A recent shop visit revealed a tank full of 50 cent size discus of a number of varieties (Snakeskin, Red Dragon, Red Diamond, etc) all showing full adult patterns already. Is this definitely hormones or have things changed over the years?
Looks like they are hormoned...shouldn't have that much color and pattern at half dollar size. Besides, they look thin, stunted, and have a lot of peppering. I wouldn't touch those. They could be sterile, aggessive, or both if too much hormones
Hormones maybe, but I think we're just looking at poorly cared for & stunted discus. The eye to body size ratio is a dead giveaway on them being stunted. You can also tell from the amount of pepper on them that they're genetically poor. I'm thinking they are either Pigeon Blood discus or the spawn of a discouraged pairing of a PB to a non-PB fish.
Regardless of what's going on with these fish, this is a textbook example of discus not to purchase & if your LFS carries discus like this, never consider buying discus from them. Check out the sponsors on Simply Discus if you're looking to buy quality fish.