Pigeon Blood Discus

Looks how to spot one

scales

The body is disc-shaped and laterally compressed, typical of all discus fish. The Pigeon Blood variety has a creamy yellowish to deep orange-red base colour, often with irregular black speckling or 'peppering' across the body and fins. The eyes are a striking blood red, and the tail is almost always black. The amount of black spotting varies between individuals.56

Personality what they are like

Pigeon Blood Discus are generally peaceful and do best in a community of similar-sized, calm fish. They are social and feel most secure in groups of four to six. Males can become territorial with each other during breeding, engaging in a pushing contest until one gives up, but serious aggression is rare.47

Daily activity how busy a day looks

They are active swimmers and need plenty of open water to move. A group of five or six fish requires a minimum tank size of 190 litres (50 gallons). Moderate water current is preferred, and strong currents should be avoided.35

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Care level is moderate to advanced. Water quality must be excellent; perform weekly partial water changes of about 20%. Strong biological and mechanical filtration is essential. Water parameters must remain stable, as discus are sensitive to sudden changes. If bright lighting is used for plants, provide shaded areas with dense vegetation.53

Home where they are happiest

Provide a soft substrate and plenty of hiding spots using driftwood, roots, and live plants such as Java ferns, Anubias, and Amazon swords. Water temperature should be 28-31°C (82-88°F), pH 6.0-7.5, and general hardness 1-10 dGH. The water should be soft and slightly acidic to neutral. Do not house with aggressive or boisterous tank mates.453

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Omnivorous but largely carnivorous. Feed a varied diet of high-quality discus pellets, live or frozen foods such as brine shrimp, bloodworms, daphnia, blackworms, and tubifex. Offer vegetables like spinach, zucchini, and peas occasionally. Adults should be fed 2-3 times a day, juveniles 3-5 times a day. Only give as much food as they can eat in two minutes.453

Company who they like around

Highly social; keep in groups of at least 5-6 individuals to reduce stress and encourage natural behaviour. They form a well-defined nuclear family. Suitable tank mates include other peaceful community fish of similar size. During breeding, a pair will clean a flat surface and the fry feed on the parents' mucus; the parents must not be removed.37

The story where it all began

The Pigeon Blood Discus is a selectively bred colour variety of the wild discus (Symphysodon aequifasciata). It was created in 1989 by Thai breeder Kitti Phanaitthi. He noticed a unique male striped turquoise discus with a golden base, violet stripes, and black peppering in a friend's tank, and purchased it for $3,000. He cross-bred this fish with a female red turquoise discus. The resulting offspring had a creamy yellow-orange body with bright red eyes and black markings, a pattern never seen before. The variety gets its name from the blood-red colour of the eyes, reminiscent of pigeon blood rubies. Kitti first showed the fish to the world at the Aquarama exhibition in Singapore in 1991, where it became an instant sensation. The distinctive colour is caused by an amelanistic gene that reduces black pigment, allowing the orange and yellow tones to stand out against a pale background.128