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Thread: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

  1. #1
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by brewmaster15 View Post
    When you get your box, please document how it arrives. You can start your thread here...
    http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumd...r-Contest-2018

    Please make only one thread and do all your updates in that thread. If you want to start that thread now, please do, you can introduce yourself, post your empty waiting tank shots and describe a little about how you will raise them and your Discus rearing philosophy.

    Al
    Thanks Al for doing this and glad everything worked out today!!

    So I am Pat and some of you guys know me as a wilds keeper. I recently returned to keeping wilds this summer after attending the NADA show in July. I sent all my wilds away in 2016 due to a crisis with my elderly parents. Things have settled and I decided to get back into discus.

    I currently have 10 wilds, four heckels and six wild red adults. The heckels are sub-adults and I am currently growing them out. I believe they have grown for me in the short time I have had them.

    So why do I want to join this contest...short answer is I want more practice growing out fry. If you have been around the forum for awhile you might know that I have successfully had my wilds spawn for me and raise their fry so this is not my first rodeo with fry this young. But it is my first rodeo with domestic fry. I do not expect it to make a difference (wild vs domestic) but I do expect the domestic to grow faster with good care.

    Not sure I have a "discus rearing philosophy". However with wild discus I prefer to leave the fry with the parents until the fry are 4 to 6 weeks of age. I then separate them and grow them out in a BB tank with lots of food and good clean water. I will do the same with these fry.

    So up to now I have cleaned an old 10 gallon which has not been used in about three years. I used vinegar to help remove the lime deposits. There is lots of lime in my well water. I also used white paper to cover the bottom, side and back as required by the contest rules. It looks a little ghetto but should work providing I do not get the paper wet. LOL.

    I have also restored part of my water change equipment, basely two 44 gallon brute trash containers with new heaters and airstones for aging. Yesterday both containers were taken outside, given a good scrub and are presently filled with aging, heating water. I also replaced the carbon and sediment cartridges in my 20 in canisters. Here's the thread on that http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...unhappy+fishes. I run all the water I use with the fish thru the 20 in canisters.

    So tonight the 10 gallon is full, running an airstone and heater. Temp is 84. Tomorrow I will test all the water parameters. I do not normally do this but needed for the contest. Here's the tank. I am also currently running the smallest AC HOB filter. If I can slow the flow I may left it on the tank. Al recommended to not run this filter with fry this young. This filter would be an excellent place of the foam Al is providing for bio-media. I also want to thank Al for providing the fry for this contest. I am honored for the chance to grow they out. Thank you Al

    IMG_1842.jpg
    Last edited by Second Hand Pat; 09-25-2018 at 06:49 AM. Reason: spelling
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  2. #2
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    I want to slow the flow on the AC filter so I did a little DIY with some quilt batting and built a weir to soften the flow of water back into the tank. It actually seems to work pretty well.

    IMG_1851.jpg

    and with a prefilter on the inlet we may be set to use the AC filter with the fry.

    IMG_1853.jpg

    I also added a sponge filter from another tank. Cleaned it really well but there always seems to be a little gunk left. I will siphon that out later and may top off the tank with a little RO water. While I do not have an RO unit for the fish I do have an under the sink RO unit for drinking water. One concern I have is Al's fry not liking my water. However I will measure the water parameters first.

    IMG_1850.jpg
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


  3. #3
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    I had to order a new API master testkit. I figured what I had was too old. Measured ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and TDS. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate were zero as I expected. ph was between 8.2 and 8.3. TDS was 225 which is right for this time of year. In the pics the ammonia appears a tab muddy but if I hold it to the light it is bright yellow.

    IMG_1856.jpg

    You can see the ph a bit better in this pic
    IMG_1857.jpg

    Hard to take a pic with one hand.
    IMG_1854.jpg
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  4. #4
    Homesteader Adam S's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    Hi Pat,
    What's the concern with your tap? Unless it's full of metal, I'd gladly take those numbers over what we have here.

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    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    Hi Adam, I lost a set of fry (small spawn from wild parents) when I moved them from tank water (230 gallon) to the same 10 gallon tank I am using for this challenge. The tank on the 230 was most likely fairly soft with a lower ph. When I moved the fry into the 10 gallon they went all zombie like. I conferred with Al and he thought it was alkalinity poisoning. I ended up culling the whole mess. I know that will not happen here as Al's well water is somewhat similar to mine but I still worry...I know...silly.
    Pat
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    Registered Member Tshethar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    Pat, I'm paying attention to what you're doing. I reserve the right to steal ideas I like!!! (That is going to be my discus raising philosophy!) The slow-flow weir is fabulously creative, whether you stay with it or not. I'm also noting your use of the seasoned sponge. Best of luck!

  7. #7
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Tshethar View Post
    Pat, I'm paying attention to what you're doing. I reserve the right to steal ideas I like!!! (That is going to be my discus raising philosophy!) The slow-flow weir is fabulously creative, whether you stay with it or not. I'm also noting your use of the seasoned sponge. Best of luck!
    Bill, steal any ideas you want. The weir idea really worked. I hope it doesn't get in the way of water changes.
    Pat
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


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    Registered Member + MVP danotaylor's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    Pat can I assume that since you are using a mature sponge from a different set up that you do not believe that pathogens can be passed in that manner? The curious wondering of a discus returnee.
    Thanks mate.
    Danny

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    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    Hi Danny, that is absolutely a possibility and a risk. At the same time I believe fry can not take any ammonia etc in their water. Either way we shall see how it goes.
    Pat
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


  10. #10
    Registered Member Tshethar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    Hi Pat, I'm going to be contemplating these issues as well as we go... raised an eyebrow on this, too, but I may follow suit if the sponge we get seems insufficient to establish the tank.

  11. #11
    Registered Member + MVP danotaylor's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Second Hand Pat View Post
    Hi Danny, that is absolutely a possibility and a risk. At the same time I believe fry can not take any ammonia etc in their water. Either way we shall see how it goes.
    Pat
    Thanks for answering Pat. I appreciate it. All the best to you on your grow out challenge!!

  12. #12
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    The box arrived 12:17pm. Box was warm to the touch, dry on the outside and in good condition.

    IMG_1868.jpg

    Heat pack in the middle and black item is foam. Inside box temp read 90 based on an infared themometer and bag temp was 90.

    IMG_1869.jpg
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


  13. #13
    Registered Member sanjay21's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    Packing is on point!! great job Al !!

    Good luck Pat

  14. #14
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    By the time I had stacked the bags for a picture the bag temp had cooled to 86.

    IMG_1870.jpg

    So I hurried to get the bags into the tank so they did not cool down to fast. The fish seems pretty lively in the bag. Once the bag temp matched the tank temp I cut each bag (fish were double bagged) and eased the fish into a net (these guys are tiny) and eased them into the tank (drop and plop). No bag water in the tank.

    The strain in the tank is rooibos tea just to darken the water a bit. I do this with all my wild fish. No lights. You can see their fins are clamped a bit and have one under the heater. Now to let them recover from shipping. No sure when I will try to introduce food. I would like to see them looking for food before trying.

    IMG_1871.jpg
    Last edited by Second Hand Pat; 09-27-2018 at 01:24 PM.
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


  15. #15
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pat's Challenger Growout Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by sanjay21 View Post
    Packing is on point!! great job Al !!

    Good luck Pat
    Hi Sanjay, packing was spot on. Thank Al for a great packing job.
    Pat
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


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