Discus fish are very temperamental but if you do the necessary research and apply it in taking care of the discus fish in your aquarium, you will be able to have a discus fish that will thrive in your aquarium and also grow happy and healthy. The secret in taking care of discus fish is the water. You need to keep in mind that unlike other fishes that needs no specific water condition to thrive, discus fish will need to live in special tanks with water that is specifically treated to the point that it mimics their natural environment. If you want to save some money, but you can t really be sure tht they would breed, is to buy baby discus fish, about six to eight of them. You can just hope that at least one or two of them are male or female. Typically though, there would be one of the opposite sex, so you would just have to wait until they grow up. You have to try getting the largest aquarium that you possibly can in order for you to easily maintain the water quality. You may already know about the nitrogen cycle. You need to consider the fact that this is very important whenever you intend on keeping any kind of fish in a fish tank or aquarium. During spawning, you will notice that the breeding tube of the male discus fish tends to be smaller and sharper, with the female, the breeding tube will be rounder, and broader. The breeding tube can be found between the anal fin and the anus. Some breeders say that the female discus fish have a more vibrant color, but there are fewer patterns. Getting a discus fish in groups will also ensure breeding, which will eventually increase the population of discus fish in your aquarium. As you can imagine, having tiny discus fishes swimming around your aquarium is a very rewarding sight. In their natural environment, discus fish are known to be grazers. 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. Unless you have a river flowing through your house, the fish tank or the aquarium will be your discus fish home for the rest of its life. So you will need to provide it with a habitat that will be conducive for breeding as well as living a life that it s used to.