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 for beginners 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 are surprisingly nimble fish capable of making sharp turns while moving through the water at speeds of up to twenty-five miles an hour. 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 and coral polyps are 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 and benthic crustaceans 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.
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 reasons unknown. It is suspected that this is either a scouting mechanism against birds or a way to communicate across long distances through the sound of the impact. This is the probable origin of the folklore around flying luvdisc pairs.
Husbandry
Luvdisc need warm aquariums with both crevasses to hide in and open spaces where they can attain their max speed. Tank temperature should be between 78-and 800degrees Fahrenheit. Warm tanks require lots of aeration. Bubblers meet this need and provide enrichment. If luvdisc are kept with another species they will need more hiding places than normal, at least two per luvdisc in the tank. 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. Dried algae food mixes provide nutrition without running the risk of the tank being overrun by algae. The remaining third of luvdisc's diet can be met by coral polyp mixes or brine shrimp. If the pokémon spits out its food and has to take several more bites it is too large. Large earthworms make for good enrichment items. They will also sometimes make a game of trying to break open mollusks if they believe the open water to be safe.
Luvdisc should be kept in groups of at least two and ideally five. The gender composition is irrelevant as luvdisc will happily bond with either sex. Luvdisc do not typically pair bond, but they do prefer to socialize with at least one other conspecific. This allows one to graze while the other keeps an eye on the environment. They are also surprisingly playful fish and enjoy having a companion to explore with or chase around the tank.
Tropical corsola are some of 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. Aquarists attempting to breed corsola may want to temporarily remove either species during spawning as luvdisc will eat the polyps. In the open ocean they rarely eat enough for their presence to matter. In enclosed tanks they very much can. Pyukumuku have a very high temperature tolerance, but can cause problems if they die and foul up the tank. Clamperl, despite being docile creatures, are rarely good tankmates. Luvdisc will sometimes try and break them open to consume them, and a clamperl that unexpectedly evolves can decimate the luvdisc population overnight.
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.
Evolution
N/A
Battle
Wild luvdisc prefer to flee or hide instead of fighting. They only prey upon zooplankton small enough to fit inside their mouth and mollusks that are unlikely to retaliate. 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. Specimens are not generally available for adoption due to the demand in the aquarium trade.
It is best to obtain luvdisc in pairs or groups. Ideally the luvdisc would already be familiar with each other when captured.
Luvdisc can be obtained with a Class II license.
Breeding
Contrary to popular belief, luvdisc do not pair bond. They are social and prefer to pair up when out and about. The individual they pair with can vary over months or even minutes. They tend to be friendly with all conspecifics in an area, although they do have their preferred friends. Due to the nature of their mating practices they are not actually more likely to breed with these friends.
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 Amazon river basin 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.
Luvdisc are not closely related to alomomola. It is believed that luvdisc evolved to resemble the larger pokémon so that fewer predators would try to eat them. Alomomola are slimy and their mucous can result in choking when consumed in large quantities. Most specimens that survive past the larval stage will survive to adulthood. Adult luvdisc that resemble a juvenile alomomla will only attract the attention of larger predators they can outmaneuver on the reef.