Stendker have been breeding the popular STENDKER discus fish for over 55 years in Germany and have accustomed the offspring to German tap water values. The animals are therefore brilliantly coloured, very robust, not very skittish and used to people.
The STENDKER discus fish are different and can no longer be compared with the wild-caught discus fish from the Amazon.
Details
| Type | Ciclids |
| Family | Cichlidae |
| Species | Symphysodon |
| Synonyms | |
| Origins | Tank bred line |
| Sexual Dimorphism | The genital papilla is pointed in males and rounded in females. |
| Length | 21 cm |
| Shoaling | Yes |
| Temperature | 28 - 30 deg C |
| Water parameters | pH 6.0 - 8.0, dH 1 - 15 |
Care
Typical behaviour for this type of Cichlid is that, in smaller groups, often one fish will
become dominant. This fish will then attack all other discus fish in the group, and often
the group dynamic will result in the group preventing the weakest fish from feeding. The
weakest fish will then become dark in colour, remain immobile in a corner, lose weight,
will be excluded by the group and may die. If this happens, the group then turns on the
next weakest fish and prevents it from feeding, and so on.
To prevent such behaviour from continuing, we recommend that you increase the
stocking density until the aggression in the group decreases. Experience has shown
that discus fish behave peacefully in group sizes of about 10 fish or more. Feeding
Offer a varied diet, fed in small amounts at least 3 times per day e.g. flake, granular foods, and frozen foods such as brineshrimp, beefheart, bloodworm and special ‘Discus mixes’. Adding a vitamin supplement to the foods can be beneficial. Try to vary up the food on a regular basis so that the Discus do not become hooked on one type of food only.
NOTE STENDKER sell their own discus feed.Breeding
Eggs are laid on a pre-cleaned spawning site (usually a spawning cone or upright piece of slate) and are protected by the parents, who will fan them with their pectoral fins to ensure a gentle flow of water over them. The eggs should hatch within approx 72 hours, and after a further 48+ hours, the free-swimming fry will begin to feed on body mucus secreted by the parents (during this time, the adults will turn quite dark in colour). Generally it is best to separate the fry from the parents after 7-10 days to prevent the fry from overgrazing on the parent’s skin. At this point they can be offered newly hatched baby brineshrimp (Artemia nauplii).
