Will these lfs discus grow out?

[Roblue]

Here are pics of two of 5 discus I picked up at Big Al's. They are some of my first discus, and at the time I bought them I had not discovered this forum, and didn't know what to look for. In hind sight I should've just stuck with the breeders, because the prices at Big Al's are comparable to what breeders are charging. These two are at least 3 months old and don't seem to have put on any growth. What are the chances that they will grow out?

[Roblue]

another

[crazy4discus]

sorrie to say but i dout they will get to the size that they were suppose to but they will grow a lil more there eyes are pretty big and shape is not so great either on these guys jmo

[ronrca]

Well, Id say give it a try with lots of high quality food and lots of wc's. Depending on their age, they may growout nicely! ;)

[Roblue]

thnx. I suspected as much that they weren't in top condition when I bought them. Has anyone out there grown out perfect fishes from the lfs? How did you do it? I perform 50% wc everyday and feed them the same premium food I give my other discus from the breeders. I'll probably end up putting these ones in a community tank after a few months.

[aqua]

The PB might has a chance to grow to 5- 5.5 inches with good food, premium care and lots of clean water. For the blue one, it probably grows to 4 or 4.5 inches max.

[MonkeeFish]

is there such thing as grow out a "prefect fish"??? Juss the other day i dout dat anyone would know better than to buy fishes from big al's but then i guess im wrong

[outlawpc]

Hey Roblue. . . stop whining (OK, I do it after each time I get new discus too :-)

. . . and I only buy what I can see in person. I get the little buzzards home and then I start picking them a part. Hmmm, wish that little black spot wasn't there. Mmmm, wasn't there more red around the eye. Oh gee, the yellow one has a bit missing out of one of its fins.

Relax big guy. . . more than likely those fish will turn out to be real winners. You will grow to love them as they change. . . and indeed they will change! Color, size, temperment. . . wait and see :-)

[Roblue]

Not whining, just being hopeful ;) Well I had the "just gotta have 'em" syndrome at the fish store, despite having no previous experience with discus. At least they got me hooked on discus, and since then I've read as much on them as possible (including discovering this site) and moved on to better fish. These little buggers have grown on me, and I will enjoy them no matter what. But if I can help them along the way to reach their potential, I'll be satisfied.

[Nightowl]

What is the perfect fish? Everyone has their own point of view.
Round fish w/ small eyes is what folks should look for. In my own experience, I have made weak fish look decent and have made potentially good fish look less than spectacular. Must agree that the pigeon blood has more potential for growth than the blue.
On a good note, sometimes small females pump out lots of eggs and their fry are goodlooking, so give them the best care you can. If you like them, then they are nice fish. Sometimes I have put"stunted" fish in tanks w/ younger fish, where they are the top dog, in charge of the food, and they go through a rapid growth period. Healthy fish can grow for a long time.
good luck, J.T.

[iceskater]

My Frist 2 Discus were purchased at a LFS. Miracle my PB, is my absolute favorite fish. It had a slow start but did start to grow. It has absolutely no pepper at all. The shape is nice and it is starting to get the Pearl White Circles. It is almost a year old and I would say it is about 5 or 5 1/2 inches. I would never ever consider selling it no matter what I was offered.. I put a ton of love into that fish. The other LFS, is a blue diamond with perfect color and is the largest fish in my tank. Now, I have 14 Discus. I am sure most of the others are much better quality than the LFS fish and will outgrow Miracle very soon but once you get them in the tank, you grow to love them all no matter what size they are.

Karen

[outlawpc]

Absolutely Iceskater. . . could not agree with you more!

Discus are like your own kids. . . they are all beautiful :-)

[Alan]

Despite the rational advice of conventional wisdom, there's a number of good LFS here in Southern California (lucky me!). I've had some fish that look great when purchased and are looking better.

Here are some before and after pics. This one is taken 11/23/03. The SS is 3.25" w/o the tail on 11/10/03 when I purchased it.

[Alan]

The same fish has grown to 4" w/o tail and 5" w/ tail as measured on Dec. 20, 2003. This pic is taken on Jan. 8, 2004.

[Alan]

Here's a BD that was 3.5" w/o tail when I got it on Nov. 10, 2003. The pic is taken on Nov. 23, 2003.

[Alan]

The BD grew to 4.125" w/o tail and 5.125" w/ tail as measured on 12/20/03. The pic is taken on 1/8/04.

[ramblin101]

I love those pics!!! That's a wonderful and incredible change in just a months time. I hope my fish turn out as nice :)

[Martinphillip03]

They will. Just follow whats recommended on this web site. Devote time and go through the whole website. Good luck

Marty


I love those pics!!! That's a wonderful and incredible change in just a months time. I hope my fish turn out as nice :)