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[wheatgerm]

I've set up a discus tank for my wife, its a 55 on a drip system dripping 60% of the water each day. Ammonia nitrates are always at zero. Nitrites are 5-10ppm. We've had the tank for about 4 months. But the discus we have seems to be growing very slow! They get fed frzn brine shrimp 2x per day and blood worms 1x every other day. They ALWAYS have fat bellies but have grown from 3" to 3.5" in the last few months.
This isn't my first time keeping discus but my first time in any tank smaller than a 125. These seem to be growing way slower than my last batches and the only thing different is the tank size, could this make all the difference???

 

[strollo22]

It could make a difference but at 3" it shouldn't. I've never kept discus but I know they aren't super fast growers but I also know that bloodworms have very little nutritional value. I would switch the bloodworms with Blackworms


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[wheatgerm]

My last group got up to close to 4" really quickly then the growth slowed.. This new batch isn't getting deformed or showing any signs of being stunted but It just seems they haven't grown much at all in the last 3 moths. I thought they could hit 1/2" per month in the right conditions?
I know the bloodworms don't have much value but they really really like them lol. I'll have to see if I can find frozen blackworms around. They also get beef heart 3x per week

 

[Brown Water]

Stupid but simple as almost every phone has a camera, take pictures the same day every month ex: the 9th of every month... Every time I think my pbass arnt growing much my GF whips out her phone and smacks me upside the head and says "really?"


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[ryansmith83]

Brine shrimp are almost entirely water. Nutritionally they're not going to do any favors for a large-growing fish. Get them on some good quality flake, frozen bloodworms, and if you can pick up some freeze-dried blackworms that'd be great. You can also raise your own red wiggler worms in composting bins and feed live food occasionally (not all the time or they get spoiled). Newly hatched brine is great for discus fry and frozen brine is okay as a treat now and then, but I don't think you're going to grow monster discus on that as their primary food source.

Also, discus that size should be getting a few meals a day. I'm feeding my 3" fish about four to six times a day. They get a few cubes of freeze-dried blackworms or beefheart each feeding, and sometimes I alternate that with beefheart flakes or NLS micropellets.

 

[wheatgerm]

Brine shrimp are almost entirely water. Nutritionally they're not going to do any favors for a large-growing fish. Get them on some good quality flake, frozen bloodworms, and if you can pick up some freeze-dried blackworms that'd be great. You can also raise your own red wiggler worms in composting bins and feed live food occasionally (not all the time or they get spoiled). Newly hatched brine is great for discus fry and frozen brine is okay as a treat now and then, but I don't think you're going to grow monster discus on that as their primary food source.

Also, discus that size should be getting a few meals a day. I'm feeding my 3" fish about four to six times a day. They get a few cubes of freeze-dried blackworms or beefheart each feeding, and sometimes I alternate that with beefheart flakes or NLS micropellets.

Im sure your right im Just wondering why my last batch grew very well off this diet but the new ones don't seem to be? The last back went from 2" to 4+" in about 5 months

 

[wheatgerm]

Just snapped a few pics really quick. I tried to show off the bellies these fish are fat 24/7 they have marble guts

 

[BODYDUB]

I'm sorry dude, but those guys look stunted. I'm afraid they don't have much more growing to do...............

 

[wheatgerm]

You serious? What looks stunted about them

 

[lipadj46]

You serious? What looks stunted about them

Everything, the shape, the adult coloring for the small size, sloping forehead, large eyes, large fins football shaped body. If I were to guess I would say they are worm loaded or just not very clean water (even with the auto water change maybe uneaten food collecting somewhere?). Regardless even if they are filled with frozen bloodworms or brineshrimp that is mostly water and low nutritional value. I grow my discus out on Freeze Dried blackworms and Super Beefheart Flake from Bill at Inland Empire Discus. Here are some quick cellphone pics of my cobalts that I grew out from 1.5" on just a quality flake and FD blackworms from Al over on simplydiscus. Note the shape compered to yours and the eye size.

Here are some of my cobalts when they were young, this would be a juvenile coloration and shape, full coloration like yours suggest they are older but not very well grown out.