If you are thinking of starting to keep aquarium discus, it is important that you know how to find and choose healthy fish for your tank. Choosing the wrong fish, from the wrong person, can be very frustrating for your hobby, because you’ll be faced with disease treatment before your tank is fully established. Therefore, you should look for a good aquarium store, or better yet, an experienced discus breeder.

Here are some simple tips for selecting an aquarium discus when you’re ready to buy:

  1. Take your time and inspect the discus for at least 15 minutes in the aquarium. Watch them swim and look for any erratic behavior that doesn’t seem natural. Usually this means swimming listless and sideways.
  2. Note the sizes of the fish available; an eight-week-old discus should be about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) long; a yearling discus is about 16 cm (6 in) long from head to tail.
  3. Healthy discus should have a circular body (hence the name). Long-lived fish may be diseased or inbred. Other things to look out for are fins that are too long in proportion to the body and extremely large eyes. Also keep in mind that old discus tend to lose their circular shape, so that may be another clue to their age.
  4. Aquarium discus fish that have been sick for a while develop very sharp, pointy backs. They also have deep-set eyes and a shallow color.
  5. Don’t buy fish that are shy, timid, or show aggression or are otherwise antisocial with their tank mates.
  6. Ask the store if they can feed the fish. A healthy fish must have a good appetite.

There you go; Six easy tips for selecting the best aquarium discus for your tank. Choosing a good material from the start will ensure long-term success with your hobby. I hope these tips help you find healthy and happy discus fish.