White Carnation Pigeon Discus
$136.00 – $178.00
Her name was Sarah, and she sat two rows over from me in sixth grade English class. I had saved up all my allowance to buy her a red rose for Valentines’s Day – all I could afford. The rest of the bouquet was made up of less expensive red and white carnations, but that single red rose I just knew would make her say YES.
My palms were clammy and my voice shook when I asked her to the dance. That was many years ago, before time drew its map of lines on both our faces. But just like the red maze design of this extraordinary fish, love and life are speckled with stops and starts, with paths taken and left untaken. And when I look at her now, this much older Sarah, MY Sarah, who said YES that day and YES again when I asked her to marry me eighteen years later, I’m grateful for the smile lines I see reflected back to me. And when I give her this beautiful, rare discus, I hope she will see what I see, which is much more than a fish or even a gift. It is a reminder of the long journey through the many twists and turns, stops and starts, cities and houses and children and dreams and successes and failures – along the maze that has been our life together, our love.
- Reviews (3)
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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.
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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All of the discus are up and moving this morning. The albino is still not 100% but better. I offered some food this morning. Some ate frozen blood worms. Some didn’t eat. I expected that. They are settling in. I’ll offer up some live brine shrimp later today to see if I can jump start their appetites.
The Sterbi’s are all doing good. I owe you for 1. You sent 9. Two of the gold nuggets are doing well. One is not moving much. We’re they tank raised or wild?
All in all I’m very pleased. I’ll get some pictures to you this morning.
FYI I’ve bred discus back in the 70’s and 80’s. Small time but I had 1500 gallons and probably 10 or 12 pairs at any given time. I loved my Heckles and Tefe’s the best. At that time there were some new crosses coming out. Solid colored, blues and greens mostly. The reds came later and were nothing like the reds of today. I’m partial to the wild discus always have been, but I really like all of the crosses you offered. I which I had more tank space.
I had switched to salt water and raised corals for 30 years. 18 plus tanks and 1000 gallons. I sent corals back to the oceans through the Chicago marine club of which I was the president of. That was a tough gig. All this time I’ve missed the discus. I have no intention of breeding anymore. Just taking care of them. Watching them has brought back memories of the fish and friends I’ve met through the years.
There is a lot of sellers out there who are taking advantage of the people looking to get into keeping discus. You are definitely one of the good guys. You are a rare guy, Mike. Keep up the good work. Thanks Mike.
Michael, my fish arrived healthy and beautiful. I did have two of my bags that leaked and came close to running out of water but luckily they arrived fast enough that I was able to get them in the tank without injury.I am sending you pictures of my tank with the variety of fish you have Picked out for me I thank you for the beautiful fish you sent to my home. Thank you, Michael.
Discus are swimming around more today. They still did not accept food. One discus is holding his dorsal fin closer to his body. I have only lost two rummy nose at the moment. They are adjusting and still like to hide behind rocks and stumps.