Symphysodon aequifasciatus
| Common Names: | Discus |
| Synonyms: | Symphysodon aequifasciatus aequifasciatus Symphysodon discus aequifasciata |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Category: | Cichlids |
| Distribution: | America - South; Amazon River, South America. |
| Main Ecosystem: | River; River |
| Temperament: | Peaceful; Peaceful. |
| Diet: | Carnivore; Carnivore |
| Care: | Feed with live foods such as mosquito larvae and tubifex worms. Use only the most expensive flakes or specially formulated pellets. Use a long, tall tank. Add a few plants and some large rocks. Keep the Discus in schools. Regular water changes with only the best conditioners and good filtration are needed. |
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| Potential Size: | Male: 16.51cm (6.5") Female: 16.51cm (6.5") |
| Water Region: | Middle; Middle |
| Activity: | Diurnal; Diurnal |
| Gender: | The genital papilla of these fish is pointed in males, and rounded in females. |
| Breeding: | Can be very hard. Use pH of 6.5 and a higher temperature of 28-31°C. The eggs are laid on carefully cleaned stones. DO NOT remove the parents after the eggs are laid as the fry feed on secretions from the parents slime coating. |
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| Comments: | The most beautiful aquarium fish. Because of their popularity and the difficulty in breeding discus commercially, Discus command a very high price. Breeding Discus and selling the fry when they are much larger can be very profitable. Although Discus are intimidating to even some of the most experienced fish keepers, it should be noted that the larger and more domestically bred species seem to be hardy in most home aquaria with appropriate size and maintenance. The larger specimens may acquire a larger price tag, however they tend to better adjust to differing water parameters during acclimation and transportation. It should be noted as well that when buying and acclimating discus one should transport them in large containers and drip acclimate them for several hours. |
| Main Colours: | Blue, Grey |
| Markings: | Striped Horizontal |
| Mouth: | Normal |
| Tail: | Flat |
| Search: | Show similar species Find compatible species |
| Image Credit: | © FishProfiles.com |
| Submitted By: | Adam |
| Contributors: | brandeeno |
| History: | View changes to this profile |
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