My little divas: I have discus!

[treemanone2003]

Coloring up beautifully !!! Keep up the great work !!


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[severum mama]

Thanks! I am really trying to do things right with them so they will grow up nice and big and round.

I have visions of them swimming in a living room 90 gallon someday.

 

[severum mama]

Well, as of tomorrow evening, I am three weeks in to my discus odyssey. Notable lessons that I have learned from this experience:

1. Little discus produce A LOT more waste than I expected. I guess I should have seen it coming, as much as they eat.
2. It's ok to drain the tank so far that the discus are swimming sideways. Mine are used to it and don't seem to mind.
3. I will never again attempt juveniles in anything but a bare tank. I've tried it in a planted tank with substrate and failed, but in my bare 20 high I've seen noticeable growth just in the past couple of weeks. They have grown about a half inch since I got them, and the largest two are now about 2 inches. There's a reason why so many experienced discus keepers recommend bare tanks for growout- it works.

Now for some more terrible photos.

 

[treemanone2003]

Congrats mama !!! Looking awesome for sure !!!!!
1- lol, totally !!!
2- I do 100% on Sundays with no problems whatsoever. My incoming water is already ready to go.
3- I haven't tried them myself but I couldn't imagine anything other than a bb. You're doing a great job with them. Keep it up !!!!


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[severum mama]

Thanks! You should see the parents- they are just gorgeous. Hubs and I went over to our breeder friend's fishroom this week to pick up some more freeze dried blackworms, and the parents have wigglers on the breeding cone again. My juvies are mostly just reddish brown right now, but will eventually be a beautiful dark red.

 

[Brookster123]

They look great! Like Totally jell.. almost see some blue in the second pic?? Maybe it's just camera?

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[treemanone2003]

And I LOVE the pic of the massive WC. Gives me a great feeling inside ???.


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[severum mama]

They look great! Like Totally jell.. almost see some blue in the second pic?? Maybe it's just camera?

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Thanks. I think it is the flash from the camera. I only sort of know how to use it. LOL

And I LOVE the pic of the massive WC. Gives me a great feeling inside ???.


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Yeah, the tank had actually filled up a bit when I took that one. The fish are swimming sideways by the time I get done draining the tank. It's funny to watch them.

 

[severum mama]

So, as of tomorrow I will have had these fish for a month. They have become quite personable, and will approach the glass to beg every time they see me. I've managed to not skip a water change yet. My long term plan is to move them into a 40 BR when they hit 3 inches, then try to grow them out to about 5 inches or so before moving them into their permanent home.... which I don't have yet, lol. I'll eventually track down a 75 or a 90, hopefully a 90.

Anyway, here are some crappy pics from my tablet. I don't know if you can tell in the pics, but they seem like they have grown a lot. This isn't my first time with discus, but it's my first time not listening to my ego tell me that I can bend the rules. There's a good reason why most experienced discus keepers recommend the maintenance schedule that they do. [emoji4]

 

[treemanone2003]

Ugh, 8 days waiting for an update was killing me, lol !!!! THEY LOOK AWESOME !!!!! I can def see growth from your last pics and they look superb. Keep up the great work mama ??


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[Brookster123]

They def. Look much larger in comparison to the sponge filter, pretty crazy... scrupulous maintanence huh?? pretty sure I see a quarter sized spot of algae there keep the pics coming!

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[Delapool]

Ugh, 8 days waiting for an update was killing me, lol !!!! THEY LOOK AWESOME !!!!! I can def see growth from your last pics and they look superb. Keep up the great work mama ??


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Why is it that they need the high pwc rate out of interest? I'm not disagreeing just wondering what drives it? I'm assuming it relates to their original habitat being very pristine(?) but while I've got experts

 

[severum mama]

Heh, there are a few spots of algae in the tank. But yeah, the maintenance always gets done. They produce a lot more waste than I would have expected. You'd never know the extent of it in a tank with substrate.

 

[severum mama]

Why is it that they need the high pwc rate out of interest? I'm not disagreeing just wondering what drives it? I'm assuming it relates to their original habitat being very pristine(?) but while I've got experts

Larger discus don't require this amount of effort. Juveniles get stunted without an aggressive water change schedule (been there, done that). This grow out tank is only 20 gallons so it's important for me to keep up on it.

If a person doesn't mind small football shaped fish (lol), it isn't necessary. I'm trying to grow mine out big and round. The parents are huge so I know that the potential is there- the rest is on me. [emoji4]

 

[Delapool]

Larger discus don't require this amount of effort. Juveniles get stunted without an aggressive water change schedule (been there, done that). This grow out tank is only 20 gallons so it's important for me to keep up on it.

If a person doesn't mind small football shaped fish (lol), it isn't necessary. I'm trying to grow mine out big and round. The parents are huge so I know that the potential is there- the rest is on me. [emoji4]

Many thanks for the reply.

Is it nitrates building up that stunts or just 'dirty' water in general? Interested in what causes stunting and if it may relate to more 'common' fish as well.

 

[Patty1980]

Still green over here I'm SO curious what you paid for them.....but I'd understand if you don't say. If a discus is properly cared for, about how long do they usually live? I'm seeing like 10-18 years on Google.

 

[treemanone2003]

Many thanks for the reply.

Is it nitrates building up that stunts or just 'dirty' water in general? Interested in what causes stunting and if it may relate to more 'common' fish as well.

What it boils down to most is the volume of GIH they produce. To get back to what you hinted to before about their water being pristine conditions does have some play on it but also they have a dry season they go thru in the wild. Not that it plays too much of a role in inhibiting growth because the volume of water moved is still high.

I feel what's been found in regards to learning from Discus development has played an important role when looking at the other "common" fish. This is only my opinion based on what I've read from researching them.


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[treemanone2003]

Still green over here I'm SO curious what you paid for them.....but I'd understand if you don't say. If a discus is properly cared for, about how long do they usually live? I'm seeing like 10-18 years on Google.

I don't remember mama saying any price but I can't imagine juvies being that expensive.

As for life expectancy, you're correct with a 10-18 lifespan however, that would be in the most pristine conditions and husbandry efforts. Pioneers like Jack Wattley and Ricky Lim have certainly set the bar.


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[severum mama]

Still green over here I'm SO curious what you paid for them.....but I'd understand if you don't say. If a discus is properly cared for, about how long do they usually live? I'm seeing like 10-18 years on Google.

Well, the breeder showed up to our club meeting last month with 3 bags of 3 juveniles, and put them into our monthly "mini auction". I won 2 bags and paid 35 total. [emoji6]

 

[treemanone2003]

Well, the breeder showed up to our club meeting last month with 3 bags of 3 juveniles, and put them into our monthly "mini auction". I won 2 bags and paid 35 total. [emoji6]

Now that is a score !!!


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