Stats

Lifespan: 10-15 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Omnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: School
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: South America
Movement: Swimming
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Rare

About

A famously disc-shaped freshwater cichlid from the Amazon basin, prized in aquariums for its vibrant red-and-blue striated patterning. Discus are unusual among fish in that parents secrete a nutritious mucus from their skin which the fry feed directly off of for their first weeks of life.

Life cycle

1.
hatchling fry
A tiny fry hatches with a yolk sac and begins free-swimming once the sac is absorbed.
2.
juvenile
A juvenile takes on adult body shape and feeds on small prey, often in nursery waters.
3.
adult
Fully grown at adult size and coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cichliformes
Family: Cichlidae
Genus: Symphysodon
Species: Symphysodon discus