Should I buy it?
Discus
Symphysodon sp.
Also known as: pompadour fish, Pompadour fish
Fishori provides conservative planning guidance, not guarantees.
Based on multiple reputable aquarium care sources with strong agreement. Use the numbers here as planning defaults — your room, water, and routine still shape real-world outcomes.
Advanced keeper's fish. A discus group in a well-run soft-water tank rewards the effort, but discus do not forgive casual maintenance or impulse stocking.
Best for
Experienced keepers running soft-water planted tanks of 250 L or more with daily attention and regular water changes.
Avoid if
You have kept fish for less than a year. You can't do 30% or more water changes weekly. Or your water is hard.
Top things that go wrong
- Specialist husbandry. Kept in pairs or small groups of 4 or more. Buy them at the same time rather than adding one fish at a time.
- Shrimp & snails. Shrimp: compatible in most setups. Cherry shrimp and other dwarf species coexist with peaceful small fish, though baby shrimp are food for almost any fish that gets to them.
Common mistakeLarge water changes with temperature-mismatched water. A 5 °C drop during a 40% change triggers disease within days even in an otherwise healthy fish.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Large minimum volumes still need real footprint: length and width for turning matter as much as the litre number on a sticker.
- 2.First tank, first week, 100 L with six random discus 'because the shop had a deal' is the classic crash recipe.
- 3.Slotting a discus into a cory plus neon plus barb 'community' tank without growth and water-change math.
- 4.Not suitable for beginners. Discus require precise water conditions, high temperatures, and frequent water changes. Tank mates must tolerate 28 to 30 °C.
- 5.Discus need very warm, soft water and excellent maintenance — not a first fish.
About this species
Discus are tall disc-shaped South American cichlids that need 28 to 32 °C, soft acidic water, and clean conditions. Adults reach 15 to 18 cm and need vertical space, not just litres.
- African Cichlid200L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Convict cichlid200L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Firemouth Cichlid200L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Jack Dempsey200L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Keyhole cichlid200L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Rainbow cichlid200L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Angelfish150L min · same group, similar adult size
- Electric Blue Acara150L min · same group, similar adult size
- Hillstream Loachalso advanced peaceful, similar tank size
- Ropefish / reed fishalso advanced peaceful, similar tank size
- Sterba's Corydoras tank mateslists this fish as a safe and recommended mate
Plan grid
Key limits are shown above; this section adds planning detail: pH band, swim level, bioload and activity, and the radar.
Swim zones
Planning trait chart
Six indices for comparing species on paper before you spend.
- Beginner ease29
- Peacefulness90
- Community fit79
- Small-tank fit90
- Hardiness31
- Energy54
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Common setup sketches
Conservative patterns from Fishori fields — still run the pair checker for every species you add; sketches are not a stocking guarantee.
Rough 200L+ layout: one calm centrepiece, 8–12 small tetras/rasboras, 6–8 corydoras-type bottom fish — verify every name in the pair checker before buying.
Safe directions on file include: Corydoras Catfish, Cardinal Tetra, German Blue Ram.
Tank mate intelligence
Pair with cardinal tetras, rummy-nose tetras, corydoras (warm-tolerant species like sterbai), otocinclus. Avoid hard-water fish, fast aggressive species, fin nippers.
Pair-level compatibility with this fish as anchor.
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Discus + Corydoras Catfish
Behaviour, temperament, and what to watch
Prose and lists come from the same record: read temperament first, then glass-level signals so you are not surprised after day three.
Peaceful but socially complex. Kept singly they pine. In pairs they squabble. In groups of six or more they form a stable hierarchy.
Stress / aggression triggers on file
- Sudden crowding
- Poor water quality
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper, but individuals can still test fins under stress or in a crowded tank.
Predation: Not a predator toward similarly-sized community fish. The usual community caveats about mouth size still apply for very small fry or shrimp.
Territory: Not strongly territorial, but still claims a working area in the tank. Give it room to settle without overlapping the next species' patch.
Planted tanks: excellent — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- Moderate pacing — not hyperactive, not motionless.
- Clamped fins, gasping at the surface, hiding non-stop, or refusing food after the first week.
- Rapid breathing when parameters swing — fix ammonia/nitrite first, then reassess mates.
- Hanging in high flow or refusing open water — can mean oxygen stress or wrong current.
- Low listed risk — still watch new introductions.
- Separate or rehome if injuries appear, one fish is pinned, or feeding becomes a daily chase.
- If water is stable but behaviour worsens, reduce stocking or remove the highest-impact species first.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Care parameters: water, food, inverts, grouping
Chemistry and group rules sit here so you are not re-reading the same line from tank mate or temperament blocks. Swim level is in the plan grid above.
Hardness
soft
Diet
carnivore
Small invertebrates, frozen bloodworm or daphnia, and protein-rich prepared foods. Rotate the menu and feed by appetite rather than by clock.
Shrimp & snails
Shrimp: compatible in most setups. Cherry shrimp and other dwarf species coexist with peaceful small fish, though baby shrimp are food for almost any fish that gets to them.
Kept in pairs or small groups of 4 or more. Buy them at the same time rather than adding one fish at a time.
Breeding behaviour depends on the species. Research before you buy a mixed-sex group of this fish.
- Hold 28 to 32 °C steadily on a real thermometer, not the dial on the heater.
- Aim for pH 6 to 7 and a hardness you can re-test in two weeks. A one-time strip in the shop car park is not a water test.
- Footprint: short wide tanks and tall narrow tanks fish differently for the same volume. Match the tank shape to the swim pattern, not just the litre count.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 200L published minimum for adults.
- You can stock at least 4 individuals (group welfare).
- Heater can hold 28–32°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
- Filter maturity / stable parameters before adding sensitive stock.
Explore and stocking hubs
Same library as the rest of Fishori: tank-mate index for this species, category peers, guides, and litre-based stocking lists where min tank on file is within the hub volume.
Plan with tools
Pair-level rules and multi-fish stocking use the same conservative engine — add this fish in the tank builder only after mates pass pair checks.
Filtration & heating
A 200L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 800L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 28–32°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Discus does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 28–32°C and pH 6–7:
Profile status: verified · Evidence tier: high · 3 linked source(s). Fishori does not fabricate citations.
Fishori uses conservative planning rules based on these sources.
Confidence is explained in the summary at the top of this page (same tier as here), not repeated below.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Seriously Fish. Symphysodon aequifasciatus (discus complex representative)
Primary stand-in: Seriously Fish page for a common discus taxon. Trade 'discus' is often a mix of lineages, strains, and hybrids. Match your bag label, not a single name field here.
- FishBase. Symphysodon aequifasciatus
Taxonomy, distribution, and typical max length in natural/wild contexts (cross-check to aquarium import lines).
- Wikipedia. Discus (fish)
Encyclopaedia overview; use specialist aquarium sources for your stock's real temperature/pH/footprint needs.
Evidence notes
- The Seriously Fish profile for the binomial in this record was successfully reached as the primary aquarium reference.
- FishBase contributes natural-range size and habitat context. Translate those numbers through your heater, your water report, and your tank footprint before stocking.
- Wikipedia: used only for stable paths where the binomial or a slug override could be confirmed. Broad trade categories should stay in generic planning mode.
- All compatibility text reflects typical hobby experience and the Fishori model. Individual fish, shop stress, and the order tank mates are added in can still defy a single-paragraph label.
- Fishori profiles work from typical aquarium trade sizes and hobby care norms. Specialist site checks and literature review for this species are not yet recorded here, so the ranges on this page are planning numbers rather than guarantees.