My First Fry*

[Keith Perkins]

...Great job!

You realize all I do is give them food and water, right?

They may look something like these...as adults these guys still had bars but turned a real unusual blueish goldish tone.

Hmm, I REALLY don't want to dis your fish or anything but I was hoping for something more colorful from this pair, I guess time will tell. My very first discus was a very plain brown so if they do turn out looking like yours I'll still enjoy them, just not sure what the local fish shops will think.

Anxious to see how this cross turns out for sure.

I'm even more anxious to see how they turn out now after seeing Joan's pictures. I'll keep posting videos from time to time, assuming of course all remains well.

Thanks for your interest everyone, the posts make the water bucket hauling and bbs making a little easier.

[Eddie]

You realize all I do is give them food and water, right?
.

Yup, thats all you really need to to do. And people think that discus are hard to keep.

Take care,

Eddie

[joanr]

You won't really know until they have had time to color up, those pics were only at about 8 weeks. As adults they were a shimmering blueish/copperish color. Not to say yours will look like these, with a cross you will get many variations. What's important is that they are healthy and happy.

[Keith Perkins]

...What's important is that they are healthy and happy.

Amen to that.

[Keith Perkins]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LO9SiI8-LY

It's another week, up to four now, so it's time for another video update. I stole an idea from Martha and taped a U.S. Quarter (ten pence size I believe) to the side of the tank for size reference. My wife and I are in some disagreement about whether some of them have reached that size or not, so unbiased opinions on the matter are welcomed.

[joanr]

They are adorable, look very healthy and happy! Size looks fine for their age. You will always have some smaller than others, just the way it goes. I see they have bars, and some are lighter than others. You won't know for several months what they will look like as adults color wise.

[Eddie]

They look great to me, but I am far from an expert. I see you have an extra adult in the tank. The pair doesn't attack that fish?

Eddie

[Keith Perkins]

...I see you have an extra adult in the tank. The pair doesn't attack that fish?

Eddie

There are actually two other adults in the tank, a pair of spawning Marlboro Reds. They are on the other side of a plexiglass tank divider I made though, so there's no way for them to get at each other. Of course the parents don't always see it that way and still attempt to chase them away from their babies frequently.

[Keith Perkins]

...I see they have bars, and some are lighter than others. You won't know for several months what they will look like as adults color wise.

I note yours had bars too. I don't think there are two different colors, I believe it's just the tank lighting giving that appearance on the video. As you say though, time will tell on their eventual coloration. I sure hope I don't run into anything unexpected so I can actually see how they turn out.

[mmorris]

They're looking good, Keith. I find it's tough to compare fry with coins because at this age, they just aren't the same shape. Notice I drew and cut out of paper little discus 1 in. total length (tl), 1 in. standard length (sl), 2 in tl, 2 in sl and pasted them on the glass as the fish grew.
...let's go, keith, polish up those artistic abilities.

[Keith Perkins]

What makes you think my drawings would more closely resemble the shape of a small discus than a coin does? Perhaps I could get a better baseline comparison if I netted a few of the fry, measured them, and took the right size ones to the office and photocopied them. Would you suggest putting them on the glass or putting them through the autofeeder?

Welcome back, hope you had a good Christmas.

[scottthomas]

Great job. Those fry are growing nicely imo.

[Keith Perkins]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9g6oVtESGc

Time for another video update. The fry have been free swimming just over 6 weeks now. It's a little hard to see, but some of the larger ones are developing a BD like blue sheen. Happy viewing.

[joanr]

They are really happy swimming around in wonderland, but why not? That is an awsome looking tank for a BB! Gave me a few ideas on how to put some interest in my plain ole BB. The fry are getting a little blue sheen to them around the gill plates, and definately have bars. Good looking fry!

[Keith Perkins]

...That is an awesome looking tank for a BB! Gave me a few ideas on how to put some interest in my plain ole BB...

I've always liked driftwood, and so do the parents. I had PVC spawning tubes in the tank for a while, but they're just too ugly for me when the tank's in the living room. The other think I always found ugly were those dumb stickers on the bottom of the tank, and always in a spot where you can't get them off! My answer to that was to get a few weighted artificial plants and silicon them to a piece of slate big enough to cover the sticker and hold the grouping of plants. I've got two sea fans between the back glass and the background, the smaller of which I found on the beach in Cozumel (CozyKeith) on my honeymoon. I think it helps to have that incorporated into the decoration when my wife starts to think I'm spending TOO much time with the fish.