Heckel update

[blue acara]

Hi guys long time since Ive posted about my Heckels, here are some pictures~

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/d4.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/d6.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/d2.jpg

Here is the smallest of the group, check out that cheeky smile
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/d3.jpg

Close up shot
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/pit10.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/pit5.jpg

Some of the tanks other inhabitants
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/d5.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/pit2.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/pit.jpg

Ive had them since december last year. Their health has been excellent throughout, hardy fish. They are a very shy and quite skittish. Its a love hate relationship with them-I love them (most of the time)and they hate me!:o

[blue acara]

forgot a picture
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/d8.jpg

[vera]

OMG!!they are gorgeous:)

[Ardan]

Very nice!:):)

Ardan

[brewmaster15]

They look great! Nice work! I remember when you got them...you've done an awesome job with them!:)

-al

[plecocicho]

very nice!:D

[tacks]

Very, very nice fish, you have done a great job. Ed

[blue acara]

Thanks for the comments:)

I recently (this friday) moved them into the larger planted tank that you see in the pictures. So far they are doing ok in there, they are not eating much yet but I have seen them eat a few white mosquito larve and picking on the floating duckweed. Im going to leave the front tank cover and only use half the lights until they settle and are eating more.
Its a beautiful thing seeing them all together out in the open in the planted tank:)

[Darren's Discus]

Stunning,thank's for the update.



cheers

[pan]

I have already a 600litres tank with heckels and with that photos i saw my next tank will be also with heckels.You have done a perfect tank with magnificent heckels.I wish you a breeding

[blue acara]

Regarding breeding, I live more in hope more than expectation. Before I moved them there were two of them that seemed to be a pair, they were always together and had claimed a tall piece of bogwood. No cleaning of the site but definate flirtatious behaviours, and defending the site.

[pan]

Tell us more about the parametres of your water in your planted tank and how often do you do water changes and waht water additives you add in water if you add.I think it will be helpfull for all heckel owners.Thanks for sharing such a beautifull pictures

[Apistomaster]

Great looking Heckels and nice photos.
It's interesting how much Heckels grow on you despite the difficulties we encounter with breeding them. They are just so different from the other species and one mystery about Heckels is why is it they evolved such a relatively uniform basic color scheme instead of the tremendous variation found among the other 2 Symphysodon species? I know some have more blue but the basic pattern is quite uniform. I think they are more sociable with each other than the other 2 species.
In any case, your group shows they have been well cared for and are a very healthy bunch.

[Rod]

They look really nice, well done :)

[Yassmeena]

Can you post a full-tank shot?

Would love to get the full effect!!!

Nice work!

[blue acara]

Hi Pan,
water changes for the first 6 months were a lot of work. 75% daily(most days anyway) using 80% RO water 20% tap approx TDS 60. The water is put into a large tub near the tank the previous day, heated to 28-29 C, declorinated and with an air pump circulating the water.
From the TDS reading of 60 you can see that the water is fairly soft Gh 1-2 Kh 1-2. I have never tested the pH as I find the hobby test kits to be hard to read and unreliable. Im sure its below 7.
I always change the water in the morning while the tank light is out to minimise stress on the fish. The tank has UV which I think helps, along with large water changes to bring water borne parasite population down. I use water pumps to get the water out and back in, no buckets thankfully.
No other additives in the water.
Over the last few months water changes have been every other day still 75%.
In the planted tank I plan to do 2 50% changes per week.

Like any other fish particually discus it really helps to get healthy fish from the start. I was lucky as my Heckels came in excellent condition and were eating from the start.
I have never used medication on them.(although now I feel they need worming/anti parasite meds unfortunatly)


Tell us more about the parametres of your water in your planted tank and how often do you do water changes and waht water additives you add in water if you add.I think it will be helpfull for all heckel owners.Thanks for sharing such a beautifull pictures


Great looking Heckels and nice photos.
It's interesting how much Heckels grow on you despite the difficulties we encounter with breeding them. They are just so different from the other species and one mystery about Heckels is why is it they evolved such a relatively uniform basic color scheme instead of the tremendous variation found among the other 2 Symphysodon species? I know some have more blue but the basic pattern is quite uniform. I think they are more sociable with each other than the other 2 species.
In any case, your group shows they have been well cared for and are a very healthy bunch.

Good to hear from you Larry,
Keeping these Heckels has been a real challenge for me, not keeping healthy per se more dealing with their personality. The moments when I see them feed and interact with eachother are magic, but the other side of them is a fearful and skittish soul. This obviously serves them well when they are in wild amazonia. Some of the fearful behavior I put down to my filtration, my fish like calm water movement, and I fear my sponge filter bubbling away scared them but was need as my external cannister was not enough bio filtration. The planted tank is much larger and the water is less noisy in there so I hope it is more to their liking.

One of the defining features of the Heckel is that thick fifth bar which is always visible Inverted or darkened on my fish. I see the fifth bar as an extra defence, more camouflage against predators. Is it more dangerious to live as a Heckel than a green or blue discus? Why are they harder to spawn in captivity?

They have grown from 3 inches to i'd guess about 4.5 inches SL in the time ive kept them so not amazing growth. The main change has been the colour of the fish from a yellow/tan like base colour with no Striations to what you see in the pictures and more thickness in the body.

They are a sociable fish particually when they feel they are in danger, in the planted tank as of now they are always no more than 6 inches apart. It was the same when I first put them into the first (55 gallon) tank, this is when they look at their most amazing- when they form a tight group and swim in close formation around the tank. Id love to see them in the wild in a really large group (50+) like the beautiful art on the inside covers in Bleher's book. Once settled mine have established a home patch and base which they protect from the other Heckels. Arguments and small chases between fish are common but no damage is ever done.

As of now I must confess I'm a little worried about them, since moving to the planted tank they have not eaten like they should, only picking on food instead of gorging themselves. They are still looking ok and behaving fine but I want them eating better. Last night I treated the tank with flubenol 15 and am going to do a water change tomorrow morning, more advice on this would be gladly accepted as I am still a novice in discus keeping. Unfortunatly many of the meds you guys have easy access to in the USA are harder to get in the UK.
Larry, Al and all you other experts please add your thoughts.

Cheers, Dave

[Apistomaster]

Hi Dave,
I don't find Heckels particularly keen about being in well planted tanks. Just go back to the inside front cover of Heiko's book and take your cues from that painting and your Heckels will return to happier behaviors.

Lots of open sand, some wood for cover and a couple plants seems to suit them better.
They like to spend a lot of their time sifting sand.

I know they look beautiful in a planted tank but that just isn't natural to them.

My Heckels are used to eating Tetra Color Bits and once a day for two weeks, twice a year, I feed them Color Bits pre-soaked in Gel-Tek Ultra Cure PX+a little water. This is my parasite control maintenance regime. UC PX contains Praziquantel, Flubenol and Metronidazole.

I try to change about 2/3 their water twice a week. I acclimated my small Heckels to local tap water within six weeks after I bought them. The TDS of the water is 340 ppm and pH is 7.4. I add Prime to their tank and refill the tank directly from the kitchen faucet.
I save my RO water to simulate the rainy season when breeding fancy plecos or making up spawning tank water for SA Dwarf Cichlids or SATetra breeding projects.
My Heckel tank has a total combined filtered water influx of 17 tank volumes per hour.
1 Sponge filter with a 160 gph power head.
1 Eheim 2217 @265 gph
1 wet/dry filter @850 gph
The flows are dispersed or in opposition so there are no definite directed flows. They are made to cancel each other somewhat but their water is definitely not still. As long as they don't have to fight one strong directed current, they are comfortable. They were raised from ~3" diameter to 6" diameter in these conditions.
As you know, I have an unconventional approach to keeping wild Discus.

[blue acara]

They have now settled into the larger tank. I am feeding them a lot of livefoods which has helped them.

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/Heckeltank1.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/Heckeltank2.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/Heckelgroup.jpg

Great round shaped fish
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/Heckelround.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/Heckelwhite2.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/Heckelwhite.jpg

Since moving this fish has developed a beautiful blue gill plate
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m72/blueacara/Heckelblue.jpg

[Dan S]

Hello Blue,

They are looking fantatstic!!! Great job you have done there.

Beautiful tank aswell.

Dan

[shane]

youve inspired me thanks! shane

[Darren's Discus]

They look sensational in their new suroundings,thank's for sharing.




cheers

[plecocicho]

FANTASTIC AQUARIUM! Please post, maybe even in hd version a short film of your setup.:D

[Apistomaster]

Hi Dave,
They have come a long way from their original size and color of the pre-purchase photos you sent me.
Your tank is not over done at all. You left plenty of open space and bare sand for them to sift and hunt for food along with plenty of cover.
That one is turning out to be a blue face type of Heckel. Lucky you.
It is good to have the live food always but it is especially helpful during their transition to the new environment. Very cool and well done.