Geriatric pair

[gimaal]

I have an old pair of F1 Greens that just turned 10 years old. They were part of a school of six, three of which made it to 9-plus and one died just shy of her 9th birthday. Of the two surviving 10-year-olds, the male is in excellent color and health save for somewhat diminished eyesight, while the female is showing the first signs of physical decline--drooping fins, darker color etc. They both eat heartily--though slowly.

My question is, when the inevitable happens and the female passes, is it cruel to keep the male alone? I don't have any other geriatric discus to comprise a retirement tank, and I fear he wouldn't be able to compete with the younger more rambunctious discus. Thoughts?

[Tshethar]

Since no one has yet chimed in, I just thought I'd say congrats on keeping them so long. If your profile pick is from the batch of F1 wild greens, it looks like they've been really nice fish. I'm a fan of wilds and wild-types.

Personally, I don't think it is cruel to keep him alone if his partner passes. You could consider QTing some slow-moving dithers to share space with him if you think some extra stimulation would help him, but at this point he knows his (and your) routines and is unlikely to be skittish about anything, it seems to me. I imagine if discus turn out to be like some other pets that will give up the ghost after their owners or companions pass, then he will naturally let himself go without you needing to do anything. And your intuition might be correct, though I suppose he could surprise you if you get to a point where you want to try something like putting him with the young'uns. (Maybe he'd get a second wind.)

At the end of the day, you know him best, though maybe someone else who has kept geriatric discus will share any stories or experiences they have had.

[gimaal]

Thanks for the response. Dithers is any interesting idea. I may try that. I appreciate the input. And thanks for the kind words about their longevity.

Regarding my avatar, no, that's a William T. Innes photo over which he then hand-painted an overlay of color in his inimitable style back in the 1930s. It first appeared in his book, EXOTIC AQUARIUM FISHES in 1935. It was the first book I had on aquarium fish as a kid and that photo/painting was my inspiration for getting involved with discus later in life, and probably why I've always gravitated toward wilds. I thought it was a fitting avatar when I joined SD in 2010.

[LizStreithorst]

Don't you have an adult female that you could try keeping him with? If they got along, which they generally do, they would be happy together.

[gimaal]

Don't you have an adult female that you could try keeping him with? If they got along, which they generally do, they would be happy together.

My other discus are in pairs at present, so no. But if one female becomes unexpectedly widowed, i could try that. But I'm concerned that he wouldn't be able to compete for food with his very slow, deliberate eating/grazing, probably due to reduced vision.

[FishFanMan]

Can you post a picture? I've never seen a discus that old.

[Sturiosoma]

Could you tell us about how you care for your fish.

Jeanne

[gimaal]

Could you tell us about how you care for your fish.

Jeanne

I'm old school and don't fuss much. I use sponge filters and aquaclears. Tap water (NYC water comes out of the tap at @6.5-6.8ph and fairly soft) treated with novaqua. The discus are kept in planted tanks with gravel but no other companions--no corydoras, cardinals etc. Temp fluctuates between 80F and 86F. I feed frozen beefheart, turkey heart, bloodworms, blackworms, various flakes (i.e. Ken's Fish worm flakes) and pellets. Feed 2x a day. 80% water changes 1x week...though sometimes when my schedule gets crazy it's less frequently. These six F1 greens were in a 75g for most of their lives. When their numbers diminished to this one surviving pair this past year, I moved the 2 of them to a 40g breeder.

Re: photos--let me think about that. I feel a bit weird about posting photos of them in their relatively frail state without ever having posted pics of them in their glory days. After 10 years I feel a certain attachment, as I suspect you can understand. And compared to the brilliant photos I see on this site, I am a terrible photographer.