I got discus!!!!!!!!!!

#1
I got 2 discus today. There 2.5'' and are WAY active. I was planning on getting 3 but they were $35.00 each and i only had $75.00 so once i can get more money ill get some more. Their in one of the 30G and i moved an Angel pair into the 20G(just until i sell the convicts). I got some pics and yes im going to post them






 

#9
Well i think that i was wrong with the whole male/female thing. The discus are actually 3'' and i was reading one of my fish books that says once they get to about 3-4'' you can see that the male will start to get a hump on his forehead and the females will be more rounded. The brown tapajos is getting a hump and the snakeskin's forehead is more rounded. I also noticed that the snakeskin will turn on its side at an angle and the brown tapajos will nip at its sides, but not hard enough to hurt it. Is this a sign that they are going to pair up?
 

FishGeek

Elite Fish
May 13, 2005
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#10
I dont know what you read or where you read it but Discus have no visual body differences between sexes. They definately dont get humps. The only possible ways to tell is on an adult discus and males generally (but not always) have larger lips, thicker bodies, and/or more pointed anal and dorsal fins. But like I said it can only be seen on adult fish and sometimes not at all. So unfrotunately there is no way of telling.

As far as them pairing up, the sure sign is if the stick close to eachother and they tip their heads when other fish approach. But with only two young discus they are going to stay near eachother so......
 

tom91970

Superstar Fish
Jan 2, 2007
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Tejas
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#11
I dont know what you read or where you read it but Discus have no visual body differences between sexes.

They definately dont get humps.
Discus Fish, Blue Discus, Symphysodon aequifasciata, also called Green Discus, Tefé Discus, Red Spotted Discus, or Brown Discus "Sexual Differences:
Although it is hard to distinguish the sex, during breeding season the male will have a more pointed papillae while the female's is rounded. Males may be larger and some males have a more pointed dorsal fin and thicker lips."



Cichlids - Discus, Waroo "The distinguishing of the male and female is difficult. Adult males may develop a small lump on their foreheads, but this difference is not always reliable. During the spawning season, the shape of the genital papillae serves as the best difference. It is round in female and pointed in males, although this difference is also difficult to detect."
 

Dec 3, 2007
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#12
Thanks for the comments!
One question i have is how fast do they grow?
Beautiful fish :)

Discus'll grow to be around 6" as adults, and they reach adulthood at a year and a half. It's important to have them in a large tank to avoid stunting their growth - I've read 40 gallons minimum and to allow about 10 per fish, but they are also schooling fish and will display colors and behavior fuller if you keep 6 or more, which would require 60 gal minimum. So you may want to move them before long and figure out if you want to plan for getting a good group together.

Here's a helpful website: http://upperorchard.net/discuskeeping.html
 

FishGeek

Elite Fish
May 13, 2005
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#14
Ive never heard of the lump thing. I can understand if by lump they mean more of a curved forehead where as the female would not. But either way its not even possibly noticable till they are adults. And even then it takes a trained eye to determine the sex of a discus. Discus dont mature till they are about 12 months old anywayz, so I wouldnt expect much till they are nearly fully grown.
 

sphed

Large Fish
Feb 14, 2007
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#17
I would recommend taking those Discus back. If you are keeping those discus in a 30g with that many tankmates+ substrate and plants your discus will most definitely not grow. It takes a little more then a year for them to reach 5 inches, and then they will pair off. Make sure you are doing 75% water changes everyday and do atleast 3-4 feedings a day. I would feed mine blood worms, brine shrimp, and live black worms. I feed them strictly lbw now though.
 

FishGeek

Elite Fish
May 13, 2005
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#19
I do have to agree with Sphed. I didnt realize they were being housed in a 30G. Its too small. And I just reread your initial post and you said you moved your Angels to a 20G! Another no-no!! I advice getting either a bigger tank or figureing something else out.