Updates on all of my discus...

[strawberryblonde]

Welp, it's been a couple of weeks since I've posted any updates, and I actually have the house to myself <gasp> for another 30 minutes, so here we go!

I did a total tank cleaning yesterday, including my sump so while the water level was down to 2" I pulled each discus out to measure them and make it "official". It's really hard to judge the sizes of my 4 newest fish since the big guys overshadow them and they never seem to want to swim up and hold still for me. Heck, even pics are nearly impossible these days.

Oldest fish first and in order of length:
Red Scribbelt - 7"
Red Turquoise - 6.8"
Marlboro Red - 6.5"
Fred the Flachen - 6.5" (just a smidge under, so I rounded up..cuz he appreciates stuff like that)
Number 5, the Brilliant Turq - 5 1/4" Guess I can't really call him a runt anymore?? LOL

Newest fish:
Flachen SS - 5" (1 inch of growth in just under a month!)
Cobalt - 4.75
Flachen - 4.75"
Brilliant Turq 4" No growth on this little lady for the last month, but she barely eats and spends ALL her time laying eggs and guarding them.

I have a second pair in the tank now. Fred the Flachen has decided that my Cobalt is going to be the mother of all of his children. They haven't figured it out yet and spend their time laying eggs, then immediately eating them. LOL

The first pair is at the 24 hour point with the latest batch of eggs. We've gotten to wriggler stage twice now before they ate them.

Found GBR eggs in my tank...again....<sigh> Yet more discus snacks.

I'd love to add pics for each fish since they are SO gorgeous, but getting a good quality pic is difficult in this tank. I've been playing around with lighting options in order to try for decent pics, but no luck so far.

My latest project is to rid myself of a huge herd of mixed tetras who are messy, aggressive and hogging all the space in my 54g tank. Once they've been rehomed I'm thinking of turning that tank into a temporary home for my four "failure to thrive" discus just till they are eating well and have put on some nice growth. Once that's done they'll go back to the main tank and I'll use the empty tank as a breeding tank for my big red and little brilliant.

Anyone want 5 columbian tetras, 3 silver tips, 1 emperor, 4 buenos aires, 3 serpai's and a dozen bloodfins?? Oh and I'll even throw in 3 3" SAE's!!!!

[DLock3d]

Snooze fest! I want pictures lady! ;p

[zimmjeff]

thats funny

[strawberryblonde]

roflmbo!!!

I will try ONE more time to get some nice pics tonight when the sun stops shining on the tank.

[ZX10R]

Snooze fest! I want pictures lady! ;p

To funny!!!!!

[Second Hand Pat]

Toni, I am awaiting pictures too. Your guys have done some serious growing. Hans would be proud lol

[Chunks]

I sound like a demanding child but... I want pics too!

[Skip]

no pics.. doesn't count!

[DLock3d]

ZzzzzzzzzZzzzZzzZzzzzzz

[DLock3d]

HONK Shoeeee HONK shoeeeee... Lol sound it out...

[strawberryblonde]

Oh my gosh you guys are SO danged picky! LOL

Alrighty then, here are the pics I managed to take tonight. I swear I need to get some other type of lighting JUST for photo ops.

Pic 1: Red Scribbelt - The 7" hugenormous fish who is paired with the teensy female Brilliant Turq
Pic 2: Red Turq - Next largest at 6.8" and refuses to ever give me a nice side shot of himself.
Pic 3: Marlboro Red - 6.5" Just a hair larger than Fred the Flachen, but quite shy and prefers to hang out behind the plants with Number Five
Pic 4: Fred the Flachen - 6.5" and the benevolent dictator of the tank. Has just recently paired with the new Cobalt.
Pic 5: Number Five - 5.25" and no longer quite so runty. He's extremely shy and his biggest friend lately is the MR.

Next post will have the new discus.

[strawberryblonde]

And here are my new discus.

Pic 1: FlachenSS - 5" of pure sass and swagger!
Pic 2: Cobalt - 4.75" and just paired with Fred the Flachen for some baby making practice
Pic 3: Flachen - 4.75" and super shy!
Pic 4: Brilliant Turq - 4", hasn't grown a bit, barely eats and lays eggs for me every 4 days like clockwork (eats the wrigglers every 3 days)
Pic 5: The new flachen challenging my huge Red Scrib yet again for the right to swim around the eggs on the driftwood. This guy just doesn't take no for an answer!! LOL

[DLock3d]

Yaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!!!!! Ooooooooooo aaahhhhhhhh!!!! Sooooooooo pretttttyyyyy!

Thank you! Come again!

[DLock3d]

Tell the new Flachen no means no EVEN if he has his lucky boxers on!

[strawberryblonde]

Hehehe, he's just like Fred, doesn't listen to a word I say! The funny part of it is that other than when there are eggs on the DW, the flachen wins his arguments with both my red scrib AND my RT! The only one he seems to respect is Fred the flachen.

Then again, Fred doesn't take well to anyone who challenges him, he's bossy like that.

See why I want to move my four smallest fish to a separate tank for a month or so till they manage to eat enough to fatten up though? You can see the empty bellies and the hiding behaviors because they just refuse to get in the middle of a food war and therefore miss out on meals. It's kinda sad and I really didn't think it was going to be a huge issue when I bought the newest guys. Up till then everyone got along great and all of them ate at the same time.

It was only when the red scrib and the new brilliant saw each other, fell in lust and started all the massive aggression that the eating problems arose. My only other choice is to take the pair out, plop them in the 54 and hope that the little female will get enough to eat in that tank. But I'm thinking that she won't, she'll just keep laying eggs and ignore her food.