Basically, they will need extremely clear water and you also have to maintain the temperature as well as the pH level of the water at a constant level. Also, you need to monitor the quantity of heavy metals, nitrites, nitrates, and ammonia in the water. It is highly recommended that as a discus fish owner, you need to use a reverse osmosis filtration unit inside the fish tank where you keep the discus fish. So, here are some secrets that will help you keep your Discus Fish alive and also get them to breed so you won t have to spend money on a Discus Fish ever again. Keeping a Discus Fish aquarium is a lot of fun. However, you have to remember that you need to treat them differently than other types of freshwater fishes as these species are considered to be high maintenance and that they need to be watched over constantly. They will be stressed out and with high levels of stress, the more chances that your Discus Fish will get sick. This means that you have to have a large aquarium in order for you to keep Discus Fish, especially if you are planning on keeping more than two. You also have to remember that if you want to keep your Discus Fish happy, you have to keep at least 6 Discus Fish together in the same aquarium. A 20 gallon fish tank is great for breeding as this will give you enough space for both the mating pairs to swim around and breed. 20 gallon fish tanks are perfect for 2 pairs of discus fish. But, if you are planning to breed several pairs, a larger fish tank may be needed. You also have to keep in mind that discus fish are social animals. You don t have to train them, and side from the occasional cleaning, they can be kept wherever they are already placed. All the work though, and the expenses, come before the fishes arrive. Like fishes taken out of the water, well, literally fishes that are taken out of the water, your discus fish will need a tank where they will live on. Speaking of the tank, because the discus fish is quite large as compared to others, you should have a large enough tank to hold them. A 20 to 27 gallon aquarium would do fine. This way, you can have enough space to hold your discus fish and your aquarium ornaments and if your breeding them, future space for their spawn.