Red Spotted Green Discus

I bought my first Discus from a breeder located approximately an hour and a half away. The fish were large, between 10 and 12 cm. They were packed in pairs, each pair in a 5 litre container. They survived the trip well. I transferred them to my aquarium properly (as described below), but what a shock! All the Discus became completely dark and lay gasping on the bottom. My wife and I sat in front of the aquarium expecting them to die. However, within half an hour, 7 of the 8 Discus became brighter again, resumed normal swimming, and congregated in a corner of the aquarium. One Discus was left on the bottom. After a while, one of the other Discus swam down and began nudging the one on the bottom, trying to get it to swim. It didn't take long before that Discus began swimming as well and joined the school in the corner. A little later, they slowly began to explore the aquarium. Within 14 days, a couple of the Discus had mated and laid a bunch of eggs on a root.

Before transferring the fish to the aquarium, use a hose with a clamp to drip aquarium water into the transport container. This process should take approximately one hour. Once this process is complete, use a net to move the fish to the aquarium. The transfer container water is not used. The older the fish are or the greater the difference in water properties, the longer the transferring phase should take. Smaller fish should be raised in an empty and plant-free tank of appropriate size.