From the Amazon River...

The Amazon has been described as is the “greatest river in the world”. Scientists have discovered only a small percentage of the millions of species of plants and animals that live in the rain forests in the Amazon River basin.

Located in South America right at the equator, the Amazon River drains the entire northern half of the South American continent. All the tropical rains that deluge the great rainforests of “Amazonia” are carried to the ocean through the thousands of tributaries which feed the Amazon.

More water flows into the ocean from the Amazon River than the combined output of the Mississippi, the Nile, and the Yangtze rivers. Of all the river waters flowing into the world’s oceans, one fifth of that water comes from the Amazon.

Amazon River Rocks

The Amazon River drains a massive area of land – 40% of the South American continent. Over eons of time, massive quantities of silt particles built up around the River basin. The shale and clay that line the river are generally shades of gray or brown and become textured as a result of the cutting action of the river’s currents.

These single colored rock structures provide a dramatic contrast to the spectacularly colored fish which occur in the Amazon. Aquarium backgrounds which recreate the actual rock structures seen in the Amazon River have become popular with many Amazon Aquarium owners.

These backgrounds recreate with great accuracy the natural environments in which the fish live. It is essential to obtain aquarium ornaments and decorations specifically made of materials that will never dissolve or affect the purity of the aquarium water.

Amazon River Water

Because of the massive amounts of rainwater that flow through the Amazon, the water contains very few minerals. The tap water coming from the faucets in most aquarists homes contains too many dissolved minerals for the fish that naturally live in Amazon River water.

Many fish from the Amazon River basin do better and are much more likely to breed in aquariums with water that is a mixture of tap water and water that has passed through a Reverse Osmosis (R/O) filter which is the most economical way to remove almost all of the minerals from tap water.

Diseases & Medications

Discus don`t usually die for "no reason". Don't ignore the signs of diseases on your discus fish...

Hole in the Head

Uaru amphiacanthoides and Astronotus ocellatus. If treated correctly it need not be a problem. The most important treatment is heat treatment. Over a couple of days raise the temperature from 30C to 36C. Additional aeration will be required to ensure adequate oxygen supply. This temperature must be maintained for 8 to 10 days for full recovery, unless the fish goes into stress. In addition to heat, the fish can be given Flagyl (Metronidazole) orally every three days for the duration of the heat treatment.

Internal parasites

Internal parasites in the gut can be assumed, if the fish becomes emaciated or produces white, jelly-like faeces. To treat the fish soak some live blood worms or black mosquito larvae in a solution of 10 ml of liquid Flagyl to 200 ml of water for about one hour. Then feed the worms or wrigglers to the fish. This treatment can be repeated every 2 to 3 days for 10 days. If the fish is not eating, then the job is a little more difficult. Consult your local aquarium shop.

External parasites

External parasites come in many types...

* Jungle Labs Parasite clear which is used when they are scratching themselves on objects in the tank. Dosage is one tablet for every 40 litres of tank water, repeating two weeks thereafter.

Bacterial infections

* The best medication is Chloromycetin and is powder form. The dosage is one teaspoon to 100 litres of water. It is always fast acting, improvement should be noticed in 8 hours. A second dose after two days may be needed, no need to remove the previous dose as it dissipates out after 12 hours. Store Chloromycetin absolutely dry and away from light.

* The other medication is Oxolinic Acid. Solution of half a gram of powder in 500 ml of de-ionised water can be created and stored. The dosage is 1 ml of the stock solution to 10 litres of tank water. This treatment is only effective on some types of infections.

White Spot and Velvet Disease

These two diseases are rare in Discus. If you do happen to get these parasites the heat treatment will cure it without drugs.
*White spot is treated with 34°C for 10 days
*Velvet Disease is treated for 2 days.
Heat treatment can cure many problems, because most parasites can not withstand high temperatures.
*Costia: 33°C - 34°C for 4 days.

Where to obtain these medications
* Flagyl (liquid Flagyl) is a prescription drug
* Para-Ex is available from aquarium shops.
* Chloromycetin, can be obtained in capsule form
* Oxolinic acid can be obtained from a chemist

Precautions

Heat treatment...
*use a separate low watt external heater and check the temperature!
When administering medications, calculate the tank capacity accurately to avoid overdosing.
Take the internal dimensions in centimeters and multiply the length by width by height to the water line divided by 1000.

Tank Mates

** Compliments to www.aqua-fish.net...

So what should you keep with your Discus Fish? Different keepers have totally different opinions on this subject but here is my opinion.

In a breeding tank you should only keep Discus Fish and I strongly recommend you keep nothing else in there with them. Some people like to keep plecs and other sucker-mouth catfish, but I’ve had problems with them latching on and sucking to the Discus Aquarium Fish’s mucus covering. Algae eaters are also notorious for this.

However if you have a display tank then you want to make it look nice and have more than just Discus Aquarium Fish, I recommend you have a large shoal of small tetras like neon’s, cardinals and rummy noses. You can keep any peaceful, slow moving fish with discus, so long as they don’t dominate or out compete discus for food and space.

I believe that the Discus Aquarium should be geared toward keeping discus and other species generally do not require the dedication and water that discus need.

Some people have kept Discus Aquarium Fish together with angel fish, but other keepers would disagree with doing this for good reason. Angels can pass on disease to Discus Aquarium Fish and angels can grow large and bully Discus so take this into consideration when you’re planning your tank.

Rams are also a favorite to keep with Discus Aquarium Fish. I’ve had success with dwarf gouramis as well as pearls, though the blue and golden gouramis are bullies and should be avoided. When you get young Discus Aquarium Fish make sure you get a shoal as like other fish they need the security of a shoal around them.

I personally keep discus in a community tank, and I have had success with many different species, these have adapted to the warmer water and do not offer any direct competition to the discus.