Questions about Discus tankmates

[sCeRaXn]

My smallest one isn't eating at all now. Ive tried BBS, cut up BW and BH, and even harvested some midge larva from a green water bucket I have going and all of them eat everything I put in there except the little one. Hell eat a BBS every now and then but for the most part he just lays on his side and doesn't move. Hes so skinny and weak that he can barely move even when hes startled. I don't know what else to do now.

The good news is that the other two seem to be doing a lot better. Theyre both swimming around happily and eating whatever I put in there. Im going to set up a separate 10g grow out tank for them this weekend because my 20l is now occupied by a breeding pair of Kribs.

The GBR that Joe sent me is doing well and is absolutely stunning. Ive bred them several times in the past and never had one that was this colorful at such a young age.

 

[Star_Rider]

there isn't much you can do....that you haven't already tried.

out of the last 10 baby Discus I raised I lost 2..1 jumped out of the tank(how he got thru that tiny opening is still a nagging question.. 1 I lost in very much the same as you are dealing with.

you may just have to chaulk it up to IIWII(it is what it is) could be he was just not able to compete or possible health issue that appeared later in it's life.

 

[discuspaul]

Agree with Ed. That dime-sized discus is a baby with a very under-developed immune system and has likely been stressed into ill health. It probably doesn't have much of a chance to survive under anything less than very ideal conditions. Regrettable, but chalk it up to experience and don't be tempted to get such small specimens in future, as they are quite difficult to grow out successfully.

 

[Star_Rider]

well put Paul...

I think what we should draw from the experience is a point you bring up.

young Discus, dime size or in my case quarter size..often require very pristine water. in my case I used aged water in a qt 29 grow out. the point being they are young and their immune system is weak and can become compromised.

my Virgin reds I got from Kenny were 2-3 " young discus but well into becoming healthy specimen. the lone loss was due to a healthy fish jumping out of the tank when I was not in the room .
the alenquer was a different story..the alenquer were quarter sized and I was expecting 2" young discus.. and I suffered the loss of one thru , most likely , some sort of infection or parasite, treating with prazi / metro did not resolve the issue.. the next step antibiotics but suspect the immune system was too compromised..
chalked up to a learning experience but not bad considering the odds.
as for lnclean water I do 50% daily water changes stil as the alenquer mature.

 

[sCeRaXn]

Yea ive sort of just left it alone the past two days. Im just feeding them normally and hoping for the best. I did all that I knew to do so at least ill know I gave it my all.

As far as wc's go, im doing three 25% water changes daily, after every other feeding, just so that uneaten food and waste doesn't stay in there too long. Is this a good schedule or should I change it to a single 50-75% wc a day? Im currently looking for a food safe 55 gallon drum to age water in so that I can do larger ones. As of right now I have three 5 gallon buckets aging for the three separate water changes.

Ill never buy discus this size again, and to be honest I wasn't expecting them to be nearly this small. Thanks for all the help fellas.

 

[discuspaul]

One wc a day of 50% or more would be just fine

 

[Star_Rider]

:iagree:

 

[sCeRaXn]

Just a little update. I lost the smallest one the day after my last post. The other two are doing extremely well though. Theyre in their own 10g grow out tank for the time being. When they get a little larger ill put them in the 20 that's currently home to two Kribs and about 40 fry. They were doing fine in the 1.5g refugium but the Kribs in the main tank didn't like the 82 degree water. Now that theyre in their own 10 im keeping it 84 and they seem to like it a lot more. Not to mention that the GBR was getting a little too frisky so I needed to separate them. I went to once daily 50% wc's for a few days but then went to two 50% changes since theyre in the smaller tank and im already aging 10 gallons of water a day. One thing ive noticed is that they really do love pristine water. I was really busy with family affairs one day this weekend and couldn't do a wc and the next morning they had lost a lot of their color and weren't as active as they usually are. I did three wc's that day and by the afternoon they were back to their normal selves.

Im still feeding them three times a day. Theyre eating BBS, first bites, baby midge larva, and chopped up bw's. A friend of mine is supposed to be getting be some beef heart sometime this week so ill start feeding that soon as well. What are some good recipes for it? The largest one loves chasing around BBS and the midge larva, but the medium one seems to prefer the first bites because its easier to catch. lol

Anyway, thanks again for all the help fellas. Im sure ill be picking your brain more in the future.