How to get them started?

[DHDiscusMan]

I have seven discus between 4 and 5.5 inches in a 65 gallon tank. Four are Marlboro Reds and three are apparently Red Turqs. I was hoping some of them might pair off but so far they are clueless.

My questions are these... Any way of encouraging them to pair? I have heard that doing a wc with slightly colder water may encourage the spawning but I'm guessing that is when you already have a pair. Second question is if I let them pair on their own and I identify which are M's and F's can I then select which M and F I want and pair them myself or will they not spawn with a mate they didn't select?

Thanks for the help.

Dan

Hey,
There's no way to really get them to pair up any faster, as it's a matter of age/maturity. But more WC's, feeding live foods and bloodworms, and lowering the tank temp a degree or two may help. You are correct about the chosing a pair after they've paired up too. Good luck.
Brad

[DHDiscusMan]

I do 50% w/c daily and don't always check all the params. Today I checked and found the following. PH 7.5, GH 7 degrees, KH 4 degrees, Amonia 0, Nitrate 0, Temp 86 degrees.

Do any of these need to be adjusted?

Thanks for the help.

Dan

You probably want to get your PH down at or below 7.0. The GH and KH need to come down to, to about 1 degree each, maybe two. Then you should be in business

[Pick]

They are getting close to adult size so you can probably drop the temp down to 84F sometime soon also.

When they have already paired off a 3 or 4 degree colder than norm tank temp can trigger spawning. Also, cutting back slightly on W/C's and then a big one will sometimes trigger it.

TC

[Carol_Roberts]

Your water is good enough to hatch eggs. When they are ready and in conditon you can't stop them. Feed lots of good food like california black worms.

My batch was in gh9, pH 7.5
Carol :heart1:

[cesar_1304]

I took my 65 gal. and threw out all the plants, gravel and cleaned it out. Made it totally bare bones... Has one pot in there and nothing else... I have similar water params (P.H. 7, etc...) and have been doing water changes and a regular basis 25- 50%(work from home)... I even added peat... And I all I get is a whole lot of wiggling and jiggling, picking and pecking but no eggs, no pairs, NADA, ZIP, ZILCH, THE BIG DONUT!!!

I got two Marlboros, one Cobalt, and Two San Merah... Between 5 and 6 1/2 inches... I feed homemade beefheart/shrimp mix, bloodworms and brine shrimp throughout the day....

The waiting is driving me mad I tell you!!!

-Cesar

You can't rush mother nature. Have you tried candle light, red wine, Whitney Houston's first album?

[stewarts_inc]

hey all :D
I find when i want to get a pair to breed is:
1. get the tank set up by having a bare bottom tank and a cone in the center. this way they get bored and want to breed and if they do you have got the right water conditions and the right tank set up

2. feed them with the right food/ live food

3. i also find that doing daily water changes and lowering the temp is good to spark breeding

4. when i do my water changes i put in a product called geo liquid it also helps with breeding discus and the water conditions

5 but some discus just mightn't like each other....

chris

[Willie]

Don't mess with your water. Its the best way to make your discus sick.

Your water is fine for spawning and hatchout. The best thing you can do, and it seems that you're doing it, is to make lots of water changes and feed high quality food. The stuff about dropping temperature is only for mated pairs that haven't spawned for a while. Just be patient. One day, you'll look in the tank, and find all of them pairing off.

Good luck, Willie

[arpanlib]

hi chris,
can you provide me the details of the GEO LIQUID that you use.

i mean from which company it is, what is it priced at, what are the pros and cons etc.

thanx for the help

arpanlib

[cesar_1304]

After searching for a while for GeoLiquid I could only come up with this...

"What is Geoliquid? Geoliquid is a completely natural water conditioner made from a complex blend of minerals. In Japan, where it is made, it is known as "Bakuhanseki liquid" after the natural rock from which it is made. There are two parts to the mixture: a clear suspension of colloidal minerals, and extremely fine mineral particles. When Geoliquid is added to a tank, the particles and colloids interact with the minerals, colloids, and dissolved substances in the tank. This interaction is very complex but self-regulating, and creates ideal water conditions in two ways.

Firstly, it balances the mineral content of the tank by either adding or removing minerals until equilibrium is reached. Secondly, it bonds to and permanently removes almost all chemical contaminants including medication residues, heavy metals, pesticides, chlorine, chloramine and more. Thirdly, it binds to bacteria - helping good filtration bacteria to establish in the filter and removing harmful bacteria from circulation.

The result is crystal clear water, less stress on fish, and a perfect natural balance. This process creates ideal conditions for filtration bacteria, and boosts the efficiency of biological filtration, as well as reducing stress on fish to prevent disease. Geoliquid does not affect the pH or hardness, and it is impossible to overdose. In fact, the more that builds up in the filtration system the better. Also, geoliquid never leaches contaminants back into the water as carbon can, and it can be used in conjunction with plant fertilizers, bacterial supplments, and other water conditioners.

All formulations perform these functions!"


Here is the URL I found:
http://www.adelaideaquariums.com.au/products/treatments.html

If you look at the bullet list its the fourth bullet down... They seem to have one formulated specifically for discus...

-Cesar

[DarkDiscus]

Firstly, it balances the mineral content of the tank by either adding or removing minerals until equilibrium is reached.

I have to say, that's a really smart product. I like the way it can either add or remove minerals...

Nifty.

John

[roger]

The only question now is has anyone seen this (geo-liquid) available here in the US?

[Richman]

So you just add this geo-liquid to your water (no matter what the perameters are) and it just instantly gets rid of everything that could be bad and enhances everything that is good----creating a discus heaven. Wow! Some real miracle stuff. Does this sound too good to be true? Or is it just me?