Thinking about discus...

[3dees]

I'm all for saving money, but is buying smaller fish really cheaper? more feedings, more wc's, more time. I never said that buying small fish is wrong. the op originally said he wanted to get larger fish. he never stated what his ph was so that may be a moot point. by the way, my fish are all between 6-7". for comparison those festivums are close to 5". if you have 8 month old fish larger than that please post some pics. most discus, except for show quality will rarely get more than 7". wilds are also slower growing than domestics. I'm not disagreeing to what your saying. it's just that some people like me would rather skip the growing out stage and simply get larger fish from the start.

 

[TheOscarGuy]

Yes your fish look ok and I dont know how big they are but judging by your pictures I have some younger fish at 8 months much bigger then yours.This is way I go by the "rules"

The fish in the post look just "OK" to you??? I think the tank pics. show very happy fish, and they are fortunate to have a keeper like 3dees. I am NO discus keeper, but I would say these guys look phenomenal to me.
If you are saying "my 8 month fish is bigger than your fish", please do post the picture.

 

[doctor horn]

grow rate ph 6.8 t0 7.5
show rate ph 6.5 to 7.5
breeding rate ph 5.5 to 6.5 A higher ph is ok but the main thing is to maintain the same ph . I am surly not saying your fish look bad ,they are heatlhy and beauitful .I am just trying to save the man some money . I use a mix,of rain water and tab and distilled . Once again cheaper .pead moss can be used to lower ph .I just saying there alot of tricks to save money.

I guess you didnt read this part

 

[rodclement]

Discus grow fast and it is much smarter to buy them smaller .You need to research them before you start .Just because a fish doesn't have to be treated for anything doesn't mean he is at best. For exsample they don't like hard water it will not make them sick but can make a male sterile. They can do ok at 7.0 ph but like it better at 6.5. All the fish I have I bought small and have had some for more than two years.

This statement has so many holes that it shows either poor information or arrogance...

For anyone that has never kept discus, the chance of getting a small discus, say around 2 inches and sucessfully raising it to it's full potential is slim to none! A smart and experienced keeper that wants to give out advice would recomend fish ot at least 4 inches so the critical growth and formation has been achieved minimizing the chances of stunting the discus development.

I breed discus in water of PH as high as 8 in the winter, with water straight from the tap...would I recomend this as best practice? No but my fish are not sterile...you are talking in absolutes while criticizing someone else for doing the same.

Lastly, the wild fish posted by 3dees are phenomenal wild fish that are healthy and well developed, in a beautifull, area appropriate tank. To compare his fish with anyone you have and talk about growth rate as some form of valid method just shows more ignorance in the subject!

To the OP, get dicus if you want them, they are not hard to keep as long as they are cared for within some parameters most important of all, that your water have stable parameters and that you feed them proper foods. Take care of your water and your fish will follow.

3dees, all coments on point, great advice.

Rodrigo

 

[doctor horn]

Here a look some Discus

Seen on page one, I guess all these fish just got lucky.They were all bought small and this was my first Discus tank.

 

[doctor horn]

I looked up this many time .This is from the beginner guide for Discus. Water Chemiistryis a little more advanced so let me share some important factors with you .You need to test the water hardeness.You need to have soft water usually between 3 and 15 dh. Now dont forget about ph. This needs to be between 5 and 6.5. PH will be the most difficult factor among first time Discus owners. This is important to learn because dicus like to maintain a stable ph.Do not compromise their ph level. You will think everything is fine because the fish will live and in some casses they may even breed but in reality your fish will always be stressed and have a short life span

 

[rodclement]

Seen on page one, I guess all these fish just got lucky.They were all bought small and this was my first Discus tank.

Sorry my friedn, your fish are b grade local fish store stock at best! Dirty pigeon, stunted BD...sorry to burst your bubble but giving out advice on a matter that you lack proven practical knowledge is just not what I would call appropriate...to attrmpt to compare your stock with the fish 3dees posted is just ludicrous...I think you should do yourself a favor and go buy some good stock and start over.

Sorry for the reality check!

Rod

 

[doctor horn]

Sorry my friedn, your fish are b grade local fish store stock at best! Dirty pigeon, stunted BD...sorry to burst your bubble but giving out advice on a matter that you lack proven practical knowledge is just not what I would call appropriate...to attrmpt to compare your stock with the fish 3dees posted is just ludicrous...I think you should do yourself a favor and go buy some good stock and start over.

Sorry for the reality check!

Rod

Come on man if you want to listen to your advice give me something I can understand .

 

[doctor horn]

The only thing I compared between his fish and my was growth rate.If you read the whole thread I also stated that his fish were beauitful.I also stated that I was only going by a picture and didn't really know the size of his fish. As far of the grade of my fish and his that has nothing to do with how to care for Discus.when I said his fish were ok I was referring to heatlh .So I made a reply to to that statement.

 

[rodclement]

You made a statement comparing growth rate as a means to decide if fish are doing well...you are trying to compare wild fish with domestic bred fish...fish development is much more than size, it is shape, coloring, eye color, finage. If you had any experience in this hobby you would never recomend that a newb that is asking for help, to get smaller fish and grow them out, this is the MAIN REASON why people think discus are difficult to keep, they get in over their heads with juvies and get frustrated.

The grade of your fish says a lot about how you care for discus, it says for example, that you don't know what a quality fish is, you are unaware that a lot of what a fish shows is due to the set-up it's in, like that peppered pigeon that would show much better in a plant with no subtrate and light colors. Nothing wrong with having and enjoying pet quality fish, more power to you if it makes you happy, I have no issue with that.

My only issue is you trying to pass yourself as someone that has more knowledge than someone else, whose tank and fish are much superior to yours, by miles! Those wilds and that tank show care, proper understanding of the species and where they come from. I would recomend to anyone to take his advice over yours any time, any day.

Rod