Huge Discus Planted Display Tank Part 3 - Adding Wild Hybrid Discus Fish!

Part 3 of our 130-gallon planted freshwater (FW) discus display build: stocking the tank with a fresh shipment of wild-looking hybrid discus. This is a real-time look at proper drip-free bag acclimation, discus behavior, and what to expect the first few hours after introduction.

How Discus Arrive

Shipped fish come packed with heat packs to keep water temperature stable in the cold cargo holds of an aircraft during transit.

Acclimation Process

• Add roughly a liter of tank water to each shipping bag, poured from height to oxygenate the water as it enters
• Let bags sit and acclimate for about 20 minutes before netting
• Use a large net and bucket to drain bag water away and transfer only the fish into the display — never dump bag water directly into the tank
• Turn off strong display lighting during introduction to reduce stress

What to Expect After Introduction

Discus are notoriously sensitive to environmental change — expect newly introduced fish to hover in tank corners and dark areas rather than immediately explore. This is completely normal; over the following hours to days, they'll establish territory and settle into the display.

Interested in discus for your own planted display? Browse our freshwater fish selection at natureaquariums.com or visit our Lauderhill store.