is keeping discus really that challenging?

[discuspaul]

Congrats - they look real nice. Do you know what strain(s) the parents are ?
Give them good frequent feedings, regular large daily wcs if you can, and some TLC, and they'll be 'big boys & girls' in no time.
As I said before, don't hesitate to PM me if I can be of any help.
Best of luck.
Paul

[nikonD70s]

Originally Posted by lipadj46

well I got my juvies from joe gargas. These are the "dime" sized F2s he is selling on aquabid for $15 each with free priority mail shipping. Afew comments... First I bought 5 and he sent 6 just in case one did not make it (all are healthy), second these "dime" sized discus are more like quarter to silver dollar sized, finally his packaging was top notch, fitted styrofoam box with each discus in their own thermo-sealed kordon bag, these fish could live at least for a week I bet in their shipping box. I've read some negative comments about his prices/size and priority shipping but I think that I got a fine deal. Now lets see if I can keep them alive and growing!

discus are easy, atleast to me they are. one important thing is to get them from a good source that have healthy stocks. then your already a big step ahead. often time people think discus is hard is because they start off with poor quality discus that they often buy from LFS which most of the time sell bad ones that are stunted and doesnt have proper care. so when they die they assume discus are hard to keep.

its not recommended to have young discus in planted establish tank is because juvie discus requires lots of water change and food for best growth or they can be stunted and not grown to there potential. so its best to grow them out in a bare bottom tank cuz its a lot easier to clean. with juvies your goin to have to waterchange everyday and feed 5-10x times a day for optimum growth.

also depending on strains. discus can peper up in planted tanks especially with dark background and substrates. the brighter the layout of your tank the brighter the discus will be. unless you get albino's.the dont peper up or have any black markings so you can keep them in darker tanks.

from the above pic of your discus. they appear to be not good quality as you can see they are already peppering at that stage. they will most likely have peppering the rest of there lives or even pepper up some more. but if you dont mind it then its alright. but as for quality goes they are not good.

not trying to be a jerk or anything and it sounds a lil harsh but im just telling you the truth of discus. in my opinion if you really want discus in a planted tank. start off with adult discus. easier to maintain. and get them from a better source. i would recommend vendors over at simplydiscusforum and look under kenny chung in daly city. he is one of the top vendors on there and have shipments every month.

[lipadj46]

Originally Posted by discuspaul

Congrats - they look real nice. Do you know what strain(s) the parents are ?
Give them good frequent feedings, regular large daily wcs if you can, and some TLC, and they'll be 'big boys & girls' in no time.
As I said before, don't hesitate to PM me if I can be of any help.
Best of luck.
Paul

Parents are a red domestic female and a wild tefe green male. Here is a vid:

http://tbas1.wiredtron.com/index.php/topic,1298.0.html

Thanks for all the help, I'll let you know if I run into any trouble. They are eating beef heart, baby brine shrimp and flakes so that is good

Originally Posted by nikonD70s

from the above pic of your discus. they appear to be not good quality as you can see they are already peppering at that stage. they will most likely have peppering the rest of there lives or even pepper up some more. but if you dont mind it then its alright. but as for quality goes they are not good.

not trying to be a jerk or anything and it sounds a lil harsh but im just telling you the truth of discus.

I think you might be trying to be just a little jerk but that's OK. Gargas is a great breeder and has been doing this for a long time. As far as the peppering, yeah the pic was 10 minutes after dumping them out of the bags. Time will tell what they will look like but I'm not that worried about it as this is all a learning experience for me (and a pretty inexpensive one at that).

[discuspaul]

lipadj46 -
I don't believe that's peppering at all - just the genes coming through from the parentage.
Don't worry about it for now. Give them good care & let them grow out & see what you get.
And I don't believe they're not good quality either. Their shape is not unusual for their age and size. The determination of the quality of those fish is far too early to tell.
Do your thing, and I sincerely believe those fish could turn out better than you might expect.
Keep up the good work.
Regards & good luck,
paul

[Cody6511]

I have to agree with everything Paul said. I feel also that they are a simple fish to keep as long as you can invest the required time that they need for proper care. Also wanted to say that anyone that wants discus think about buying the ones that the breeder intended to cull. That is what I did and all 9 are now happily doing great and their only "defect" was that they didn't have "champion" quality potential.

[lipadj46]

Originally Posted by discuspaul

lipadj46 -
I don't believe that's peppering at all - just the genes coming through from the parentage.
Don't worry about it for now. Give them good care & let them grow out & see what you get.
And I don't believe they're not good quality either. Their shape is not unusual for their age and size. The determination of the quality of those fish is far too early to tell.
Do your thing, and I sincerely believe those fish could turn out better than you might expect.
Keep up the good work.
Regards & good luck,
paul

Thanks, yeah I'm not really worried about it, from everything I have read they are in the too young to tell stage. I'm just going to have fun with learning a new aspect of the hobbie. Whether they turn out to be perfect specimens or to be abominations we shall see. On a side note I have noticed that some percentage of discus folks are REALLY into these fish thanks again

[shrimpNewbie]

for growing out can a floater be used? such as water lettuce or water hyacinth? just for extra nutrient soak? I would love to get discus but the price of 50-60 per head of what I want is quite a bit to fill my 100

[discuspaul]

Sure it can be used - don't know about adding any nutrient element though - but might give a little shade & make discus feel just a touch more comfortable (from the lighting) - thats about the best you could expect. But hey, give it a go - nothing wrong with it.
If you can afford it, shrimpnewbie - go for it - you have a great tank size for it - it's very satisfying and I don't think you would regret it.
And for what it's worth, I'll be here to help, if you ever need me.

[nikonD70s]

Originally Posted by shrimpNewbie

for growing out can a floater be used? such as water lettuce or water hyacinth? just for extra nutrient soak? I would love to get discus but the price of 50-60 per head of what I want is quite a bit to fill my 100

you can if you want, but no need to since your most likely going to do waterchange pretty much everyday for grow outs. so your water would be clear. for $50-60 each thats the price of semi adults to adults...depending on what strain and quality. i used to have 8 albino discus in my 135g at $100 each. choose wisely since theres so many strains.

old discus

[discuspaul]

nikonD70s -
Those are very good-looking fish ! Love them.

[shrimpNewbie]

i like the orangeish discus with the bright blue stripes, my favorite even if common =] not sure of the name


thanks for the info, and by nutrient soak I meant taking up some of the ammonia and nitrates, the shade will be added benefit I guess, anyone know a good place to get babies in socal? would prefer they not go a long journey =]

[discuspaul]

Yes, the floaters would probably help do that - although there shouldn't be a need for them if you have a BB tank, are doing large frequent wcs, and have a good sponge filter.

Looking for discus fry in So Cal ? -
Kenny's Discus in Daley City, Ca. is probably one of, if not the best, for discus in the U.S., according to numerous experienced discus keepers on the simplydiscus.com forum. However, don't know if he breeds his own, or has access to good fry from other So Cal breeders - you could check with him, he'll probably know.
He's a very successful, reputable importer of Forrest discus from Malaysia.

[shrimpNewbie]

okay thanks a lot, is there a south american variety? I may have read wrong but always assumed they came from there. =p

[nikonD70s]

Originally Posted by discuspaul

nikonD70s -
Those are very good-looking fish ! Love them.

Originally Posted by discuspaul

Yes, the floaters would probably help do that - although there shouldn't be a need for them if you have a BB tank, are doing large frequent wcs, and have a good sponge filter.

Looking for discus fry in So Cal ? -
Kenny's Discus in Daley City, Ca. is probably one of, if not the best, for discus in the U.S., according to numerous experienced discus keepers on the simplydiscus.com forum. However, don't know if he breeds his own, or has access to good fry from other So Cal breeders - you could check with him, he'll probably know.
He's a very successful, reputable importer of Forrest discus from Malaysia.

Originally Posted by shrimpNewbie

i like the orangeish discus with the bright blue stripes, my favorite even if common =] not sure of the name


thanks for the info, and by nutrient soak I meant taking up some of the ammonia and nitrates, the shade will be added benefit I guess, anyone know a good place to get babies in socal? would prefer they not go a long journey =]

thanks paul, and paul is correct. kenny over at simply discus is the top vendor on that forum. he has 1-2 shipments every month imported from forest from over seas. he isnt a breeder just imports and sells them. but im sure he has some small ones for sale. and he can prolly hook you up with a great deal for left over's hes wanting to get rid of. although most of the time his shipment sells out fast. there are south american varities of discus. those are wild discus.

here his vendors page. you can email or call him and ask what he has.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumd...ity-California

if you want local in socal close to you. bill in rialto is your best bet. heres his page. you can contact him and arrange an appointment for you to go check out his stock and hand pick some juvies.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumd...lto-California

[shrimpNewbie]

wow thank you, i'll check them out once I get this parasite under control and start my 100 =]