Are my discus done growing?

Hey all,

Hope everyone is doing well. I want some advice on my juvenile discus growth rate.

First for some context:

August 4th 2022 I bought 5 juvenile 3 inch Brilliant Blue/ Blue Turquoise discus from a local discus breeder/importer in my area.

Attachment 134943

March 20th 2023 My biggest one is a 5.5 inches in length while the others are ranging from 4.5 inches to 5 inches.

Attachment 134944Attachment 134945

They were originally in my 30 gallon grow out for the first 3 months and are now in my 50 gallon. Tank is bare bottom, has a HOB filter, a Sponge filter, and pothos. I performed water changes every other day 80 percent. Mainly feed hikari vibrations bites a few times a day and sporadically beef heart (recently been feeding beef heart more often). I know this is not ideal but that's the best I could do and they've grown relatively well.

Interested in knowing whether they will grow any more since it has been almost a year (if we consider them 3-4 months old when I bought them) and have read their growth rate stagnants after the first 6 months. Additionally, I would love to get them rounder and they have rounded out over the months but not to the degree of the ones I've seen on this site. Is that still achievable or is it a bit too late? Additionally, if I can is it power feeding with high protein diet or something else. I have frozen brine shrimp, frozen blood worms, and beef heart on hand but have been slacking feeding this since its so much easier to sprinkle in pellets and calling it a day LOL.

I will add that I am (and have always been) interested in keeping a planted discus aquarium with driftwood and plants. Obviously not a good idea to grow juvenile discus in this kind of set up, but if these are done growing, It would be great to set up a South American biotope with wood, schooling tetras, and variety of plants. If they have potential to get bigger and round out though, I will hold back on this kind of set up until they get bigger.

Any input is appreciated. First time raising these discus so overall pretty satisfied with the husbandry but def learned a thing or two next time I decide to get new ones.

Cheers,
Ray :)

Is the first photo from when you first got them?

Yep. First day in the tank. The other two pics were from yesterday.

I thought so but wanted to make sure. To be honest, they appear to have been a bit stunted when you got them, but not horribly so.

That being said, I think you've done a remarkable job bringing them up, as well as realizing a valuable lesson about growing out discus >

Quote:

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I will add that I am (and have always been) interested in keeping a planted discus aquarium with driftwood and plants. Obviously not a good idea to grow juvenile discus in this kind of set up

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. Many people don't realize this until it's too late!

As long as you keep up your current routine, I think you'll see some continued growth on them although they may have missed their full potential (not your fault).

Overall, they look pretty good...

Hey Jeep,

Thanks for the comment. I will definitely keep up the routine. Regarding the shape, is this something genetic/stunted that won't be fixable or will they round out over time with good water changes and prolonged feeding of protein based foods. I'm not too concerned with the size of them as I am happy with 5-6 inch discus and am not expecting show quality discus, but wold like a more round than triangular head shape.

Also would adding them to a fully planted tank at this size stunt their growth or are they of the age where the growth would be more limited over time?

I think you'll be happy with how they fill out over time. But, just because they are now adults doesn't mean a plant tank is totally safe. Planted tanks with discus require even more work to keep the substrate clean than bare bottom...

Okay cool. I think what I'll do is set up the planted tank with no fish atm (I have an extra aquarium laying around) and keep up what I'm doing bare bottom with my current group. The in a year or so when they fill out more, I'll add them in. The scape will be pretty minimalistic with some accent Malaysian driftwood and rocks, but I'll make it relatively easy to siphon so maintenance can be kept up!

I agree with Brian, you started out with some Discus already partly undergrowth but with some good maintenance they look normal for their age. You may still get a little more growth, as for the shape that's not going to change, most likely their parent's
were the same shape.

Cliff

Thanks for the insight. Will do. First discus so pretty satisfied with the overall growth. Next Time will either buy larger adults or stick with a better regime!