Discus breeding is probably the most rewarding part of caring for discus; nothing makes a discus owner prouder than watching their little “grand kids” swimming round the aquarium. However it is extremely important to be sure you are ready for the challenge.
Although discus breeding is not as hard as it used to be, it is still not an easy process. Discus breeding requires patience and even more care that conditions are optimum for spawning. It is also a very time-consuming process. Therefore if you are considering breeding discus sure you are properly committed to the task, here are a few things you will need to consider when breeding discus:
How Do I Set-Up A Discus Breeding Aquarium?
A Discus pair won’t breed if their aquarium isn’t large enough. Discus are tall fish, therefore a minimum depth of 15 inches is required. A 36 x 18 x 18 inch tank is therefore the smallest standard size tank for a discus couple, a 48 x 18 ix 18 inch discus aquarium could house between 4 and 6 smaller discus fish, until they pair off on their own. It’s probably also good idea to create a specific discus breeding tank, especially if you have a community tank with fish other than discus in it. This will allow your breeding pair to feel safe and secure when spawning, as well as, make sure the fry that hatch survive.
How Do I Get My Discus To Pair Off?
It is important to find a pair of discus who are ready to breed, and also want to breed with each other! This is something discus prefers to figure out for themselves, but remember that you can’t hurry love and discus fish will usually pair off, of their own accord when they are ready. This is really the best way to get a breeding pair. Keep in mind that it may take a while for a discus breeding pair to get the hang of spawning. It is not unusual for new breeding pairs to eat their eggs or not fertilize them properly. Be patient, your discus will eventually get the hang of it!
What Will I Need To Feed The Discus When Breeding Them?
Discus require a lots protein, therefore a favourite among discus breeders is beef heart. Ideally this should be supplemented with other foods, bloodworms and spinach for example. Good quality flake food can give your discus extra nutrients, also added vitamins can also be helpful. Young discus fish are ravenous eaters and can eat 10 to 12 times a day, so they need to be fed regularly. Unless you are home during the day, you will probably need to have some sort of automatic feeder to take care of all of these feedings.
All the Best Discus Breeding Secret for Are Right Here
If everything is set up in your Discus tank then once your discus have paired off, they will start by claiming a small section of their aquarium. Both of the prospective parents will then start to protect this region together, next they will pick a spawning site and clean it thoroughly. Often discus couples will clean several sites before settling on one they are happy with. When laying her eggs on this site, the female will swim over the spawning site, placing here eggs in neat rows. The male will then follow behind and fertilize the eggs.
After the eggs have been laid and fertilized, they will hatch in about 60 hours. After birth, it will take the fry about 48 – 60 hours before the fry are able to swim on their own. Once they do, they will attach themselves to either the mother or father where they will feed off of a substance that is excreted from the parents and collect on their scales.
After the fry have been alive for about four or five days, they will start eating on their own, but will still feed off their parents. After about two weeks, however, it is time for the babies to go off on their own and the parents will usually make sure the babies understand that! Until the fry are old enough to be placed in the community tank, you should probably keep them in a separate tank where they can feel safe and secure while they grow.
Discus breeding is not easy (for you or for the discus fish), so don’t be discouraged if at first your discus don’t raise their young successfully. The mere fact that they are spawning at all means you’re on the right track, if you maintain optimum condition in your aquarium then a successful breeding will occur eventually. A discus pair may need to try several times before getting it right.
If you are considering discus breeding, or are having any problems in that area, or any other aspect of discus care I would recommend you a take a look at my Recommended Reading. There you will find everything you need to know to find everything you need to know to successfully breed discus fish.
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Here is a video of a discus breeding tank.
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