From what age or what size you can buy discus
Photo: Uwe and Ingo
With a size of 5 – 7 centimeters, discus are about 1 – 2 months old. Buyers of small discus should have experience and plenty of time.
Animals of this age need constant varied feeding. Twice a day is B. far too rarely and certainly leads to growth problems. The shape becomes out of round or the animals lag behind in size. These defects also no longer grow out.
Even moving can lead to such deficiencies, because discus often do not eat well for a few days after moving.
Discus larger than 12 centimeters are almost a year old and half-grown. Such animals are much less problematic. Unfortunately, this also makes them much more expensive.
Does Discus have marital crises?
Even harmonizing pairs that have already spawned several times can argue. The male can become so aggressive towards the female that the female constantly hides and becomes skittish.
Usually the couples get back together after some time. However, it can happen that the male takes care of the eggs alone during the next spawning rounds and the female is unwanted. This also usually comes back.
If a couple is arguing in a very extreme way, it can e.g. B. be separated with a grid.
Are discus cannibals?
When discus are about to spawn, young discus from previous offspring may nibble on the mucous membranes of the breeding pair. They behave like discus babies who are supplied with secretion by their parents.
This behavior was z. This has been observed, for example, in juveniles that are 5 centimeters tall and have been living in an aquarium with the adults for about 2 months. The older animals suffered almost real wounds, ie light spots.
Usually the older animals scare away the young when they want to nibble. If this does not happen, the animals should be separated.
Why does a discus stay small and lose weight?
Discus form a ranking or pecking order. In nature, only the strongest discus survive to keep the species in optimal condition. A Mickerling would eventually be devoured by predators.
In the aquarium, the pecking order reflects the fact that the animals cope with the housing conditions with varying degrees of difficulty. Discus react to this very individually. Therefore, there will always be a smallest fish.
Low-ranking discus can be chased so hard by the other discus that they get almost no food. Because they therefore eat little, they become emaciated and lag behind in size and remain smaller than the other animals.
In such cases, the suppressed animal should be placed in another aquarium, e.g. B. in a 100 liter tank. There you can check whether the discus eats without competition. Otherwise there is a risk that the suppression will lead to the death of the animal.
If a discus is moving slightly bent forward in slow motion, it is likely infested with intestinal parasites. The animal should be placed in a separate aquarium with hiding places. The aquarium is filled with water from the main aquarium. The temperature is increased to 34°. 50% of the water is replaced daily with stale and pre-tempered water. Medications can have fatal consequences for discus.
As a rule, sick animals eat normally again after around eight days of continuous bathing.
The temperature bath should be carried out for about 10 days.
Integrate new discus into an existing group
david6239 / Pixabay
If a new discus is added to an existing group, there may be difficulties in adapting.
When it comes to discus, it is often forgotten that they are also cichlids. Especially new animals are confronted with several problems at the same time. Water, light, environment, etc. are unfamiliar and new animals are initially at the bottom of the hierarchy.
Even if the new discus is significantly larger than the existing ones, these are usually acclimated, healthy and lively. The new discus, on the other hand, is weakened by moving, the new environment, etc. Therefore, the new discus may be attacked by the others in order to fight for the ranking again. If the new animal does not eat due to the changeover and the attacks, there is a risk that the discus will die.
If there is no direct threat of death, the newcomer should not be separated from the other animals. Otherwise the fight for the new ranking will only be postponed to a later point in time.
If possible, the temperature should be raised to a little over 30° C for a few days. The metabolism of the newcomer is thus increased and the conversion problems are somewhat buffered. Feeding a lot of live food should arouse its greed.
Do discus form packs of the same color?
PDPics / Pixabay
A small Redturquoise was observed defending a new, large Redturquoise from attacks by three Snake mongrels.
Among other things, discus communicate through color changes, e.g. B. the stripe drawing.
It is possible that animals of the same color can communicate better than animals of different colors.
This could create a certain togetherness or a kind of pack.
Discus: