Small discus with 1-2 feedings per day?

[dkeef]

So due to having planted tank, so far all my discus r 4.5"+ (except smallest one is 4") and i only feed once per day and rarely twice a day.
There are one 3" and couple 3.5" fish i wanna try from kennys july list but ive been warned to stay away from small ones in my tank.
What is likely outcome for all 3 of the small ones i want if they r fed 1-2 times per day well?

[Ryan]

Slow/stunted growth.

[dkeef]

Would they at least grow to 5" ?

[Tazalanche]

What is likely outcome for all 3 of the small ones i want if they r fed 1-2 times per day well?http://www.fishworldfyi.com/gallery/cache/All%20Fish/Holiday/July%204th/Football%20Fish_300.jpg

Image courtesy of fishworld fyi.

[Chicago Discus]

Would they at least grow to 5" ?

It's not so much the food as it is the water changes IMO big water changes = Big Discus......Josie

[lipadj46]

Would they at least grow to 5" ?

Maybe, maybe not. The only thing you can do is try. It stinks though taking the time to grow out discus and having them turn out subpar

sent from an undisclosed location using morse code

[a volar]

Putting 3" discus in you big planted tank and feed them as you been doing it is not a good idea, and you know that, it's a waste of money, and knowing you now, I'm sure you are going to be all stressed out :)
Unless you want to end up with stunted discus get them.............. Oh, and don’t forget to quarantine new additions :)

[nc0gnet0]

It's not so much the food as it is the water changes IMO big water changes = Big Discus......Josie

I agree with this. You can get away feeding young juvies twice a day as long as you maintain water quality. Yes they will grow slower, but as long as you stay on top of the water quality they will still reach thier full potential, just take longer to do so. It can be done in a planted tank, this has been proven, it just that it is harder to do.

[a volar]

I agree with this. You can get away feeding young juvies twice a day as long as you maintain water quality. Yes they will grow slower, but as long as you stay on top of the water quality they will still reach thier full potential, just take longer to do so. It can be done in a planted tank, this has been proven, it just that it is harder to do.

That's the problem Rick, he doesn’t want to make or he can’t make frequent water changes, he has mention that in a few other threads.

[zimmjeff]

What Ryan said. Been there done that. Jeff

[dkeef]

so with 3" size, u pretty much need to do daily water changes for its growth?

[nc0gnet0]

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?170-avionics30-(Chad-H)


Take a good look.

[dkeef]

I just read that chad did wc every 7-10 days. Buy fed 5 times per day.
I do water change twice a week but ppl here r worried about my water quality.
Am i missing something here? Cuz most here seem concerned not on feeding but water quality. Thanks guys

[yim11]

Am i missing something here? Cuz most here seem concerned not on feeding but water quality. Thanks guys

Yes, you are -

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?71402-How-I-manage-water-quality

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?71440-So-what-s-in-the-water

It can be done in a planted tank but to have great results like Chad did requires extensive filtration and setup.

[dkeef]

Yes, you are -

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?71402-How-I-manage-water-quality

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?71440-So-what-s-in-the-water

It can be done in a planted tank but to have great results like Chad did requires extensive filtration and setup.

i agree fully and just read/looked at his set up as well.
my system is very similar to his. in fact, based on pic he has shown, his wet dry and mechanical filtration seems much smaller than mine.
i have 120gal sump divided into 3 chambers. water flows from central overflow (skimming as well) and then into first chamber where two 3-4" thick Poret mechanical sponge collects all the debris. then into 2nd chamber of bioballs (about 50gal size worth of bioballs) then into 3rd chamber where i got some sponge filters and also 18W UV sterilizer is. also have Seachem biomatrix in 50 micron media bag(which is enough to handle 800gal by itself).
i can also add carbon reactor (cuz i have one laying around and not using it...used as phosban reactor when i did reef) and also have Huge protein skimmer(from reef) that i can add but not seeing the benefit for freshwater for now.
all in all, i think my filtration can handle 2000gal+ easily based on biomedia and ability to trap all debris particles.
i also have all the bells and whistles for plant tank CO2 system: 20lb Co2 tank, GLA dual regulator with solenoid valve/needle valve, ph controller, co2 reactor where water pumps from sump thru it via sequence dart pump(3600 GPH pump).

again this tank was a custom reef tank with huge custom sump meant for reef. its an overkill for freshwater but for discus, i think its a great setup.

based on how everyone was concerned on my water quality, i went from doing weekly 70-80% to twice a week 70-80% WC.
after reading Chads success, do i have a similar situation where i can get by with weekly WCs?

again im not trying to take the easy route. just wanna know my situation.

[dkeef]

well decided not to go for 3" but trying the 3.5" HB blue diamond. we shall see what happens.
hopefully my system is as good as or even better than Chads system...