Few questions...

[Chess46]

Hi everyone,

I have been doing alot of reading on here and I'm curious, what is peppering? Is it bad? I have an 80 gallon tank that I am getting ready for discus. It has sand for the bottom and a darker colored backgroung which I am now worried about.

Also, would I be able to keep a freshwater lobster/crayfish?

And, is a tank with nothing but plastic plants okay or should I have some live plants as well?

Thanks

[TURQ64]

The future fish may eat the crustaceans..Peppering is spotting that only occurs in Pigeon Blood related fish..don't buy any PB relatives, and voila!..no peppering...Gary

[seanyuki]

Hey Gary......I have seen many pigeon based discus in this forum.....white butterfly,blue pigeon blood,silver pigeon,super checkerboard discus and they are gorgeous and depends how you raise and maintain them......correct me if I am wrong.

my SCPs in the past.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?65370-Super-Pigeon-Checkerboards&highlight=super+checkerborad+pigeon

hth


The future fish may eat the crustaceans..Peppering is spotting that only occurs in Pigeon Blood related fish..don't buy any PB relatives, and voila!..no peppering...Gary

[TURQ64]

I have also had beautiful PB strains. But I'm just directly answering her post regarding her substrate and tank back....(specific to her post)

[seanyuki]

to my understanding to yr reply to her .....do not get pigeon based discus due to the peppering(why)in the discus market these days there are some very nice pigeon based discus for sale in this forum from sponsors here and did not enlighten her .....substrate and tank background may cause the peppering in the future......did I miss something lol.


I have also had beautiful PB strains. But I'm just directly answering her post regarding her substrate and tank back....(specific to her post)

[Stag]

Chess,

Peppering can be minimized by a light colored tank bottom and surroundings. Some peppering may never disappear fully. PBs even high quality ones may develop peppering after a certain age. There is nothing wrong with peppering but many people do not like the look of it. At what age/size would our forum experts say a fish will have all the peppering it will be likely to get?

When I first started in the hobby I though peppering was a disease or fungus! lol but my peppered Throwback Butterfly is one of my favorite fish now. Enjoy.

[TURQ64]

to my understanding to yr reply to her .....do not get pigeon based discus due to the peppering(why)in the discus market these days there are some very nice pigeon based discus for sale in this forum from sponsors here and did not enlighten her .....substrate and tank background may cause the peppering in the future......did I miss something lol.

Ahh, my bad!..My humblest appologies..Disregard what I oversimplified....Please buy all the available sponsor's PB related fish..You can buy mine also...Gary

[Chess46]

Thanks for the replies everyone.
Does anyone have an answer to the plant question? Also, does anyone have a picture that shows peppering?

To the sellers, how much do you sell your fish for?

Thanks,

Amanda

[zimmjeff]

check the sponsers section for prices and sizes. plants are your decision many put no decorations. I would advise you to not put the lobster crayfish in your tank they will kill your fish if they get the chance. my 2 cents jeff. good luck.

[Chess46]

Okay I really feel like a newbie but, how do i get to the sponsers section?
And okay, no lobster or crayfish.

I have also gotten rid of the carbon in my filter. It is now filled with bio max. What should I do to make sure the good bacteria will grow? Is there anything I can add to make sure it gets started off right? I have it set up and running with just water, driftwood and sand. There is also a pleco in there but he will be removed shortly.

The tank mates I am choosing for the discus are neon & rummynose tetras and german blue rams. Those are the ones I have been suggested the most.

Thanks,

Amanda

[Skip]

stick with discus first.. and when you got a handle of their needs.. get a qt tank for the tankmates, instead of just drop and plop method..

[TURQ64]

The sponsor section is all of the listings on the center of the forum page.....Neons are Discus treats..

[Jason K.]

Yes, I tried tetra's once in my community tank they lasted all of six hour's before all was left were tetra head's and tail's, all they wanted were the gut's...lol

[TURQ64]

My Heckel's just love 'em...All of them, heads, you name it...They even like Cardinals.....

[Chess46]

Thats weird. I see so many discus tanks online that have tetras. Would it matter with baby discus growing up with them?