Blog

As a former discus breeder i am often asked about what advice I can offer with regards to breeding discus. More often than not I hear stories of discus parents eating eggs or poor hatch rates. Most of the time I am told about what “google says” to which I ask what page of google? As much as it is great to have information at our fingertips, how much of it is good information? Well lets face it, when you search on google what do you find on the first few pages? Advertisements, regurgitated, outdated information thats copy and pasted by lazy content writers with zero experience.

My entry into discus breeding was much the same, everything I read told me to change water to replicate the wet season and the discus would lay eggs, which they did but oftentimes they would eat the eggs not long after or the eggs would fungus resulting in a poor hatch rate. So back to the almighty google I would go and read up about water hardness, temperature and ways to cage the eggs to stop the parents from eating them only to confuse myself even more.

Back to Basics

So how did I end up getting it right you ask? I stopped opening google and put some thought into it. What are the breeding habits of the fish? What would be the ideal conditions to raise fry and  What happens in the Amazon?

Firstly, looking at the way that discus reproduce, it is well documented and common knowledge that they are parental fish, the fry feed from the parents. To do this it would mean that the flow needs to be at a minimum otherwise the fry would be swept away so first conclusion is that they do not spawn when its flooding. Secondly, there would need to be infusoria and microscopic organisms for the fry to feed on.

So why do discus lay when you water change? Because it signals the start of the rainy season. The first storms would not cause a flood scenario though as much of the water would soak into the ground. Additionally, it would also mean some leaf litter would be washed into the pools causing a bloom of infusoria. This would be the time that discus would see as the opportunity to spawn with the most success of fry survival, food would be plentiful, the rainwater coming in would cause some softening of the water and the temperature would drop slightly. Now the race to raise the fry to independent size before the floods.

Why do discus eat their eggs/fry? All comes down to whether the spawn would be viable or not. If you water change while they have eggs or young fry, instinct would tell them that it may flood soon and the chances of successful rearing is not ideal. The protein would be better served sustaining the parents.

Applying this to the Breeding Aquarium

I am not going to go too far in depth with water hardness, I will however urge away from using TDS as a measurement unless you know exactly what the total dissolved solids actually are made up of. Myself personally found conductivity to be a better measurement that was easier to replicate, 100 microseimens being the sweet spot for great hatches of ~95%. Everyones water source is different, so its a matter of finding the sweet spot and replicating it when you do.

With the above information in mind how do we replicate this in the aquarium? The way I do it is with smaller water changes leading up to the spawning. By doing small, less than 5% water changes it allows for the water to ‘age’, the ph will drop as the waste from the fish is acidic itself, only siphoning off excessive detritus and any uneaten food.

Once the fry are onto a secondary food of baby brine shrimp or similar should water changes be increased. Once the fry are weaned from the parents they can be moved, the parents receive a large water change and then repeat the process for the next spawn.

Temperature also plays a big part in hatch rates and survival rates. The ideal being 28 degrees, any higher and the eggs develop too fast and result in weak underdeveloped fry.

For growing juvenile fish, again it’s just replicating nature. Lots of fresh clean water, change as much water as possible and feed as much as possible.

Growth Rates of Juvenile Discus

While there will always be a disparity between individuals from the same batch of fry there is also other reasons why fry grow at different rates and it all comes down to internal flagelletes and nematodes. These are something that the fry will inherit from the parents. In my experience this cannot be avoided with parent raised fry unless they themselves have been raised parasite free.

Many years ago after speaking with a well known german breeder it became apparent that to produce consistent size and growth rates amongst siblings it was required to keep a parasite free facility.

Growing Parasite Free Discus Fish

How is a parasite free facility achieved? By never adding fish to your growout room. it means having a breeding room away from your rearing tanks.

I built a new fish room, but never added a single fish!

Once the adult fish has spawned and it was observed that the eggs were fertilised, they would be removed to a sterilised bucket filled with 10 Litres of water to which 1ml of formalin solution was added with an air stone for 1 hour. once treated the eggs would be moved to a bowl floating in a tank in my rearing room to hatch and raised artificially.

Artificially raising fish is nothing new and discus can be raised in the exact same manner and numbers as angelfish. At 28 degrees the eggs will if laid on say a Monday would be free swimming the following Monday. Only once all fry are swimming at the surface should they start to be fed. I feed live baby brine shrimp as the first food for discus fry.

Step by Step

• Flood the bowl with freshly hatched baby brine shrimp.
• Wait an hour.
• Drain all water from bowl with small airline tubing being careful not to siphon out any fry.
• Move fry to a clean bowl.
• Repeat every 4-6hrs.

With this method it can mean keeping the parents in their breeding water and taking a batch of eggs from them each week during their breeding cycle, for some pairs this can be 250 fry per spawn.

As a result, if the fry are grown this way the growth is more uniform, faster and the shape of the fish can be observed to be more round as they grow than fish that are burdened with internal flagelletes and nematodes. They will also never require treatments for any gill fluke or any other parasite.

Please feel free to share any feedback below in the comments

When it comes to water parameters in the aquarium there is probably no parameter thats more important than water hardness. But what is it? In fact, there are two types of water hardness to understand, General Hardness(GH) and Carbonate Hardness(KH), both very important. So whats the difference you ask? Read on to learn more about understanding water hardness in the aquarium.

General Hardness

General Hardness is often referred to as total hardness, its the measurement of mineral salts in the water, most often Calcium(Ca) and Magnesium(Mg).

For cell growth in any living organism, be it plant or animal, calcium and magnesium are the two most important minerals. In the Aquarium, fish and plants most often assimilate these directly from the water. Without GH in the water we often see deformed leaves and slow growth in plants and poor health from fish, often stunted growth.

Additionally, GH is also important for invertebrates like Dwarf Shrimp, Crayfish and Snails for the development of their shells.

For most plants, a GH of 4-8dH is adequate for sustainable growth. Some fish like African Cichlids, Livebearers and Goldfish will enjoy a higher GH value.

Also, another reason that GH is important in the aquarium is due to its effects on a fishes ability to ‘osmoregulate’. Osmoregulation by definition is a process that regulates the osmotic pressure of fluids and electrolytic balance in organisms. It is the reason fish need to be acclimated to any new water parameters. Fish will regulate their internal salt/mineral content to match the water in which they are being housed in. When we move a fish to a differing GH the fish will need to match the new water GH parameter otherwise may succumb to osmotic shock. This is the most common cause of fish death when customers take home fish and they die soon after being added to the new environment.

How do we Measure GH Water Parameters?

We measure aquarium water GH in either dH(degrees hardness) or ppm(parts per million). 1 degree of GH is equal to 17.9ppm. The most common way to test for GH is a titration test which are very easy to use.

Below are the values of GH and how they correlate to one another.

0-4dH(0-70ppm) – Extremely Soft.

4-8dH(70-140ppm) – Soft.

8-12dH(140-210ppm) – Medium.

12-18dH(210-320ppm) – Hard.

How do I Raise my General Hardness in my Aquarium?

In our store we use a few different ways to raise our General Hardness in our aquariums. For instances where we would like to raise the GH on its own we use Continuum GH+. In other instances we can use some crushed coral in the filter or substrate to raise the hardness. It must be noted though that the crushed coral is comprised of calcium carbonate, as a result, the Carbonate Hardness(KH) and PH parameters will also be affected.

Carbonate Hardness

Carbonate Hardness can also be referred to as temporary hardness and can also be called total alkalinity. It is the measurement of bicarbonates and Calcium Carbonate(CaCO3) in the water.

In the Aquarium, maintaining a healthy KH is paramount for keeping the aquarium stable. By definition Alkalinity is the water’s capacity to resist changes in pH that would make the water more acidic.

Organic substances like fish waste, driftwood etc are naturally acidic and will in time cause the PH to drop in the aquarium, the KH acts as a buffer, preventing this from occurring too quickly in between water changes and aquarium cleaning practices.

A KH of 4dH is generally what is considered stable and will go a long way in preventing fluctuations oh PH parameters.

KH and PH Relationship

Many times people assume KH and PH to be the same thing, although related, as explained above they are not the same. While often times a high KH will also coincide with a high PH, a low KH can also coincide with a high PH if there is anything alkaline based in the water because water with a low KH has low buffering capacity, it takes very little to sway the water each way.

How do we Measure KH Water Parameters?

We measure aquarium water KH in either dKH(degrees carbonate hardness) or ppm(parts per million). 1 degree of dKH is equal to 17.9ppm. The most common way to test for KH is a titration test which are very easy to use.

How do I Raise my Carbonate Hardness?

To raise our Carbonate Hardness in our aquariums we use Continuum KH+. As noted above, in other instances we will use crushed coral to raise the KH in the water as it dissolves. Again, it must be noted that this route will also raise the General Hardness and PH of the Aquarium at the same time.

Keeping Caridina shrimp is not that dissimilar to keeping the well known Neocaridina Shrimp. As long as a few rules are followed in regards to water parameters and temperature these shrimp can thrive with minimal care needed. With the various assortments of colour and pattern they have become popular amongst aquarium keepers and breeders worldwide.

The most common Caridina shrimp is the crystal red shrimp and the crystal black shrimp. Additionally, in the Caridina family we also include the Tiger shrimp and Taiwan bee shrimp.  Through selective breeding, Caridina shrimp have been crossed amongst all variants to give many different colours and patterns.

Caridina Shrimp Variants

Bee Shrimp (Caridina logemanni)

The Bee shrimp is the result of selectively breeding the wild form of bee shrimp.

• Red Crystal
• Black Crystal
• White Crystal

With careful selection the colour can be bred more or less solid to create a Super Crystal Red or Super Crystal Black.

Taiwan Bee Shrimp (Caridina logemanni)

• Ruby Red
• Wine Red
• Black King Kong
• Panda
• Shadow Panda
• Blue Jelly
• Green Hulk

*Note- There are many variables in regards to patterns and grading within these colour variants

Tiger Shrimp (Caridina mariae)

• Red Tiger
• Black Tiger
• Orange Eye Blue Tiger
• Royal blue

*Note- There are many variables in regards to patterns and grading within these colour variants

Tiger Shrimp (Caridina serrata)

• Tangerine Tiger

Tibee Shrimp

A Tibee shrimp is a cross between a tiger shrimp and a Taiwan bee or Crystal bee shrimp. This crossing is useful to strengthen the gene of the Taiwan bee shrimp as a result. Also, the Tibee Shrimp will produce a higher percentage of Taiwan bee shrimp when crossed back to a Taiwan bee again. This cross is called a ‘Taitibee Shrimp'(TB x Tiger x Bee).

Pinto Shrimp

A Pinto shrimp is a result of breeding Taitibee shrimp, these shrimp come in two main colour forms being red and black as well as caring forms of patterns such as Skunk, fishbone, cloud etc.

Caridina Shrimp Water Parameters

As previously mentioned, Caridina shrimp require some specific water parameters.

Water Hardness

As a rule, Caridina shrimp require soft, acidic water with a KH 0-2 and GH 4-6, easily measured by way of a GH/KH Test Kit. To achieve this many keepers employ the use of a Reverse Osmosis Filter to remove ALL hardness from the source water and remineralise with GH+(calcium and magnesium salts) to the required General Hardness.

PH

Its been well documented that Dwarf Bee Shrimp like slightly acidic water below 6.5PH. Most keepers and breeders all agree that this is easiest to maintain with the use of active substrates. Substrates like ADA Amazonia or Master Soil buffer the water to the correct range required.

Additionally, it is worth noting that active substrates do have an expiry. The soil substrate loses the ability to keep the PH down as it ages and may require changing out after 1-2yrs.

Temperature

The tolerable temperature range for Caridina shrimp is 16-24°C although the ideal is 21-23°C. Furthermore, temperature plays a major role in the longevity of the shrimp. At higher temps the shrimp do not live as long or grow as large.

Shrimp Aquarium

Above all, keep the aquarium simple.

Firstly, filtration need only consist of a sponge filter or similar so as not to suck the shrimp through. Maintaining the nitrogen cycle is most important for Caridina shrimp.

Secondly, female shrimp can sometimes be stressed by the males during moulting. For this reason, there should be many hiding spots available. Additionally, it will give places for shrimplets to shelter.

Lastly, a Heater or Chiller to keep the temperature stable depending on your climate.

Feeding

When feeding dwarf aquarium shrimp less is often more. Shrimp will feed off decaying material and biofilm available in the aquarium. In fact, many aquarium keepers do not even directly feed their shrimp. Although, with larger shrimp populations supplemental feeding becomes necessary.

Accordingly, in our home and shop aquariums we feed a varied diet of commercially prepared Shrimp Food for the most part.

Breeding Caridina Shrimp

Evidently, as long as there is a male and female shrimp, they will breed. Females can be distinguished by the deeper body shape. A female will become saddled when mature and ready to breed, this ‘saddle’ is the eggs forming. Subsequently, once fertilised the female will carry the eggs under her tail for 3-4 weeks and generally have approx 20-30 shrimplets each clutch.

Available Shrimp

To Browse our available Caridina Shrimp Click Here