Discus expert Heiko Bleher explains what sort of biotope the Green Discus, Symphysodon aequifasciatus, is found in in the Western Amazon basin.
Green Discus (Symphysodon aequifasciatus) are only found in Western Amazon habitats. Its biotopes consist in part of acará-açú bushes, but also near the camu-camu plant, another bush that often lives partly under water.
The Green Discus can also be found around Lake Tefé and other places during daytime, also below fallen in trees and trunks.
Their biotope is almost always over a fine sandy bottom, often covered in part by driftwood. The water is normally 1.5-3m/4.9-9.8’ deep. Only at night do they come up closer to the surface and individuals rest near a bush or a tree trunk.
Discus never live with true aquatic plants but during floods are among terrestrial submersed vegetation or while they spawn. Sometimes they are among floating plants like Pistia stratoites, Eichornia crassipes and sometimes Utricularia species.
This item was first published in the September 2009 issue of Practical Fishkeeping magazine. It may not be reproduced without written permission.