Under favorable conditions, the bush reaches a height of 50 cm. Cryptocoryne lucens (Cryptocoryne lucens) is a low-growing, inconspicuous plant 10-12 cm high, forming dense thickets of lush, bright green color.
The most frequently used species is Echinodorus verticalis. This Echinodorus can be successfully grown in tropical and moderately warm aquariums. Echinodorus tenellus (Pygmy chain sword) is one of the best small plants for the foreground. Blyxa japonica (Blyxa japonica) is a rather neat aquarium plant; the shape of the bush, its height, and leaf coloration largely depend on growing conditions.
Rules for keeping pedigree guppies. 
Last changes and additions were made on June 1, 2012.
