Breeding Discus - How To Breed Discus

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Fish Breeding - How To Breed Discus

Breeding Discus

Symphysodon Spp - American Cichlid

Discus are a truly beatifull fish and can range in price up to three or four hundred dollars each or more for fully grown discus which have good coloring or are a rare type. Discus are native to america and are unique in that the young must feed off their parents for the first week after hatching from the eggs. They feed on a slime from both of the parents heads for about a week and can then be separated from the parents and fed newly hatched brine shrimp.

The water should be soft and slightly acidic with a temperature around 27 degress celcius. These fish do not like to breed in the busy area of the lounge room or hallway and many breeders cover their discus tanks with a sheet of cardboard during the breeding period. They should be fed a large variety of freeze dried and live foods to bring them into condition.

It is more hygenic and common amongst professional breeders to remove all substrate and rely on sponge filters only and a similar setup to one used for angelfish can be employed with a flat strip of acrylic or slate used for a spawing site or a pvc or teracotta pipe or cone is commonly used.

The pair will swim up and down the spawn site, cleaning it miticulously and will eventually unite side by side slowly swimming over the site. The female lays strings of eggs and the male follows closely behind, fertilizing them. Once the eggs are layed the parents will take it in turns fanning the eggs with their fins to circulate water around them while the other stands guard. Any eggs that turn white are often eaten but are sometimes left to fungus and should be removed to prevent the rest of the eggs from being destroyed.

The eggs will hatch in under 2 days and in a few days the young can swim freely. In around three months the fry attain their round discus shape and take around six months to develope their colors properly, they will not reach full maturity for around two years. The fry should be left with their parents for two to three weeks and the breeders should be well fed with frozen, freeze dried and live foods.