View Full Version : How do you measure your discus?
cooksa
10-09-2010, 11:25 PM
Do you pull each and every one out of the tank and measure with a ruler?
I recently purchased two fish to add to my tank, and realized if the person I bought them from actually measured this way, I'm HORRIBLE at eyeballing size. I think I'll just tape a ruler to the front of the tank and take a picture of each one as it swims by. :D
Eddie
10-10-2010, 02:10 AM
Do you pull each and every one out of the tank and measure with a ruler?
I recently purchased two fish to add to my tank, and realized if the person I bought them from actually measured this way, I'm HORRIBLE at eyeballing size. I think I'll just tape a ruler to the front of the tank and take a picture of each one as it swims by. :D
I'll tell you, I will never in my life pull a fish out of the tank to measure it only. The last time I did, it damaged the fish enough so that secondary infection went out of control. Seriously though, there really isn't a need to measure a fish. You can put things up against the tank glass to gauge the size of the fish. ;)
cooksa
10-10-2010, 08:45 AM
Good to know, because I certainly was NOT going to risk pulling fish out of the tank. Not only am I a wimp, but...I'm a wimp. Size doesn't matter anyways. I only really need them to be healthy and happy since they won't be leaving my care. I'm just curious, I guess.
I'll try the ruler method and see how that goes. It'll at least give me an idea.
Darrell Ward
10-10-2010, 02:11 PM
Yeah, it's easy enough to tape a ruler across the tank. When the fish swims past it, you can get a fairly good estimation as to size. After a while, you can get good enough at estimating that you no longer need the ruler. I agree with Eddie, I don't like to remove any fish from the tank unless it's necessary. At the least, it stresses them, and at worst, they can get injured.
csarkar001
10-10-2010, 03:20 PM
Size doesn't matter anyways.
always comforting to hear this from a woman. ;)
Keith Perkins
10-10-2010, 03:52 PM
I'm lousy at estimating size. I tell people I have 2 inch juvies for sale and pull them out of the tank and they're 2 1/2 or 2 3/4, 3 inch fish end up being 3 1/2. I do at times perhaps once or twice during a batch of juvies lives in my possession randomly pull one to measure it. I would certainly however do it when I was netting them for some other reason if that was an option.
cooksa
10-10-2010, 04:40 PM
always comforting to hear this from a woman. ;)
HAHA:D Between that and me being horrible at eyeballing size anyways...
I see some lucky man in my future.
Eddie
10-10-2010, 08:25 PM
always comforting to hear this from a woman. ;)
I hear you Chandan! :D
deepflyball
10-10-2010, 09:54 PM
From the rooter to the tooter . Oh wait thats hogs sorry.
Jerry
Jennie
10-10-2010, 10:10 PM
omg jerry!:D
I net them out and place them on a wet t-shirt. Use measuring tape to measure from mouth to tail.
It's really unfair to a hobbyist to say his Discus is 6" but did not actually measure the fish. It can be misleading.
I can honetly say that I have grown out a few Discus from 2" and none of them made it to 6". Most have made it 5" and some have made it 5.5" exactly. That was a couple months ago. I don't know how they would measure today if I took them out. I might have one getting close to six who knows.
As they grow together it becomes a challenge to really see how big they are getting.
tdiscusman
10-11-2010, 10:49 AM
I'm bad as eyeballing myself so I netted them out occasionally to measure them. I've found that if you put them on a dry/not too wet towel they do not jump around as much as soaking wet towel.
Tony
jball1125
10-11-2010, 11:27 AM
The only time I have measured fish was when I bought my adult turqs. I simply drew a ruler on the styrofoam box they came in and as I pulled them out I sorta passed them by the styroruler and had a good enough measurement to make me happy. I don't really mind knowing the exact size of the fish as long as I can see a good shape and a nice eye size ratio.
John_Nicholson
10-11-2010, 02:01 PM
First thing ......
Anytime you are talking length you need to specify SL or TL. SL = standard length so no tail is measured, TL is total length.
I used to measure my fish fairly often. It was mainly because I would get tired of people claiming to have these 10 inch discus. Most of the time they would come to the house and see my old big red turq male and say that is the biggest discus that I have ever seen, How big is he and I would reply 6 3/8" SL. They would never believe me si you put a big fluffy towel on the floor. Put a tape measure next to it, net the fish , set it on the towel, take your measurements, put it back in the tank. I have probably measured 100+ discus this way though the years.
-john
First thing ......
Anytime you are talking length you need to specify SL or TL. SL = standard length so no tail is measured, TL is total length.
I used to measure my fish fairly often. It was mainly because I would get tired of people claiming to have these 10 inch discus. Most of the time they would come to the house and see my old big red turq male and say that is the biggest discus that I have ever seen, How big is he and I would reply 6 3/8" SL. They would never believe me si you put a big fluffy towel on the floor. Put a tape measure next to it, net the fish , set it on the towel, take your measurements, put it back in the tank. I have probably measured 100+ discus this way though the years.
-john
John I don't know if it's on purpose or not but some people suck at measuring by eye balling. I balk at the 8" and 10" Discus. I might just flip over my chair if I read antoher one of those stories.
John I don't know if it's on purpose or not but some people suck at measuring by eye balling. I balk at the 8" and 10" Discus.
MAYBE they are using the Metric (Centimenter) side of the ruler.. ? :D
Eddie
10-11-2010, 07:40 PM
John I don't know if it's on purpose or not but some people suck at measuring by eye balling. I balk at the 8" and 10" Discus. I might just flip over my chair if I read antoher one of those stories.
I know, one of the biggest Discus I've seen was only 8" TL and this sucker was huge with just eyeballing it. It was a the Giant Flora at the NADA show, total monster. It could barely turn around in the tank! LOL
Jennie
10-11-2010, 07:48 PM
is this another one of those stories where TITO will flip over his chair, Cause if so, someone needs to call his wife and have her scrape him off the floor!:D
Keith Perkins
10-11-2010, 09:04 PM
I net them out and place them on a wet t-shirt. Use measuring tape to measure from mouth to tail...
is this another one of those stories where TITO will flip over his chair, Cause if so, someone needs to call his wife and have her scrape him off the floor!:D
Could the way the person wearing the wet t-shirt looks have anything to do with why Tito prefers this measuring method? :D Just asking.
Jennie
10-11-2010, 09:09 PM
LMAO! :D
Could the way the person wearing the wet t-shirt have anything to do with why Tito prefers this measuring method? :D Just asking.
You folks are going to make me flip ova the chair with these jokes!
Let's face it - if there were a lot of 8" Discus swimming around in our homes we would see a heck of a lot more pics........
and we don't. But I digress.
Eddie
10-11-2010, 09:18 PM
You folks are going to make me flip ova the chair with these jokes!
Let's face it - if there were a lot of 8" Discus swimming around in our homes we would see a heck of a lot more pics........
and we don't. But I digress.
Oh, its definitely not common. Do they exist, yes but generally in TL not SL.
Keith Perkins
10-11-2010, 09:30 PM
Oh, its definitely not common. Do they exist, yes but generally in TL not SL.
No doubt.
cooksa
10-11-2010, 10:29 PM
I have to wonder if these 8" fish aren't being eyeball measured by men. Cause, you know, everything is bigger when a man measures it. ;)
Keith Perkins
10-11-2010, 11:18 PM
I have to wonder if these 8" fish aren't being eyeball measured by men. Cause, you know, everything is bigger when a man measures it. ;)
I totally disagree, my bet is that it's women seeing all these eight inch discus. Of course it is the men that have been telling women for years how long eight inches is. :o
cooksa
10-11-2010, 11:26 PM
I totally disagree, my bet is that it's women seeing all these eight inch discus. Of course it is the men that have been telling women for years how long eight inches is. :o
HAHAHA touché!
Jennie
10-12-2010, 06:28 AM
Yeah cooksa a mans version of eight inches is to hold both his arms directly out as far as they can go.
OMG! DL!! tsk tsk!! you got on to me about a 4/20 reference. and now i find you talking like this!??! :gossip:
NICE!! i must be growing on you!! :D:D :jester:
John_Nicholson
10-12-2010, 09:47 AM
I know, one of the biggest Discus I've seen was only 8" TL and this sucker was huge with just eyeballing it. It was a the Giant Flora at the NADA show, total monster. It could barely turn around in the tank! LOL
Yes that was a really nice fish, but I am willing to bet if you asked the "normal" bystander how big that fish was they would have said 10 to 12 inches......
-john
Jennie
10-12-2010, 10:15 AM
I'm anti narcotic big time skip!
OMG! DL!! tsk tsk!! you got on to me about a 4/20 reference. and now i find you talking like this!??! :gossip:
NICE!! i must be growing on you!! :D:D :jester:
I'm anti narcotic big time skip!
well.. beside Discus, my other drug is GOOD, imported beer :D
Yeah cooksa a mans version of eight inches is to hold both his arms directly out as far as they can go.
what if i have short arms?:wave:
calihawker
10-12-2010, 10:44 AM
This is a great thread!
Yes that was a really nice fish, but I am willing to bet if you asked the "normal" bystander how big that fish was they would have said 10 to 12 inches......
-john
There are two people that I will accept this from....
A Novice and a person that needs Glasses.
John_Nicholson
10-12-2010, 11:06 AM
There are two people that I will accept this from....
A Novice and a person that needs Glasses.
LOL I agree. Remember I am the guy that had a standing $100 bet on the subject. If someone could show me proof of a 10 TL discus I would send them the money....no one ever collected. Now with image editing software getting so advanced I finally ended the offer. It has gotten to easy for people to cheat.
-john
LOL I agree. Remember I am the guy that had a standing $100 bet on the subject. If someone could show me proof of a 10 TL discus I would send them the money....no one ever collected. Now with image editing software getting so advanced I finally ended the offer. It has gotten to easy for people to cheat.
-john
BAM!!!!!!! PAY UP!!!! 8.7 in SL! Booyah!!!!
http://oregonianphoto.com/images/spoly7-6-0804.jpg
Discus-Hans
10-12-2010, 01:23 PM
ha ha ha this is funny, made me think back.
A customer called me one time, I need 8" Discus because all my Discus are 8"
Sorry at the moment I've none that big but I can try to pick out the biggest ones from the 6~7" so that's close as it can be at the moment.
Ship him 6 of those, next day after the Discus came in, gave him a call and asked are they close enough to your 8" .....................
Reaction: Mannnnnnnn those must be at least 10" they make mine look like baby's............. okay lol
As long as you are happy lol
Hans
John_Nicholson
10-12-2010, 01:40 PM
LOL.
-john
cooksa
10-12-2010, 01:51 PM
ha ha ha this is funny, made me think back.
A customer called me one time, I need 8" Discus because all my Discus are 8"
Sorry at the moment I've none that big but I can try to pick out the biggest ones from the 6~7" so that's close as it can be at the moment.
Ship him 6 of those, next day after the Discus came in, gave him a call and asked are they close enough to your 8" .....................
Reaction: Mannnnnnnn those must be at least 10" they make mine look like baby's............. okay lol
As long as you are happy lol
Hans
Ahem...notice the "him" being referred to in this post. Point made. :D
Hans -
I love it! You made my DAY!
Jennie
10-12-2010, 05:13 PM
good eye, cooksa!
Keith Perkins
10-12-2010, 07:10 PM
Ahem...notice the "him" being referred to in this post. Point made. :D
Dang it Hans!:whip:
Discus-Hans
10-12-2010, 07:15 PM
hmmmmmm looks like the women are "smart" today....... is the weather changing???? :D :D :D :D :angel:
Hans
hmmmmmm looks like the women are "smart" today....... is the weather changing???? :D :D :D :D :angel:
Hans
Nope.. Dinner time.. :whip:
;);););)
Jennie
10-12-2010, 08:28 PM
Funny Hans!:D
hmmmmmm looks like the women are "smart" today....... is the weather changing???? :D :D :D :D :angel:
Hans
hmmmmmm looks like the women are "smart" today....... is the weather changing???? :D :D :D :D :angel:
Hans
A woman smart????????????
Come on Hans, Das is nicht possible!!
Question: You know the smartest thing to ever come out of a woman's mouth?
Answer: Albert Einstein's Schwanze.
DiscusKev
10-29-2010, 11:32 PM
Do what Auntie Martha do, sketch a discus (at your size preference) and stick it against the glass tank.
OR
Stick a CD against the tank and gauge the size from there, as far as I know, there's only 2 sizes for CD (the mini and normal).
gerrard00
11-02-2010, 03:09 PM
I take a picture and crop it down to the exact width of my tank. My tank is 48" wide, so I resize the picture to 480 pixels which works out to 10 pixels per inch.
I then copy the portion of the pic that contains a good side shot of one of my fish into a new image. If that image is 40 pixels wide, then I know the fish in question is about 4" long. It doesn't give me an exact measure, but it only takes a minute or two and gives me a decent estimate.
cooksa
11-13-2010, 12:15 AM
I take a picture and crop it down to the exact width of my tank. My tank is 48" wide, so I resize the picture to 480 pixels which works out to 10 pixels per inch.
I then copy the portion of the pic that contains a good side shot of one of my fish into a new image. If that image is 40 pixels wide, then I know the fish in question is about 4" long. It doesn't give me an exact measure, but it only takes a minute or two and gives me a decent estimate.
Holy cow that took a lot of thought, but makes perfect sense. I'll have to try that, too! Thanks. :D
Discus-Hans
11-13-2010, 12:42 AM
Okay 47 posts, mine is 48.
Here we go, the best way, take a net, catch the Discus, take a ruler, put it from the end of the tail to the head, read what you see and..........viola, you got what you need to know ;) ;) ;)
Hans
This is a measurement gone horribbly wrong .... :cry: I always eyeballed him to be 7+ inches when he was in my tank and it was pretty close.....
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/yunssong/IMG_0158.jpg
Jennie
11-13-2010, 07:17 AM
:( what happened
John_Nicholson
11-17-2010, 04:54 PM
Okay 47 posts, mine is 48.
Here we go, the best way, take a net, catch the Discus, take a ruler, put it from the end of the tail to the head, read what you see and..........viola, you got what you need to know ;) ;) ;)
Hans
What he said....I normally lay mine on a soft towel but that is how you measure a fish......And from what most people post about the length of their fish....a lost art.
-john
DiscusKev
11-17-2010, 05:12 PM
I thought it was a COBRA LOL, the pectoral fin looked liek the tongue.
What type of discus is that? It look hmmm, strange, the colour looked dull and the stress bar showing doesn't look good. Correct me if I'm wrong but did it jump out of the tank or something, the face look damaged
peterhql
11-17-2010, 05:39 PM
I know, one of the biggest Discus I've seen was only 8" TL and this sucker was huge with just eyeballing it. It was a the Giant Flora at the NADA show, total monster. It could barely turn around in the tank! LOL
My Flora! :). You know that flora is really only 7.5 inches TL. I put a ruler up to the tank and waited a very long time. 8 inches if I pulled it out and stretched it though definitely. We as humans love to exaggerate, can't help it. He's still a monster though.
maybe if I hung it by the tail for awhile...
-Peter
tbone83
11-21-2010, 06:57 AM
never take them out!!!
tahts just plain stupid
if u can visualize the measurement from a ruler thats the best route, im a cabinet maker so its easy
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