First discus. Woo.

[>:(]

Well, I went by my favorite LFS to get some hermits and snails for my saltwater tank. I got my crabs and snails, but I had to check out the freshwater side.
They had some healthy looking discus in. I had never seen discus locally, so I was excited, and asked how the water they were keeping the discus in was. Parameters closely match mine (ph 7.0, 80 degrees, etc).

So, I figured I would pick them up. I paid $15 a piece, the orange one is about quater size, the striped is about half-dollar sized. I figure it's an ok price. I picked them because they were active and "friendly." I've done some research, so I was surprised that they perked up so quickly after I drip acclimated them. They're eating already, too and exploring like crazy.

 

[Westie]

Way to go! But, sorry to say Discus are as needy if not more than a saltwater set-up. But, if you can handle salt you can do discus. Warm soft water, good diet and, frequent water changes, I expect to see mating pics in a year!

 

[>:(]

It would be super cool if they bred. Wonder if I could expect some $$$? lol I can't tell what their genders are yet, but I'm prepared to puts lots of work into them so they better repay me.

 

[haynchinook334]

nice pick ups!!! . AND if they do breed, you'll get your money back...Good luck bro!!!

 

[WyldFya]

nice pick ups!!! . AND if they do breed, you'll get your money back...Good luck bro!!!

He might get $30 back, but not the money he will spend to condition them for breeding. Pigeon bloods and turqs produce undesirable offspring. You will be better off trying to find similar types of discus to breed if you want to make anything. Both look a little stunted, get them on some good food, and start feeding and water changing.

 

[BaTsBR]

He might get $30 back, but not the money he will spend to condition them for breeding. Pigeon bloods and turqs produce undesirable offspring. You will be better off trying to find similar types of discus to breed if you want to make anything. Both look a little stunted, get them on some good food, and start feeding and water changing.

what did you mean by that ? Their patterns won't look good ??
now I'm curios to see how would they become;

Nice discus, what are the other tankmates ?

 

[WyldFya]

what did you mean by that ? Their patterns won't look good ??
now I'm curios to see how would they become;

Nice discus, what are the other tankmates ?

The lines aren't well defined, the colors aren't nearly as bright.

 

[>:(]

He might get $30 back, but not the money he will spend to condition them for breeding. Pigeon bloods and turqs produce undesirable offspring. You will be better off trying to find similar types of discus to breed if you want to make anything. Both look a little stunted, get them on some good food, and start feeding and water changing.

I'm a girl. lol

I didn't really get them intending to breed, they just looked to be the pick of the litter, so to speak. They were very active at the store, and they came up to the glass to look at me and beg when I approached. I think I may go back and get a few more and see if pairs form. Two isn't a great number to start with, right? However, they're going into an established community tank... so space is limited. Maybe one more would help...

I'm feeding Omega One flake, Hikari cichlid gold baby pellets, blood worms, algae wafers, fresh veggies and market shrimp. They ate well today, so I don't think they'll be finicky. Is there anything else I should start them on to take care of the stunting? My water change schedule is 50% twice a week. I'm assuming that would be sufficient. Right?

Kind of wondering about RO water though. They weren't using RO at the shop or where the guy bred them. I'm on the same water as the LFS. Since the discus are accustomed to city water, will they be ok if I continue using my regular water? My research has only turned up conflicting advice, some places say yes, some say no.

what did you mean by that ? Their patterns won't look good ??
now I'm curios to see how would they become;

Nice discus, what are the other tankmates ?

The tank is kind of a hodge podge right now, because I have fish from friends and family who decided they no longer wanted them. Other tank mates are 3 very docile angels (I don't think they'll disease my discus), 6 white skirt tetras, 6 neon tetras, some ghost shrimp, one red-finned shark, a betta, and a gourami. I'm trying to get rid of the shark, the betta and the gourami, and maybe some others. I don't feel the tank is overstocked yet, but it will get there. I plan to have the orphans gone very soon, though.

 

[WyldFya]

You will be fine with city water. Turn up the temp, these fish like to be around 82-84dF. Add beefheart to your feeding, and feed several times a day to avoid stunting. This picture shows a stunted discus.

 

[>:(]

Wow, that picture looks a little too close to my discus for comfort. The guy who bred them probably had no idea what he was doing. The shop owner told me they have had the fish for nearly 3 weeks, and they came in with sunken bellies, etc. How sad. They just now made them available for sale because they didn't develop visible problems during observation. That's why I like this LFS.

I'll look up a recipe for beefheart and get some made before I go to work today. Thanks!