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Thread: Selecting Discus

  1. #1
    Registered Member beta's Avatar
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    Default Selecting Discus

    The King of Aquarium fishes is an easy fish to keep in the home aquarium if some simple tips are followed and proper selection is the first step to success with discus.

    Below are some general tips on how to select good discus:
    1. The first step is to observe the discus in your dealer’s tank, make sure that they are active, curious and are not hiding in the corners. Discus which are stressed or sick turn dark.(With the exception of Pigeonbloods, Ghosts, Snow Whites and Goldens)
    2. Check for sick or dying fishes in the tank, if so then avoid picking fishes from the tank.
    3. Presence of medication in the tank might mean the discus are sick, recovering from a disease outbreak or in quarantine.
    4. Check for wounds and lesions on the body.
    5. Make sure that the gill plates are not short or deformed, they should cover the gills completely. Lookout for heavy breathing too.



    6. The eyes should be clear. Discus with cloudy eyes and chipped eyes should be avoided.



    7. Avoid fishes with deformities of the spine.
    8. The discus should swim in an upright position fishes which struggle to do so could be suffering from swim bladder problems or other such ailments.
    9. Give a thorough check to see if there any external parasites attached to the body of the discus.
    10. Ask the dealer to feed the discus and observe if they are having a healthy appetite. Make sure that the discus were not raised on Tubifex worms as food.
    11. Observe the feces of the discus. It should not be stringy or white in colour.
    12. Avoid discus with bellies which look thin or sunken, if so this is could be due to long periods of starvations or presence of internal parasites. The same criteria applies to foreheads, a healthy discus would have a broad forehead.



    13. Avoid picking from tanks in which discus have peeling slime coat or the slime coat is absent.
    14. Ensure that the eye is not too big in proportion to the body. Large eyes could mean that the discus is stunted.



    15. The discus should have a round shape and should not be triangular or elongated.
    16. Lookout for hormone treated fish which have adult coloration in the juvenile stage. Juveniles with coloration on their caudal fins and on the tip of their noses are signs of hormone treatment.
    17. Avoid discus which keep their fins clamped or are whitish and frayed.

    Some tips which are strain specific:
    Blue Diamonds: They shouldn’t show any stress bars on the body or along the eye.
    Pigeon Bloods: Avoid Pigeon Bloods with a lot of black specks on the body (peppering) they can be pretty unsightly.
    Turquoise: They are generally late colouring. 2 inch juveniles with adult patterns usually mean that they are stunted.

    Some more tips after you bring your discus home:
    --> Always quarantine your new discus.
    --> Avoid Mixing discus which were bought from different sources to avoid disease transfer.
    --> Do not feed Tubifex worms!
    --> Young discus need to be fed several times a day to maintain good growth.
    --> Regular water changes help in keeping your discus healthy.
    --> Avoid shotgun treatment for medicating your discus.


    Regards
    Beta

  2. #2
    Registered Member Carol_Roberts's Avatar
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    Default Re:Selecting Discus

    Excellent article Beta! Thank you for posting.

  3. #3
    Registered Member Ardan's Avatar
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    Default Re:Selecting Discus

    8) 8) 8)
    Very good info!

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    Default Re:Selecting Discus

    may i know why hormone treated fish should be avoided ???

  5. #5
    Registered Member beta's Avatar
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    Default Re:Selecting Discus

    Hormone treated fishes can become infertile, have poor growth and a lower immunity to diseases

    This does not refer to colour enhancers

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    Default Re:Selecting Discus

    Why don't you want to have discus that were raised on tubifex worms? I am new to the discus world (don't have any yet) and am looking for all the info I can get. Also, could you post some pics that show us what the fish should look like? You have some great examples of what they should not look like, but I can't compare them to see what they should look like. Thanks for the help.

  7. #7
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    Default Re:Selecting Discus

    I think I found my own answer to the tubifex question I just posted. I just read that live tubifex worms can carry diseases and tapeworms that can affect the discus. I guess I just needed to read a little more before I posted!

  8. #8
    Registered Member Carol_Roberts's Avatar
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    Default Re:Selecting Discus

    . . . . and look in the photo section and breeders section and for sale section to see pictures of nice discus.

  9. #9
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    Default Re:Selecting Discus

    I know that I could check other areas to find pictures of good fish, but I think it would be helpful and easier to see them side by side. This way the reader could see specific differences, not just the bad. I know it would be easier for me to see the difference in a good fish and bad fish if you took a picture of each, put them side by side, and labeled them, like they did in the beginning of the post, so newbies can see exactly what you are talking about.

  10. #10
    Registered Member ronrca's Avatar
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    Default Re:Selecting Discus

    Wow! What a beautiful article! Thank you for taking the time Beta!
    We appreciate it!

  11. #11
    Registered Member beta's Avatar
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    Default Re:Selecting Discus

    [quote author=skeletor121 link=board=21;threadid=14703;start=0#msg154840 date=1071865559]You have some great examples of what they should not look like, but I can't compare them to see what they should look like. [/quote]

  12. #12
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    Default Re:Selecting Discus

    Beta. . . an excellent article. The what they should look like is an excellent touch

  13. #13
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    Default Re:Selecting Discus

    Good Job! Wish I would have read it BEFORE dropped some bucks at my LFS -- ahhhhhhhhhh well- chaulk it up to "another learning experience".

    Donna

  14. #14
    Registered Member Kap's Avatar
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    Default Re:Selecting Discus

    Thanks for the pointers! I will use it soon as I plan to add some discus to my small collection (AFTER proper quarantine of course!)

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    Default Re:Selecting Discus

    Well I have one discus with black eyes and pinched forehead, however he is very sweet and would like to do something to help him.

    He is alert and go after the food just to spit it out immedaitely, eats little, his face looks pretty clear but his body is a little dark.

    ¿¿Is there something I can do to give this guy a chance??

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