75g w/ sump. Group of 25 discus grow out thread UPDATE: 2-7-16

[rickztahone]

I have never done something like this before, so, this will be more of a full length journey from very small discus to hopefully adult sized discus. Al (Castro) was nice enough to give me the opportunity to try my hand at it by giving me 25 discus from Mr. Goh Eng Khoon. They are Fine Line Leopard SnakeSkins and they were artificially raised. Again, I have never done something like this before, growing out from 1", and I am not 100% positive I can successfully do it. I will update this thread periodically so you can follow along :). The smallest I had ever grown out before was from 3" and grown out to roughly 7", but I will try my hand and this new challenge.

I more than likely should have set up a smaller tank to grow these out a little, but in the 75g they went. They are already eating BH and they all ate a lot earlier after I let them loose on the tank.

specs, 75g tank/40g sump, 25 discus, BB, will be doing 50-60% Daily WC's or possibly every other day at first since they are so tiny. Eventually, my goal is to keep 8 of them. The others will be sold off around the 3-4" size range, depending.

Enjoy :)

88998

And here is my blog on the journey:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/entry.php?17-Following-the-Goh-Fine-Line-Leopard-Snakes-babies-Blog

[Driftwood Mike]

Looking forward to watching the journey

[Second Hand Pat]

Nice Ricardo to see you back into discus :D
Pat

[alcastro]

Your Welcome Rick will help as much as i can, will be very interesting to see them grow you got 14 and 9 bar fry, for those that don't know the parents here is a picture that Rick took

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/18543290903_8e655221d7_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ufBdm8)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/ufBdm8) by rogelio_castro (https://www.flickr.com/photos/18759378@N07/), on Flickr

[discuspaul]

Superb-looking parents.
Good luck to you, Ricardo - it should be a very satisfying experience to watch these little guys grow & take on their parents' coloration.

[rickztahone]

Superb-looking parents.
Good luck to you, Ricardo - it should be a very satisfying experience to watch these little guys grow & take on their parents' coloration.

according to Al and others, there isn't really much telling which will look like the parents and which wont until they are older. I got a mix of 14 bar and 9 bar. We will see what turns up :)

[alcastro]

Rick is there a chance that these guys will end up in your overflow.

[rickztahone]

Rick is there a chance that these guys will end up in your overflow.

negative. I modified the BA overflow so that there is an egg crate shelf and poret foam on top of it. It made the whole operation louder, but it helps with uneaten food/waste and to keep them out of the overflow.

[Discus-n00b]

Looking forward to this! That pair is beautiful, I'm sure they will turn out equally so with your care Ricardo. Following along!

[rickztahone]

Found .25 ammonia today. May be a false positive due to prime, but still did a 60% wc. They are eating bh and forrests pellets with gusto. Super skittish though. Keeping an eye on them

[MadMatt]

Awesome!
:)


I have never done something like this before, so, this will be more of a full length journey from very small discus to hopefully adult sized discus. Al (Castro) was nice enough to give me the opportunity to try my hand at it by giving me 25 of these little ones. Again, I have never done something like this before, and I am not 100% positive I can successfully do it. I will update this thread periodically so you can follow along :).

I more than likely should have set up a smaller tank to grow these out a little, but in the 75g they went. They are already eating BH and they all ate a lot earlier after I let them loose on the tank.

specs, 75g tank/40g sump, 25 discus, BB, will be doing 50-60% Daily WC's or possibly every other day at first since they are so tiny. Eventually, my goal is to keep 8 of them. The others will be sold off around the 3-4" size range, depending.

Enjoy :)

88998

[rickztahone]

Thank you all :). For those interested, I started a blog on this grow out group. Here is the link:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/entry.php?17-Following-the-Goh-Fine-Line-Leopard-Snakes-babies-Blog

The blog will consist of much shorter entries than I would share here. It will be day to day stuff that I wouldn't include here so as to not bore any of you :)
I will share more pics there along the way as well to get a more sequential chronological look at their growth.

[Mgus]

Very cool! How old and what size are they?

[Eddie]

Nice! Good luck with them.

Eddie

[Disgirl]

Fun project for sure Ricardo! I myself like to grow them out from tiny ones. I will follow along here.

Hi Eddie! Good to see you back!
Barb

[rickztahone]

Very cool! How old and what size are they?
I want to say they are roughly 50-60 days old now. Al would know better. Size wise, there is quite a difference. Most are 1.5", but there are some under that, mainly the 14 bars, and there is one really large one which I'd say is over 2".

[rickztahone]

Nice! Good luck with them.

Eddie

Thanks Eddie, I'm sure I'm going to need it

[rickztahone]

Fun project for sure Ricardo! I myself like to grow them out from tiny ones. I will follow along here.

Hi Eddie! Good to see you back!
Barb
I have never done a grow out like this before, so I a bit nervous about it. We shall see how it turns out

[rickztahone]

I posted a few pics on the blog for those interested.

[alcastro]

Rick you are correct on age, I think is was good for them to hide behind filter till they adjust, don't be nervous enjoy them, saw your blog nice pic, it's funny how the boss fish stands out.

[alcastro]

There is one more thing about the fry, they where all artificialy raised.

[rickztahone]

Rick you are correct on age, I think is was good for them to hide behind filter till they adjust, don't be nervous enjoy them, saw your blog nice pic, it's funny how the boss fish stands out.

Since removing the filters and putting them in the sump, they have been a lot less skittish. My kids will pass by the tank now and they hardly head for the hills. Before they'd all hurry off behind the filter.

[timvriens]

so cute, those little discus fish

[jawfish]

Good to know they are less skittish, give them time.
Putting them in the sump is not a bad idea, when the tank is too big they kinda get loss. They will feed better in a smaller space.

I think growing out discus is one of the best way to learn about them, especially if you intend to breed them latter on.
Its also a rewarding experience. You get to see them develop and yes not all will be superstars, but to be able to say you grew them from 1.5 inch to 6-7 inch is really rewarding.

Looking forward to seeing more :D

Cheers,

Fred

[rickztahone]

Thanks Fred. I have no plans for breeding. Breeding has never been something that calls my attention as part of the hobby, but I do hope they make it to the breeding stage :)

[jawfish]

Then you safe Ricardo, breeding leads to tankaholic and that's hard habit to kick :)

With such a group I'm sure you'll get some action in a year-year and a half. I think you'll enjoy seeing them grow and you'll probably have some diversity in the group which always make it interesting.

Fred

[rickztahone]

Then you safe Ricardo, breeding leads to tankaholic and that's hard habit to kick :)

With such a group I'm sure you'll get some action in a year-year and a half. I think you'll enjoy seeing them grow and you'll probably have some diversity in the group which always make it interesting.

Fred

Yup, sure thing. My goal is ultimately to grow this group out to 3-4" and decide which 8 I would like to keep. My goal would ultimately be to keep those that look most like the parents and do one strain tank only, but I'd be open to a 2 strain tank if they turn out great. We shall see.

[jawfish]

That'll be nice... I find not enough people do strain tanks.... a whole group of the same strain is quite a sight especially if they turn out like their parents.

[rickztahone]

That'll be nice... I find not enough people do strain tanks.... a whole group of the same strain is quite a sight especially if they turn out like their parents.

agreed. I've had both mixed strain and single strain, and I must say that there is nothing like a single strain tank for me. Even with the same strain, you can always identify individual discus. It is fun :)

[rickztahone]

Video time! 5 days in my tank:

https://youtu.be/lbtqsJcNDMs

[alcastro]

Doing a great job I can see they have gotten a bit bigger, can't wait to see what they will develop into.

[rickztahone]

2 week old video:

https://youtu.be/pUPx5VDlGFI

They started eating Al's FDBW W/ bio pigment. It takes them a while to find it on the cone still, but when they do, they devour it. There are a couple taking the lion's share INSIDE the cone, lol. That's fun to watch.

[Jack L]

to keep shrimp out of my overflow i cut some sponge and fed it through the openings. might work for little Ds. but i'm not sure what your overflow intake looks like though

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87859&d=1435030182

[rickztahone]

to keep shrimp out of my overflow i cut some sponge and fed it through the openings. might work for little Ds. but i'm not sure what your overflow intake looks like though

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87859&d=1435030182

I actually had to modify my overflow in order to incorporate some poret foam in to the setup. Works well.

[jawfish]

Looking good, Its actually funny to see that small one in the cone eating.

[rickztahone]

Looking good, Its actually funny to see that small one in the cone eating.

I believe it to be the same one that does it every time. I expect him to be the fattest of the group soon lol

[alcastro]

Doing a great job so far Rick

[rickztahone]

Almost a month in my care. They are doing great. Definitely some runts in the bunch. I will not cull and let the group develop. This was an artificial raise and I am curious as to their grow out process. If only I had a control group to compare and contrast. Alas, I do not. One of the larger ones is now 3", but most are stuck around the 2+" mark.




https://youtu.be/vJ7ZeJWeEwQ

Btw, that is my daughters choice of music, lol.

[alcastro]

You must of taken most the males mine are aroud two inch after someone took ten more, so what is your water change regiment and feeding,

[Second Hand Pat]

These guys look fantastic Ricardo and they are growing very well. :)
Pat

[DiscusRob]

Following along, looking awesome so far

[rickztahone]

You must of taken most the males mine are aroud two inch after someone took ten more, so what is your water change regiment and feeding,
Possibly Al. Too early to tell which are which really, lol. Currently I have been changing out roughly 50g every day. Out of 75g, that makes it roughly a 66% water change, but lets say it is more around 60%. Vacuum after every feeding and I stop the filter only for BH feedings. As of late I have only been feeding BH once because of my work schedule, but before that I was feeding it twice daily and feeding around 5 times a day. Currently (this week) I have only been feeding 3 times; 6am, 6pm and BH at 8:30pm. There is no one in the house from 6 to 6 so can't feed them. They have been doing fine though so I am not too worried.


These guys look fantastic Ricardo and they are growing very well. :)
Pat
Thanks Pat. Around the 45 second mark in the vid you can see "the boss" come in to the shot. He is the bench mark for all the others. He is roughly 3" by my guesstimate. There are about 3 others that around in the 2.75" range as well. All 9 bars. The 14 bars are much slower growers.


Following along, looking awesome so far

I will update often, but it is the blog that I update even more frequently :). Thanks for following along.

[rickztahone]

Here are a few pics to show how they look today:
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[Loosir]

WOW! Keep it up Ricardo. The 14 bars look really good, with that said so do the 9 bars.

[alcastro]

They look great Rick, I like the spots on the 9 bars, strange that your 14 bars are not showing spots like mine, great pictures you are doing a great job.http://forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=89563&d=1440951034

[DiscusRob]

Looking great Rick, keep up the awesome work

[jawfish]

Looking good, These guys are growing good. Yhea that 9 line is promissing. Those 14 bars also... looking forward to your next video

Good Job Riccardo !!!

[rickztahone]

Looking great Rick, keep up the awesome work


Looking good, These guys are growing good. Yhea that 9 line is promissing. Those 14 bars also... looking forward to your next video

Good Job Riccardo !!!

Thank you both. The 9 bars are sure nice to look at, but I believe the 14 bars will start showing pattern soon enough.

[rickztahone]

This group just past the 3 month mark now. The patterns are coming out of the 9bars and some partial spotting on the 14 bars. Quite a few are behind the bar, but a good amount have some great growth. I might keep them a month or 2 more till I start selling off. Enjoy:
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[rickztahone]

90546
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This second guy is an odd ball. It actually has quite a red hue to him. There is no other discus in this batch that looks like it. However, it is a nice little discus. They are still eating like pigs. Getting bigger and bigger daily :)

[Second Hand Pat]

These guys look great Ricardo. Nice job with them. :D
Pat

[alcastro]

I want them back, wow there turning out great, i better get thicker glasses to see if mine are like that.
Your doing a great job and you got them just over one inch.

[Driftwood Mike]

Love them, great job, really enjoy threads like this!

[DiscusRob]

Excellent job, keep the pics coming

[Discus-n00b]

Wow they've really put on some size and color. Keep it up Ricardo!

[jmf3460]

they are looking really good ricardo. I just read this whole thread from beginning to now, and you are doing a great job growing them out. hard to count all 14 bars but I can see several pictures where I can easily count all 9 bars. the clever ones going inside the cone are cute, wont be too long before they can no longer fit inside there. im still in aww that you were given these beauties. how lucky you are.

[rickztahone]

These guys look great Ricardo. Nice job with them. :D
Pat
Thanks Pat. They are really coming along great.


I want them back, wow there turning out great, i better get thicker glasses to see if mine are like that.
Your doing a great job and you got them just over one inch.
Good to know at what size I got them. I couldn't quite remember, but I remember they were TINY! lol. If you want some back, we can definitely arrange it down the line bud ;). I can't keep ALL of them right?


Love them, great job, really enjoy threads like this!
Thanks for following along. This is just the beginning stages, but so far, they are doing excellent. A few oddballs here and there. Never did find the 25th "Nemo" discus.


Excellent job, keep the pics coming
Will be sure to do that :)


Wow they've really put on some size and color. Keep it up Ricardo!
I will Matt. I was doing a 2 flash setup here with bare bulbs, no mods, and the thing that really struck me about this tank is that I really could have benefitted from a polishing. Even when I was hitting critical focus on these guys, the pics were coming out unsharp. I didn't want to do masks for this because at the end of the day, I take too many pics of this group to even bother, but I'm kind of sad that I didn't polish the acrylic while dry :(. Hopefully when they are larger, I can do the discus more justice. Additionally, for the most part, for the pics, they mainly swam in the bottom portion of the tank, which made it a little difficult considering the really light colored tank floor was really reflecting a lot of light.


they are looking really good ricardo. I just read this whole thread from beginning to now, and you are doing a great job growing them out. hard to count all 14 bars but I can see several pictures where I can easily count all 9 bars. the clever ones going inside the cone are cute, wont be too long before they can no longer fit inside there. im still in aww that you were given these beauties. how lucky you are.

Yeah, there are a few that can still do this, but the ones getting the lion share earlier have grown a little too large to take advantage of this fact. I will start to add another feeder cone shortly if they start showing aggression. So far that hasn't happened, but I am waiting for it. They are currently eating 3 cubes of worms a meal, and typically getting 2 feedings of FDBW's and 2 of BH

[Jack L]

That water is so clear it does not even look like there is any in there

[Jack L]

That second to last picture that looks like a panoramic is a pretty cool photo

[rickztahone]

That second to last picture that looks like a panoramic is a pretty cool photo

This one?:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=90544&d=1443297534

That was actually a regular picture and just cropped down. It would be next to impossible to do a pano sweep in a fish tank as the fish do not stand still long enough to attain this technique :(. So, I have to do the next best thing :)

[SMB2]

I really like this crop. All the fish are in focus and it gives a great account of the variety. And the "oddball" is in the middle.
Oh and the fish are great too!

[rickztahone]

I really like this crop. All the fish are in focus and it gives a great account of the variety. And the "oddball" is in the middle.
Oh and the fish are great too!

Thanks Stan. I really am scratching my head at that particular discus for 2 reasons. 1.) It has a red hue as previously mentioned, and 2.) It shows some crazy bars I have never seen before. The bars almost look like they are 2-3 times the normal size of bars, and they make this discus look very different. Even more odd, it only shows this type of barring on one side. The other seems rather normal. I am yet to capture this on camera, but will keep trying.

[Tony13]

Ricardo would you please tell me where you got the feeder cone.
Thanks Tony

[rickztahone]

Ricardo would you please tell me where you got the feeder cone.
Thanks Tony

My friend Al gave it to me but you there is nothing special about this worm cone. You can purchase it at almost every LFS or order it online. It is called a worm feeder cone.

[Tony13]

Thanks Ricardo, looks like a good way to stop food waste and keep tank cleaner.

[rickztahone]

Thanks Ricardo, looks like a good way to stop food waste and keep tank cleaner.

as far as feeding FDBW, absolutely! I use to actually stick the cubes to the side of the tank wall and have them feed off that but it would make a huge mess on the surface water. I can only imagine how terrible this would be for my current overflow system. As it stands, the cone helps the discus eat EVERY SINGLE piece of worm without any of it going in to the overflow. Till this day, I have not found 1 worm debris in my overflow. THAT, is quite an accomplishment. BH still makes the biggest mess. However, I turn off my filter for this feeding twice a day. All other foods, filter stays on.

[Eddie]

Nice work brotha! These look great. It can be tough growing them out from that size.

[rickztahone]

Nice work brotha! These look great. It can be tough growing them out from that size.

Indeed. There are already a few that I can tell will be runts. Others are flourishing quite nicely!

[Jack L]

This one?:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=90544&d=1443297534

That was actually a regular picture and just cropped down. It would be next to impossible to do a pano sweep in a fish tank as the fish do not stand still long enough to attain this technique :(. So, I have to do the next best thing :)

yeah, that one.....nice

[rickztahone]

A couple of months in my care:
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[Loosir]

I hope you brought enough to share with the entire class:D, they are looking so good!! By the way what are you going to call the new strain that the oddball has started?

[rickztahone]

I hope you brought enough to share with the entire class:D, they are looking so good!! By the way what are you going to call the new strain that the oddball has started?

I'm at a loss for that guy. Looks like some kind of red based discus but it's the only one

[Eddie]

Really nice. I especially like that larger Leopard.

[rickztahone]

Really nice. I especially like that larger Leopard.
Lol, yeah Al dubbed him "the boss". Has always been larger than the rest and has the most pattern of all as well. I have 2 others that have caught up to it in size almost. Pretty impressive. The 14 bars are still behind on growth and pattern, but they are coming along. Some have some really faint pattern that you can only see at a certain angle. Pretty neat actually

[Eddie]

Lol, yeah Al dubbed him "the boss". Has always been larger than the rest and has the most pattern of all as well. I have 2 others that have caught up to it in size almost. Pretty impressive. The 14 bars are still behind on growth and pattern, but they are coming along. Some have some really faint pattern that you can only see at a certain angle. Pretty neat actually

They certainly develop some nice patterns as adults. I'll be watching these.

[marinum]

Ricardo which have lighting on the tank?

[rickztahone]

Ricardo which have lighting on the tank?

It is a 24" Aquatic Life Edge LED light. I posted a review on it here if you are interested:
Aquatic Life EDGE LED light fixture review (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?114086-Aquatic-Life-EDGE-LED-light-fixture-informal-review)

[alcastro]

Congrats Rick you done good, very interesting.

[Jack L]

nice

[rickztahone]

Latest video of how they look:

https://youtu.be/aN44GtQ-E6g
Sorry for the crappy quality, I didn't adjust wb or use a tripod.

Notice that this is a high traffic area. This is right next to a bathroom, and the discus do not even flinch! They have become accustomed to the movement in and out of the bathroom and when you exit the bathroom you have to assume it looks like we literally pop out of nowhere to the discus, lol. This is why I tell people to not tip toe around their discus, they can adapt to crazy conditions so long as you do it consistently.

This will be the last video of the group as a whole. I will be giving away 5 culls tomorrow to someone that wants to see if they got what it takes to grow discus. I was happy to provide these to that member so long as they knew that the quality wasn't the best and I wouldn't feel right selling them. I asked him to sign up here on SD so that we can follow along with his journey. He is a local Scape member. His handle is Aquaman.

Out of the 5 he is taking, I know 4 can put on some good size, but I would still consider them culls if I know they do not have a chance at 6" at least. He is well suited for growouts as he has a BB tank and is willing to do regular WC's.

[Filip]

Great group Rick, and beautiful parents .
If they become half their parents are , they will still be beautiful.

[rickztahone]

Great group Rick, and beautiful parents .
If they become half their parents are , they will still be beautiful.

I know there are some stunners in this group that i hope will rival the parents, but those parents are really something else! I can't wait for this group to be around 5". One is already at 4", but that one has always been the biggest one.

Thanks again.

Update: Yesterday I gave away 5 discus to a local Scape member. They will be opening a thread here shortly to document their growth. These were what I considered to be culls and didn't feel right selling them, so I gave them away to someone that was considering getting discus and is using this group as an experiment to see if they can manage it :)

[Second Hand Pat]

Very nice group Ricardo and best to downsize a bit to give the others a bit of growing room. :)
Pat

[rickztahone]

Very nice group Ricardo and best to downsize a bit to give the others a bit of growing room. :)
Pat

Agreed. I will be selling off 6 or so in a few weeks to give the remaining group a little more room.

[Siddhartha Saive]

Awesome discus Rick :)
It is really rewarding to watch such tiny fish grow into colourful dinnerplates ;)
Can't wait to see how they'll look when they start colouring up in a few months

[rickztahone]

Awesome discus Rick :)
It is really rewarding to watch such tiny fish grow into colourful dinnerplates ;)
Can't wait to see how they'll look when they start colouring up in a few months

Thanks Siddhartha. I can't wait till these become the size of dinner plates as well :)

[jawfish]

You have some nice discus in there Ricardo, you're doing a great job growing them.
I think its a good thing to put them in a high traffic area, they get use to people and love to check them out :D

It will be nice to see with a lesser density, looking froward to more videos :o

Cheers,

Fred

[rickztahone]

You have some nice discus in there Ricardo, you're doing a great job growing them.
I think its a good thing to put them in a high traffic area, they get use to people and love to check them out :D

It will be nice to see with a lesser density, looking froward to more videos :o

Cheers,

Fred

I will be thinning the heard shortly to make room for the remaining discus. I scooped out a few the other day and were in the 3.5 to 4" range. I would have liked for all of them to be in the 4" range, but it is the leopards that are outgrowing the 14 bars. I am fine with this as I've been told they grow at a slower pace, but I believe their pattern is going to be super nice which is why I am holding on to quiet a few.

[Skip]

nice!! :)

[rickztahone]

Just over 4 months now:
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[rickztahone]

The odd man out is really starting to show the difference, lol.

[alcastro]

The odd man out is really starting to show the difference, lol.

Do you mean the jumper, i want him back got's to cross breed it.

[alcastro]

No pictures

[rickztahone]

Do you mean the jumper, i want him back got's to cross breed it.

Possibly the jumper, lol. I really like that little guy. The red is insane! Pictures were in the previous page :)

[alcastro]

The picture before last shows rings on bottom

[Filip]

Great fish so far Rick.
How many you got here, about 20?
More than half are big size and already showing nice patterns and colours.
The big brown boy with stress lines and without patterns is also beautiful.
What's their curent size,I mean on the bigger ones ?

[rickztahone]

The picture before last shows rings on bottom
Yeah, I noticed that too


Great fish so far Rick.
How many you got here, about 20?
More than half are big size and already showing nice patterns and colours.
The big brown boy with stress lines and without patterns is also beautiful.
What's their curent size,I mean on the bigger ones ?

The smaller ones are roughly 3 1/4- 3.5". The larger are close to 4.5"

[DiscusGino]

Wow. The tank looks great! Is the tank BB or is there a really light sand on the bottom?

[CrazyAngels]

Great job growing those out Ricardo..

[rickztahone]

Wow. The tank looks great! Is the tank BB or is there a really light sand on the bottom?

Thanks Gino! It is a BB tank, painted bottom with textured paint. Been using this paint for years, and love how it resembles sand without actually having the sand :)



Great job growing those out Ricardo..

Thanks Jorge :). I sold 6 today which is kind of a sad moment for me :(

[CrazyAngels]

But you should be proud of having done a great job with them, now someone else can enjoy what you and I have for so long..

[rickztahone]

But you should be proud of having done a great job with them, now someone else can enjoy what you and I have for so long..

Bitter sweet for sure. On a bright note though, he is a local to me, like within 5 minutes and he's a mod of Scape! Who'd a thunk it. I never knew he was so close to me. In they went to a 180g

[rickztahone]

Here's a pic the new owner just sent me:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/11/2a58573e0d363d4405db4cb875da919a.jpg

[Filip]

They look great in the planted tank.Too bad it's a black bottom though.
I hope he will take good care of them.

[Mgus]

Fish are looking good getting some great color and patterns. I like the solid one

[rickztahone]

They look great in the planted tank.Too bad it's a black bottom though.
I hope he will take good care of them.
I hope so too :)


Fish are looking good getting some great color and patterns. I like the solid one

The red one? That one is an absolute bully in my tank. I witnessed something very cool yesterday, that same red one would completely got rid of all its bars one second, and the next, would show the bars really predominantly. It was lip locking with my biggest discus and today I noticed that the largest one was being submissive. I may have a new boss in town, lol.

[pastry]

Ric, been following thread. Niiiice. Can't wait for each time you update. When/what size do you plan to cut group down to final number? I know that's a little ambiguous but "round about" ?

[rickztahone]

Ric, been following thread. Niiiice. Can't wait for each time you update. When/what size do you plan to cut group down to final number? I know that's a little ambiguous but "round about" ?

My target will be roughly 1 to 2 months for this last cut. I might have done it sooner, however, there is a local person who is very interested in the last group and wants to take them all. However, he is in the setting up stages and I told him I'd wait so long as it didn't drag out for months. This helps me in 2 ways, 1: I know they have a buyer, and 2: It gives me time to see which ones will truly be the keepers, which is usually the problem when you sell before you see them larger.

Thanks for following along Elliot :)

[rickztahone]

Ok, I included this video for 2 reason, 1: I wanted to show you guys how big these guys have gotten, and 2: My son happened to be in front of the fish tank too and gives us a great play by play, lmao. He loves standing in front of the fish tank and saying hi to the fish:

https://youtu.be/M571pgcZByU

Keep in mind, this video was taken with my phone on the fly. Forgive the lower quality please.

Lastly, I had just fed their last round of BH for the day, that is why the bottom is so dirty. It is spic and span now :)

[DiscusGino]

Looking good!!!

[Jack L]

shaping up nicely.

soon your assistant can help with maintenance ;)

[rickztahone]

Looking good!!!
Thanks Gino


shaping up nicely.

soon your assistant can help with maintenance ;)


lol, yeah, I'm sure. He is such a curious little boy. He really cracks me up. It is great to hear my son speaking more frequently.

Last year, my son was prone to ear infections. He actually had 7 of them in the last year. This obviously wasn't normal. He eventually had to see an ENT about the problem. It turns out that he had liquid in his ears that never drained correctly. So, he would get ear infections whenever his body couldn't get rid of the liquid. This greatly affected many aspects of his development. One of which is speech. Also, equilibrium and a few other aspects of his day to day.

A few months ago he had a bilateral tube implant in his ears and since then he hasn't had any infections! We have 4 different therapists working with him for speech, OT, PT and sensory issues.

Simply hearing my son speaking to my fish in the way that he does puts the biggest smile on my face. He is becoming a regular chatter box and I am so happy that we did the implants.

I know I am getting very personal here, but it is a very important part of my life, and we are constantly playing catch up with him with kids his age. This video is such a bright moment for me in just hearing my son talk that I chose to share it here with all of you. Normally that wouldn't have left my house :)

[Filip]

Discus looking and growing great Ricardo.
Did you reduce them to final number?
What's their current size and age at this moment?

I'm also very glad about your son coming back on the right track after so many troubles and finding solution to his problems. I sure you'll achieve much more in future than just catching up.
Wish you all the luck.

[rickztahone]

Discus looking and growing great Ricardo.
Did you reduce them to final number?
What's their current size and age at this moment?

I'm also very glad about your son coming back on the right track after so many troubles and finding solution to his problems. I sure you'll achieve much more in future than just catching up.
Wish you all the luck.

Thanks Filip. We are working to put him ahead of the pack now! My older daughter is academically gifted and we would love it if my son would follow in her footsteps. It is going to take a lot of hard work, but we will get there I'm sure.

With regards to the discus, they are all steadily growing. The smallest one is having a hard time getting to 4". 3.5" the last time I measured him actually. However, the big boys are all over 4" now. 2 of which are pushing 4.5". I scooped out the largest one the other day and he was not very happy about it. The smaller ones don't mind being handled, but he had a huge problem with it! lol.

I am down to 13 currently with one more round of selling to go. I will sell off 5 more and stay with the remaining in the group. I already have a buyer for the last group and have at least 4 others ready to buy them too if that falls through. It is great to know that there is that option. I know how difficult it was for me to sell my grown out discus a few years back when I was getting out of the hobby. A discus that would have sold for $150 from any one of our sponsors I was having a hard time selling them at $50! Hard to believe.

As far as age goes, they are 5 months now if my calculations are correct. I've personally had them going on 4 months now.

[ericNH]

lol, yeah, I'm sure. He is such a curious little boy. He really cracks me up. It is great to hear my son speaking more frequently. ...This video is such a bright moment for me in just hearing my son talk that I chose to share it here with all of you. Normally that wouldn't have left my house :)

Great post in a great thread. He's a cute kid! After growing out so many beautiful discus fish, I'm sure growing out your own kids will be a walk in the park :grin:

[jmf3460]

looking great ricardo, the fish and your son! you have probably mentioned this somewhere but what type tank is this? acrylic? brand??

[rickztahone]

Great post in a great thread. He's a cute kid! After growing out so many beautiful discus fish, I'm sure growing out your own kids will be a walk in the park :grin:
If only it was that easy! :). The little man is a handful, but I have managed this far. My daughter is a lot more docile compared to him, lol.

My life's ambition will be to grow them (my kids) out to full potential, so full water changes for them it is!


looking great ricardo, the fish and your son! you have probably mentioned this somewhere but what type tank is this? acrylic? brand??

It is an acrylic tank with rounded corners in the front. I believe the maker is SeaClear? I bought it used for $150 from a fellow Scape member and it has been a great tank so far. Few very minor scratches but nothing major really.

I really wish it was a glass tank because I just feel it is clearer with glass, but that may just be me.

[Jack L]

i've also been told by some that as acrylic ages it loses some clarity just from light exposure, but that may be a tall tail

[rickztahone]

i've also been told by some that as acrylic ages it loses some clarity just from light exposure, but that may be a tall tail

So far I have not exprienced that but I have heard people saying it as well. Actually, what I hear more often is that the acrylic takes on a yellowish tint. I am yet to see that though. My next tank (non-discus) will be 3 sided starphire hopefully. Gotta love the clarity.

[rickztahone]

So, later today I am leaving on a cruise for a couple of days. Guess what wakes me up? My daughter yelling and screaming saying that a discus was bullied out of the tank. She said she saw the while thing and the poor thing was on the floor when I got up and run to the tank. So, this may have been a great thing because I keep my top open and I always figured it wasn't so bad since it has the acrylic thick euro brace. I guess that wasn't enough, lol.

I placed egg crate on top of the two openings and will have to find a way to cover it when I come back.

I'm glad it happened right now though and not whilst I was already gone on the cruise.

Wouldn't you know it though, the biggest and best looking 14 bar was the one that jumped out. He looks fine but I won't be here for observation. Kind of worried but can't do anything about it now.

[ericNH]

Your daughter saved that fish's life! Well done, Daughter of Ricardo! :thumbsup:

[strawberryblonde]

So, later today I am leaving on a cruise for a couple of days. Guess what wakes me up? My daughter yelling and screaming saying that a discus was bullied out of the tank. She said she saw the while thing and the poor thing was on the floor when I got up and run to the tank. So, this may have been a great thing because I keep my top open and I always figured it wasn't so bad since it has the acrylic thick euro brace. I guess that wasn't enough, lol.

I placed egg crate on top of the two openings and will have to find a way to cover it when I come back.

I'm glad it happened right now though and not whilst I was already gone on the cruise.

Wouldn't you know it though, the biggest and best looking 14 bar was the one that jumped out. He looks fine but I won't be here for observation. Kind of worried but can't do anything about it now.

I use egg crate for my openings too, and never got around to anything more permanent, it works really well! If you don't like the color you can always spray paint it so that it blends in better.

Thank goodness your daughter saw the fish jump. Most of the time it doesn't hurt them at all. I've had a couple of jumpers, including one who landed over 6' away (he upended a piece of driftwood, knocked the heater off the wall of the tank and the egg crate flew off the top - needless to say, we all heard him! lol). That guy scared me the most because of all the banging around that he did, plus the hard landing so far from the tank, but after an hour in the tank he was fine. Lost his slime coat the next day and by the third day was totally normal again. They are tough fish!

[jmf3460]

dang ricardo, im glad your daughter was watching and not your cat/dog. hopefully he will be fine, maybe bruised and stunned a little but nothing he will die from.

[Filip]

The funny thing is that this kind of accidents almost always happens to our biggest and most favorite Fish :).
I'll be glad if everything's end up good at the end.

[Jack L]

fish jump....use lids
w/o lid, expect deaths, all fish, not a Discus thing

i had and oscar that would jump out ROUTINELY, it would knock open canopy

[Loosir]

On the bright side, now you know how to feed that pet Osprey you have!
92516

[rickztahone]

Your daughter saved that fish's life! Well done, Daughter of Ricardo! :thumbsup:
I told her, she laughed, lol.


I use egg crate for my openings too, and never got around to anything more permanent, it works really well! If you don't like the color you can always spray paint it so that it blends in better.

Thank goodness your daughter saw the fish jump. Most of the time it doesn't hurt them at all. I've had a couple of jumpers, including one who landed over 6' away (he upended a piece of driftwood, knocked the heater off the wall of the tank and the egg crate flew off the top - needless to say, we all heard him! lol). That guy scared me the most because of all the banging around that he did, plus the hard landing so far from the tank, but after an hour in the tank he was fine. Lost his slime coat the next day and by the third day was totally normal again. They are tough fish!
I may have to leave the egg crate. I really don't like how it affects the lights I have on the tank though. You can tell how much it impacts the intensity by looking at the tank floor.


dang ricardo, im glad your daughter was watching and not your cat/dog. hopefully he will be fine, maybe bruised and stunned a little but nothing he will die from.
Came back from the cruise and the fish is fine. Had some frayed fins before I left and is back to normal now.


The funny thing is that this kind of accidents almost always happens to our biggest and most favorite Fish :).
I'll be glad if everything's end up good at the end.
Yes, I have heard this for quite a few years, and it almost turned true with me.


fish jump....use lids
w/o lid, expect deaths, all fish, not a Discus thing

i had and oscar that would jump out ROUTINELY, it would knock open canopy
yup, I will keep covering from now on. Worked too hard to have them fly out.


On the bright side, now you know how to feed that pet Osprey you have!
92516

Lol, my pet Osprey is way larger than that!

They got regular BH food today and a nice water change. Fish are happy again!

[rickztahone]

So, I have had the remaining group in my care for almost exactly 5 months. They are just about to hit 7 months I believe as they were born in mid June.

I updated the blog, but figured I'd update here as well (but sadly no pictures :(). The "runt" of the group is still a runt, and while I do notice it growing vertically, it is still in the 4" mark. There is one other that is roughly that same size, but all the others are larger, and a few in the group are "much" larger.

The odd one out, or rather, the Cuipeua cross is by far the dominant discus of the bunch, and I am not at all surprised. This may sound weird to all, but I am sure Al can back me up, the Cuipeua parents are some of the most aggressive discus I have ever witnessed. I believe it is in their genes to be this aggressive, and this Cuipeua cross I have in my tank is absolutely no exception.

It will go after my hand many times when I place my hand in the tank, and it tries to bully everyone in the tank all the time. I measured it yesterday and it is a tad over 5". 2 other 9 bars are also this size and the total average of discus sizes is around 4.5".

This isn't the best growth I have ever seen from a whole group, but it is an acceptable rate for me. Keep in mind, I am not doing 100% WC's as I usually do. I do daily 60% WC and feed roughly 3-4x's a day now. BH twice a day when I can, but mainly FDBW as a staple when I work long hours.

I can see a few possibly making it to the 7" mark, but I believe most will cap out at 6-6.5", which I am completely fine with. I may reduce the group one more time shortly so that the main group gets more swimming room and more a share of the food. However, I have grown very close to each and every one of these discus and letting go of any is really making me sad. I will hold off on selling as long as possible, or until I start seeing way more aggression from the bunch.

Thanks for following along, and I will get some pics coming shortly.

[rickztahone]

As promised, video update. Sorry but I overexposed the video. I am great at taking pictures, but video work is not my strong suit. I hope you guys still enjoy :)


https://youtu.be/hJqDGBwuFPI
Remember, click on the "watch in youtube" to watch larger

[Second Hand Pat]

Great video and fish Ricardo. :D The fish are looking super with a great shape. I admit to not being totally up to date on the group. Where do the Cuipeua cross come from or was that your one which was different then the others?
Pat

[rickztahone]

Great video and fish Ricardo. :D The fish are looking super with a great shape. I admit to not being totally up to date on the group. Where do the Cuipeua cross come from or was that your one which was different then the others?
Pat
Yeah, that was the different one from the start. The way that Al has his fish room set up, they are racks, one above the other. What ended up happening was that this one particular one jumped from a top tank, went through the back of the rack and landed on the bottom tsnk. I ended up choosing him amongst my group thinking he was from the same batch, lol. It is an absolute bully

[Second Hand Pat]

Lucky fish lol

[rickztahone]

Lucky fish lol

Yeah no kidding. It reminds me of this one bird in nature that lays its eggs in the nest of others birds, and when it hatches, it feeds off the other birds in the nest.

[alcastro]

Great job you are doing, my other curipera are a bit different

[rickztahone]

Great job you are doing, my other curipera are a bit different

You have to show us Al! C'mon, you know the game :)

[yugati1]

I've enjoyed reading this thread. Nice job! I've been trying my hand at Discus lately and have not had anything close to the growth your seeing. I look forward to following along.

[Jack L]

they are coming along nicely!

[ericNH]

Awesome tank, beautiful fish. Thanks for updating, I enjoy following this thread :)

[rickztahone]

I've enjoyed reading this thread. Nice job! I've been trying my hand at Discus lately and have not had anything close to the growth your seeing. I look forward to following along.
The key is feeding good food, plenty times a day, and having a good water change schedule. There really isn't much to it when you really think about it.


they are coming along nicely!
Thank you very much :)


Awesome tank, beautiful fish. Thanks for updating, I enjoy following this thread :)

Thanks for following along Eric. This group has been very rewarding for me thus far. I hope to keep them healthy and growing large. I will be selling the last 4-5 in the upcoming weeks and will finally have my final group.

[ericNH]

I will be selling the last 4-5 in the upcoming weeks and will finally have my final group.

Do you think you'll ship them? There's plenty of room in my tank :)

[rickztahone]

Do you think you'll ship them? There's plenty of room in my tank :)

I wish I could Eric, on both fronts; shipping them to you specifically, and actually knowing how to ship, lol, but I had these spoken for months ago by a local. He is setting up a very nice discus tank just for this group :)

[Jack L]

on your splash image, the one on the right, looking to the left, with the bars on, that one is the nicest IMO ; )

[rickztahone]

on your splash image, the one on the right, looking to the left, with the bars on, that one is the nicest IMO ; )

The hitchhiking bully? lol, yeah, I agree. He was an accident, but shhhh, don't tell him that.

[Tonyintx]

It's cool to see all the different mutations that can come from the same parents. GREAT colors. enjoy.

[rickztahone]

It's cool to see all the different mutations that can come from the same parents. GREAT colors. enjoy.

Thank you Tony. It is pretty cool to see the variety. I will mention though, the Cuipeua isn't from this group, so there really is only 3 varieties. I don't remember what the original ratio was, but there were a lot of fry at the time. It would have been interesting to find that out.

[rickztahone]

I posted this in the water works section with a thread I started but forgot to add the video here. It shows me doing a regular daily 60% WC. Sorry, no audio, but you can select the 2x speed to make it go faster :)


https://youtu.be/l8CBrK6xbak

[rickztahone]

Moonlight shots. Not the greatest since I had to push my ISO so high, but you get the gist :)
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/rickztahone/DSC06676_zpsu9gtgapp.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/rickztahone/media/DSC06676_zpsu9gtgapp.jpg.html)
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/rickztahone/DSC06675_zpsu5hubyrf.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/rickztahone/media/DSC06675_zpsu5hubyrf.jpg.html)
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/rickztahone/DSC06674_zpseeipmit5.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/rickztahone/media/DSC06674_zpseeipmit5.jpg.html)
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/rickztahone/DSC06673_zpsgwj39vag.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/rickztahone/media/DSC06673_zpsgwj39vag.jpg.html)

[ericNH]

nice lighting effects. very blue. very very blue. Instead of black and white it's like black and blue.

[Filip]

Almost sureal Rick :) . Nice pics.

[tunerhead24]

Nice shots! Is that a full frame?

[jawfish]

Love that moonlight effect,

You're really doing a good job of growing these guys.
Keep em coming :thumbsup:

Cheers,

Fred

[rickztahone]

Nice shots! Is that a full frame?
Yeah, my camera is a FF Sony a99

[Stonecrazy6]

been enjoying the growout..

soo.. where does the water go?? Do you have a pump to refill it?

[rickztahone]

been enjoying the growout..

soo.. where does the water go?? Do you have a pump to refill it?

The water goes straight to my front lawn to water a plant/flower bed. These plants are thriving like I have never seen any plants thrive before.

Not sure if you saw the WC video on the last page, but towards the end you can see me pressing on a button to turn a return pump on to refill my tank. The whole process takes me less than 15 minutes.

[rickztahone]

Not a picture update but I do have a couple of udates. The Cuipeua cross is starting to show a cool blue sheen around the face. I had never noticed this prior but it looks really nice. It is also my largest discus now at 5.5". I am yet to measure one other fellow who could possibly contend in size, but he may not remain a contender for long.

Here's why; a total of 4 fish have been over in one corner of a tank and shimming from time to time. I have seen this group of 4 right near my bulkhead and picking at it. They hardly eat now due to this activity they have going on in the right side of the tank.

As many of you know, I do not plan on breeding, so this behavior is one I wish they weren't participating in, but who am I to tell them to stop trying to breed? I will let them do their thing, but as of late, I have been feeding the group less because these 4 hardly have an appetite as of late. They would rather shimmy, clean on their side. Always on the right side too and the Cuipeua dominates the left side.

I will keep you guys updated, but I don't like that they have not had the best appetite.

[Stonecrazy6]

The water goes straight to my front lawn to water a plant/flower bed. These plants are thriving like I have never seen any plants thrive before.

Not sure if you saw the WC video on the last page, but towards the end you can see me pressing on a button to turn a return pump on to refill my tank. The whole process takes me less than 15 minutes.

LOL! Aquaponics!! lol!

I did watch that video.. can't say I watched it all.. :) I see you have a large water storage container near that tank.. but I was trying to understand what was happening when you connected to something inside the tank when you were draining water.. did you drill a hole in the house? :huh: right now my small tank drains out the window and refills in a similar way as your setup, but I really like the look of what you did.. more info please. :)

Sandra

[rickztahone]

LOL! Aquaponics!! lol!

I did watch that video.. can't say I watched it all.. :) I see you have a large water storage container near that tank.. but I was trying to understand what was happening when you connected to something inside the tank when you were draining water.. did you drill a hole in the house? :huh: right now my small tank drains out the window and refills in a similar way as your setup, but I really like the look of what you did.. more info please. :)

Sandra

On the lower back right side of my tank I drilled a 1" bulkhead. This bulkhead always has a strainer on it unless I am doing a WC. When I do my water change, I remove the low profile strainer and attach my pvc hose vacuum apparatus. I turn a True union ball valve like this one:
http://pvcpipesupplies.com/1-pvc-true-union-ball-valve-gray-epdm-socket-1410gs.html

This drains the water down to the point of the bulkhead whilst I am vacuuming the tank floor. Once I am done draining water, I turn the valve to the closed position and begin to the fill the tank from my 55g storage barrel with an Eheim 1260 that serves as my back up pump for the DT just in case it ever goes out.

As far as the plumbing is concerned? I routed the pvc from a wall port that my place already had. It then goes out to the side of the house by pvc routing and over to my front lawn. You can hardly see any pvc pipe along the wall, it is just a small run luckily. Also, I tapped in to a copper line of water, which I had to do after we got a water softener in our house. I had to excavate, route and solder to the inside of my house. For this I did have to make a hole on the side of the house. I then soldered two valves for redundancy and I have water on demand literally inches away from my 55g aging barrel. I made my whole setup super easy to do WC so they do not become a hassle. Who doesn't have 15 minutes to do a WC? :)

[Mustanggtandgsxr]

Enjoyed reading this. I learned a few things. Thanks for sharing Ricardo!

Great looking fish...btw

[rickztahone]

Enjoyed reading this. I learned a few things. Thanks for sharing Ricardo!

Great looking fish...btw

Thanks Tony :)

[Stonecrazy6]

On the lower back right side of my tank I drilled a 1" bulkhead. This bulkhead always has a strainer on it unless I am doing a WC. When I do my water change, I remove the low profile strainer and attach my pvc hose vacuum apparatus. I turn a True union ball valve like this one:
http://pvcpipesupplies.com/1-pvc-true-union-ball-valve-gray-epdm-socket-1410gs.html

This drains the water down to the point of the bulkhead whilst I am vacuuming the tank floor. Once I am done draining water, I turn the valve to the closed position and begin to the fill the tank from my 55g storage barrel with an Eheim 1260 that serves as my back up pump for the DT just in case it ever goes out.

As far as the plumbing is concerned? I routed the pvc from a wall port that my place already had. It then goes out to the side of the house by pvc routing and over to my front lawn. You can hardly see any pvc pipe along the wall, it is just a small run luckily. Also, I tapped in to a copper line of water, which I had to do after we got a water softener in our house. I had to excavate, route and solder to the inside of my house. For this I did have to make a hole on the side of the house. I then soldered two valves for redundancy and I have water on demand literally inches away from my 55g aging barrel. I made my whole setup super easy to do WC so they do not become a hassle. Who doesn't have 15 minutes to do a WC? :)

how "clean" of a setup.. 15 mins is very nice. I'll have to see if hubby will cut a hole in my house to drain a fish tank.. lol!!
My QT 36g takes at least 30mins.. or more. I ran clear flexible tubing around my studio with a long extension cord for a pump.. so all I have to do to start reflilling is a click of a power switch.. but I have to sit at my computer and monitor .. floods at my computer are not good.. it's happened more than once. I have a float valve on my reservoir, so that fills without any thought.. I am always looking for efficient ways to run ... well everything..

Now that I look at this photo.. I really need to get those power strips elevated.. where's the Velcro??!! LOL!!

93842

[rickztahone]

how "clean" of a setup.. 15 mins is very nice. I'll have to see if hubby will cut a hole in my house to drain a fish tank.. lol!!
My QT 36g takes at least 30mins.. or more. I ran clear flexible tubing around my studio with a long extension cord for a pump.. so all I have to do to start reflilling is a click of a power switch.. but I have to sit at my computer and monitor .. floods at my computer are not good.. it's happened more than once. I have a float valve on my reservoir, so that fills without any thought.. I am always looking for efficient ways to run ... well everything..

Now that I look at this photo.. I really need to get those power strips elevated.. where's the Velcro??!! LOL!!

93842

Holy Cow! Needless to say I'm sure, but that isn't safe! Yeah, put those power cords up high somewhere. Or, do what I always do and build a stand for the tank ;)

[Stonecrazy6]

ok.. all safe now.. power cords up and away.. :)

anyone now.. what way do you measure your fish? I've been wondering this for some time now.. pick them out and hold next to a ruler? Is there any other way ?

Sandra

ps.. looking forward for some video or pictorial updates!!

[rickztahone]

ok.. all safe now.. power cords up and away.. :)

anyone now.. what way do you measure your fish? I've been wondering this for some time now.. pick them out and hold next to a ruler? Is there any other way ?

Sandra

ps.. looking forward for some video or pictorial updates!!

I scoop my discus up two ways, with my bare hand or with a lemonade jug that is kind of rectangular. Once I scoop them out, I simply put a measuring tape right over them to get a gauge on how big they are. It isn't accurate to the 1/16 degree, but it is good enough to get a general idea. I do this once in a while with a few of my discus just to get a feel of how they have grown. I mainly focus on the smaller ones and see if they have grown since the last time I scooped them up.

[rickztahone]

Approximately 8 month old group. This may be the last photo session showing all 13 discus. The last thinning of the herd will happen in the next week or two and I will be down to the final 8. It is going to be a difficult decision. The largest one in the group now is the Cuipeua Cross for sure at a little over 5.5". You can base the size of the others off of this one. I chose to do a shoot with no flash what-so-ever so I had to push the ISO pretty high up. Sorry about that but didn't feel like taking all the gear out.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1471/24850189926_9d4e6bf305_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DRVHGs)Discus Group ~8 Months Old (https://flic.kr/p/DRVHGs) by Rick Vasquez (https://www.flickr.com/photos/138339753@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1596/24248309374_0654320c4e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/CWJVzy)Discus Group ~8 Months Old (https://flic.kr/p/CWJVzy) by Rick Vasquez (https://www.flickr.com/photos/138339753@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1593/24876464825_174af7411b_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DUfoiX)Discus Group ~8 Months Old (https://flic.kr/p/DUfoiX) by Rick Vasquez (https://www.flickr.com/photos/138339753@N07/), on Flickr
Not the same one as the previous picture
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1457/24249607483_5a493f3942_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/CWRzsK)Discus Group ~8 Months Old (https://flic.kr/p/CWRzsK) by Rick Vasquez (https://www.flickr.com/photos/138339753@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1445/24580995170_5a51f40b4c_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Ds92ty)Discus Group ~8 Months Old (https://flic.kr/p/Ds92ty) by Rick Vasquez (https://www.flickr.com/photos/138339753@N07/), on Flickr
Probably the tallest of the group, but smallest in length.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1692/24783066861_82a900e362_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DKZGme)Discus Group ~8 Months Old (https://flic.kr/p/DKZGme) by Rick Vasquez (https://www.flickr.com/photos/138339753@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1535/24876465375_380f210357_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DUfotr)Discus Group ~8 Months Old (https://flic.kr/p/DUfotr) by Rick Vasquez (https://www.flickr.com/photos/138339753@N07/), on Flickr

Group shots. Not all discus were pictured above. A lot of the nice and round 14 bars weren't cooperating in the individual shots:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1496/24508866309_ea258b38d2_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DkLm5v)Discus Group ~8 Months Old (https://flic.kr/p/DkLm5v) by Rick Vasquez (https://www.flickr.com/photos/138339753@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1522/24876465325_eea3bdccb0_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DUfosz)Discus Group ~8 Months Old (https://flic.kr/p/DUfosz) by Rick Vasquez (https://www.flickr.com/photos/138339753@N07/), on Flickr
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1471/24850190906_5129189434_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DRVHZm)Discus Group ~8 Months Old (https://flic.kr/p/DRVHZm) by Rick Vasquez (https://www.flickr.com/photos/138339753@N07/), on Flickr

[alcastro]

Incredible, very nice shots of beautiful Discus Ricardo, well done

[Stonecrazy6]

it's going to be really hard to get rid on any of them.. these are your babies and all of them are beautiful! good luck with that!

There is enough differences in your fish to get one of each "look".. then an extra one of your favorite look?? what's the plan.. which ones are "for sure" you are keeping.. ??



I got four more fish and THOUGHT I was going to rehome a few.. but I really can't decide which ones to let go..

[Phillydubs]

I would love to hear the thought process behind the selection as well...

[rickztahone]

it's going to be really hard to get rid on any of them.. these are your babies and all of them are beautiful! good luck with that!

There is enough differences in your fish to get one of each "look".. then an extra one of your favorite look?? what's the plan.. which ones are "for sure" you are keeping.. ??



I got four more fish and THOUGHT I was going to rehome a few.. but I really can't decide which ones to let go..


I would love to hear the thought process behind the selection as well...

The thought process is that I want to keep enough of each strain, SS, leopard turq. However, it looks like I will let go of more SS since I seem to have more of those.

I will go off shape first, then pattern, for the SS specifically, how fine their pattern is. The leopards I will keep the 3 with rings. Luckily for me, those are the best shaped ones. For the turqs, which is almost impossible for me to name since they look close to leopards to me, it will have to come down to simply which I'd hate to lose more. I hate losing any of them at this point, but there will have to be 1 or 2 which I wouldn't mind losing a little more than the rest.

Suffice it to say that it will be a difficult choice for sure

[Phillydubs]

Take your time my friend and choose wisely...

You could go interactive with this and if you are stuck, post pics and allow us to chime in or vote?!?! Hahah, I mean, if you are willing to go the "ask the audience route" or you can always phone a friend... I mean we all want to be discus millionaires after all!!!LOL!

[rickztahone]

Take your time my friend and choose wisely...

You could go interactive with this and if you are stuck, post pics and allow us to chime in or vote?!?! Hahah, I mean, if you are willing to go the "ask the audience route" or you can always phone a friend... I mean we all want to be discus millionaires after all!!!LOL!
Called Regis but wasn't available for this.....

[Phillydubs]

What?!?!? How rude!! How about Terry Cruz? Or better yet Steve Harvey... Then he can mess up the winning selections and confuse us all!!

The winner is the round spots, I mean the ummm, yea that one!! lolol

[Discus-n00b]

You've done really well with these fish Ricardo!

[alcastro]

I see no Turq's, just SS and leopards, Don't know if eruption leopards have 9 bars.

[rickztahone]

You've done really well with these fish Ricardo!
Thanks Matt :)

I see no Turq's, just SS and leopards, Don't know if eruption leopards have 9 bars.


Yup, no turqs left looks like. I had at least 2 but must have sold them the last 2 times. I love turqs and I can't believe I would have sold them though, lol. Anyways, all leopards are indeed 9 bars. I did however, see a SS that had almost like a ring pattern on the dorsal fin, but it was very minimal. I would have loved if you came over before this last group sale. The buyer is coming over this Saturday at first light basically, lol.

[alcastro]

We are so close yet so far.

[rickztahone]

We are so close yet so far.

lol, tell me about it.

For those that do not know, Al and I live roughly 35 miles from each other. However, in traffic, these 35 miles can take upwards of 2+ hours on the freeway :(

[jeff12]

lol, tell me about it.

For those that do not know, Al and I live roughly 35 miles from each other. However, in traffic, these 35 miles can take upwards of 2+ hours on the freeway :(

The famous LA parking lot LOL

Amazing shots!

[rickztahone]

The famous LA parking lot LOL

Amazing shots!

Yeah, the 405 freeway (or parking lot as you mentioned), just the most traveled freeway in the US.

according to wikipedia:

"I-405 is a heavily traveled thoroughfare by both commuters and by freight haulers along its entire length and is the busiest and most congested freeway in the United States.[2][3] The freeway's annual average daily traffic between exits 21 and 22 in Seal Beach reached 374,000 in 2008, making it the highest count in the nation.[4] It has played a crucial role in the development of dozens of cities and suburbs along its route through the Greater Los Angeles area."

[Jack L]

looking good, these are all from the same batch right, interesting the variation in shape as well as color.
e.g. 2nd from the top on the right, that forehead compared to the rest...

[rickztahone]

...and then there were 8! Sold the last 5 today. Didn't want to let any of them go, but knew I had to. They have gone on to a better tank, hopefully he will post pics soon of his setup.

This is a video I took yesterday of all of them before they were separated:


https://youtu.be/oprJPVrQ27g

[nofearengineer]

Yeah, the 405 freeway (or parking lot as you mentioned), just the most traveled freeway in the US.

according to wikipedia:

"I-405 is a heavily traveled thoroughfare by both commuters and by freight haulers along its entire length and is the busiest and most congested freeway in the United States.[2][3] The freeway's annual average daily traffic between exits 21 and 22 in Seal Beach reached 374,000 in 2008, making it the highest count in the nation.[4] It has played a crucial role in the development of dozens of cities and suburbs along its route through the Greater Los Angeles area."

Good Lord...when I visited my family in SoCal, I drove the 405...this Indiana boy didn't know what to think...you people are nuts the way you drive! LOL

[rickztahone]

Update video:

https://youtu.be/fyR0gfTpeAs

[Phillydubs]

Love it! They are lookig so good !

[Stonecrazy6]

such a pretty bunch.. just swimming around and happy as can be..

so which ones did you end up keeping??

[Filip]

Lookin great Rick. Theese are the 9 favorite discus that stays for good in this tank right?
The red one amongst them is the other discus that fall out of different tank during pick up right ?
What strain was he ?

[Loosir]

Wow Ricardo! the 14 bars are my favorite but they all look fantastic!

[rickztahone]

Love it! They are lookig so good !
Thank you Phil :)


such a pretty bunch.. just swimming around and happy as can be..

so which ones did you end up keeping??
the ones you see in the video are the final 8. 3 of them were predetermined selections, the other 2 were not. I had a hard time deciding and in the end, I just made a decision since I had the buyer waiting for like 30 minutes for me to make up my mind, lol.


Lookin great Rick. Theese are the 9 favorite discus that stays for good in this tank right?
The red one amongst them is the other discus that fall out of different tank during pick up right ?
What strain was he ?
There are actually 8 left Filip. I wish it was 9 :). The brown based one is indeed the one that fell from another tank. That one is a Cuipeau cross. It was crossed with an Albino Red Cover.


Wow Ricardo! the 14 bars are my favorite but they all look fantastic!
Thanks. I love their spotting too. I have always been a turq fan though and the leopards offer almost this same feel to a certain extent. In the past I had a PE and I didn't quite like the shape, more long and a pronounced forehead. These don't seem to exhibit that which I really like. I hope to get at least another 1.5" out of them. In about a year I plan to put the DW and sand in there to make it their permanent home :)

[Stonecrazy6]

I bet is was like giving up a child to let some of your discus go.. I feel for you!

If I have time, I will read back through your posts, but if you have a moment, could you sum up what you did to get such great discus! types of food, number / amount of feedings.. wc.. etc.. I have trouble with my discus not growing as much as they should.. some do and some just don't..

[rickztahone]

I bet is was like giving up a child to let some of your discus go.. I feel for you!

If I have time, I will read back through your posts, but if you have a moment, could you sum up what you did to get such great discus! types of food, number / amount of feedings.. wc.. etc.. I have trouble with my discus not growing as much as they should.. some do and some just don't..

Well first and foremost it comes down to the quality of the stock. Fortunately for me, Al had a great pair of Goh line Fine line SS.
food I feed:
Home made BH typically twice a day
FDBW - once or twice a day depending on work schedule
D4 pellets by Forrest - every other Daily
Al's (brew) diskus gold pellets - their favorite and daily staple pellet. Sinks fast and gets devoured by my discus
BH flakes by Bill in IE - They don't eat this as much as they use to when smaller but still feed this every other day or every 3rd day.

That's about it for food.

WC schedule has been daily 60-70%. On the weekend, they get a nice 100% WC and change of filter floss in the sump. The prefilters get cleaned daily.

That's it. No secret really. Water changes and food is the key IMHO :)

hope that helps.

[Yoda466]

I love that background in your tank. Does it have any tendency to grow algae? Do you ever need to clean it?

[rickztahone]

I love that background in your tank. Does it have any tendency to grow algae? Do you ever need to clean it?

I never have gotten algae on it. However, I use to have a 3D background in my fully planted 55g and that thing grew algae like there was no tomorrow. Very difficult to clean too back then.

Luckily, with my daily WC's and not that much light, it has not been a problem. Recently, I just installed a new light, will see if this has any affect on algae. I run my lights for a really long time, like 6am, to 10pm and moonlights in between. It is never actually off.

[Stonecrazy6]

Well first and foremost it comes down to the quality of the stock. Fortunately for me, Al had a great pair of Goh line Fine line SS.
food I feed:
Home made BH typically twice a day
FDBW - once or twice a day depending on work schedule
D4 pellets by Forrest - every other Daily
Al's (brew) diskus gold pellets - their favorite and daily staple pellet. Sinks fast and gets devoured by my discus
BH flakes by Bill in IE - They don't eat this as much as they use to when smaller but still feed this every other day or every 3rd day.

That's about it for food.

WC schedule has been daily 60-70%. On the weekend, they get a nice 100% WC and change of filter floss in the sump. The prefilters get cleaned daily.

That's it. No secret really. Water changes and food is the key IMHO :)

hope that helps.
thank you for the recap!
I see some points I can improve in my wc schedule..I just upped the drip system just recently.. should be doing 50-60% now.
do you think frozen beefheart would be ok? my family hardly gets homemade food, so ... :) making food for fish my not go over too well..
also.. "als discus food".. ? found a facebook page.. where do you buy food from him?
I am going to order some pellets from forrest..

[rickztahone]

Here is Al's page for food:
FDBW:
http://www.aquaticsuppliers.com/Freeze-dried-foods_c2.htm

and the pellets:
http://www.aquaticsuppliers.com/DiskusGold-Premium-Pellets_c9.htm

As far as home made BH? I have actually used the SF brand and while it worked, it was expensive. I feed my discus a lot of BH, and if I used up the same amount in the SF equivalent, I'd be much poorer today than I currently am. Start up cost including the food processor I bought specifically for the BH was around $80. The food I made has lasted me well over 6 months and I still have about 2 slabs of BH to cut it for another few months. It is going to average out at less than $10 / month at this rate which is ridiculous considering how beneficial it is, and how big it gets them. Only draw back is the mess, but, hence the WC's.

[Stonecrazy6]

http://rockymountaindiscus.com/Discus_fish_food_recipe.htm

how does this recipe for beef heart sound?

what is your recipe?

Sandra

[rickztahone]

http://rockymountaindiscus.com/Discus_fish_food_recipe.htm

how does this recipe for beef heart sound?

what is your recipe?

Sandra

That's not a bad mix. I use John's recipe:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?110292-How-I-make-beef-heart&highlight=

[rickztahone]

I was feeding the discus yesterday and I actually really paid attention to them and there is one in particular that is showing such awesome shape. I mean, really nice shape. But wouldn't you know it, it is actually the one that I had previously asked about with the messed up ventral fin on one side! Uggghhh, so annoying. Either way, if I had to guess, I would say that it is as tall as it is long, and I would put that discus right at the 6" mark now. Last time I measured it was at 5.5" on my tape measure and that was 2 months ago I want to say.

[rickztahone]

BTW, changed the Maxspect back out. The regular one is back on the tank. I miss the brightness of the Maxspect.

[John7429]

Nice tank dude!

[rickztahone]

Nice tank dude!

Thanks John. I could have sworn I put the video up on this thread but I guess I hadn't. Now I have to go find where I actually inserted it.... haha


https://youtu.be/E0FYH1jE3pQ

at the 1:42 mark you can see the discus I was referring to in post #196. It swims away towards the right at that mark.

[jmf3460]

they all swim toward the right at the 1:42 mark ricardo :) but regardless, I think they all have nice shape not just the one that has a messed up ventral fin. They really do look great.

[rickztahone]

they all swim toward the right at the 1:42 mark ricardo :) but regardless, I think they all have nice shape not just the one that has a messed up ventral fin. They really do look great.

Lol, I guess you are right, they do all swim off to the right lol. You can see the messed up ventral fin though

[Filip]

Great looking discus Ricardo . Shape , colours , size .... everything .
The outkast discus looks great too , he seems the biggest one to me from the video.

What was your plan with them i forgot ?
Are you planning to put decor or plants in this tank to make it a show tank , or moving them to some bigger tank ?

[rickztahone]

Great looking discus Ricardo . Shape , colours , size .... everything .
The outkast discus looks great too , he seems the biggest one to me from the video.

What was your plan with them i forgot ?
Are you planning to put decor or plants in this tank to make it a show tank , or moving them to some bigger tank ?

This is their permanent tank Filip. I will add DW and sand in a few months. Probably when they hit a year and a half or so. When I can start reducing the amount of times I feed them I will change things up. I want to get them all to at least 6.5". Once that happens, I will feel better about cutting back their food.

Thanks for the compliments. Your tank is looking gorgeous!

[rickztahone]

The other day I was really bored and I scooped out the smallest discus of the group. It was almost 6" by an 1/8"-1/16", so lets just call it 6" lol. It was really pissed off. I had actually never seen a discus so pissed off. I had it on my tank rim and it flopped quite a few times. I covered its eyes to ease it, the darn thing kept flailing. Rather than risk injuring it, I simply put it back.

I really wanted to measure the cross discus but felt a little discouraged after this one acted up lol

[zergling]

Haha isn't it amazing how easy it is to net them out, but as soon as they're partially above water, they thrash and splash water all over the place!

Your discus looks really good! Have they started pairing off yet?

[rickztahone]

Haha isn't it amazing how easy it is to net them out, but as soon as they're partially above water, they thrash and splash water all over the place!

Your discus looks really good! Have they started pairing off yet?

No pairing off quite yet thankfully. A couple huddle up in a corner together but nothing major

[Filip]

No pairing off quite yet thankfully. A couple huddle up in a corner together but nothing major

Can this apply that they might be all males Rick ?
Or it is too early for such a pessimism?

And do you plan to breed them in case a pair is set?

[alcastro]

It,s possible that you have picked the larger males only,lol.

[rickztahone]

Can this apply that they might be all males Rick ?
Or it is too early for such a pessimism?

And do you plan to breed them in case a pair is set?
The may very well be all males, but really no way to tell yet. Absolutely no plans for breeding so it doesn't matter either way, lol.


It,s possible that you have picked the larger males only,lol.

Bigger is better right?!? :laugh:

[Discus-n00b]

The may very well be all males, but really no way to tell yet. Absolutely no plans for breeding so it doesn't matter either way, lol.

https://i1.wp.com/www.quickmeme.com/img/9c/9c8962243dc6e34e81384148cfbb9a14b14a08cec665a5ee77 e3d697eaa38206.jpg

[Rapture]

pics? :)

[Filip]

The may very well be all males, but really no way to tell yet. Absolutely no plans for breeding so it doesn't matter either waу.

You can always continue the circle of goodness and friendship and give the fry to some other fellow discus keeper just like Alcastro gave it to you :-) .
And will can follow his grow-out thread here on SD. :-).

[rickztahone]

pics? :)

You can always find my latest pics on my SimplyDiscus blog :):
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/entry.php?17-Following-the-Goh-Fine-Line-Leopard-Snakes-babies-Blog

I haven't take pics that recently but plan on doing so shortly.

[rickztahone]

You can always continue the circle of goodness and friendship and give the fry to some other fellow discus keeper just like Alcastro gave it to you :-) .
And will can follow his grow-out thread here on SD. :-).

That would be a great thing to do, but unfortunately, I cannot set up another tank to house a breeding pair/raise them/put them in their own tank/etc. In a community tank, none of them would survive, so what would be the point really?

[Jack L]

The other day I was really bored and I scooped out the smallest discus of the group. It was almost 6" by an 1/8"-1/16", so lets just call it 6" lol. It was really pissed off. I had actually never seen a discus so pissed off. I had it on my tank rim and it flopped quite a few times. I covered its eyes to ease it, the darn thing kept flailing. Rather than risk injuring it, I simply put it back.

I really wanted to measure the cross discus but felt a little discouraged after this one acted up lol

napoleon complex

[rickztahone]

napoleon complex

That is putting it mildly. The group went back to normal a few hours after this episode. If I scoop any other discus to measure, it will definitely the cross.

[rickztahone]

Just a little over a year now and still trucking on:

https://youtu.be/u0R8K2brVv4

Sry, music cuts off at the 3 minute mark somewhere :sorry:

[two utes]

Nice work with that group Ricardo.
Its great being able to follow the progress of a group of discus, especially when you start with very young juveniles.I think the most satisfying thing is having some control over the outcome, and progress.
Like you l have also just recently come back into the hobby, and only after only a couple of months setting up a second tank with another juvenile group soon to come.
Again, well done...l would be very proud of myself if l was you.

[Filip]

Wow Rick . They have become simply gorgeous.
A job well done Rick .
p.s. welcome back on the SD :-)

[rickztahone]

Nice work with that group Ricardo.
Its great being able to follow the progress of a group of discus, especially when you start with very young juveniles.I think the most satisfying thing is having some control over the outcome, and progress.
Like you l have also just recently come back into the hobby, and only after only a couple of months setting up a second tank with another juvenile group soon to come.
Again, well done...l would be very proud of myself if l was you.

I'm proud too :). They could've been bigger imho. I tried to play around with WC and feeding and as it stands, they are currently down to 3 feedings a day. Seems to work for the group

[rickztahone]

Wow Rick . They have become simply gorgeous.
A job well done Rick .
p.s. welcome back on the SD :-)

Thanks Filip

[two utes]

I'm proud too :). They could've been bigger imho. I tried to play around with WC and feeding and as it stands, they are currently down to 3 feedings a day. Seems to work for the group

Be patient...l think they still have a lot of growing to do

[rickztahone]

Be patient...l think they still have a lot of growing to do

Yeah, they should grow a little more. With my current schedule though it makes it difficult to power feed

[Bala de Plata]

Well done Ricardo, the group is stunning.

[dadecountyalan]

Amazing job, you raised some beautys Ricardo.

[rickztahone]

Well done Ricardo, the group is stunning.


Amazing job, you raised some beautys Ricardo.

Thank you both.

Would love to see your group Rory. Are they showing spawning behavior yet?

[Jack L]

I think these look good but maybe you should just overnight me some at your expense so I can have a proper look and let you know.. LOL

[Altum Nut]

Absolutely stunning group Ricardo. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
Strongly encourage anyone wanting to grow-out juveniles to follow your Blog which I will post again...
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/entry.php?17-Following-the-Goh-Fine-Line-Leopard-Snakes-babies-Blog

...Ralph

[rickztahone]

I think these look good but maybe you should just overnight me some at your expense so I can have a proper look and let you know.. LOL
HaHa, I'll get right on that! It should be flattering right? And I am ;)


Absolutely stunning group Ricardo. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
Strongly encourage anyone wanting to grow-out juveniles to follow your Blog which I will post again...
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/entry.php?17-Following-the-Goh-Fine-Line-Leopard-Snakes-babies-Blog

...Ralph
Thanks for the link Ralph. I try my best to keep that blog organized for those that want to see a less cluttered time line on their growth.

thanks again.

[Quintin]

They look amazing. i see one with some ring leopard pattern there

[Rapture]

they are so beautiful and round. how big are they?

[rickztahone]

they are so beautiful and round. how big are they?

I took out the smallest a few weeks ago and it was a hair under 6". If I would have to guess I would say they are all close to 6.5" with the cup cross getting closer to 7"

[Galvatron]

I really enjoyed reading through this thread. Good job and beautiful looking fish.

[rickztahone]

I really enjoyed reading through this thread. Good job and beautiful looking fish.

thank you Mike. I will another month or so for another video update. At this stage, it is almost impossible to see growth from week to week, or even month to month sometimes.

[Clawhammer]

Great thread, I really enjoyed seeing these babies develop into stunning adults. Any of them would be the most beautiful fish in my tank! Congrats and great work, inspiring to the rest of us :)

[Phillydubs]

7" and growing on that cup... what a beauty!!

[rickztahone]

I wanted to report that this weekend I spent my time painting the kids room our & living room.

On Saturday I drained all but about 30 gallons of water. I moved them to the middle of the room and transferred my 2 sponge filters and media from sump to DT. They were there with no food w/ 30g of water for the whole weekend with no problems. They are acting normal today in the morning after the ordeal.

People baby their discus many times, but the truth is, they are rather resilient at times :)

[Filip]

Great to hear it all went smooth with your discus Rick .
After you settle down from home activities i hope you will gorge us with an update pics or a video from your beauties .
Its been awhile since your last update :)

[rickztahone]

Great to hear it all went smooth with your discus Rick .
After you settle down from home activities i hope you will gorge us with an update pics or a video from your beauties .
Its been awhile since your last update :)

It has, hasn't it? I will try to post one soon :)

[Jack L]

I wanted to report that this weekend I spent my time painting the kids room our & living room.

On Saturday I drained all but about 30 gallons of water. I moved them to the middle of the room and transferred my 2 sponge filters and media from sump to DT. They were there with no food w/ 30g of water for the whole weekend with no problems. They are acting normal today in the morning after the ordeal.

People baby their discus many times, but the truth is, they are rather resilient at times :)

completely agree, Ds seem to be very resilient compared to many of he other typical LFS options.

someone one here even reported their Discus jumping into a fireplace, they doing THAT with a Barb/Molly/Glass Cat/etc/etc ; )

[rickztahone]

10-24-16 Update. They are now a year and 4 months. 2 are not growing as much any more but a couple have put on some weight which is surprising since I have cut down to only 2 feedings a day now. Worms and BH before WC. This video was right after a WC


https://youtu.be/GxJfGuEwsik

Sry, if you watch this video in the next few minutes it may not have audio yet.

[Second Hand Pat]

These guys look superb Ricardo. I have not checked on them in a while. Really nice job with these guys. :) Have you seen any spawning behaviors?
Pat

[Dhavalsp]

what a beautiful group! great work.

[rickztahone]

These guys look superb Ricardo. I have not checked on them in a while. Really nice job with these guys. :) Have you seen any spawning behaviors?
Pat
Not even a little bit Pat. I'm not complaining. Let them hold off on aggression a little bit longer :)


what a beautiful group! great work.
Thank you very much. I try ;)

[Altum Nut]

This group are complete stunners Ricky Ricardo..Lol
Grow-out log well documented that any new discus keeper can refer too as reference... but I have to say that Cuipeua Cross stands out for me.
Keep an eye as I would think Larry Buggs would be mighty pleased to add to his collection for future breeding.

...Ralph

[rickztahone]

This group are complete stunners Ricky Ricardo..Lol
Grow-out log well documented that any new discus keeper can refer too as reference... but I have to say that Cuipeua Cross stands out for me.
Keep an eye as I would think Larry Buggs would be mighty pleased to add to his collection for future breeding.

...Ralph

I'd like to think that this cup cross was one of the best mistakes that has ever happened to me, discus related, lol.

In all honesty, I wish I had a whole group of these as well. Really missed the boat there when Al had these.

[rickztahone]

This group are complete stunners Ricky Ricardo..Lol
Grow-out log well documented that any new discus keeper can refer too as reference... but I have to say that Cuipeua Cross stands out for me.
Keep an eye as I would think Larry Buggs would be mighty pleased to add to his collection for future breeding.

...Ralph

I'd like to think that this cup cross was one of the best mistakes that has ever happened to me, discus related, lol.

In all honesty, I wish I had a whole group of these as well. Really missed the boat there when Al had these.

A couple things to note, this was right after a WC and they were sticking closer to the tank bottom. They rarely do that but I didn't feel like waiting till they started swimming normally.

Secondly, I accidentally got the wrong worms from Al this time around, no biopigment and have noticed a difference in the color of my cup cross. It is usually a lot more vibrant and intense. I must say, I like that look a lot better.

[alcastro]

You have done a great job Ricardo, good size group you kept the best, I have a few younger ones they are about 7-8 months old, no color enhancers you can see the difference more golden. PS lots of Rings.

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[Filip]

Simply gorgeous Rick . You have done an excellent job with them. Your mistaken one is a stunner too.
Now i think that you should give your self a break from the grow out phase and reevaluate your idea for making it a display setup with sand and driftwood :) .
That would surely be a showcase tank with this stunning discus swimming in it .

[Filip]

[QUOTE=alcastro;1236461]You have done a great job Ricardo, good size group you kept the best, I have a few younger ones they are about 7-8 months old, no color enhancers you can see the difference more golden. PS lots of Rings.

Alcastro , no offence but i like Ricardos breed more . Allthough , who knows how this golden colours and patterns will proceed to develop and end up to be . LSS s with great pattern and distinguished rings on top of it , sounds very promissing too.