Do you know ? Discus fish have a bit strange form of parental care, the adult discus fish secrete a mucus like substance on their skin to enable its young ones to feed on it for nourishment.
The Discus fishes are abundantly found in tributaries of the Amazon River in South America. Discus fish have a bit strange form of parental care – the adults secrete a mucus like substance on their skin to enable the young ones to feed on it for nourishment. Some reports indicate that both parents are involved in the care of the young, taking turns in looking after the babies. The discus fish is also known as cobalt fish
Discus fish Genus – Symphysodon
Family – Cichlidae (order Perciformes),
characteristics – compressed, disk-shaped body.
Discus Fish Habitat
Discus fish is naturally a carnivore type fish, It feeds on small fish and fry, worms and aquatic insects. Discus fish are difficult to keep in aquariums because of the strict water quality requirements which are necessary to keep them alive. Because of their spectacular wavy markings of blue and green, aquarium hobbyists put in great efforts to breed and raise them.
Discus Fish care
Discus Fish prefers water chemistry with pH between 6.0 – 6.5, water hardness between 10 – 150 dGH and water temperature between 82.0 to 88.0° F. It can grow up to 22 cm in length and 250 grams in weight. Discus fish can live up to 10 years or more.
Discus Fish Types
Naturally there are only four discus fish types that were recorded namely Deckle discus, Green discus, Brown Discus and Green Discus. Presently today, More types of discus fishes can be seen that have been developed by Aquarium fish fanciers.
Discus Fish Price
You can buy Discus Fish from local aquarium stores in India, minimum price starting from INR 200 which can go up to INR 5000 Rupees for more exotic varieties.