my first discus tank
- Thread starter smarchant22
- Start date
Wish i could help you out with that...smarchant22;4929331; said:
Unfortunatly i don't know that much about discus species. They are great looking fish though.
actually it's not a great looking fish. looks to be maybe a ghost, but heavily peppered, and stunted. probably won't grow much. your gravel is not a good choice. young discus need to be fed 6-8 times per day, and that gravel is goint to be hard to keep clean. bb is best to grow out discus with sand being the next best.
3dees;4930295; said:
x2, i think i said earlier it would be best to go with bb. It does look like a ghost but its odd shaped and kinda has big eyes.
i know he doesnt look great, as i said the guy sold him to me cheap because he was beat up. ive only had him about a week and his fins are growing back nicely, the reason my gravel is the way it is is because i just switched over from an african tank, i didnt want to completely start over with a new cycle. i am upgrading to a 75g soon and will definitely be going with either bb or sand. thanks for the advice!
No offense, but there is more wrong with him than fin damage. He is of very poor quality, unfortunately. The dark color is due to peppering. The fish is a pigeon blood variant but with that much peppering it will always remain dark.
Notice that just above the eyes, his forehead appears "pinched." This is a sign that the fish is malnourished and is usually a sign of internal parasites or worms. Even if the fish eats, it probably won't put on weight. You'll need to worm it and maybe give him a metronidazole treatment to get rid of worms and/or flagellates.
The large eye indicates that the fish is behind on growth and is probably stunted. If you worm it and then feed it heavily, it may turn around, but chances are that it'll stay small.
In the future, look for fish with smaller eyes, less peppering, and that lack a "pinched" forehead when viewed head-on from the front. Healthy discus should be shaped like () that from the front.
Notice that just above the eyes, his forehead appears "pinched." This is a sign that the fish is malnourished and is usually a sign of internal parasites or worms. Even if the fish eats, it probably won't put on weight. You'll need to worm it and maybe give him a metronidazole treatment to get rid of worms and/or flagellates.
The large eye indicates that the fish is behind on growth and is probably stunted. If you worm it and then feed it heavily, it may turn around, but chances are that it'll stay small.
In the future, look for fish with smaller eyes, less peppering, and that lack a "pinched" forehead when viewed head-on from the front. Healthy discus should be shaped like () that from the front.
^ Completely agree with the quality of the peppered discus. He/she is definitely stunted caused by a lack of feeding and water change (from the person that sold them to you).
The peppering is genetic. I am glad he was given to you and you didn't have to pay for him/her.
Either way, it's still a fish with it's own personality. It's nice of you to be able to provide him/her a good home.
I've been keeping discus's for quite few years. If you have any questions don't hesitate to PM me.
Also should check out http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forum.php
You'll get all the info you need to keep them as healthy as possible.
Good luck!
The peppering is genetic. I am glad he was given to you and you didn't have to pay for him/her.
Either way, it's still a fish with it's own personality. It's nice of you to be able to provide him/her a good home.
I've been keeping discus's for quite few years. If you have any questions don't hesitate to PM me.
Also should check out http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forum.php
You'll get all the info you need to keep them as healthy as possible.
Good luck!
no offense taken, i greatly appreciate the advice and help. i feel for the poor guy. im not sure if i should keep him, or take him into a different lfs where they can take care of him better than i, any suggestions?
