Basic questions about discus growth and nutrition

[alvaro1983]

Hi. I have a bunch of questions about my discus and tank cleaning I didn't know where else to put so I just figured I'd give it a try in this folder. They're just probably stuff you guys all know anyways.

I've had my fish for about 6 months now and the biggest one is about 4" and the smallest one 2.5-3". Does this sound ok? Will the smaller ones catch up and will they all keep growing? I got them at about 1.5-2.5". I feed them bloodworms 4-5 times a day but I want to get them started on something else. I tried before but they just won't eat anything else. I read I should try it everyday in the morning when they are hungriest so I'm gonna give it a try with beefheart, see how it goes. Any other foods, easier to prepare I could try out and discus like to eat. I just get a little nervous when I don't see them eat.

I was also ready when you try and discus in a tank some of them will grow stunted or stay small. I'm worried about my smaller discus. Although they get picked on alot by the other ones, whenever I feed them they stand up and get their share. Could this still be a problem? There's only 6 fish in the tank.

If they have a little peppering on their face and fins, will this go away when they get older. I bought them from a recognized seller when they were smaller so I was disappointed about this. Is it normal?

The last concern I have is about algae in my tank. I've had a lot if it lately. At first I thought it was because of the spring and the increase in sunlight but I've had my blinds down the whole day and it's still there. Should I take out the rock substrates to keep it from getting larger or what else could I do to control it. I already got an algae eater but other than that I don't know. More plants? Even the few ones I already have are covered with it...

Thanks for any help you can give me and sorry if this wasn't the right board to post these stuff in.

algae

[dishpanhands]

how often do you do water change? you will find most people on here grow the fish out in a bare bottom tank, and do 50% water changes every day. that should fix your algae..other foods to try that are easy to do are frozen brine shrimp,color bits ,mysis shrimp, and red or blackworms.

[sidra]

Although I'm sure discus could survive on only bloodworms, they may not thrive on it. I think it's because the bloodworms are too rich and fatty that they don't make an adequate staple food. My discus would only eat frozen bloodworms and live blackworms for the first three months. I just kept offering them other foods when they were at their hungriest and finally they started eating frozen brine shrimp and two of them will eat flakes.

Try not feeding them for a day so they get good and hungry and then offer them something else.

Mine were stubborn but eventually they expanded their horizons.

I also found that the fish from the store are the picky ones because the store just feeds whatever is easy. The ones I bought from a breeder have been fed a variety already so they eat anything.

Also, algae won't go away on it's own by closing the blinds for the day. You need to prevent direct sunlight on the tank for long periods of the day. Don't use algaecides wih discus. Buy a scraper to clean it off the glass. If it's on decorations take them out of the tank and scrub it off-don't use any cleaners on it. You could consider getting an algae-eater but many of them will eventually suck on the slime coat of your discus.

Hope this helps.

Kristen

[Howie_W]

I've had my fish for about 6 months now and the biggest one is about 4" and the smallest one 2.5-3". Does this sound ok? Will the smaller ones catch up and will they all keep growing? I got them at about 1.5-2.5". I feed them bloodworms 4-5 times a day but I want to get them started on something else. I tried before but they just won't eat anything else. I read I should try it everyday in the morning when they are hungriest so I'm gonna give it a try with beefheart, see how it goes. Any other foods, easier to prepare I could try out and discus like to eat. I just get a little nervous when I don't see them eat.

I was also ready when you try and discus in a tank some of them will grow stunted or stay small. I'm worried about my smaller discus. Although they get picked on alot by the other ones, whenever I feed them they stand up and get their share. Could this still be a problem? There's only 6 fish in the tank.

If they have a little peppering on their face and fins, will this go away when they get older. I bought them from a recognized seller when they were smaller so I was disappointed about this. Is it normal?

The last concern I have is about algae in my tank. I've had a lot if it lately. At first I thought it was because of the spring and the increase in sunlight but I've had my blinds down the whole day and it's still there. Should I take out the rock substrates to keep it from getting larger or what else could I do to control it. I already got an algae eater but other than that I don't know. More plants? Even the few ones I already have are covered with it...

Thanks for any help you can give me and sorry if this wasn't the right board to post these stuff in.

algae

Hi alvaro,

Regarding growth;

Discus grow best when they receive a balanced diet of fibre and protein, combined with clean water conditions. Choices of food can include a variety of flake, pellets, and beef heart. Discus do most of their growing during their first year, with the first six months being the most critical.

Based on your description, your smallest fish will probably never reach their full potential. If they are used to only blood worms, it will be difficult geting them to accept other foods. You can try mixing in other foods at the same time, and seeing if they will accept it.

Re; peppering: This is normal for many of the Pigeon strains. It will not go away, but can be made less by using light colored backgrounds.

Re; Algae growth. Once algae becomes established, it is difficult to control...especially in a tank with a substrate. Closing your blinds will not solve the problem. There are many forms of algae, some of which thrive based not only upon the amount of light in your tank, but also through the existence of nutrients in your water supplied as; disolved nutrients in your water supply, fish waste, uneaten food, bacteria, and the presence of other dead matter in your tank.

There are a number of things to solve the problem. A full scale tank cleaning. Removing the substrate will allow you to clean the bottom portion of the tank, along with removing some algae growth. However, this should be done by removing the fish to another tank beforehand, so as not to expose them to poor water conditions, or unnecessary stress.

Wiping/scraping down the walls, removing substrate, rocks etc., combined with daily water changes will help. Keep in mind that when you do this, you may actually see a rise in algae growth, as you will be reducing the surfaces they normally feed off, forcing them to turn to the nutrients in the water supply itself. To help with this, it is better to leave some algae growth in the tank, such as a rock, decoration, or piece of driftwood, combined with significantly reducing the amount of time you keep your tank lights on.

Other things that help are introducing algae eaters. One of the most popular species are the bristlenose plecos. Keep in mind that these fish do best when given good hiding places such as driftwood or caves, and steady sources of food...this avoids them bothering your Discus. Always remember to quarantine any new fish for a minimum of six weeks before introducing them to your existing tank.

HTH


Howie

[alvaro1983]

Wow. Thanks a lot for your replies. They were really helpful. I'm getting them some redworms to give them a try and hopefully something else in the future. I feel bad for the little guy but hopefully he'll catch up.