Customer Reviews

Discus Fish (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I began fishkeeping, I had a couple of angels and some other small fish like tetra and gourami in a 10 gallon tank. The water was always dirty, the filtration inadequate, and I lost a fish every other week. With the purchase of this book I obtained the information necessary to successfully keep these beautiful fish in my new 55 gallon planted aquarium. The most important lesson in this book is that while so many "experts" insist that discus keeping is difficult, it is really only difficult if you are not willing to put the required work into it. It means doing what you should do when keeping any type of fish. The only difference is that while most fish will survive a lapse in upkeep, discus will become more prone to disease if water conditions are not tended to. The book does a good job of initiating the beginner to the essentials without trying to scare newcomers away from the hobby. It covers every aspect thoroughly from discus background and natural habitat to recommended aquarium size, filtration, water conditioning, planting, breeding and disease diagnosis and treatment. It might be the only book you need, but at the very least it is a great book for beginners. I never bought another book, relying mainly on discus websites and forums and reading Jack Wattley's monthly column in Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine for additional advice. My aquarium sparkles with clean water and healthy fish.

This is probably the least expensive book available on thesubject of Discus! But it packs lots of useful information about thefish and it's water chemistry! This book contains enough informationto encourage or discourage anyone interested in keeping Discus (It didencourage me). Although this book contains some color pictures, itonly shows few of the many color variations available in the markettoday. If your looking for a book that will introduce you to theworld of Discus keeping then this is it. But if your looking forpictorials of all the variations, then try the Aqualog ReferenceBooks..

The book has a perfect water chemistry information for discus breeding. Explains the necessary equipments, the medication as well. A must not only for discus breeders but for other fresh water aquarists.

This book is perfect for the person that doesn't like to spend a lot of time reading all about every possible detail of the hobby of keeping discus. It is more or less a compelation of the better more involved books and has everything you really need in it. You can spend a lot more on a book and get a lot less information, and/or more full color photos of the authors prize fish or that of his friends, but you won't find a book on the subject with as much pertinent and up to date info without the hefty price tag!

This is a great deal for a beginners book. Excellent information on planted tanks and all of the information you need to get started keeping discus. For this price you can't go wrong.

This is one of the most up to date discus books, but it is really not that informative for a beginner to the breed. It does offer pics of some of the newer strains, but is not the complete reference it claims it is.

Good pictures and enough information for a starter book. Gave me what I wanted to know for a small price. A whole lot cheaper than even the least expensive discus would have been.
Good for deciding whether or not you have or want to have the conditions for keeping these fish.

So far, one of the best books I have read for a beginner just like me. It is easy to read and very informative, though it may come short on some subjects.

This is a great resource book to learn about Discus fish. The author offers great advice on how to care for your Discus fish.

My first aquarium has several types of fish, including Angelfish. I had discus fish in it but I removed them to my second aquarium. It is about 750 liters unplanted aquarium.

My second aquarium has only Discus fish, and I am totally in love with them. The aquarium is about 750 liters, and it is planted. I have driftwood in it as well.

I initially had 11 Discus in it, but now I only have 7. I was really concerned at the rate at which my Discus were expiring. I bought this book to understand Discus fish better and to better care for them.

I am glad I read this book. Discus fish are very sensitive to water quality, and need very soft water. The author recommends using blackwater extract to soften the water and produce an environment similar to an Amazonian basin. I did just that, and my fish seem much happier and healthier, and displaying glowing colors. The water did turn a bit dark yellow, but my carbon enriched filter soon took care of that problem.

Here is the optimum water quality:

Temperature: 82-90 F (27.8-32 C)
pH: 6-7.5
Hardness: 2-6 GH
Ammonia and nitrite levels below zero
Nitrate levels of no more than 20mg/L

The author also recommends using a conductivity meter to measure the hardness of the water. I relied on a chemical testing kit to test for water hardness. The test consists of adding droplets of a chemical into a test tube containing the aquarium water, until the sample turns blue. Though a general test, it is not accurate. To have precise measurements, a conductivity meter is necessary, especially if you want to breed your Discus fish. Hard water stops sperm entering the eggs! Monitoring your water carefully, regularly, and precisely can help you successfully breed your Discus fish.

I am trying to breed my Discus fish, so I set the water temperature to about 31 degrees Celsius (the author recommends temperatures up to 33 Celsius for breeding). I use two heat probes. The author did bring to my attention the risk of the probes breaking or malfunctioning, and leaking electricity into the aquarium. This would stress the fish, in turn lowering their immune system, and finally leading to death. The author recommends using ground probes to protect against such a mishap. Guess what? I just ordered one!

Another great advice the author gives concerns the feeding habit of the Discus fish. My pet store told me to feed my Discus fish only once a day, and with a very few amount of food he gave me. The author recommends feeding your Discus fish three times a day, and constantly changing their food. I know bought several types of foods (pellets, shrimp, frozen worms, different mixtures etc...), and I always give my Discus a different menu. They seem to be very happy with my restaurant!

This is a very small book of 93 pages, with colored pictures taking half of the book. It is a quick read. You can probably read it in less than 2 hours, but the information gained will last you a lifetime.

The chapters are as follows:

1. Understanding Discus

2. Getting started (setting up your aquarium)

3. Water Chemistry and filtration

4. The planted Discus aquarium

5. Nutrition and feeding

6. Discus health

7. Breeding Discus

I purchased this book as a reference for discus. Instead, it went through all of the details of setting up a fish tank, something one should be well informed about before even attempting to set up a discus tank.

Some of the information seemed contradictory or incorrect. The sections about discus were short and not detailed. This is not the book for any serious discus owner or owner-to-be.