German Red Turquoise Discus, Red Base
$44.00 – $159.00
This giant blue red German monster is sure to add a powerful touch to even the most complete collection. Streaks of blood red run through an iridescent body, creating the classic “Red Turquoise” effect originally pioneered by Eduard Schmidt-Focke.
One constant that has run through my life has been a love of art. While I mostly like realistic works, there’s something to be said for artists who express themselves in bold paint strokes. My mother had a painting done by a family friend that was of a woman but her face was done in a style more reminiscent of Picasso in his surrealistic stage. There was still something evocative about the painting that showed inner turmoil.
I get the same feeling when I look at the German Red Turquoise Discus, with its red base. It feels like nature decided to paint it with a frenzy of red and white brushstrokes all along its body. There’s almost a tribalistic feel to it, especially with the patterns around its eyes and mouth. It would not surprise me one bit if those colors actually glowed in the dark, making for an ethereal scene in a tank. There’s passion in these streaks, showing what a unique fish it is. I’d love having one or more in my tank, showing off their vibrancy.
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Every fish we sell bears our gold seal that represents the Discus.com promise to our customers. When you make a purchase with us, you are entrusting our team with shipping you a collector grade specimen of unparalleled quality, beauty, size, and heft based on our judgement accrued over 25 years of experience. We guarantee the fish you receive will match the exact fish represented in our product photos. We are the gold standard of discus. Note: our discus are always measured from tip of nose to end of tail. |
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Care Level: | Moderate, see our Learning Center for comprehensive care. |
| Temperament: | Peaceful |
| Color Form: | Huge variety available |
| Lifespan: | 15-25 Years |
| Adult Size: | 8-12 inches |
| Diet: | Omnivorous |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Minimum Tank Size: | 50 gallons |
| Tank Set-Up: | Bare-bottom, or Intermediate |
| Compatibility: | Often compatible |
Natural Habitat for Discus
Discus are found in floodplain lakes and flooded forests of the lowland Amazon River basin and some of its tributaries, including the Rio Negro. These areas experience extreme changes in water level due to seasonal flooding. Discus tend to congregate near fallen trees, known as “galhadas”, along the shore. They prefer quiet water, and are rarely found in areas where there is strong current or wave action.
Discus Water Requirements
Discus prefer warm, soft, acidic water. pH should be between 6.0 and 7.0, with hardness between 1° and 4° dKH (18 to 70 ppm). Temperature should be kept between 82° and 89° F. Water conditions for both wild and hybrid discus are the same. While captive bred discus can be kept in dechlorinated tap water reverse osmosis or deionized water supplemented will ensure the the best conditions. Discus require pristine water quality, and depending on the filtration system being used, a weekly or bi-weekly water change of 10% to 25% is highly recommended. Don’t forget to treat tap water with conditioner before refilling your aquarium!
Housing Requirements for Discus
Discus grow to be quite large, and full sized discus will require an aquarium of 50 gallons or larger when they reach adult size. Tall aquariums are best, to accommodate their body shape. Current should be gentle, and décor if used at all should include large broadleaf plants and driftwood that is arranged vertically to simulate downed branches and trees. A few floating plants can also be added to provide shaded areas and cover. Substrate should be fine to medium grade and smooth surfaced, as discus like to forage along the bottom for food.
Discus Behavior/Compatibility
Discus are generally calm, peaceful fish, but as cichlids they can be aggressive toward one another, especially when attempting to pair off and spawn. Shy or submissive fish should be removed if they are unable to compete. Most serious hobbyists do not mix their discus with too many other species. However, suitable aquarium mates include cardinal tetras, neons, emperor and rummy nose tetras, as well as clown loaches and dwarf cichlids such as rams and Apistogramma species. All of these fish tolerate the high temperatures and low pH/hardness required by discus.
What do Discus Eat?
In nature discus eat a considerable amount of plant material and detritus, but also forage along the bottom looking for worms and small crustaceans. They are omnivores and will thrive on freeze dried black worms, beefheart, frozen blood worms, and a variety of pellet and flake food. Frozen and live foods may be fed as treats or to help induce spawning. For best results, rotate their diet daily and feed only what they can consume in 2 to 3 minutes, once or twice a day.
Discus Breeding Level – Difficult
Captive bred discus will pair up and spawn relatively easily, but young, inexperienced parents may eat their eggs the first few times, particularly if other fish are present. After hatching the young feed on heavy body mucus secreted by the parents for a few days until they begin to free-swim. Parents will transfer the young back and forth several times a day.
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Q: How are your stated fish measurements conducted? A: All measurements are made from tip of nose to end of tail. Photographs are representative of the strain or variety, and not the exact specimens that will be shipped. Q: How do I make a purchase? A: Every discus you see on our website is available for immediate purchase and ready to be shipped to you. Click the “Add to Cart” button on your desired products, adjust your quantities, and follow the checkout instructions. We honor all special requests. Please allow a 2-day minimum handling period for discus. Shipping Tiers for Live Tropical Fish:
Blackworms: Free USPS Postal Shipping Plants: $10 FedEx Priority Shipping, Minimum Order: $15 International Buyers Please Note: Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer’s responsibility. Please check with your country’s customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to purchasing. |
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The German Red Turquoise (red base), paired up less than a week, in their new home. (NOTICE THE EGGS, ON THE LEAF IN FRONT OF THEM)
German Red Turquoise - amazing specimen, great colors, total pig when it’s feeding time, eats everything I put in the tank. He wants to be the king, but will have to grow a little more.
Here is the pair. Dont have many pictures yet. They have been courting and cleaning a couples pieces of driftwood for 2 days now. I need that cone soon!! Haha. No rush, I got a 20 gal breeder set up today and am doing a dr tims fishless cycle.
They are doing great and are still really beautiful!! Jadyn From Michael: Jadyn, you're a collector of discerning taste in discus. I'll be eagerly watching your progress. Congrats on building a tier-1 collection in such a short period of time.
Haven't lost any altums since those first 3 And they are already eating freeze-dried black worms and texture color granules. The disgusts have nibbled on the freeze-dried blackworms and they are slowly eating the color granules. I will definitely send a better picture of each individual fish tomorrow when I have time to sit down and not rush. I'm very glad I decided to order from discus.com. I work at Petco in the fish department Saturdays and Sunday till close and yesterday I showed a lot of people the pictures of the fish I ordered in from you and they love them and there is a few discus geeks as customers so hopefully they'll get on your site and place some orders sometime.
Thank you so much! We appreciate your help & will be in touch for future additions to our home tank.
Cheers, Crystal
Discus all arrived in good shape. The bags were all very hot(very warm), the Cardinals, and the Cory’s didn’t do so well with the heat. But, I’m not a complainer. The Discus are what I was concerned with. Here are some pictures. They went into my display tank, I had Angels in it, and moved them into a different tank. I’m hoping that they don’t need any meds in the tank. O’yea, all of them are eating.
Beautiful discus, arrived in good shape.
As I said yesterday, I could not be happier with my discus. I thought I sent photos earlier but maybe they didn't go through. These fish are growing and getting more beautiful every day. They eat Omega One Flakes and frozen brine shrimp but their favorite food is frozen bloodworms which they are willing to take from my hand. Thank you, Michael, for sending me the best of the best!
Yes the fish arrived and they look great all are very active and taking food, curious on what type of food they were on. My ph level is at about 7.2 and temp is 88, is that okay?
The fish arrived in good shape and are doing great I was surprised to see just how healthy they were. Usually when you buy fish online when you get them they look like they are starving, thanks again Rich
Hello Michael, we love our new fish & they are doing well in the new tank. They only thing I would have to say is the red based seems to have some fin rot going on, but other than that we will definitely be ordering more in the future! I wanted to ask if you have any recommendations on treating fin rot? Attached are the fishy’s:) From Michael: Not fin rot. Normal wear and tear from transit ammonia burns. Some Paraguard will clear it up within a week. It's a non-issue.
Fish look great. Thanks, Michael I'll upload some photos and reviews in the next couple days.
Another photo all 6.
Beautiful discus, thank you.
I think I have room for a few more. :-)
Where should i post my review ? I need everyone to know how satisfied I am. All the fish were in great health when received! Very satisfied with my order ! Thank you. Only issue I've had is it looks like I received two orange discus and one was suppose to be a Fuji red and also my golden nugget pleco was a different color. Would definitely recommend you guys and I will be buying more schooling fish from you!
Hello Michael, the fish were picked up at the airport at 4:00 am on the night they arrived in Chattanooga, they were acclimated and placed in my 55 gallon tank that already housed 8 small angelfish and two small pepper corydoras. They all appeared lively and slowly making their way around the tank. I had all the lights off in the tank and in the room. temperature was 78 degrees in the tank at that time, I increased the heaters and by the next day and the temp is now 83 degrees Fahrenheit. i did not feed them the first day. I fed them today with Tetracolor Tropical Granules and they began to pick at it, then they ate it. one of the four Discus is not swimming around with the others and is staying off to itself behind some of the plastic plants near the bottom. It is slightly darker than it should be, it is a Schmidt-Focke Red Turquoise Blue Based. It has small whitish spots and areas beginning to appear more obvious than yesterday. It has a normal breathing pattern and is using both fins, and I haven't seen it eat yet. can you tell me if you know what might help this fish? PH is between 6.9 and 7.0 and GH is 60ppm and KH is40ppm. Nitrite is 0.5, and Nitrate is 30. I have not yet tested ammonia. filtration is three Fluval 50 filters and one air stone. Also Michael, although you picked nice fish for me, I would have preferred that the Red Turquoise Markings were more in a horizontal pattern, they look very much like a Tiger Turquoise with such vertical patterns on the bodies. If I could swap them out for horizontal pattern, I would. leasant and easy transaction with Michael at Discus.com everything went smoothly and the Discus were waiting at the local airport when I got there. smooth process from acclimation to transfer. Great looking, Healthy and robust Discus, Larger than I was expecting. I will be adding additional Discus soon! Thanks again, Nelson V.
They all came in alive! I did not know to quarantine them so I hope they'll do okay! Only one of them looked dead for a while but after I put him in he eventually got up and started swimming.
These are the best I could get, hope they work out, thanks. I had some manzanita that was amazing but was hard to do maintenance around so I removed it, thanks for the tips.
They all arrived and look like they’re in great condition! I love the fish you chose for me. I have ordered from online fish stores before and have had many bad experiences but the fish you sent me look so vibrant and healthy! I will definitely be ordering from you again!
My favorite in the lot is the turquoise.
Here's some pictures of the New Arrivals. Even after the Lack Luster handling by UPS, everyone has acclimated nicely. 4 of the 5 have snacked on Bloodworms & are showing all their vibrant colors Ordered the 3.5 to 4” & all appear to be pushing 4” at least. Thanks for being able to honor my requests regarding patterns. As Always Much appreciated! Another group of Studs. Colors are insane. The Blue Diamond with the Red eye contrast is just Striking! Gold Crystal with the Deep Yellow and an absolutely awesome pattern, the Fuji & the Melon look electric. Plus the Red Eagle besides the great Honeycomb he’s already engaging with me & Ate from my hand last night! What a Line up!
Here's the German Turquoise and the baby Golden Diamond I bought from you last month. They're eating well and the bigger guy seems to have become the little one's protector. Here's the Golden Albino with the German Turquoise. I think I need more red. The wife's not gonna be happy if I order another one too soon. I think I'll wait another 3-4 months. Feel free to use the pics for your website and thanks again for the fast shipping and professional service.
I had texted you about the fish. I did get them at 11 am on Friday. To answer some of your questions they are doing good. The fish you picked out are beautiful. The albino rafflesia is getting picked on. I am hoping once they all settle in it will get better. I am scattering their food so hopefully he will get some. The german red turquoise is still lagging a bit but I think he is better today. I will attach a pick of the dead cardinal tetras and a pic from yesterday. I turned the light on for a minute to get a pic. I will send another one after lights are on tomorrow night. All the fish were for my new aquarium. I have spent weeks cycling. They are the only ones in the tank. After all is settled I will order another fish or fishes. Lol, I am hooked.
All of the discus arrived alive and well. The marlboro red spent the first two hours laying in the sand on his side. I kept all of...More
Finally, here should be the photos of the fish received on Friday. All are doing well. Colors and striping are more than anticipated! My dream is using this for future foundation breeding stock.
I left a review with all these discus. I couldn't be happier with these beautiful discus. These are beautiful too all of them are!!! You do a phenomenal job with your discus! I want to thank you for picking out truly magnificent discus for me!! So glad I took the chance on buying discus!! Had been told they're impossible to keep healthy. Your discus are not only beautiful but also healthy and resilient!! Grateful I found you!!
Just a quick note to let you know all the fish arrived in great shape! Thank you for the extra lollipop! They are already acclimated and ...More
Hi Michael,
Hi, all fish arrived good. The Germans are especially thriving and love to eat, the yellow one is catching on and seems to be acclimating. Unfortunately the golden pigeon did pass today. I’ve attached a photo, not the best but unsure of how to take it. That one was the most bright and colorful so we are sad it did not make it. We love the quality of all of the fish and their unique personality. I’ve also attached a photo of the 3 that are doing great.
They look healthy and colorful. Thank you.
The middle 2 are yours. From Michael: May I have them back? :-)
Good afternoon,
You sent some beautiful and healthy fish. Will buy again soon. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Adam
Happily taken blood worms and picking at beef heart.
I wanted to wait till they colored up a bit. They look great! Thank you.
I did have a question though. I know they are still y...More
Here are some photos!
I wanted to wait till they colored up a bit. They look great! Thank you.
I did have a question though. I know they are still young but neither really look like the photos I ordered from. German Red Turquoise and Silver Pigeon Leopard Discus. I understand the Silvers are still very young but I thought you would at least see something that hinted they are that breed. They more seem to resemble, Striated Red Throwback Discus & Yellow White Discus.
Thanks!
Brennen
From Michael: Rest assured your fish were matched correctly. You ordered very small baby fish. If you want exactly what’s in the photos, the adults are the way to go. Also, lighting and substrate play a role in the fish's coloration. You need brighter lighting as well as less shadows (plants) in your tank.
Fish arrived. One had almost no water in the bag. He was alive but barely breathing. He is still not doing well. Pictures attached. 1 week later: I took these for you today. She's there with one of my older discus. The two heckels are separate.
First, Thanks so Much for sending all the discus in good health ! Some of them were down during the first few hours after releasing them ...More
Hi Michael,
First, Thanks so Much for sending all the discus in good health ! Some of them were down during the first few hours after releasing them in my aquarium. Then all started eating maybe after 4-5 hours. This is my first experience with Discus and I took some risk ( a lot in fact !) as I just set up the tank (everything new), adding some bacteria to settle them in the new filter and speed up the entire process. After checking all the water parameters (I used Seachem Discus buffer) I placed two Angels just to make sure all is okay. I kept many other different species in the past so I had some courage to take risks. However, the discus arrived two days earlier than I expected. That made me nervous.
Regarding the color of Discus, my only concern is most of the fish that I ordered are not showing any color, I guess it's because they are still under stress. Although they are happily swimming and exploring the new habitat. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Please see the pictures attached.
Thank you again.
Kind regards,
Sirsendu
From Michael: Hi Sirsendu, I was very backed up last week, and the reason I hastened the delivery is because I didn't want them to be stuck in transit near the end of the work week. Otherwise, they would be dead by the time the actual delivery occurred the next Monday.
Got your email. The two discus you sent are absolutely stunning. They ate within 24hrs and look awesome. They both are up front of the tank ...More
Michael,
Got your email. The two discus you sent are absolutely stunning. They ate within 24hrs and look awesome. They both are up front of the tank and absolutely healthy. I attached an updated pic. Thank you!!! Will be looking to buy two more soon. You got a new customer.
Sincerely
Adam
Good morning, yes they got here safely! All still alive. I really appreciate you picking me some beautiful first time Discus for me. No, I have no other Discus but I am gonna be ordering 2 or 3 more from you cause I have 2 more picked out already lol. But I have a 55 gallon tank so I think maybe 2 for sure. I do still have the light turned off still. I just put it on for a sec to take a picture for you. But I hope you know I'm so happy that I found you to order from. I have stage 4 endometriosis and I learned over the years dealing with it. Me watching fish helps my depression and anxiety cause of me having to stay at home due to my symptoms, so I can sit and watch my new Discus for hours! I hope I can be the best Discus mom that I can be! I have read almost everything you have on your page over and over. So...I hope to definitely keep these babies safe and well. I'm definitely looking forward to getting the last 2 I would love to get! I hope if you don't mind if I do run into something if I may contact you to help me though? But hopefully I don't..lol but thank you so very much again for making me a new Discus mom! Have a Merry Christmas :) From Michael: Of course you may contact me any time. Thank you for the kind words, and Merry Christmas to you!
Yes, they all arrived and are getting acclimated. I never realized how some look so much like the other ones. I’m hoping they all make it. They are mostly hiding right now. I’ll keep you posted!
Discus arrived alive. I had to put them into the 300 gallon as the 29s heater wasn't working. The discus are cohabitation well 24 hrs in, the Red Heckel looks good and robust, measured at 5.75 inches. The German Red look very thin and feeble almost emaciated with his stomach sucked way in. I presume you didn't pick this guy out? I took some pictures so you can see. Neither discus has eaten anything yet. Not to beat a dead horse, but I don't understand the obvious discrepancy in the quality of the two fish? Both fish should be of equal quality when shipped from you facility and already thriving. I'm advising of my dissatisfaction in the quality of the German Red Discus upon shipment arrival. From Michael: Of course the fish will arrive looking thin, since we starve all our fish for 48 hours prior to shipping -- otherwise, they will defecate in their bags and die from ammonia.
Two of the fish are ok. They were stressed, but they're ok now. I sent a pic of them. The other one was DOA. I also sent a picture of th...More
Hi Michael -
Two of the fish are ok. They were stressed, but they're ok now. I sent a pic of them. The other one was DOA. I also sent a picture of that one. I put him in the tank, but he just floated around. So I put him in a holder to see what would happen. But he never came to life. From Michael: I've credited you for the DOA.
Thanks,
Alan
Hi Michael,
Fish are doing well! They have laid eggs twice. The first didn’t survive and they ate them but here is the second.
Tanya
Will write a review today!! Absolutely love em!! Loving the fish my tank started leaking yesterday so had to switch everything over to a new tank but as you can see doesn't seem to have bothered them too much...
Hi Michael, sorry it took some time, it's been busy. The Discus are doing great, they are all 9 eating now and all rise to the hand when offered some beefheart, bloodworms or brine shrimp. They are greedy 4 times a day and other than that acting like teenagers.
Hey Michael, here are a few pics of my tank with the new residence. They’re doing good thanks for some nice fish!
They all arrived in good shape. All three are good sized too. One has some travel issues, kinda on his side but he’s getting better. They are in the quarantine tank with a few black skirts. We kept the lights out until today. We fed them brine shrimp this morning and two charged right up to eat.
Here’s the three new guys we just received from you in the quarantine tank, plus an angelfish. He thinks we are going to feed him every time we come by. All three are good size. Two of the three discuss ate today, one is still pretty shy. All look good. You’d never guess they spent yesterday bouncing around in a box. Thank you.
Gm Michael, Much less distress with this shipment compared to last, dead arrival due to very late UPS arrival and broken cooler from apparent mishandling of the box by UPS. All fish arrived alive, the smaller German with red base was one of two surviving from prior shipment. Did not expect him to survive. He is doing well with TLC and treatments. All are feeding. Those four are in quarantine. The yellow pigeon is in one of the display tanks. The other two next to him I had.
They all seem to be doing well. Guessing the one just has two dots on his tail. Fish are absolutely gorgeous and so much savings compared to my local fish store.
Yes, everything has arrived. The melon was a bit stressed, but seems to be recovering. I'll be ordering again soon. Thanks!
Hi Michael. I am very happy with the fish you sent me. I got 9 Discus from you and the only thing wrong was I hoping for a solid color cobalt. The fish are all still healthy and good, I even have a pair that have laid five different sets of eggs since I received them.
I did get them in the tank ASAP because of how late they arrived. The eruption and one German Blue are swimming around fine. The two German Reds are hiding but seem okay. The one German Blue is floating at the top and tries to swim every now and then but not much. All five are alive and seem to be doing well. Thank you for your patience with me and the information you shared! I will send pictures once I turn the lights on. They are beautiful!
Yes everyone arrived fine, they are so beautiful, I'm very happy with them, and I'll 100% be buying from you again.
Hi Michael! I'm sorry I've been so out of touch lately. But yes the discus are doing great, the are beautiful and super healthy thank you a lot! I will definitely order from your site again.
Good afternoon Michael happy Friday. This is Brent R. the fish delivered Tuesday and I love them. This is from yesterday afternoon when I turned on the lights! I was wearing my Discus.com tshirt yesterday when I was acclimating my fish.
We LOVE the selection! They are a perfect addition to the couple we already had. Thank you!
Hello Michael, It is my pleasure to review the recent discus purchase I made. The second photo is a Red Turquoise from the famed Schmidt-Focke line. As one can see the patterning and color are superb as well as having great body shape. Once again I continue to enjoy ordering great quality fish from Discus.com.
Everyone showed up great. Healthy and beautiful. I love them! They are beautiful additions to my tank. Seems like they're loving the new home, active and eating well. Thank you for the beautiful fish!
Beautiful picks! All healthy! Nice!!! Thanks!!!
Arrived in perfect health.
Hi Michael, the sickest died yesterday. The other one that seems to have similar issues does not seem to be deteriorating as fast and looked pretty similar as he did yesterday. I was able to coax him out of hiding to get a few pictures. Some fraying/loss of tips of pectoral fins, ventral fin, caudal fin and more of a dull coloration of his scales. I'm keeping a close eye on him. He's still hiding while the other five are out foraging (I have 6 in that tank)
It is just a sharp contrast to the rest of the fish which looked in excellent condition. The blue knights in particular look amazing, very healthy, very colorful. I've got a few glimpses of the german turquoise but they are mostly in hiding still.
Nice fish, everyone arrived alive.
Thanks 4 the e-mail Michael! Fish are doing great!!! Thank 4 the sweet fish! I will be getting a few more fish in May.....the fish were packed great! But after they left you!.... they were not handled right.... they were beat up pretty badly! My order was to big and thats my bad :) If the carrier does not keep the box the right way the whole time the fish will get beat up and stress out and are in trouble! All fish survived and in the time since have only Lost 3 of them! Love your Web site i have to be on it everyday and see all the great selections You have! (I want all of them!!) Hahahaha thanks again 4 everything Michael!
They eat all that You can put in front of them! The golden pigeon leopards are getting better looking everyday and are always moving around the tank and active! My favorite guys are the german red turquoise (red base) ... they have a great shape to them and the fins are always up and out on display!! And the royal heckel cross! Cant wait to see what he will be look like in a few months! Beautiful fish!! Thanks y'all! I appreciate ya.
Pictures of my fish tank and the 4 fish that you sent.
Feeding time!! Just wanted to share a few more pictures of our beautiful crew!! We are so happy with them, if we had a bigger tank I definitely would have bought more from you, great quality discus!! You have many more selections and healthy discus. If I recommend to my family and friends, I will definitely tell them about discus.com!
I will update the website soon..just wanted to say they all recovered from there shipment and looking good. Still a bit antsy...but that was expected
Good morning! The discus just arrived! They are beautiful! They were very cold at 69 degrees. I hope they will be ok! I thought the red was dead, but today, Friday, seems ok this morning. Also, a lot of the water leaked out during shipping, but they are so beautiful! My current discus is harassing/herding them. I have the lights turned off and feeding a bit more often, any suggestions? It’s a blue diamond about a half inch bigger than the new ones.
Thank you!
Jody
Hi Michael, everything is good.
Mike. Awesome fish. What did you feed them?
Everything is going well. Thank you for reaching out. The discus are growing beautifully even though I lost half my batch the last time I ordered. I've posted a video for you too see. Hope all is well with you.
This discus is doing very well. It has become much more active over the past couple of weeks and is starting to color up pretty nicely. He was fairly small so I am sure he will continue to color up.
All of the fish arrived safely and are now settled in and are loving life. They look great and we are very happy with them. Thank you. I sent them all in a few different emails because it wouldn't let me send them all in the same one. Hope you get them all. We look forward to doing more business with you in the near future.
Yes I received my discus. They're beautiful.