Discus Fever!!

[nealio]

Since we don't have too many post about discus on this forum I wanted to contribute my little guys.

They are about 1.25" long right now, living in a 28G until I finish cycling my 55G. You can't really see the coloring on them because I can't get my camera to take a good pic yet. I will try to shoot some more so you can see how vivant the colors really are.

Blue Striated

and

I'll post more pics as they get older. Once I set up my 55G I plan on getting 4 more.

 

[Katie217]

they are so pretty! im considering getting discus, but i need to get another tank lol

 

[nealio]

Thanks!

They are a lot of fun, but they are also a lot of work. Perfect water quality is a must. I suggest to do a bare bottom tank to start with. WC is much easier and you can easily see any debris floating in the water. If you get some fry you can raise them in a 30G or so for about a couple months, but then you want to move them into a 55G at least. Tall tank preferably because they grow tall and its easier for them to swim

If they are in bad water they will hide the whole time and there stress bars will go crazy. Its kinda cool having a fish that tells you when its pissed off.

 

[Katie217]

haha yeah my mbuna do that too

 

[Fuzz16]

i started my tank straight out with rocks and planted and everything. i had my tank cycling for a month and a half.
thier very rewarding so far. cept for the bullying going on. -.- i think its so neat how my two bullies look ahamed and guilty when i walk over to ask them what thier up to.

good fish
do bucnhes of research and give them a lot of space. dont try to shove more than 5 discus into 55gallons

10-15g a fish


good luck with yours. and the colors will come out a lot more as they age

 

[Igor The Cat]

hmm....they look at least a little bit stunted, but i hope it works out for you.

cheers

-Java

 

[nealio]

Yeah they seem to be working out great!

They have almost doubled in size since I got them. The bigger one is growing much faster than the smaller one, I'm pretty sure it’s the pecking order. Once I add them to the larger tank I'm hoping they will find their own area and settle down. From what my breeder told me there is always going to be a pecking order, depending on the tank and how they find their own space, some pecking orders aren't as bad as others.

They look stunned because that was a day after I added them to the tank and I just did a WC. The large one barley ever shows stress bars, but the little one usually has faint ones if not showing them really strong. He is constantly getting nipped at by the bigger when they are feeding so I think that’s what’s getting to him. Hopefully they calm down once they hit the bigger tank.

 

[Fuzz16]

it will actually help a lot when you get the next 4 fish. although of course there will be an alpha. my stunted one took that spot.
and at a young age, they like to huddle and move in groups. so they shouldnt esatblish territory really till thier almost adults.

and Igor meant stunted. http://indianaquariumhobbyist.com/articles/wta1.jpg shows you. it is kind of like a mutation. yours arnt too bad. ive seen a lot worse.
when you get your next 4 fish, do you get to choose from a variety?
if so, make sure you get the really round looking ones.

if you plan on breeding...you shouldnt let the stunted ones breed and you should try to get a couple from another breeder so there isnt crossbreeding going on.

and by stress bars...to you mean the dark bars going vertical on thier sides? on some fish they always have them, thier not really a stress indicater that i know of. when they get dull colored and when they hold thier fins tight to thier bodys is when they are stressed or scared, ive noticed.

 

[nealio]

AHHHH so there eyes are too big? I have seen that image on another forum directed for discus.

I get to pick from a variety if I go to his breeding area, but he delivered the first two to me. From what I read when buying fry you can't count on always picking a winner. It just depends on how they grow out thru the first year or two. I also read there is going to always be an alpha, so that means one of them isn't going to grow as much as the others. Out of six I'm going to purchase, I will probably keep 4 if I'm lucky. I will sell the rest on craigslist to a good home for next to nothing. Since this is my first attempt in making a display tank with Discus I’m sure I will learn a lot.

Do you feed with beef heart?

Thanks for all your advice, keep it coming!!




Oh yeah and about the stress bars, the type of discus I have get "stress bars" that indicate how they feel. Some do have it all the time, and others don't. The strain I have gets them only when they are upset or stressed. Its an awesome indicator. They can go from no stripes at all, then I plop in some beef heart, and they both flare right up until one gets it and the other one waits.

 

[Stevie]

Discus Fever, I can't help you with. Disco fever, however is a whole other matter!

 

[nealio]

Ok so now I have "BES" otherwise known as " Big Eye Syndrome". My wife starting laughing when I asked her if my discus looked like their eyes were too big for their bodies...

SO what do you guys think?

Is there stunting? The first pic looks like his/her eye is HUGE!!

Here are some updates pics...

One with reg lighting

One with the antic light on

 

[nealio]

I just found out the general rule is five eyes should be able to fit up and down the face. I can maybe fit three. Defiantly stunted.

 

[Pure]

In a fish that is only 1.5 inches (assuming the tail is in this total) It is hard to tell if the eyes are too large, you really can't go by the shape of the fish being perfect rounds as at that size again hard to find. Provide him with multiple water changes and good food and he should turn into a very nice looking fish.

Good Luck

Some pics of mine for ya

 

[nealio]

Nice fish! The far two look similar to mine

I was going to set up my 55G once I got my stand in, then cycle it, then add the fish... But I think I'm just going to run it BB until my new stand and my plumbing comes in. I do a 50% WC every other day, so hopefully the water conditions have been good for them since they have been in my care. I'm going to take everyone’s advice and hopefully these little guys out grow their big eyes.

I have been culturing bacteria with ceramic filter media in the bottom of my tank that is established. Should I toss those in the BB tank to help it, or will it even cycle without any substrate?

 

[Pure]

It will cycle without substrate. IME the only downside to BB tanks and 1 power filteris, all your eggs are in one basket. It would be much better to run the main filter plus an additional sponge filter. If you want plants a small internal filter should work. This way your main groups of colonies are spread out a little more.

 

[nealio]

Nice I have an internal sponge filter and a mag 350. Ill hook it up tonight and let it cycle.

If I'm doing 50% WC every other day, is it even giving the tank a chance to cycle?

 

[Fuzz16]

i put the water in the tank, let it sit, added guppies and let them live there for about a month and a half.

and meh...they might grow out of it but your smaller one looksreally diamindy like. *shrug* when you get the next 4 you should ask him to feed them so you can see if they eat. and if they come to greet the breeder. that would be a good thing too. and if you dont plan on breeding then you could get stunted fish. i heart mine...he makes funny faces at me...its weird

 

[nealio]

Yeah I don't plan on breeding, well not in the near future.

I'm just looking to set up a display tank. As long as their happy, I'm happy. I did ask what he fed them and he said tetramin and bloodworms. So I continued with that approach until I learned about beefheart. Since I have been feeding them beefheat they have been taking off. I do bloodworms in the morning, then I throw in some bh when I go home for lunch, then at night I feed the flake and more bloodworms and sometimes I'll throw in a block of BH if they are still begging for food. They seem really happy and always come up to the tank when we are there, I just don’t want them to be unhealthy.

Thanks for all your help!!

 

[Fuzz16]

id be afraid id overfeed them with all that.
i feed mine convict fry toooo...they like it. and i love my convict pair.
bh isnt NEEDED in a discus diet anymore. it has been weeded out of thier genes to not eat meat like thier wild cousins, so they dont really need to have it. i feed mine it though, and blood worms, and colorbits. tonight im going to the lfs to buy treats!!!!

if its a display tank, some nice amazons and java fern or wisteria would make it look beautiful. or some tetras too!