The water should also be acidic and soft. Maintain a pH level of about 5.5 to 6.5. Captive fish or store bought discus fish can survive in harder water and acidic levels that can reach 6.8. They are already used to this. But for breeding purposes, stick to the natural levels that discus fish are used to. The water temperature, acidity, and hardness should be stable enough and it should mimic the water in a discus fish s natural environment. You should also keep the water clean. So, try to change 50 percent of the water at least once a week and make sure that whenever you feed your discus fish, you need to clean or remove uneaten fish food. Discus fish lives naturally in soft water that is slightly acidic. When it comes to feeding, make sure that you don t over feed them. By ensuring these things, you will see that your discus fish will grow healthily, which will essentially mean good color development. Always keep in mind that before you actually purchase a discus fish and place them in your aquarium, make sure that you know how to take care of them and make sure that you are responsible enough to care for them. When you are setting up your discus fish tank, it is important to remember that you have to add a water conditioner in the tap water, which you will doubtlessly use. This will do the job in taking out the chlorine as well as other chemicals present in the water. Keep in mind that discus fish thrive in softer water. Firstly though, don t be dissuaded when people say that discus fish keeping is difficult, frankly speaking it can be, but only to those who do not exert the effort to learn. But, in time, with proper research you will discover that discus fish keeping is very rewarding and easy. So here we go. You need to have an adequately sized tank. The acidity and hardness of the water should also be kept at an optimum level. For discus fish, the optimum water acidity would be a pH level of 6. Remember these tips and you can be sure that you will be able to take good care of your discus fish. These tips will serve as your guide in owning or keeping discus fish in your aquarium.