So, in order to start caring for discus fish and breeding them, you need to purchase three to four health discus fish from a store or a local dealer who has a good reputation. Learn about the normal water temperature they are used to and the types of food the discus are accustomed to eating. As discus fish are hesitant regarding their changing diets, you should ideally stick to the same food as they had been fed initially. To start caring for discus fish you need to prepare the aquarium and maintain the same water temperature matching to what the fish were coming from. You need to give them around half and hour to one hour to explore and search their new home before they settle down. After a while you should give them a little food and keep the water temperature maintained taking care the water remains clear with the limited quantity of food given. You need to change one third to nearly half the water of the aquarium weekly, making sure the water that is added is similar in temperature to the water present in the tank. The chlorine from the water is should be removed.

A breeding pair which is ‘happy’ will lay eggs weekly for about four months. Normally the discus fish go through two of such spawning cycles in a year’s time. The male fertilizes the 80-400 eggs laid by the female, with the eggs taking around 48-60 hours to hatch and 60-72 hours before they are freely swimming. So, once you start caring for discus fish, you will realize it is a rewarding hobby!

In discus fish care, testing of the water before adding it to the aquarium or tank is important because discus is easily prone to stress. You need to test your water every week, ensuring that you change the water, as the tap water you may use is full of chemicals and alright for humans, but is certainly not the best for your fish.  The public water contains chloramines or chlorine that are damaging to the fish. The presence of these chemicals can be tested with the help of a tester that is available at the aquarium shops.

Discus fish care requires proper conditioning of your tank water. With the help of water conditioning step the water hardness can be adjusted as hard water is not correct for the fish. You would need to keep the pH level between 5.5 and 7, with the ideal being 6. In case the pH level goes more than 7, the fish tend to get stressed.

A part of discus fish care is also the maintenance of proper water temperature. The ideal temperature is between 83 and 86 degrees F, where the water should be changed weekly. Small level of water changes should be done every second day as it increases their appetite and helps them in mating. The discus tends to spawn soon after a water change!

As the discus fish come from the calm waters of the river Amazon, they prosper with proper discus fish care and when the above conditions are replicated in the aquarium at home. In general, discus fish care is not a tough task as long as you give them fresh clean water and food. So, go ahead and learn all you should about the proper water chemistry levels and make up your own aquarium.

For breeding discus fish you should ideally pair up four to six specimens together when they are young, ensuring that at least a couple or two would pair off. Mixing discus fish from various sources would ensure some variety is maintained in the genetic pool.

For breeding discus fish, the water should be kept warm enough and the fish should be fed well. These fish choose a vertical side in order to mate and they clean it up well before laying the eggs. They normally spawn on the side or the bottom of the tank. Once the eggs are laid and fertilized, both parents guard the vicinity and prevent other fish from coming close.

While breeding discus fish, you tend to notice a behavioral change in the otherwise shy and calm fish. As soon as a pair of discus has decided to mate, they become aggressive and territorial towards other fish and it’s the ideal time to either remove all the other fish or separate their breeding aquarium. They are quiet and not aggressive to the other inhabitants in the tank unless and until their eggs are in danger. At times the parent fish may eat the eggs, protecting them from vulnerability.

The fry of the discus fish need much less interference than most of the other kinds of fry. The adult fish actually start caring for the young fry themselves after they are born. Once the fry are able to swim they move to the sides of their parents and start feeding off them for as much time as you leave them together. The fry should be offered foods in small quantities like baby brine shrimp. After about 3-6 weeks, the fry will be growing fast and parent will be exhausted, that is the ideal time to remove them.

So, water and food are the main things you need for breeding discus fish .Gaining the practical experience for first time breeders would be the ideal thing. Have fun and enjoy yourself!