Luvdisc
Discus suavium
Overview
Luvdisc is not a powerful pokémon. They must breathe underwater once every fifteen minutes, making them impractical for travelers. The pokémon are also notoriously hard to care for in captivity and rarely bond to their trainer. Despite everything, luvdisc is one of the most popular pokémon in the aquarium trade. This is because of their cultural association with love and happiness. Many hotels in popular honeymoon areas keep large aquariums, pools, or sea pens of luvdisc. Some of the honeymooners that visit will be inspired to take in a luvdisc of their own as a sign of the couple's eternal love.
Most of these fish will die quickly in the hands of inexperienced aquarists.
Physiology
Luvdisc are classified as pure water-types.
Luvdisc have a laterally compressed, heart-shape body. They have only a limited ability to move with their muscles, instead relying on hydrokinesis to move them through the water at speeds of up to thirty-five miles an hour. They can struggle to turn at high speeds due to their body shape. Luvdisc's scales are bright pink and coated in a thin layer of mucus. Because red wavelengths are absorbed quickly by water, luvdisc actually appear to be black to most sea creatures.
Luvdisc usually grow to be two feet tall and one foot long. They can live up to fifteen years in the wild but rarely survive for more than ten in captivity.
Behavior
Algae is the main component of a wild luvdisc's diet. They dart around coral reefs and use their small mouth to pick off clumps of algae they find. Zooplankton are also a good source of food when there is not enough algae to go around. An algae-based diet allows luvdisc to stay close to the coral, ready to dart into crevasses or the space between corsola branches. This is vital as luvdisc have no real defense mechanism other than hiding and mimicry.
Fish with poor vision often mistake luvdisc for the foul-tasting alomomola and avoid eating them. This is especially important as luvdisc are forced to mimic one of alomomola's most detrimental habits: basking. Luvdisc have a very high surface area to volume ratio compared to most fish. Because of this luvdisc lose and gain heat very quickly. Their body shape also does not leave room for particularly large organs to help them generate heat. Luvdisc are forced to lay horizontally near the surface for several hours a day to soak up heat. Alomomola are also famous for doing this. Most fish will hesitate to attack a basking luvdisc, assuming that it is the noxious alomomola. Birds tend to have keener vision and are easily able to spot the differences. In some areas luvdisc make up over one quarter of pelipper's catches. At night luvdisc are forced to sleep to conserve energy. They can still move water past their gills while asleep.
Luvdisc live in bonded pairs. Contrary to popular belief, mated pairs cannot kiss each other and then use their bodies like wings to fly. Sometimes luvdisc will jump out of the water to scout for birds before they bask in an area. This is the probable origin of the folklore around flying luvdisc pairs.
Husbandry
Luvdisc are difficult to design aquariums for due to their need for heat. An aquarium kept around 86°F will satisfy them but will be uncomfortable for other reef fish. High temperature tanks require lots of aeration. Bubblers meet this need and provide enrichment. Aquarists wishing to keep luvdisc in a multispecies tank will need to either have other heat-lovers or a deep tank with heat lamps. This setup will allow for luvdisc to comfortably bask while keeping benthic dwellers at a suitable temperature. If luvdisc are kept with another species they will also want a wide tank with lots of coral or other debris. This will let luvdisc run away from opponents or hide, depending on where they are caught. Luvdisc will want the options to escape or hide even if their tankmates are entirely docile. Even tanks without other pokémon should have at least some places to hide.
Because they primarily subsist on algae, luvdisc work best in tanks with a high surface area and lots of live rock. Algae-based food does exist, but saltwater is particularly vulnerable to algae infestations. Introducing the wrong kind in the wrong quantities can lead to the tank becoming overrun. The remaining third of luvdisc's diet can be met by brine shrimp or other invertebrates small enough to fit inside of a luvdisc's mouth. If the pokémon spits out its food and has to take several more bites it is too large. Frozen bloodworms make for an excellent treat. They should be used sparingly to avoid addiction.
Luvdisc should be kept in pairs. The gender composition is irrelevant as luvdisc will happily bond with either sex. More pairs can be introduced to sufficiently large tanks with enough hiding places. The different pairs will seldom interact with each other.
Tropical corsola are by far the best tankmates for luvdisc. They can thrive at the temperatures that luvdisc prefer and also tend to accumulate algae. This provides both a home and a food source for luvdisc and mitigates one of corsola's health problems. Pyukumuku have a very high temperature tolerance. They can work well in a tank with enough sand and coral or live rock to keep both species well fed. Clamperl can also tolerate higher temperatures and will not scare luvdisc. Be warned that they must be removed when evolution approaches: gorebyss are more than capable of squeezing into luvdisc's hiding places and eating them while they sleep.
Luvdisc are skittish creatures. It is best to keep them in a secluded, quiet place. In homes with children there should be barriers to prevent them from tapping the glass and disturbing the luvdisc. Research has shown that some forms of quiet background music can help calm the pokémon and drown out other sounds. Specialist forums contain recommended playlists.
Pokéballs should be used infrequently and primarily for transportation. Stasis balls prevent the luvdisc from panicking upon finding itself alone. Despite assertions from at least one high profile coordinator, love balls do not have a statistically significant impact on luvdisc welfare.
Illness
The most common problem in captive luvdisc is stress. Luvdisc are disturbed by loud noises, low temperatures, lack of hiding places, aggressive tankmates, bright lights, total darkness, and loneliness, among other things. A stressed luvdisc will either spend almost all of its time hidden away, leaving for less than two hours a day, or it will begin to dart madly around the tank at all hours. The best treatment is to remove the stressor. Be careful to do so in a way that does not cause further stress.
Hypothermia is the other major killer of captive luvdisc. A cold luvdisc will begin to spend more and more time at or near the surface. Its movements will slow and then almost entirely stop. If these symptoms appear withdraw the luvdisc and check the water temperature. Raise it to at least eighty five degrees and take the pokémon to a veterinarian.
Evolution
N/A
Battle
Wild luvdisc prefer to flee or hide instead of fighting. They prey upon zooplankton small enough to fit inside their mouth. Simply put, luvdisc are not built for combat. The most they can do in a real fight is flit around the battlefield while trying to wear down opponents with whirlpool and toxic. Unfortunately, luvdisc lacks the sheer speed that lets most quickstall pokémon avoid attack after attack. Most water-types that luvdisc would try to trap have stronger hydrokinesis than their would-be trapper. This means that luvdisc can be blown off course by a powerful wave.
The only battle-adjacent field where luvdisc have found any success is coordination. Even there luvdisc can struggle in the face of loud sounds and unfamiliar spaces. They also lack the raw power expected from even performance-only pokémon in the highest echelons of the contest scene.
Acquisition
Luvdisc numbers have declined after the introduction of toxapex to Alola. Their capture is now prohibited on most reefs throughout Alola. Capture is always allowed on at least two patches of reef somewhere in the Commonwealth, but the exact locations vary over time. Consult the DNR website for more information. They can be purchased from most high end aquarium stores. They are not generally available for adoption.
It is best to obtain luvdisc in pairs. Ideally an existing pair would be captured or purchased, but at minimum two unrelated individuals should be introduced to a new tank at the same time.
Luvdisc can be obtained with a Class IV license.
Breeding
Wild luvdisc participate in mass spawning events four times a year. Females can release over 3,000 eggs into the water. Most will settle onto nearby surfaces. The ones that land in crevasses or other hard to reach places are much more likely to survive the ten days until hatching. Newly hatched luvdisc find the nearest pair of luvdisc and stay close to them. Recent research has shown that the mucus coating of adult luvdisc contains important nutrients and antibodies critical for early development.
The discovery of the need to have luvdisc in the fry tank has greatly improved the captive breeding program. Before 1990 almost all captive luvdisc were taken from the wild. Now most luvdisc in the international aquarium trade are born in captivity. The majority of wild-caught luvdisc are taken to small private aquariums in the area in which they are captured.
Breeding of luvdisc is still very difficult and best left to professionals with tanks designed for breeding and a great deal of experience with the species.
Relatives
The saltwater luvdisc are found on reefs throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific. Escaped captive specimens have become established in portions of the Mediterranean and Caribbean.
The freshwater luvdisc (D. discus) is native to portions of the Mekong, Ganges, and Meghna river systems. They are smaller than the saltwater luvdisc and far less brightly colored, boasting a mottled brown color scheme rather than a bright pink one. D. discus prefers to live in relatively fast-moving waters with hiding places nearby to sleep in. They can use their body shape to face minimal resistance when moving against currents, letting them escape predators by racing upstream. The water temperatures they live in mean that they do not have to bask often.