Project Description

Pigeon Checkerboard Discus

This gorgeous strain of discus is patterned with red lines that have covered the whole body from face to tail and the fins like blood veins. Their eyeballs are usually black with red eye rings.
  • QUICK LOOK:
  • Recommended for: beginners or higher
  • Price Range: or higher
  • Growth Speed:
  • Strength: but easy to show black pigmentations
  • Family Group: Hybrids
  • Design: patterned
  • Best Food: Both beef heart and dried food high in red-pigmentation
  • Water Condition: TDS up to 150, PH: 6.5 – 7.5

Care and Breeding Information

General care for Pigeon Chekercboard Discus

Pigeon Checkerboard is definitely one of the most popular strains of discus which look amazing especially when a school of them is kept in the tank. They are considered a strong fish and easy to keep but be careful of water TDS as they can easily show black pigmentation in hard water, it’s in their genetics. if well cared, they’ll live up to 8 to 9 years in aquariums. This strain is usually in a mid-range price for discus, however, some are sold at any higher prices.
Best food:
Foods with a higher amount of red pigmentation are the best for Checkerboard discus which intensifies their red vein coloration in a natural way. They can eat both beef heart and dried food. One of the specifically produced foods for this strain is Sera Discus Color Red. Like most other strains It’s best to use a well-calculated discus feeding instruction for Pigeon Checkerboard as it helps you not only to have a growing and healthier discus but also a cleaner tank as well.
Suitable water and tank condition:
Conditioning water is always an important factor for every aquarium and it seems to be even more important when it comes to Discus. Pigeon Checkerboard needs the water not to be higher than 150 in TDS, and the PH of 6.5 to 7.5 in order to stop black pigmentations to show up on this strain. To learn more about how to maintain well-conditioned water for discus click here.
The best tank condition for Pigeon Checkerboard can be tanks with brighter backgrounds which results in brighter color in your fish. Sand and gravel cause your fish to turn into a darker coloration. Woods and plants can be used if you are not a fan of bare bottom tanks but it’s better to avoid high-density planting as it makes it difficult to clean the tank up to its cleanest. You can always use the pots-method for having plants and a clean tank at the same time. to learn more about the best tank conditions for discus click here.
A healthy Pigeon Checkerboard should look like:
I can’t stress it enough, Buying healthy discus and from a reliable source is like the MOST IMPORTANT step of every discus lover which will save you a lot of headache and money. There are common signs of a healthy and quality discus but talking about Pigeon Checkerboard Discus, First, you’ll need to pay attention to their skin, as their skin is sensitive and it’s a good reflection of their health. you’ll see pigmentations on their body usually if they are stressed out or the water is not soft enough for them. rounded shape, Opened fins, and healthy gills are all important. looking at their poop tells a lot. In addition, the dorsal fin and anal fin needs to look symmetrical.  click here to learn more about how to buy a quality discus!
Pigeon Checkerboard Discus is often confused with:
Pigeon Blood Discus! Red Dragon, Red Eagle and Red Panda.

General Breeding information

Pairs Preparations For Breeding Discus
If you want quality eggs, you’ll need a healthy pair. So one thing I found vital in successful breeding is to prepare the pair for breeding at least 15 days before laying the eggs you are planning to work on. using Chloramine-T on Flubendazole every 5 days and for 3 cycles. click on here to learn how to use chloramine-T or Flubendazole!
Water Condition for Breeding Pigeon Checkerboard Discus
The water you put in the breeding tank first is usually the water of the bigger tank where your pair fell in love! Remember, your matured discus could do just fine in some various water conditions but that might not be the case for their eggs. If you want a high rate of discus eggs hatching, apart from using methylene blue you’ll need soft water, TDS from 30 to 70 is fine and my favorite number is 50. You just take care of this number and the rest of the parameters will simply adjust to it’s best (Such as the PH and etc).
Tank and filtration condition for Breeding Discus
To explain it briefly and based on my experience, I think The best size for a breeding tank is 50cm * 50cm * 50cm Which ends up holding 125 Liters of water. It is best to choose a similar size for the Lenght, width, and height of the breeding tank. but none of them should be less than 40 cm while holding 125 Liters of water.
Then for filtration set up, you’ll need a simple, and easy to use a sponge filter.  We’ll want to remove the sponge filter when the eggs are hatched and to replace it back after the fry are better swimmers. read more here!
Next is the heater, for such tank, you’ll need a 150W or 200W to maintain a temperature of 28°C – 28.5°C. Here is a trick I use all the time, as 30% to 50% water change is recommended daily and it helps to soften the water. I purposely choose to add enough water of 25°C until I can decrease the tank temperature by 1°C or 1.5°C suddenly, and the heater works to bring it back to the beginning temperature of 28°C or 28.5°C. This happens to lead the pairs into temptation and desire for sex.
lastly, we’ll need to have a breeding cone or anything else like ceramics, Pvc pipes to provide a surface for laying the eggs although they might still decide to lay their eggs anywhere else they like!
Pigeon Checkerboard Discus pairs up well with:
Best with the Reds such as Marlboro Red, Red Panda, Red Dragon, Red Melon and etc.

Other types of Discus you can learn about: