Fate of runts...

[Mxx]

An interesting old thread I came across in researching this. My suggestion is the opposite of the others.

Keep and raise those runts, sell the others off, then selectively breed them until you have a strain of miniature discus which hobbyists can keep happily in small tanks! You'll make a fortune!

[ericatdallas]

Give it a try and see if there's a market. There are dwarf strains of other fish... though the key isn't the size of the discus, but the shape. I've seen other people discuss this before.

[Second Hand Pat]

Technically stunted discus happen due to lack of care in their growing period as juvies. Genetically their fry can be full sized discus with good care.

[ericatdallas]

Technically stunted discus happen due to lack of care in their growing period as juvies. Genetically their fry can be full sized discus with good care.

Yeah... I was thinking he means culls that aren't growing well and not stunted. Or selectively keeping the small guys without some other defects. Although that would take a lot of time I imagine...

Scott293 bought some poorly grown out and stunted discus and his 2nd generation growout was amazing, so yeah, on Pat's point.

[John_Nicholson]

It was tried many years ago and failed. Just not a market for little discus if that person has ever seen a large one.

-john

[Second Hand Pat]

Eric, an observation with my wild F1s. I have grown (or tried) out three batches of F1s and ran into various issues with them. Between the three batches I only ended up with three normal sized fish. Most of my F1 grew to about three to four inches and stopped growing generally in the seven to nine month time frame. While I blame the myself for this the fish were not stunted in the sense domestic fry are stunted in that the eyes of the F1s were very small. I suspect I missed a critical grow period or the fry could not overcome the issues I had. Point is the remaining healthy fry were perfectly formed (but small) discus with small eyes.

[NAB]

Good for smaller tanks. hehe

[Second Hand Pat]

But not carrying fry.

[Tautog]

I have one we call Blue Boy. I don't know if he's a runt neither does he. The story with him is I've had him since my first group of 2in. Babies in my 37G when I first started back in May 13. He got sick first week in tank. I QT him and brought him back around. When I put him back into tank he quickly became Dom baby. During the holidays this year I dropped a grand on x9 5-6in Discus and actually traded him in with one other younger fish for a bigger one. Later that night I had a crying daughter on my hands so I took off work next morning went back to HAW and bought Blue Boy back. Ok now he's half the size of the rest of the Team but he is in the middle of the pecking order and has not fear. No matter what I want to achieve I'm locked in with that little guy.

[dirtyplants]

I have two that are growing but very slowly all the rest have doubled or tripled in size. All get the same food and all the same water and daily changes of 60%. All from same stock what happening? Runts?

[Bill63SG]

I have two that are growing but very slowly all the rest have doubled or tripled in size. All get the same food and all the same water and daily changes of 60%. All from same stock what happening? Runts?

My non-scientific opinion is yes.Somtimes somebody's gotta be the runt,and is you remove them,sometimes somebody else takes over.I believe I have read around on here if you take them out and put them with others of the same size,not necessarily the same age,they can recover.thats why I have found,if you can afford it,its better to start out with 10-12 juvies,and work your way to 6-8,culling as you raise them.

[dirtyplants]

I will do that Bill this week end.

[ronald sherman]

you know after all this reading I'm wondering why we don't give doctor's the right as many kid's who are born with birth defect's can be spotted almost immediately just think of the burden we as society will end let a lot the burden of many of there care taker's as there are kid's born that will never be able too ralk, dress themselves, will be a burden on society there who life let alone the burden of the tac payer, why don't we allow the government too set-up guildlines as which the doctor doing the delievery can implement as which kid's should be cuddled , LOL naturally I'm kidding and trying too make a point, LOL

[Bill63SG]

you know after all this reading I'm wondering why we don't give doctor's the right as many kid's who are born with birth defect's can be spotted almost immediately just think of the burden we as society will end let a lot the burden of many of there care taker's as there are kid's born that will never be able too ralk, dress themselves, will be a burden on society there who life let alone the burden of the tac payer, why don't we allow the government too set-up guildlines as which the doctor doing the delievery can implement as which kid's should be cuddled , LOL naturally I'm kidding and trying too make a point, LOL

What point that fish are the same as people?Ok Mr.Limpet.And another thread about to go down in flames....

[Ryan]

Or we'll just lock it and save ourselves the headache.