How Can I Get a Breeding Pair of Discus Fish?
This is a common question asked by lot of people, who are thinking of breeding their own Discus Fish. There are three different ways to successfully obtain a good breeding pair of Discus Fish, and all three are explained below in details.
Method #1 – Getting a proven pair of Discus
This is the easiest and the fastest method, but will cost you money. A proven pair is a bonded male and a female, which has already produced young ones. A solid proven pair can be very expensive depending on quality and the variety. This method can be risky but rewarding if you manage to get a truly bonded, genuine proven pair. Young Discus can be sold for a decent price and you will make the money you spent in no time if you consider doing it as a business.
Just be careful when you are buying the pair. Make sure they are truly bonded. Make sure the seller is a reputed company or a person, someone known to you, or was recommended by someone you trust. This greatly reduces the risk factor and usually you can start making money right off the bat.
Method #2 – Getting a pair from young discus fish
Get 10-12 young discus (about 1-2 inch body size), and let them grow in a large tank. Try a non-expensive variety if you are doing this for the first time. After several months, you will notice some of them pairing up and trying to get away from the rest and mark territories. This is a sign that they have bonded and the pair should then be moved into a separate tank. You can find more information on how to set up a tank in some of the articles we have posted on this website.
With this method, you have more control compared to the first one, and you will get good experience raising the young discus for several months.
Method #3 – Buying young adult discus fish
You can also buy young adults (about 5 inch in body size) from a seller. At this stage it can be possible to identify male/female discus. Buy a few pairs so the chances of you getting a solid pair suitable for breeding will be high.
As you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages in every method mentioned above. I personally prefer the second method, but I know people who have achieved great success by using all three, and all of them are very practical.
