Discus keeping question
- Thread starter FishFanMan
- Start date
Thanks,
It kinda burns me up to see a reputable supplier of quality fish being dissed unfairly or inaccurately -
no criticism intended of SnakeIce's remarks, it's just that there is a lot of bad info on google - and particularly in the case of discus, many negative comments are from buyers who have screwed up the fish after they got them, or who really don't know their 'discus stuff', and blamed the source supplier for any problem they themselves caused..... or by making offhand comments they heard third hand which are not at all true.... like the comment about Jeff's fish being hormone treated for early coloration development.
Jeff gets his fish through highly reputable sources, e.g. like Forrest in Malaysia, which is probably the single best discus breeding area in all of Asia.
Most hormone fed discus originate from some less than scrupulous discus breeders in Thailand.
The source of the information/product reviews is highly important, and there's no better one than simplydiscus.com forum when it comes to Discus.
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Exotic Discus offerings are a bit expensive for me and the discus seems pretty large already. They do look great in those pictures.
But I'm more interested in getting juveniles about 1 to 2 inches and let them grow up in my tank. So I've found another true local breeder. He was blue snake skins and golden sunrises at the moment. I'm going to visit him this Sunday.
I can't seem to find any reviews about him so hopefully he was quality stock. He's selling them for $15 a piece which is very reasonable and affordable!
This is his website: http://www.somefinsfishy.com/
I'll post pictures if I buy any!
Thanks.
But I'm more interested in getting juveniles about 1 to 2 inches and let them grow up in my tank. So I've found another true local breeder. He was blue snake skins and golden sunrises at the moment. I'm going to visit him this Sunday.
I can't seem to find any reviews about him so hopefully he was quality stock. He's selling them for $15 a piece which is very reasonable and affordable!
This is his website: http://www.somefinsfishy.com/
I'll post pictures if I buy any!
Thanks.
If you decide to buy such small discus be prepared to do the work required to grow them up. BIG water changes daily (30-60%) & frequent feeding (5-6 per day) is what I did. Even so, mine, while quite nice, were certainly not show quality. Read Paul's discus article, it's a sticky in the angel/discus forum here on AC. There really aren't any shortcuts no matter what you may have read. The work required of small discus is the difference in cost of larger, less needy fish. I repeat, there are no shortcuts.
fishorama's advice is right on !
Small 1" to 2" discus are just babies, with their immune systems only just beginning to develop, and are very prone to all types of health issues, unless kept in pristine water quality and conditions, in a bare-bottom tank, with large daily water changes, and 5-6 feedings a day.
If they don't receive that kind of care & attention, it's highly likely they either won't survive very long, or their growth will be stunted, or a combination of both.
That's why they're inexpensive when that young, and larger discus are much more costly, due to the time & effort it takes to raise them properly.
Caring for young discus like that generally requires a good deal of prior experience with growing out discus, so it can be fairly said that it's false economy to buy fish that size if you're a novice at keeping discus.
Better to pay $200. for 4 or 5 discus of say 3.0"-3.5" in size and keep them alive & thriving, than to risk $100. on 6 very small discus, only to have them perish within 2 months.
Whatever you decide, fishfanman, best of luck to you, and don't hesitate to call on me if I can be of any help at any time.
Small 1" to 2" discus are just babies, with their immune systems only just beginning to develop, and are very prone to all types of health issues, unless kept in pristine water quality and conditions, in a bare-bottom tank, with large daily water changes, and 5-6 feedings a day.
If they don't receive that kind of care & attention, it's highly likely they either won't survive very long, or their growth will be stunted, or a combination of both.
That's why they're inexpensive when that young, and larger discus are much more costly, due to the time & effort it takes to raise them properly.
Caring for young discus like that generally requires a good deal of prior experience with growing out discus, so it can be fairly said that it's false economy to buy fish that size if you're a novice at keeping discus.
Better to pay $200. for 4 or 5 discus of say 3.0"-3.5" in size and keep them alive & thriving, than to risk $100. on 6 very small discus, only to have them perish within 2 months.
Whatever you decide, fishfanman, best of luck to you, and don't hesitate to call on me if I can be of any help at any time.
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To the already useful info you've received, I'd add that if you do decide to get babies, forego the live plants. A thin layer of sand on the bottom is acceptable if you absolutely have to have substrate. You can always add plants later. Growing out baby discus is much easier if you follow the "less is better" mentality in regards to hardscape and plants. Tankmates of any kind are unnecessary at this time.
Mark
Mark
I wanted to hear from this breeder about his thoughts on selling/buying very young discus. So I asked him via email if a newbie like me should start with larger discus instead to increase the odds that they will survive to adulthood. This is what he said.
"Believe me, I'm not trying to sell you our discus. Discus are a lot more hardy than most people give them credit for. We have sold over 1,300 of our discus at this size since mid-August alone! Most of them have been shipped across the country and all have arrived with only 3 or 4 losses. We actually ship them at this size because they travel better and acclimate better to people's tanks, as opposed to larger discus.If you don't feel comfortable with discus of this size, we certainly understand, but once they are approximately 4 weeks old, it's pretty unusual to loose any of them. The "secret" if you can call it that is to make sure the water is warm (82-85 degrees) and make sure they are eating high quality food 2-3 times a day. As long as you meet these simple requirements, they should be very easy to raise. Also, keep in mind that you will probably be paying $40-$60 each for discus that are 3" or larger."
The size that he is referring to is nickel size or about 1 inch. I'm not trying to say you all are incorrect, just relaying what this breeder told me today. I'm still going to visit him and will probably buy some and find out what he is feeding them so that I can continue that in my QT tank. He actually seems really nice. He answers every email I've sent him in a timely manner. Must be a big operation if he ships that many fish!
"Believe me, I'm not trying to sell you our discus. Discus are a lot more hardy than most people give them credit for. We have sold over 1,300 of our discus at this size since mid-August alone! Most of them have been shipped across the country and all have arrived with only 3 or 4 losses. We actually ship them at this size because they travel better and acclimate better to people's tanks, as opposed to larger discus.If you don't feel comfortable with discus of this size, we certainly understand, but once they are approximately 4 weeks old, it's pretty unusual to loose any of them. The "secret" if you can call it that is to make sure the water is warm (82-85 degrees) and make sure they are eating high quality food 2-3 times a day. As long as you meet these simple requirements, they should be very easy to raise. Also, keep in mind that you will probably be paying $40-$60 each for discus that are 3" or larger."
The size that he is referring to is nickel size or about 1 inch. I'm not trying to say you all are incorrect, just relaying what this breeder told me today. I'm still going to visit him and will probably buy some and find out what he is feeding them so that I can continue that in my QT tank. He actually seems really nice. He answers every email I've sent him in a timely manner. Must be a big operation if he ships that many fish!
Well, I know you'll keep in mind that the breeder you're dealing with is trying to sell fish, and he wants to sell them at a very young size & age. Most breeders will not raise discus to over 2" before putting them up for sale, due to the time it takes to grow them out properly, not to mention the extra cost of more equipment & larger tanks needed to accommodate growing discus.
He's making it sound all so easy & trouble-free to buy young discus, but the fact of the matter is that it just isn't so.
Sure, his discus likely arrive alive & healthy upon shipping, with only 3 or 4 losses as he said - but it's what happens to the fish afterwards, in the care of inexperienced discus-keepers. He doesn't talk about that, does he?
It's been proven time & time again that novices to discus who buy discus of 2" or less in size don't have the necessary knowledge and experience to successfully raise & keep young discus to maturity.
On the simplydiscus.com forum, every month there are literally dozens of reports of very young discus in the hands of discus newbies, quickly falling into ill health and perishing within 3 months of their purchase.
But hey, do what you wish of course - but let me alert you - place them in bare-bottom tank, do large daily wcs, maintain a religious tank cleansing routine, and feed them well & often, or you will likely fall victim to loss of discus for lack of proper care & attention.
He's making it sound all so easy & trouble-free to buy young discus, but the fact of the matter is that it just isn't so.
Sure, his discus likely arrive alive & healthy upon shipping, with only 3 or 4 losses as he said - but it's what happens to the fish afterwards, in the care of inexperienced discus-keepers. He doesn't talk about that, does he?
It's been proven time & time again that novices to discus who buy discus of 2" or less in size don't have the necessary knowledge and experience to successfully raise & keep young discus to maturity.
On the simplydiscus.com forum, every month there are literally dozens of reports of very young discus in the hands of discus newbies, quickly falling into ill health and perishing within 3 months of their purchase.
But hey, do what you wish of course - but let me alert you - place them in bare-bottom tank, do large daily wcs, maintain a religious tank cleansing routine, and feed them well & often, or you will likely fall victim to loss of discus for lack of proper care & attention.
Ok, understood. But I just can't do a bare bottom tank. I will keep the sand ultra clean though.
So my plan then is to keep them in my 20 long QT tank until they are big enough to go into their permanent tank. Should they be 3 inches before moving them?
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So my plan then is to keep them in my 20 long QT tank until they are big enough to go into their permanent tank. Should they be 3 inches before moving them?
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I can't recall you mentioning how many you were going to get. If it's 5 or 6, then yes, you'd need to move them to larger quarters when they reach around 3".
Suggest you go for a larger tank than say, 40 gals, for example, because it won't be long before you'd have to move them again. 60 gals would be a good size for a half dozen.
Suggest you go for a larger tank than say, 40 gals, for example, because it won't be long before you'd have to move them again. 60 gals would be a good size for a half dozen.
