Discus

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep discus in a group of six or more, since lone fish get bullied and stressed. They are peaceful and hold the middle of a tall tank, needing around 245 liters or more for a small group. They want hot water, roughly 26 to 32 C, with a soft, acidic pH, and they are demanding about water quality, which is why they rate as difficult. Feed quality flake, pellet, and frozen foods, often more than once a day.

In the wild

Discus come from slow backwaters and flooded forest areas in the Amazon across Peru, Colombia, and Brazil, where the water is warm, soft, acidic, and often stained with tannins. They shelter among submerged roots and branches out of the main current. At home they want a tall, warm tank with driftwood, gentle flow, and very clean water. Stability and heat are the whole game here.

Good to know

Discus are cichlids in the family Cichlidae, with a round, laterally flat body that gives them their name. They reach about 20 cm and are among the warmest-kept aquarium fish. Like other cichlids they are devoted parents, and famously the fry feed on a mucus the parents secrete on their flanks in the first days of life.

Common questions

Related species

• 

  Blue diamond discus

  Symphysodon tarzoo

  7.9 in (20 cm) · 65 gal (245 L)

  7.9 in (20 cm)65 gal (245 L)81–88°F (27–31°C)

• 

  Heckel discus

  Symphysodon discus

  7.1 in (18 cm) · 75 gal (284 L)

  7.1 in (18 cm)75 gal (284 L)82–88°F (28–31°C)

• 

  Eartheater cichlid

  Geophagus altifrons

  9.8 in (25 cm) · 115 gal (435 L)

  9.8 in (25 cm)115 gal (435 L)79–90°F (26–32°C)

• 

  Rainbow cichlid

  Herotilapia multispinosa

  6.3 in (16 cm) · 26 gal (100 L)

  6.3 in (16 cm)26 gal (100 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)

• 

  Filter-feeding cichlid

  Chaetobranchopsis orbicularis

  5.9 in (15 cm) · 79 gal (300 L)

  5.9 in (15 cm)79 gal (300 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Flag cichlid

  Mesonauta festivus

  5.9 in (15 cm) · 37 gal (140 L)

  5.9 in (15 cm)37 gal (140 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)