Juvenile discus not growing well

[theredchaser]

I have a 2.75 inch discus in a qt tank turned into a growing tank. It was getting slapped around by the big boys so I figured I'd let it grow out at least a little bit so she stands a chance.

The problem is that I think she's starting to get stunted. She's growing but her eye/body ratio is slightly bigger than I'd like. I'm at a loss to what I'm supposed to do. I bought her slightly stunted knowing fully well she was stunted/possibly hormoned. I've grown too attached to her to give her back since her original home is much worse.

She's in a 20 gallon long by herself and 2 guppies. She's not skittish though and eats a lot. I feed her about 60% beefheart, and the rest I rotate with blood worms, mysis shrimp, dry pellets, and rarely brine shrimp. Her poo is black so no internal parasites that I know of. I feed her 3-5 times a day, depending on my schedule. I do 30% water changes daily and never skipped once.

Is it a lost cause? Getting her similar size discus buddies isn't an option since I don't have the space and she's eating more than her fair share anyway and isn't shy. Could it be she's not getting enough vitamins? She always eats her dry pellets last.

 

[pinkertd]

It's very hard to overcome the stunting, it takes time, lots of time, and patience to get her to her full potential, which will always be a bit smaller that those not faced with stunting conditions. She's young, lots of growing time in front of her. You're giving her excellent care and an excellent change to grow with that kind of water change schedule and feeding schedule. As much as you can, feed her up to 6 times a day as long as you're doing those water changes. From your description, she seems content even though she has no discus tankmates. Don't stress yourself about that. If she was unhappy about that, she wouldn't have the appetite she does. Beefheart and bloodworms are excellent main foods. You could soak the bloodworms in vitamins before you feed them to her. I can't tell you whether or not it will affect her growth rate, I've never done it. You don't say what the temp is in that tank. Keep her between 86 and 88F. Her immune system and metabolism will work better at the higher temp. While some discus grow big very fast and seem to reach adult size by a year, it takes up to two years for others to reach their adult size. Some do it slower than others. I've seen different growth rates between different strains. Genetics also plays a part in whether the discus will be small, average or supersized. Patience and excellent care WILL pay off. Keep up the good work! She is responding happily to your care and kudos to you for your dedication to an awesome fish!!

 

[Star_Rider]

Good call deb.

 

[RedScare]

Just cause the poo is black does not mean a lack of parasites. I learned that first hand. If you are worried you could try a single dose of prazi pro. Your growth probs are most likely related to poor water and stress from where you got the fish.

 

[number1sixerfan]

If an individual discus is being bullied around(as you said it was) it doesn't matter how good the water quality is or how much food it is being fed; chances are that it will be stunted. Sometimes you can do your best, but with a group of discus there will generally be a runt or two that will be bullied around and stressed out. That causes the discus to hide and thus not eat as readily as the others and a whole host of other problems.

Best bet is to try and grow it in the qt tank as best as possible, then give to a quality home if it does not meet your standards. I'm not into culling fish, I rather give it to someone who will appreciate it despite its slight imperfections.

Good Luck!

 

[Draal5]

Debbi is spot on. High protein diet and clean fresh water is your best chance to get the fish to grow to its Max size