The discus lives in large
groups in their native waters, and has a very advanced social behaviour; they
are one of the few real schooling cichlids. Remember to keep this in mind when
starting care for discus; always purchase a group of animals. They need the
social interaction to develop their character to its best potential.
Currently, it is becoming
increasingly difficult to find the original colour variants in pet shops, only
the Heckel is sometimes imported. Most of the discus fish you encounter today
are captive bred colour variants. At this time the list of described colour
variants is nearly endless. Some of the discus colour variants have lost their
stripes and therefore their natural ability to communicate in the school. But
as always these new variants are finding their way to the aquarium hobbyist
quickly for exceptionally high prices and this will stimulate the breeders to
try to find a new one. One of the advantages of the captive bred discus is that
they are now much easier, not easy, to maintain as the imported ones. They are
much more tolerant concerning water
conditions.
It is getting increasingly easier to keep discus with new technology to improve water quality and health of discus fish which could be the cause of the rise in demand. New dealers and breeders are growing rapidly and even small aquatic shops are stocking a range of Discus.
They are beautiful but yet still remain a challenge to keep and breed with the later been very rewarding and will even pay for the hobby. Most people that keep Discus will at some stage want to breed them as it is a great experience.
It is getting increasingly easier to keep discus with new technology to improve water quality and health of discus fish which could be the cause of the rise in demand. New dealers and breeders are growing rapidly and even small aquatic shops are stocking a range of Discus.
They are beautiful but yet still remain a challenge to keep and breed with the later been very rewarding and will even pay for the hobby. Most people that keep Discus will at some stage want to breed them as it is a great experience.
