Getting back into Discus

[DatDiscusDude]

2 words - FAT HEADS! Wow those guys are Thick and the heads and shape are just impressive!!! So nice!

[Lido]

Those are some awesome fish.

[two utes]

looking great.

as far as knocking over cone, these aren't little tetra are they!

the other day for NO apparent reason they decided to spazz out and aimed up this time, popped open the canopy!

Thanks.
You're right, they're not small fish, but i didn't realize they had so much power, especially to pop open your canopy

2 words - FAT HEADS! Wow those guys are Thick and the heads and shape are just impressive!!! So nice!

Thanks, they do have a bit of bulk in them

Those are some awesome fish.

Glad you like them. Thanks

[Arhm]

They look evil Joe !!! it looks like a school of those discus could take out piranhas.

When they breed you have to send some juvies to South Africa man. We need a lot of help with quality here.

[sayid]

Hi Joe;
They look unbelievable, they remind me of sumo wrestlers of the discus fish world . well done mate .
sayid

[two utes]

Time for my remaining 6 Blue Diamonds to go.

I've been eyeing a couple of my Spotted Eruptions which seem to have paired up and taken an interest in the breeding cone, while fending off other discus in the tank that get a bit too close. I've had others lay eggs a few times but was waiting for a particular one that l really like, to show some interest in breeding.
I rang my local fish store yesterday, and they are happy to buy the remaining Blue Diamonds off me. Apparently the last group l sold them didn't last to long on display, and I'm really happy about that.

Its been fun growing out the Blue Diamonds from such a small size, and glad to have gained some experience from them, though their sole purpose was to keep my breeding tanks cycled and ready to go for when the Spotted Eruptions where ready. So tomorrow is the day when l do the switch.

I'm looking forward to taking another two Spotted Eruptions out as l feel the tank's slightly overcrowded.....though they look really good all in there together.

Hope the dynamics stay the same in the tank once these two have moved out.

[Filip]

Too bad you had to get rid of your BDs before they grew Joe.It would have been nice to see their progression to adulthood under your command .

About the spotted eruptions , they look just gorgeous.
Their colour and pattern is stunning . How many do yo have left right now and in what water volume do you keep them ?
Their colour look so much different on Sayids pics .What light source did you have on this tank?

Good luck with your breeding journey with them Joe , and I'm looking forward for another spotted eruption grow out project from you Joe.

[two utes]

I couldn't resist taking some final shots of my Blue Diamonds.
Their size is hovering around the 5 inch mark.
They turned out quite nice and l'm really sorry to see them go, and to think they started out the size of a 5 cent piece. (1/2 inch)

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[two utes]

Too bad you had to get rid of your BDs before they grew Joe.It would have been nice to see their progression to adulthood under your command .

About the spotted eruptions , they look just gorgeous.
Their colour and pattern is stunning . How many do yo have left right now and in what water volume do you keep them ?
Their colour look so much different on Sayids pics .What light source did you have on this tank?

Good luck with your breeding journey with them Joe , and I'm looking forward for another spotted eruption grow out project from you Joe.

Thanks for your comments Filip.
I ended up with 8 spotted eruptions, as the tank is only 75 gallons, but there will only be 6 in there from tomorrow. The color sure does look different as the standard household florescent tube has a slight tinge of purple in it. I to am looking forward to my breeding journey, as its really the first time that l have made provisions for a breeding pair. I will need plenty of luck, so thank you very much

[Filip]

I couldn't resist taking some final shots of my Blue Diamonds.
Their size is hovering around the 5 inch mark.
They turned out quite nice and l'm really sorry to see them go, and to think they started out the size of a 5 cent piece. (1/2 inch)

17308751_10154858532020266_4891899822055936776_n.jpg

2017-03-23 19.01.40_1490256177416_resized.jpg

2017-03-23 18.59.07_1490256181586_resized.jpg

2017-03-23 19.00.01_1490256180403_resized.jpg

2017-03-23 19.00.59_1490256178779_resized.jpg

Inspiring job you have done there with tour BDs Joe.
Just for a closing line here with them I would like you to share your timeline and your feeding / WC / cleaning routines .
So how long did it take you to raise them from 1/2 to 5 " mark and what were your daily routines ?

[two utes]

Inspiring job you have done there with tour BDs Joe.
Just for a closing line here with them I would like you to share your timeline and your feeding / WC / cleaning routines .
So how long did it take you to raise them from 1/2 to 5 " mark and what were your daily routines ?

Thanks again Filip. Your comment are always welcomed and appreciated.
In brief, I started with a group of 25 odd Blue Diamonds in September making them approx' 7 months old. I started doing 2 daily 30% water changes for about 3 weeks, and cut that down to a 30% water change once a day for another 6 weeks. I only do 30% water changes because l am using water straight out from the tap and don't want to alter the water temp' by more than 3 degrees, and l don't like the idea of using hot water straight from the tap. After about 4 months i dropped their water changes to one every 4 days, and still maintaining 30% change till this day, as i did when i stated with my group of Spotted Eruptions.
Feeds started with frozen baby brine shrimp about 3 times a day, and slowly introduced crushed granules and Freeze Dried Black Worms. It didn't take me long to also start introducing home made Beef heart mix in their diet, and then really started to notice their growth. As they grew i thinned the group out, always keeping the best shape and colors in the group. Their current diet includes 3 feeds per day, which consists of granules, beef heart, and freeze dried black worms in each feeding session. With cleaning of the tank, all the poop is vacuumed while doing water changes but increased poop removal once water changes were reduced to once every 4 days. The tank is wiped down from the inside about once a week but sometimes l get a little lazy doing this choir.

I just couldn't resist taking one last group shot of my 8 Spotted Eruptions tonight, and as from tomorrow there will only be six in my main tank, and a little more room for them to move around.

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[Filip]

TFS your experience and routines with us Joe .
Their growth given your small amount and % of WC makes them a "succesfull story" even more

Your last pic of all 8 of them together is great too.

[Ryan925]

Thanks again Filip. Your comment are always welcomed and appreciated.
In brief, I started with a group of 25 odd Blue Diamonds in September making them approx' 7 months old. I started doing 2 daily 30% water changes for about 3 weeks, and cut that down to a 30% water change once a day for another 6 weeks. I only do 30% water changes because l am using water straight out from the tap and don't want to alter the water temp' by more than 3 degrees, and l don't like the idea of using hot water straight from the tap. After about 4 months i dropped their water changes to one every 4 days, and still maintaining 30% change till this day, as i did when i stated with my group of Spotted Eruptions.
Feeds started with frozen baby brine shrimp about 3 times a day, and slowly introduced crushed granules and Freeze Dried Black Worms. It didn't take me long to also start introducing home made Beef heart mix in their diet, and then really started to notice their growth. As they grew i thinned the group out, always keeping the best shape and colors in the group. Their current diet includes 3 feeds per day, which consists of granules, beef heart, and freeze dried black worms in each feeding session. With cleaning of the tank, all the poop is vacuumed while doing water changes but increased poop removal once water changes were reduced to once every 4 days. The tank is wiped down from the inside about once a week but sometimes l get a little lazy doing this choir.

I just couldn't resist taking one last group shot of my 8 Spotted Eruptions tonight, and as from tomorrow there will only be six in my main tank, and a little more room for them to move around.

1-2017-03-23 20.03.32.jpg

Joe the BDs look great but those eruptions are insane. You need to start a business as a surrogate growout dad then give the fish back once they have beefed up like that.

Amazing job.

[two utes]

TFS your experience and routines with us Joe .
Their growth given your small amount and % of WC makes them a "succesfull story" even more

Your last pic of all 8 of them together is great too.

Thanks Filip. Like I've said many times before. I am lucky to have good water straight out of the tap, and not to mention starting with good stock, made the experience an enjoyable one.

Joe the BDs look great but those eruptions are insane. You need to start a business as a surrogate growout dad then give the fish back once they have beefed up like that.

Amazing job.

Thanks Ryan. I could do that, but l would find it difficult to give them back

[DatDiscusDude]

How did you decide to get rid of 2? I don't think I could have done that. I understand your reasoning but man that had to be tough!