Measurement question

[krislewis3]

Is it accurate to measure from tip of nose, to end of tail fin? At what age do they have all their color and pattern? I bought mine at 3" ....how old should a 3" discus be?? And from there, how much should they grow at 4 months, 6 month, 8 months etc.

[Skip]

YOU measure the way YOU want..

Nose to base of tail = standard length..

nose to end of tail = Total length..

where did you buy yours..?

a 3" discus.. (from a quality breeder) should be around 3 months or so..


if you bought 3" discus from LFS.. it could be a 9 month old discus..
so there is no clear cut answer.. UNLESS you know the breeder and he/she can tell you when eggs were layed, when there were wigglers.. etc..

if all is done correctly.. discus grow about 1" for each month for 4 months... then growth slows down big time.. but will still keep growing..
of course..this is all related to food feed, number of feedings, water changes, culling, genetics *spawn will grow at different rates*..

[krislewis3]

SO......WHICH MEASUREMENT ARE YOU USING WHEN YOU SAY THAT A QUALITY 3" DISCUS SHOULD BE 3 MONTHS OLD?

[strawberryblonde]

TL (total length) is what's generally used for juvie discus.

So 3 month old discus are usually about 3" TL. They then grow another inch in the first month, to reach 4". After that, growth slows to about 1/2 inch per month for a couple more months, then slows again.

That's only a general guide though. Some discus grow a little faster, some a lot slower. Wilds are notorious for slow growth.

How long have you had your discus? How much have they grown so far? Those are pretty good indicators of whether or not they are getting enough food.

Also, at 3" it won't hurt to try offering them an extra feeding just to see if they strike the food and gobble it down. If they do, then they are probably still hungry and could use that extra meal per day, or a wee bit extra food at each feeding.

There's not set amount to feed them, it's all a matter of trying this and that till you find a happy balance in your own tank. If they leave food laying on the bottom, they are overfed.

[Joker43]

I have heard this question asked many times before and Either I missed all the good answers or these 2 answers are the best... lol.
Now I have another clue on how my discus are doing.

Thank you,
Tito

[Skip]

i don't think i matters which way you measure.. AS LONG as you STATE!!!! how you measure.. 5" TL or 5" SL

BAM!!! DONE!

thank you.. ahem

[Joker43]

i don't think i matters which way you measure.. AS LONG as you STATE!!!! how you measure.. 5" TL or 5" SL

BAM!!! DONE!

thank you.. ahem

I was mainly taking about the growth of discus and the age they slow in growth. You know we new discus keepers and new to the world of forums... We have a alot of things to learn..

Thank you,
Tito

[Skip]

I was mainly taking about the growth of discus and the age they slow in growth. You know we new discus keepers and new to the world of forums... We have a alot of things to learn..

Thank you,
Tito

ummm.. did i miss where you posted about the growth.. or is that another thread..

[David Rose]

You can't determine age by size. There are too many variables. i.e. Genetics, feeding schedule, variety of foods, frequency of water changes, temp and some discus growth may be stunted due to having worms that compete for nutrients and so on.

[Skip]

You can't determine age by size. There are too many variables. i.e. Genetics, feeding schedule, variety of foods, frequency of water changes, temp and some discus growth may be stunted due to having worms that compete for nutrients and so on.

yep.. +1..

but all newbies.. ASSUME.. discus will all grow out to be 7" plus.. but we all thought that at first.. until you grow out your first batch... LOL!

[strawberryblonde]

TL (total length) is what's generally used for juvie discus.

So 3 month old discus are usually about 3" TL. They then grow another inch in the first month, to reach 4". After that, growth slows to about 1/2 inch per month for a couple more months, then slows again.

That's only a general guide though. Some discus grow a little faster, some a lot slower. Wilds are notorious for slow growth.

How long have you had your discus? How much have they grown so far? Those are pretty good indicators of whether or not they are getting enough food.

Also, at 3" it won't hurt to try offering them an extra feeding just to see if they strike the food and gobble it down. If they do, then they are probably still hungry and could use that extra meal per day, or a wee bit extra food at each feeding.

There's not set amount to feed them, it's all a matter of trying this and that till you find a happy balance in your own tank. If they leave food laying on the bottom, they are overfed.

I think Joker was referring to the bolded portion of my quoted post.

I was actually partially answering 2 posts in one. Krislewis had posted both about how to measure discus and another post about how much to feed juvies so I got lazy and tried to cover both thing in one post. LOL

[Skip]

I think Joker was referring to the bolded portion of my quoted post.

I was actually partially answering 2 posts in one. Krislewis had posted both about how to measure discus and another post about how much to feed juvies so I got lazy and tried to cover both thing in one post. LOL

*face palm*

[Joker43]

Your Right Strawberryblonde... guess I'll read and not type...lol

Tito

[Skip]

Your Right Strawberryblonde... guess I'll read and not type...lol

Tito

guess, i need to be PYCHIC

[Eddie]

Is it accurate to measure from tip of nose, to end of tail fin? This is the most common method
At what age do they have all their color and pattern? When they are fully grown into adults
how old should a 3" discus be?? 3-4 months old ideally.
And from there, how much should they grow at 4 months, 6 month, 8 months etc. About .5 to .25, again ideally