Hi all,
Brand new to the forum here from Indonesia and happy to announce that I've very recently purchased half a dozen young discus fish. They're only been in my tank for less than 36 hours but thank heavens they are already eating and looking relaxed, if not still a teeny bit sheepish.
Being a discus newbie, naturally I have a ton of questions but let's do one thing at a time so you guys won't be annoyed by me. For this post I'll post a few pictures of my tank and the 6 new discus, and then if anybody would so kindly answer or give their valued opinion to a couple of things :
1. What kinds of discus do I have? This is the first time that I'm a bit intimidated by the sheer number of different varieties and strains and names for a single species of ornamental fish.
2. How are they looking right now in terms of shape, colour/pattern, stuntedness, and what can I expect from them in terms of future colouring and sizes if given decent care and diet? I got them from a couple of local LFS and they're all about 7 cm from nose to peduncle. I'm aware they are most definitely not in the upper range in regards to quality with the prices I'm getting them for (ranging from Rp 50-60.000, which equates to $4-5 per fish), so I tried my best to look for the best body shape and health out of the lot.
My plan in getting young discus instead of more mature ones are firstly because of their lower prices (doesn't hurt that much if anything bad happens to them), and secondly also I want them to become used to the small schooling fishes already in the tank so they can hopefully see that they're friends, not food.
So, on to the pics then!
The tank they're in. Around 480-litre (125g) planted tank with a 120-litre sump underneath. Been established for about 6 months and housing rainbowfish, Harlequin rasbora, a couple species of Asian barbs, and extensive clean-up crew of young BN catfish, small cobitis loaches, Caridina typus shrimps, and trumpet snails for sub-substrate cleaning.
The discus!
First 2 are these ones. I'm guessing they're Red melons? Personally in my eyes they're the most decent in terms of body shape and potential for growth.
This one is a Yellow Pigeon Blood, methinks? Sorry for the poor pic, was taken only a few hours after purchase, so still very shy. Looks in good shape and also good potential for growth.
This one is also still very shy during the shoot, and it's a Turquoise, I think? Maybe a little stunted?
The two shy ones hiding under a log.
These two are I think are the least compared to the others in terms of shape and growth potential. Can see the bigger eyes relative to the body size. Also colouration a bit darker than desired. Blue Diamonds, right?
The blues and reds together.
Thanks all looking forward to the replies.
Riz