Discus are shy and generally peaceful aquarium inhabitants. They are sensitive to stress and disturbance or lack of protection. Therefore, it is best to keep discus aquariums in quiet, low traffic areas of a home or office, and to provide the fish with plenty of hiding places. The best cohabitants may be angelfish, although both species are large fishes that require a lot of tank room and some aquarists claim that keeping them together with angelfish will introduce parasites and/or diseases. Small characides like tetras and Uaru species are also suggested cohabitants for discus. It is noteworthy, however, that small fish may be intimidated or eaten by the discus. Catfish with sucker mouths are less than ideal cohabitants for discus since they sometimes attach themselves on the sides of discus and eat their mucus membranes.

Many aquarists consider discus to be finicky and are not recommended for inexperienced aquarists. Discus are not particularly hardy and they often become susceptible to disease and die if not kept in optimal conditions. Ammonia (produced from fish waste) and suboptimal water temperatures are the biggest threats to the immune system of a discus. In their natural habitat, discus live in essentially distilled water, therefore, the chemicals commonly added to the municipal water supply can be dangerous to the fish. It is for this reason that many discus enthusiasts ultimately choose to do water changes using RO water.