Hauling them out of the tank and into the air with a net is not their favorite thing no matter how you do it.
OK, here is another pic. Not sure if its the same fish but he is about 3 11/16ths. I think i tramatized him tho. He was flippin and floppn and when i put him back in the tank, he wasn't real good. He is a little better now, but i am worried. What is the best and easiest way to do this w/o harming these little guys?
Eileen
Hauling them out of the tank and into the air with a net is not their favorite thing no matter how you do it.
Mama Bear
Get a small square plastic container, just deep enough to hold the fish vertically and mark the measurements off in it with a felt maker.
Then when you want to measure the fish just hold him with you hand against the side of the contrainer, with it's mouth/nose against the end wall .
This is the least amount of stress and no cuticle is being removed with the net.
In every koi show all the fish are benched, meaning that they are ID'ed and measured. This is how we do it. Last Fall I benched Koi America in Baltimore and measured close to 200 fish ranging from 5'' to 30''....lousy way to have a shower
Wow Eileen! your doing great! just awesome
They're growing fast Eilleen, it must feel very rewarding to measure them and realise they have grown that much,keep up the good work.
Thanks everyone. Like i said, i have 3 about the same size, maybe a tad bit bigger. For everyone else that wants to measure their fish. Be careful. My poor guy was terrified. I will do it diff. next time
Eileen
Well, my little guy seems to be ok. It took a little while. He is still alittle skittish tho. I will def do it different next time.
Eileen
Looks like I am gonna have to step up the feeding regime on my part!! Mine are 2 weeks older and not much bigger...
tc
Mark
Mark
No disrespect intended at all, but why would you need to know so precisely how long your discus is that it needs to come out of the tank to be measured? Way too stressful. You can always tape a ruler or a CD to the tank wall, eventually they will swim near it, you can get a pretty accurate measurement in that fashion.
Best regards
Harriett
Looks like your doing a great job. Another way you can try is when you net your fish, keep the net in the water but up enough so that you can grab the fish with your hand. Once out of the tank you can place them on something to measure them, then hand put them back in the tank with your hand.
Looks like they are growing awesome Eileen...... It may not be the most precise way to measure a fish but if you take a pic of the fish next to any object thats a known size you can get a fair approximate...I look at the hydro sponges as a guide... you also can just tape a ruler to the outside of the tank..
When you net them to measure them..you can rub off slime coat and damage fins...these will heal quickly..but I net only when I have to..... hth,
al
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Harriett, no disrespect taken. I am doing just what other r. I figured it will be when it comes to judgement time. Ur right, it is way too stressful for the little guys.
Thanks Angela. I never took any fish out of the tank before. I no these guys have those hard fins and i am a big baby. If i get pricked, i am afraid i will drop him/her and then have to try again. These guys get spooked real easy.
Hi Al. I was thinking of taping a sewing measure to the tank. I have one. Also, what is required for this comp?
Eileen
Healthy, beautiful discus... At this point... I would not worry about how the fish will be judged.... just focus on raising the best discus you can....by the looks of it..I'd say keep doing what you are doing.Also, what is required for this comp?
-al
AquaticSuppliers.comFoods your Discus will Love!!!
>>>>>I am a science guy.. show me the science minus the BS
Al Sabetta
Simplydiscus LLC Owner
Aquaticsuppliers.com
I take Pics.. click here for my Flickr images