can anyone help with this...

[kid discus]

hi all i have been keeping discus for a while now and in the past year and a half i have tried breeding i have a very successful pair that i keep in a 40 gal breeding tank ( i have pics on other posts) i have had fry at least 10 times now and every single time my fry die off at the two month mark and i dont know why. they always look real good and active and like clock work right at that two month mark they all turn dark and the next day half of them are dead and the day after the other half are dead. i feed live bbs until they start eating normal foods like blood worms and flake i change the water every day after work at 50% i really dont miss any days. well yesterday they all turned dark, i just got home from work and half are dead. i know whats gonna happen by tomorrow. is there any way to prevent this? any help will be greatly appreciated. p.s i use aged tap water in nyc but i dont think that matters because i have friends that use the same water and are successful breeders, just an fyi
thanks
nick

[DiscusLoverJeff]

Hi Nick,

If this is happening every 2 months or so, are you by chance setting up a different tank for them to grow-out in? Maybe the tank is not cycling and you are getting spikes in your water parameters when it does start cycling? What is your routine from fry to juvies?

[John_Nicholson]

My first suggestion is to upgrade your food. Blood worms are candy and depending on which flake you use it could be lacking also. How big of a tank are the juvi's in ? and how many juvi's are in the tank?

-john

[rdiscus]

and how big when they're at 2 month?

[kid discus]

My first suggestion is to upgrade your food. Blood worms are candy and depending on which flake you use it could be lacking also. How big of a tank are the juvi's in ? and how many juvi's are in the tank?

-john

Hi john. Thanks for the reply. I just looked at my thread and noticed that i forgot to mention that i use beefheart also that i shred on a cheese grater into the tank. With this batch i have 80-90 fry. They are in the 40 gal with parents. Most are nickel size and i would say that 10-15 of them are smaller more like dime size.

[John_Nicholson]

Do the parents spawn back fairly quick after the fry all die? One possibility is that the parents are killing them. Second they are small for their age. You need to start pulling them at about 20 days are so. Pound them with food and clean water and your issues will go away.

-john

[kid discus]

Hi Nick,

If this is happening every 2 months or so, are you by chance setting up a different tank for them to grow-out in? Maybe the tank is not cycling and you are getting spikes in your water parameters when it does start cycling? What is your routine from fry to juvies?

Hi jeff. Nope i do not set up a different tank. I didnt think i had to. I have questioned this and did some research. Some people say keep them with the parents for a few months or longer and some say to remove parents asap. These parents are great with their fry so i figured that keeping them al together was a good idea. As far as cycling....i dont think this is an issue since the growth is so gradual and the two sponges i have in the tank are imo large enough to take on the bioload. Im no expert so im just gonna assume that im prob wrong

[William Palumbo]

I believe that's what they call the 6-8 week "syndrome"...I had it a few times, and most times kicked my ***. Frustrating. Good luck with it...Bill

[kid discus]

Thanks john. The answer to your question is yes these parents seem to be in a constant honeymoon phase. After the fry die all i have to do is change he water with some cooler water and these guys start shaking like crazy. Next time i will definitely pull after 20 days. But how about right now? Is there any way to save the remaining fry?

[rdiscus]

If they're around 1.5" for 2 months then save them, nickel or dime size don't ...

[kid discus]

thanks ryan i didn not know that they were supposed to be that size at this age. if anyone can provide me with some sort of growth rate chart it would be much appreciated. years ago i found a really good chart online it included exact procedures for everyday of the the life of a discus from wiggler to juvie up to breeding age. i remember reading it and saying to myself that i will never try to breed discus. i forgot where i found this chart and have been looking for it again for a while now.

[rdiscus]

I don't have the chart, but you can compare yours with contest fish on here (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?165-Third-Annual-Discus-Hobbyist-Challenge)

[fishaddict]

I had batches in the past would die off a few at a time at about 2 to 3 months. Found out they had gill fluke. For some reason at about 2 to 3 months they are very prone to this. Might be a good idea to invest in a microscope and do a couple gill scrape of a couple of the dead juvies.

Andy

[OC Discus]

Could the city be doing something to the water every couple of months? Have you ever tested on the first day they turn dark?

John's idea sounds like a winner. You need a grow out tank anyway. You could get a new 55g grow out tank, or get a 20 or 29 gal breeding tank. Pull the parents to the new breeding tank.

[rickmiles]

I believe that's what they call the 6-8 week "syndrome"...I had it a few times, and most times kicked my ***. Frustrating. Good luck with it...Bill

I remember reading this syndrome in one of Jack Wattley books 20 or 30 so years ago, If my memory is correct he mentioned it's caused by odinium and he used 37% formalin to treat the fry.

In my time and I still do have raised hundreds of batches of fry and I guess I have been lucky but I always have this in the back of my mind....If I notice 1 or 2 fry die for no apparent reason and a day or 2 later another one dies I use Quick Cure and that seamed to work.

Rick M