Common Myths About Discus Fish You Should Get Over With
A lot can be said about the discus fish. Some are true, while others aren’t. There are myths surrounding the tropical fish, with regards to its handling, breeding and care that sometimes even the common sense won’t accept. In this article, we will try to tackle a few misconceptions and debunk each one of them.
Keep Your Discus in a Discus-only Tank
As what we always emphasize on this blog, keeping discus fish is no easy task. From water changes, water temperature, to fish feeding, everything is crucial for their survival or demise. Of course, as pet handlers, it is our utmost concern to provide the best for these aquatic creatures. Most often then, we fall prey to misnomers saying that when keeping discus fish, you need to put them in a tank exclusively allotted for their kind.
A lot of discus breeders in California and other parts of the globe would tell you right away that this isn’t the case at all. Unless you really want to, which you may do so, it is absolutely ok to welcome other specie into your discus-filled aquarium.
However, we cannot disregard the dangers that this practice may bring into. But there are ways to prevent such devastating results. What you’ll do is to simply let the newcomers undergo a period of quarantine.
Within the duration of quarantine, do not mix even a single drop of water from any of the other water tank.
A few weeks later, and you are now ready to put the new fish with the existing ones in the tank together. Wait for more ten days to observe if both batches are doing fine. If they are, then you can assume everything goes well in the assimilation.
You Need Super Water Filters
It wouldn’t come as a surprise for pet shop owners to sell you the notion that you need fancy water filters for your aquarium. You can actually maintain the perfect discus water even with just the use of at-home fishtank filtration systems.
Another way to do the job is to manually make the perfect discus water, and this you can even get out of your faucet. Just make sure to test the chlorine level of your tap water. If needed, dechlorination can be done by using proven dechorinators such as seachem prime .
Red Eyes Indicate Worthy Discus Specimen
Yes, wild discus often have bright red eyes. This is why fishkeepers would think that genuine discus have red eye characteristics. However, most discus being sold today are already domestically-bred. This is why eye colors can vary from yellow, red, and even albino. To be sure that you’re getting the genuine stuff, make sure you bought yours from trusted discus fish California dealers.
Discus Only Eat Red-type of Foods
On the contrary, discus fish would be happy to munch on brineshrimp, mussel, whiteworm, worm, or daphna that comes in different colors.
Bare Bottom Tanks Only
One of the primary reasons keepers would recommend such tanks is that discus fish can get very messy. People who opted for such aquarium set-up do so because it’s easier to manage waste, clean the sides, and keep the whole area bacteria and pathogen-free.
However, there are hobbyists who put more weight on the aesthetic aspect. For this reason alone they go for more heavily-designed options.
There you have it. These are just a few of the most commonly considered myths about discus fish that you, as an educated owner, should know about.
