Kingdom : Animalia Class : Actinopterygii Family : Cichlidae Scientific Name : Symphysodon Colour : Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Orange, Black, Brown Skin Type : Scales Size(L) : 20cm - 25cm (8in - 10in) Life Span : 8 - 15 years Distinctive Features : A round and colour- ful disc-like Body Fun Fact : One of the only schooling Cichlids!
- Discus is a medium sized species of tropical cichlid found in South America in the Amazon Basin.
- There are 3 recognized species- The Green Discus, The Brown Discus and the Blue Discus.
- They vary in color according to the species but now a days many different colored Discus are also found in aquariums.
- They have a round, flattened body with large extended fins, they also have dark vertical stripes.
- These vertical stripes help them communicate within their school and also helps them camouflage.
- They get their name from their distinct, disk-like shape.
- They are one of the few species of cichlids found outside Africa, inhabiting soft acidic, very warm water.
- They are difficult to keep as pets as they are quite fussy about water conditions in artificial environment.
- Despite this, they are very popular aquarium species, with a major industry behind the captive breeding of discus.
- They peacefully coexist with other smaller fish and do not compete for food with them.
- They are sociable and live in large schools and are known to display very advanced behavior for cichlids.
- Discus tends to become aggressive while defending their territory or young and within their pair bonds.
- The pair bonds tend to remain together for life.
- The female discus lays between 80-400 eggs which are fertilized by the male and both the parents care for the fry that hatch out.
- Though omnivores, their diet primarily comprises protein-rich meat based food through aquatic insects, larvae and fry.
- Their natural predators are large marine animals and bats and birds, hunting from the sky above.
- Habitat loss is a major threat to discus.