The Blue Diamond Discus is a very flat fish. Its round body looks just like a silver dollar pancake! Their compressed appearance is what makes them so unique. Males are always larger than females, and when these fish are ready to breed, their fins and bodies will darken in color.
You can tell a Blue Diamond apart from other Discus variations, by its metallic-blue body. Blue Diamonds should appear completely blue, although some fish will show a bit of orange around their eyes and towards the end of their tail and dorsal fins.
Healthy Blue Diamonds should produce a subtle shimmer, and when exposed under high lighting, should become quite vibrant. Their pectoral and tail fins should be a shade of translucent blue, and their scales should be smooth to the touch.
These fish are a considerable size, and they have large fins to match. Their pelvic and dorsal fins are each about half the size of the fish's body.
Unhealthy fish will typically lose their vibrant coloration, and their blue color may start to turn into a dull gray. Coloration changes are usually seen first near the midsection of the fish, but can also occur in other parts of the fish’s body.
Black spots may also appear over time, this phenomenon called “peppering” is usually no cause for concern, as your discus is simply attempting to camouflage within its environment.
Size
Blue Diamond Discus are large fish. In the wild, they grow to be about 6 inches in length, but in an aquarium, they can grow to be even larger, and have been documented to reach 9 inches!
These fish are much larger than some of the more common nano schooling fish. If you’re looking to have your Discus grow to reach their full size, keeping them in a large aquarium is a must!
Blue Diamond Discus Care
Caring for a Blue Diamond Discus is no easy task, many aquarists consider Discus fish as some of the hardest to care for in the freshwater hobby.
Ancestors of Blue Diamond Discus are native to the Amazon river basin in South America. You’re going to want to recreate these conditions if you want to succeed in keeping this species.
Although it may seem difficult to recreate these tropical conditions at home, don’t let it discourage you! Aquarists and the scientific community have been keeping Discus at home for decades, and in today's information age, there is no better time than now.
Lifespan
Blue Diamond Discus can live long lives in a home aquarium. On average, these fish can live for ten years, but some aquarists have kept these fish for up to fifteen years!
As with all aquarium fish, life expectancy is usually directly correlated with quality of care and diet. Feeding your Blue Diamond a nutrient-rich diet, providing optimal water chemistry, and ensuring that they live a stress-free life will bring you success with this species.
Tank Size
If you’ve seen a Blue Diamond Discus in person, chances are you were pretty shocked by its size. It comes as no surprise that a fish as large as a Blue Diamond, or any Discus for that matter, requires a large aquarium. At a minimum, you should have an aquarium that’s at least 55 gallons if you plan on keeping a Blue Diamond Discus fish. But the bigger, the better. Many aquarists opt to keep these fish in aquariums over 100 gallons in size! Having a large aquarium gives you more flexibility with stocking options, and can give you a better chance of maintaining good water quality.
Water quality and tank mates aren’t the only reason why you need a large aquarium to house a Blue Diamond Discus. These fish also love to swim! You might spot these fish hovering in place in the open areas of a tank and think they are resting, but don’t look away for too long! These fish will dart back and forth from one side of a tank to the other as they investigate the aquarium for new potential food sources. When kept in a group, they like to stick together, and even tend to exhibit playful behavior amongst one another.
Water Conditions
If you’re looking to give your Blue Diamond Discus the best life possible, you’ll need to recreate the water chemistry found in their natural environment.
Discus fish hail from the Amazon River Basin, where water temperatures are warm and water is slightly acidic. They live in blackwater rivers, made up of decaying vegetation and plant matter.
These waters tend to have fewer minerals compared to freshwater lakes, so it comes as no surprise that the Blue Diamond Discus will prefer water on the acidic side.
If you can manage to maintain the following water conditions, you should be in excellent shape.
Temperatures: 79°F-86°F
KH: 3-8 DKH
pH: 6.1-7.5
One of the most important steps in Discus keeping is maintaining water chemistry levels over a sustained period of time. Sudden, drastic changes in water chemistry can prove fatal to sensitive species such as Discus.
SKU: D-BD
