Getting back into Discus

[two utes]

If you are talking to me Joe



Indeed it does lol.

Fantastic news on the fry Joe. I am so happy for you
Pat

Haha..Yes Pat...You did warn me!

Nature is truly amazing... I know we hear about these fry and see photos but experiencing them in person must be incredible. There surely is an excitement about getting that first look at them every morning. I know they change and grow so quickly that it’s probably noticeable even in a short time.
I am thinking this is an experience that brings you into an entirely new level of discus keeping. A natural progression from raising batches purchased from others to seeing them from egg to adult in your own home. This is something you will always remember. Even if something sadly interrupts this batch, you have attained something many of us will never experience. Well we tell ourselves to never say never...
Enjoy them Joe, for everything they have to teach you and the knowledge you gain from helping them thrive. Keep us up to date... It’s truly amazing to see....

Thanks again Jenenen. Glad to be able to share my experience with you and everyone else on here.

I think CONGRATS are in order. Really happy for you that all the effort is paying off. Bravo!

Thanks Paul, and much appreciated. It certainly is very rewarding, but as you know just having discus is rewarding enough.

[two utes]

Coming onto 2 years old now, l couldn't resist taking some snaps of the main group today while doing a water change with the rear cover off.
Maintaining 30% water changes every 5 days or so and very minimal feeds of beef heart, freeze dried black worm and discus gran.

Reflecting back to raising this batch i can honestly say that it has been very enjoyable, and l have learnt a few valuable lessons.

* Starting with good quality stock has made the journey trouble free, and also by avoiding to add any other fish whatsoever and not introduce any parasites or other problems.
* (This may only apply to me having good water straight out of the tap) Minimal water changes being only 30% every 4 or 5 days, leaving the fish in peace and more time to enjoy them.
* Lots of quality food in small doses often. Mainly beef heart and Freeze dried Black worms in the first 12 months of development.


Here are some shots while the rear cover was off during water change

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And a few more in the evening with cover and light on......


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[sayid]

Well done Joe ,they look magnificent and fatter than their sibling , i know that you don't measure your nitrate level but next time you do a 30% w/c measure it before the water change and let me know as a matter of interest ,i appreciate it very much , any way happy birthday for the fish and good luck with the little ones .
Sayid

[two utes]

Well done Joe ,they look magnificent and fatter than their sibling , i know that you don't measure your nitrate level but next time you do a 30% w/c measure it before the water change and let me know as a matter of interest ,i appreciate it very much , any way happy birthday for the fish and good luck with the little ones .
Sayid

Thanks again Sayid. As you requested i measured the nitrate level before today's water change and it came in at 20 PPM. With the whole family coming over for Christmas lunch tomorrow though i would do my water change today.

The fries are 2 weeks old now and i'm very surprised at how much they have grown. I'm starting to see stripes in them, and they are looking rather fat. Mum and Dad look like they are taking very good care of them, and i often find myself caught up watching them... Really enjoying this

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[two utes]

At a little over 3 weeks old now, i see the fry swimming around the whole of the tank with occasional contact with one of the parents. I feed them very small amounts of beef heart, freeze dried black worm and newly hatch frozen brine shrimp twice a day
I can see the fry feeding on the little specs of food and then grazing along the bottom of the tank. As you can see from the pictures they are starting to take a little shape.
If i wasn't coming and going from the beach house to home i would probably transfer them into my new 3 foot grow out tank, but wish to do so some time next week.
With my son Mathew's help i have been able to maintain 30% water changes straight out of the tank every two days.

Its good seeing the progress and really enjoying this new experience.


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[JimmyBanks]

Great Thread! Really enjoyed reading it. Great to see a bloke from Melbourne doing what I hope to do.

[two utes]

Great Thread! Really enjoyed reading it. Great to see a bloke from Melbourne doing what I hope to do.

Thanks Jimmy.
Welcome to the hobby and Simply Discus. Do your research and you will enjoy your experience. Lots of good info' and helpful people on here.

[sayid]

I had the pleasure of seeing these beautiful fish first hand they look much better in real life than what you see in the photos , it was an awesome picture of mum and dad with all these babies hovering round .Thanks Joe for sharing the experience with us.

[JimmyBanks]

Thanks Jimmy.
Welcome to the hobby and Simply Discus. Do your research and you will enjoy your experience. Lots of good info' and helpful people on here.

Thanks two utes. Yeah, reading up a lot in the beginner section and watching videos on youtube at this stage. I went to Aquatico Aquariums and a couple of other LFS to check out tanks. Aquatico said they are getting in some more discus from Malaysia later this month. I read somewhere on SD that they source discus from Forrest Discus over there.

Will keep reading and learning.

[two utes]

At one month old the juveniles are scattered all over the tank foraging for food and grazing on the bottom of the tank. They are freely taking beef heart and freeze dried black worms that is being fed to their parents, and i have increased the amount of frozen newly hatched brine shrimp that i feed them as well.
With more feeding going on I've upped the water changes to once daily, and hope to put them in their new grow out tank next week. I notice some occasionally lay on the bottom on their sides for a short while and a few swimming erratically. I suppose at some stage some culling will have to be done, but want to hold off for a little while longer.

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[sayid]

Keep up the good work Joe ,they look magnificent.

[HappyFace]

* Starting with good quality stock has made the journey trouble free, and also by avoiding to add any other fish whatsoever and not introduce any parasites or other problems.
* (This may only apply to me having good water straight out of the tap) Minimal water changes being only 30% every 4 or 5 days, leaving the fish in peace and more time to enjoy them.
* Lots of quality food in small doses often. Mainly beef heart and Freeze dried Black worms in the first 12 months of development.


Here are some shots while the rear cover was off during water change



And a few more in the evening with cover and light on......


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Oh my gosh these are magnificent discus!!!!! They look so healthy. I'm in love with the one with the big blue forehead. <3 You did an amazing job raising them.

[two utes]

Oh my gosh these are magnificent discus!!!!! They look so healthy. I'm in love with the one with the big blue forehead. <3 You did an amazing job raising them.

Thanks Heidi. Much appreciated.
Yes he's certainly very chunky and has a bit of a 'boof' head making him look mean.
I always enjoy watching them all.

[two utes]

I'm back home now and settled into my routine releasing my helper Mathew from his duties. I'm lucky to have him around to play caretaker while im away. He really enjoys it and shows lots of interest. I can see him 'Getting into discus' at some point.
The tank i had set up in in my workshop sprung a leak the day i was going to move the juveniles, and found myself purchasing a new standard 3 footer. Out came the old water storage container and did the change over.
The juveniles are now in their own tank giving their parents some peace. I think they did a good job caring for them and did not show me any aggression when doing wipe downs and such.
I counted 52 as i transferred them across and can see 3 which may need to be culled shortly....looks like ill be spending a little more time in my workshop now, but the scary thing is there is lots more room on my work bench to fit more tanks....

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[sayid]

Looks very clean and tidy Joe , it sounds good that you are back and on the saddle again ,what is that dish in the middle ?