How to Raise a Discus Fry Without Parents

Raising and breeding discus fish is considered by many hobbyists to be both extraordinarily rewarding and demanding. Discus fry in the first few days of their lives actually feed off of the slime coating produced by the parent discus. Without the parents of the fry present, discus fry must be fed a diet of plankton as many as 12 times per day. While baby brine shrimp can be added later, the heavy feeding schedule and large number of fry usually compromise the water quality of the breeding tank, necessitating almost daily water changes.

Things You'll Need

  • Bucket
  • Siphon hose vacuum
  • Baby brine shrimp
  • Water test kit
  • Fish net
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Change 30 percent of the water in the discus fry tank once per day from the time they have reached seven days old until they have been removed from the tank and adopted, sold or otherwise distributed. Use the siphon vacuum and bucket to clean the debris from the bottom of the tank and remove the water. This will include uneaten food and organic waste that will throw off the pH and ammonia levels of the tank, endangering the fry.

    • 2

      Feed the fry plankton for the first seven days of their lives as a staple. Feeding should be done approximately every two hours throughout the day and night.

    • 3

      Supplement the plankton diet of the fry with baby brine shrimp starting on the fourth day after they are hatched. Replace five of the feedings throughout the day with the baby brine shrimp. After approximately 10 days of feeding the discus both foods on this schedule, discontinue feeding the fry plankton and switch to exclusively brine shrimp for all 12 feedings through the day. This food can be continued until you have distributed the young discus. Once the discus have reached approximately 1/2 inch in length, cut the feedings down to three per day, still using the brine shrimp.

    • 4

      Cull the tank on occasion with a fish net to remove deformed discus or those who appear sickly. This provides more room for the healthy discus to grow, increasing their chances of survival.

    • 5

      Test the water weekly with a water testing kit to make certain that ammonia and pH levels do not increase too much, as this will endanger the entire brood.