Solving the Problem of Lost, Free-swimming Fry
Your breeding pair of discus has spawned, the eggs have hatched, and the parents have successfully guarded the wigglers. But for some reason, when the wigglers become free-swimming, they can't...
An Advanced Breeder’s Breeding and Grow-Out Setups
The sample setup that is being described consists of 4,000 gallons of tank space. Tank sizes range from 20 to 150 gallons. Each tank uses appropriately sized Ebo-Jaeger heaters and...
An Old School Breeder’s Discus Journey: Discus as a Second Career by Michael Wells
My name is Michael Wells, owner of my own hatchery. My hatchery is located in Garfield Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. I have kept tropical fish for the last...
Acclimating New Discus with Salt
Prior to receiving your new fish you should increase your aquarium temperature that will be housing your new discus to 88-90 degrees. Increase aeration and add one tablespoon of salt...
How do Discus Rise and Sink in Water?
Fish are a bit like birds or flying insects: They have built-in mechanisms that allow them to move up and down and side to side in their environment. But the...
Regeneration of Reverse-Osmosis (RO) Water
Reverse-Osmosis (RO) water will not sustain the life of a discus fish in its pure form. Following are three methods of regenerating RO water for the desired hardness and stability...
Municipal Tap Water in the Aquarium
Most people use tap water in their tanks; it is cheap and easy to use. Unfortunately (for aquarists), local water companies add chemicals to the water to make it safe...
Beginner FAQ: Partial Water Changes
Purpose of Water Changes The solution to pollution is dilution; water changes replace a portion of ``dirty'' water with an equal portion of clean water, effectively diluting the concentrations of undesirable...
What Stress Means, and Why it is Bad for Your Fish
Most fish can tolerate environmental conditions that differ somewhat from the natural conditions in which they evolved. This does not mean, however, that they will be as healthy or live...
Common Causes of Fish Stress in the Aquarium
In this section, we list some of the more common stress-inducing conditions. In all cases, the level of stress induced by a specific factor is highly species-dependent. You should be...
