This is to make sure that the fish is not spreading any diseases. Also, you need to make sure that the dealer tells you if the fish have been subjected to medicines or if they have been de-wormed. By asking these questions, you will be able to have a good idea about the background of the fish. Lastly, you have to take a look at the aquarium chemistry. With its beauty, there s a tradeoff. They are very hard to maintain and they are very temperamental creatures, which are very sensitive to water quality and the food you feed them. 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. You need to remember that sudden change in water chemistry can eventually lead to high stress levels for discus fish. And, if your discus fish is constantly experiencing stress, they will be more likely to get diseases and even die. Tap water is full of chemicals which can be very harmful to discus fish. And you may find that it is easier than you may think. There are a variety of methods that breeders use to know the gender of a discus fish, most of them are used when the discus fish have already grown. While they are still young, it is virtually impossible to determine its gender. Also, be warned that over handling the fish may result to its death. These will not only make the tank look a lot better but these things will serve as a hiding place for discus fish and it will also help keep them comfortable. Discus fish are easily frightened and if they have nowhere to hide, they will get stressed easily and can possibly hurt themselves from dashing around the tank and hitting the glass. Breeding discus fish is not as hard as you may think; it s not as simple either. There certainly will be some costs, but if you do it right, you will be saving money in the long run. In starting out, you have two options. First is the certain option, which is more expensive though. All you have to do is go to a pet shop and buy a breeding pair.