The care of discus fish begins as soon as you get them home from the pet store, before you even add them to the tank with their newest friends. These aquatic creatures are especially sensitive to stress, so minimizing the stress on them is extremely important for their long term health. This article will discuss how to minimize the stress of adding a fish to the tank on both the one being added as well as the existing ones in the tank.

Step 1 – Buy a Healthy Fish

At the pet store, choose a fish with even, healthy looking eyes. Make sure they look healthy in their behavior and the way they swim. Finally, make sure the scales look even and don’t look diseased.

Step 2 – Float the bag

Your fish will come from the pet store in a plastic bag. Float the bag with the fish in it in the aquarium for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the temperature in the bag is the same as the temperature in the tank.

Step 3 – Mix the water

For the care of discus fish, combine the water in the bag with the water in the tank. Once the temperature is stabilized between the two environments, open the bag and put a cup of water from the aquarium into the bag with the fish in it and then reseal the bag. This will equalize the chemicals between the aquarium and the bag.

Step 4 – Add the Fish to the Aquarium

Roughly 10 minutes after the water has been combined, you can take transfer the fish from the bag to the aquarium

Additional Hints

If at all possible, I recommend transferring the fish from the bag to a quarantine tank to make sure he is well before adding him to the general population. After a week or so in the quarantine tank, repeat the steps above to transfer the new fish to the permanent aquarium.

Adding more than one or two fish to the aquarium at a time should be avoided. Adding too many fish at a time, or adding incompatible fish to an aquarium, can cause undue stress to the existing fish.