Breeding Discus Fish

by Gendo Ikari

Before making an attempt at breeding Discus fish you will want to have kept Discus for a while. Breeding fish with the exception of perhaps common livebearers is a lot of work and experience with keeping the fish is vital to success. To try and breed a fish as delicate as the Discus without having that experience would likely be quite the debacle. Having all that extra work and stress could make it seem as if it were not worth it and ultimately turn you off to breeding Discus all together.

Nonetheless, if you plan on breeding Discus fish you will want to have a large group tank which is at least 55 gallons, several smaller tanks for the established pairs and a Baby Brine Shrimp hatchery. A group of 6-8 Discus fish are raised in the group tank and when they reach about 4 inches in diameter (10 cm) pairs will start to form. Distinguishing male and female Discus can be quite difficult, adult males may develop a small lump on their foreheads, but this difference is not always reliable. During spawning season the shape of the genital papillae serves as the best differential indicator, round for females and pointed for males, although this difference can also difficult to detect without experience. If a pair begins to peck at the glass they are usually ready to spawn, the pair is then moved into a clean tank and provided a vertical spawning medium, such as a large plastic tube, rock or piece of slate.

The pair will carefully clean the surface, and then the female will lay and tend to the eggs as the male guards the area. The eggs will hatch in 2-3 days and the pair will move the fry to a different area where they are attached by sticky filaments. After 4-5 days more, the fry attach themselves to the flanks of the parents and feed on a milky secretion produced by gland cells in the parents skin. After about 10 days the fry should be removed from the parents or else they may overgraze and damage the parents skin. From here the fry are fed live Baby Brine Shrimp, which you will need a hatchery to spawn. You can buy one or build one yourself and buy eggs. Regular water changes are essential for the survival of the young, which will quickly grow and develop the Discus fish shape in 3-4 months.

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