Tom's (Captain Discus) Discus Grow Out entry 2018

[Captain Discus]

Hello and Good morning All.
Tom here. Anxiously and optimistically waiting, Friday morning no fry yet.
I believe in miracles so it will happen. My 10 gallon is waiting with warm bubbling excitement!
I will post pictures tonight of what I have going on.
I don't post just learn from all the wonderful brains here. I just learned how to post threads (yes I know computer illiterate ) Thanks to the Boss.
Gotta love me. Not very interesting but a lot of fun at times.
Tom.

[brewmaster15]

My fingers and Toes are crossed Tom that everyone gets their fish today that hasn't. This pair has given me many very healthy fry and this batch was probably the strongest yet. I will be on pins and needles all day..not that I wasn't all week!
al

[Filip]

I'm crossing my fingers too Tom . I believe in miracles too but also in Als discus knowledge and packing skills .
They will come alive , you just wait and see :) .

[brewmaster15]

I'm crossing my fingers too Tom . I believe in miracles too but also in Als discus knowledge and packing skills .
They will come alive , you just wait and see :) .

Yep.. no pressure...no pressure at all here! Gee thanks Filip! :)

[Filip]

Yep.. no pressure...no pressure at all here! Gee thanks Filip! :)

You've really pulled out all the tricks from your sleeve on this one Al , and i guess it shows now that they were very well worthed :) .

[Captain Discus]

YEE HAW !!!! my fry showed up this evening.
AL, amazing work packing, the heat pack was still warm. three of the bags were very low on water maybe 2 or 3 table spoons of water. So a very inadvisable transition time was performed.
I don't know what you put in the water but you should bottle it! 2 of these guys are struggling but the ER is open and I did every thing I have learned here. I have my baby brine shrimp brewing and gave a small amount of your food to them. I will be up all night watching under low light and working in the wood shop. NO power tools tonight my wife says.
I guess she is right as I just popped the cork on my best Merlot. ( sorry you could not be here ).
PH at 7.6 Nitrates, Nitrites, and Ammonia all at 0.
Doing what i have learned here. no time to improvise!
Pictures to follow as soon as my son stops by to show the old guy how to to that.

[Second Hand Pat]

That’s great news Tom :)
Pat

[brewmaster15]

Thank the stars! I am thrilled Tom!
Al

[Captain Discus]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/FVbT85m9aoS7AKDs9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TFyptQd2dhTrQLMRA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/C11c84LPcpnRhPnH8

[LizStreithorst]

Please post your pics the normal way so I can see them

[Captain Discus]

I don't know the normal way! sorry I am challenged. My son will help me tomorrow.
I am just beside my self that most are in GREAT shape. Liz I will send pics of the Angels you sent me doing very well.
Food Hounds by the way!
Tom.

[LizStreithorst]

Worry not. Pat and Al will guide you so you can do it the normal way.

Everyone says that my Angels are of excellent quality. Most breeders don't treat Angels like Discus as I do, plus I have an eye for quality. I'm glad that you're pleased with them.

[Tshethar]

This is awesome!!! Congrats on the good news and the rescue. Fabulous! :)

[Paul Sabucchi]

Glad they got there and wishing they all recover ok from sipping, all the best for the contest

[danotaylor]

All the best to you mate! You're the soul entrant from our state....go Cincinnati Captain!!

[rickztahone]

Let me know if you need help posting pics. I can guide you. Good luck with the contest

[Filip]

Good luck with them Tom. Im happy and amazed they all arived alive and well . I wonder why did they have so little water in the bags , you said only 2-3 TBS of water ?
Did the bags leak or Al put that tinny amount purposely?

We are eagerly awaiting for more photos and update about their progress .

[Captain Discus]

Hello All.
Sorry I have been awal. Been super busy this week. My fish are doing great. parameters are all still at zero, Lots of water changes eating like crazy both Al's food and brine shrimp.
I am still trying to get my pictures to post. Ricardo or Pat I will need your help! I will reach out hopefully tonight at the plant till late but since Ricardo is on the west coast maybe check with him as there is some time difference. Most of my stuff gets done at midnight or later. Does not seem to bother the fish as lights are on timers. temperature is still at 84 dergrres f.
Filip I think the bags leaked a little as the inside of the box was wet. Although it could have been perspiration as I know Al worked very hard to get that all done.
What a great thing!
My son the software designer is supposed to stop over and help with pics if I don't let him sleep. Who needs that anyway.
Thanks for reading.
Tom.

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Tom, great to hear the fish are doing well. Be sure the pictures are 2MBs to less. If you are unable to touch base with Ricardo sent the pics to webmaster@simplydiscus.com and I will post them for you for the first time.
Pat

[Captain Discus]

Good evening to any who listen.
Still working on the picture thing. It is a shame work gets in the way of what I love. where have I heard that before!
Pat, I think your idea of the nickel in the foreground is a great way for all of us to size without the stress of lifting these guys until nearer the end of the contest. I have pictures with the nickel but not tonight. I think that since this contest was Al's idea he should fly around to all of us to be the official tape measure guy! Thank goodness for frequent flyer miles .
my guru is going to meet with me tonight and get my pictures posted then everyone will just give up as I received the best fry on earth.
thank you Breweister!. parameters are all looking except for ammonia, second water change today is in order.
Thanks for all you patience as I can be a pest.
Tom.

[Filip]

Looking forward to see your Pics of "Al's top 10 alpha dogs" tonight Tom :) .

[Captain Discus]

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[Captain Discus]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8o7SNSDcsV6eTTzh8

[Captain Discus]

There are pictures on the last entry. I had this great article written and wrong button pushed######.
I will try this again. the nickel was Pat's idea love it as it sets a standard. The pecking order has begun but even the smallest guy stands his ground.
Parameters are good except for ammonia (as expected) water changes every other day is keeping that in check.
They eat every thing I give them, fdbw, brine shrimp, the food they came with. this weekend the beef heart mix i will make should be the test to their appetite.
A lot to learn with taking pictures and sending them a very high bar to reach for, given what I have seen here.
Still humbled to get a chance to show what I am capable of. will work to be more active here.
Thank for listening.
Tom.

[Filip]

Nice photos Tom .There is a good reason now for the guru to come visiting home more often . Tell him that visiting at least once a week to take and upload photos its a mandatory requirement :)
I wonder how do you keep them well and eating at this age with ammonia presence In 0.5 -1 range ?

P.s . If you ever loose your writing screen for whatever reason (empty battery or something )there is a auto text restore feature at the bottom of the post bar. Your whole texting to the moment of shutting it down will be restored again .

Keep up the good work with your discus Tom .

[Captain Discus]

Good morning. all 10 are doing well and growing. still doing daily water changes plus a second every third day.
My ammonia seems to creep up more frequently, going to change the foam filters one at a time to keep the beneficial bacteria alive until the new foam gets growing.
PH at 7.6 to 7.8 aging water 24 hours with added dechlorinating solution. They are very active and still working on that pecking order even the little guy is in on the act.
fairly small but I live in a no cull region, He deserves a chance to.
You can see by the nickel they are getting bigger keeping my fingers crossed i don't make any drastic mistakes.
still working on that picture thing some other things getting in the way there. will post again today.
Tom.

[Mr.BigBlock]

Keep up the good work!

[Captain Discus]

As you can see they are growing since the last post.

119073

[Captain Discus]

Hello All.
Every one is doing incredible, growing very well. The ammonia problem experiment went well back to zero.
These guys are like my sons when you give them a bath or change the water the hide in the corners.
Camera shy but you can see they are all still alive and healthy. I am still very humbled to be in such great company in this contest.
Tom.119261119262

[Captain Discus]

every one is awake this morning. now eating beef heart and black worms, done with the brine shrimp. You can't see but all 10 are still doing great. all parameters are back in line.
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[Captain Discus]

Hello. these guys are getting fun to watch. All lined up for breakfast wait for it! he did it lets EAT!! 119299[/ATTACH]CH]119298[/ATTACH]
they are starting to eat the beefheart well and Al's special stuff.

[Pices]

Looking good Captain Tom!

[Captain Discus]

Well another week just watching them grow looking good.
Water parameters are all good temp at 84f daily water changes.
Eating beef heart fdbw and flakes.
lighting goes on all tanks at 6 am and off at 10 pm.
flushing all foam filters every 3 days.
The big guys are almost 2 inches long and the runt is close to 1.25 inches.
Happy with growth so far. still have all 10. I will be moving to 30 gallon tank this week.
Tom.119554

[jeep]

Looking good!

[Captain Discus]

UNCLE! I still have all 10 of my fish but they are not anywhere as large as most. My largest is just over 2 inches. Becoming quite intimidated with the work and growth all are attaining.
There is no way I can compete with the greatness that I am seeing here, you folks are truly good at caring for these fish. It shows in the talking and the notes given.
I will always continue to read and learn and care about these guys.
Thank You to Al for the contest. Good luck to those who are still working so hard at this contest.
Tom.

[Tshethar]

I hear you, Tom, but I say keep sharing. I only have three fish and they are the same size as yours, despite all the water changes and trying of various foods. Bryan is the outlier for sure. We're not winning the contest, but maybe people after us (even future versions of ourselves!) will be able to figure out some of the small choices that various people made that seemed to make the most difference.

But honestly, I understand. I haven't had a photo I liked well enough to upload for a few days! :) (Will try to see if I can do better today.) :o

[fljones3]

I hear you, Tom, but I say keep sharing. I only have three fish and they are the same size as yours, despite all the water changes and trying of various foods. Bryan is the outlier for sure. We're not winning the contest, but maybe people after us (even future versions of ourselves!) will be able to figure out some of the small choices that various people made that seemed to make the most difference.

Totally agree! Stay in there, Tom!

[modealings]

Agreed - hang in there until the first measurement at 3 months at least! Especially with all 10 fish left!

[two utes]

UNCLE! I still have all 10 of my fish but they are not anywhere as large as most. My largest is just over 2 inches. Becoming quite intimidated with the work and growth all are attaining.
There is no way I can compete with the greatness that I am seeing here, you folks are truly good at caring for these fish. It shows in the talking and the notes given.
I will always continue to read and learn and care about these guys.
Thank You to Al for the contest. Good luck to those who are still working so hard at this contest.
Tom.

I've been enjoying following all the contestants and seeing the variations in the way the groups are raised, which is obviously making large differences to how these discus turn out. There are lots of variations determined by the time each contestant has, water quality, feeds and the amount of water changes made.

I think you're already a winner by taking part in this challenge, and would like to thank you for your commitment so far. I hope you're getting enjoyment from it, and its giving you ideas on how to raise your next batch. I was fortunate to take part in the very first discus challenge on here, and even though i did make many mistakes, i gained lots of knowledge which helped me raise my current batches.

I hope that you can continue to give occasional updates and not be discouraged....your fish look healthy and there is still lots of opportunities for good growth...its really up to you Tom.

Good luck on which ever way you decide to go.

[Second Hand Pat]

Hey Tom, hang in there for another month please, then decide.
Pat

[Captain Discus]

Hello All. been away and out of the challenge but I thought I would send a picture or two.
I still have all 10 and they are doing fine. The largest is 3 inches but they are all still healthy. Had a scare recently several were swimming upside down I thought I was going to loose them.
Added Epsom salt before I left for work Worried all day but when I returned all was well.
I won feed them so much at a time after this. Also I have a new group of 16 from Al siblings not the same hatch. They will hopefully grow as well as the first 10.
That is all i have for now am enjoying all the notes from the other grow out threads.
Tom.120487120488