Brian's 2018 grow out challenge...

[XIHOHORORORO]

Hi Brian,
Thats not genetic. That curved gill plate is from an imbalance in the diet. It commonly happens when the ratio of protein to minerals in the diet is not optimal at a point where the fish is in a growth spurt. It happens at a young age and doesnt become really noticeable until the fish has grown abit.
Its common when fry are pushed to grow under certain conditions. Ive had it happen here in the past.
That trait you see is just a physical issue from growth.. definitely not genetic.

hth,
Al

Is it possible to fix that curved gill plate through time? i got a bunch of small discus and got the same problem... I have read one of the reasons could be a push on grow out, like when u feed them the same BH mix 10 times per day...., so there are some vitamins and something missing, causing that problem. How can we solve that problem?

[XIHOHORORORO]

Very interesting Al. This has happened now twice to grow outs I have had from a small size. My last group got to be fairly big but they almost all had gill issues. I do mix a vitamin in w the BH mix but it just might not be enough. That or I’m missing something from my water? I’m thinking on my next grow out I’ll try to skip the BH mix and see if I can get a slower, yet more uniform result.

Couldnt u fix the gill issue when they became adult? or are they still young?

[jeep]

Why is not possible to breed with this defect?

With Al's insight, I find no reason to stop them from reproducing...

[XIHOHORORORO]

With Al's insight, I find no reason to stop them from reproducing...

Brian, and is it possible to fix the issue , i got some small discus ,like 4 months old, and their gills are really inclinateda and curved.... i dont know how to do .

[brewmaster15]

Why is not possible to breed with this defect?

You can certainly breed fish with physical defects that are not genetic based like these traits. They arent something that passed on it. Its related to their diet and environment.

The problem is its not always easy to tell if A fish has a defect that environmental or genetic so its best to err on the side of caution and not breed them unless you know for sure or are the curious type looking to learn.

Its also good to keep in mind that the best way to minimize potentially bad traits is to outcross to unrelated fish. Sibling to sibling or sibling to parent crosses are great for setting traits whether its a good trait or bad trait.

hth,
Al

[brewmaster15]

Is it possible to fix that curved gill plate through time? i got a bunch of small discus and got the same problem... I have read one of the reasons could be a push on grow out, like when u feed them the same BH mix 10 times per day...., so there are some vitamins and something missing, causing that problem. How can we solve that problem?

Unfortunately its not something you can correct. Its a skeletal defect at the point you see curved gill plates.You can only prevent it from getting worse by correcting the problems that caused it.

Al

[jeep]

Thanks for replying Al. I missed the question and you are always precise and descriptive

I'll add that it has been rare for me, if ever, to definitively say that a gill plate issue has been genetic. Maybe I jumped the gun a little in assuming this one was genetic because it only appears on one of my fish, and possibly 1 or 2 other contestants fish. Early feedings and water quality are the key to proper development...

[jeep]

Saturday morning update.

I've finally started remodeling the fish room so they will be able to see that other discus exist soon In the meantime, here are a few shots...

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[Second Hand Pat]

These guys look great Brian, some nice red hues there. Mine are mostly blue.
Pat

[Pices]

Wowie Mowie! Looking good Brian!
Patty

[jeep]

These guys look great Brian, some nice red hues there. Mine are mostly blue.
Pat

All I did was follow your instructions, hahaha... The bulbs burnt out and I replaced with new ones and moved them to the front.

I'm sure ours all look the same in real life

[danotaylor]

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Wow!!!!!!! Now that's a dandy

[jeep]

3-11 Update...

Nothing new to report. Still growing and eating like pigs

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[danotaylor]

What strain of turk's are from Al's SS pair Brian?

[RogueDiscus]

The original parents of Al's ss pair were a blue HB snakeskin male and a blue ss female, both from Kenny/Forrest, purchased possibly a couple years apart. The male did not have a pronounced high body, just nice and round and large. They produced ss and turks, so I would call them blue turks. I think there's something about Brian's lighting that is bringing out the red. Or maybe what he's feeding I have a turk from the original parents that looks a lot like Patty's avatar, above.