when u buy Jumbo size dicus arent u worried about its age?

[dkeef]

I always wondered, once u get like 7"+ jumbo discus, what if this fish is towards the end of its life?
due to natural aging???

[Keith Perkins]

It will die soon. :)

Seriously though, I would think that would be a legitimate concern.

[Skip]

why would you think they are OLD

[Keith Perkins]

I don't think it's so much that you'd think they were old Skip, it's more how would you know they weren't.

[Skip]

well.. we discussed this at NADA.. it seems at good show fish with size is about 2 to 2.5 years old..

[ericatdallas]

Yeah, but you still can't rule out that it's older right? Although my guess is that it'll die before it's natural lifespan due to other reasons.

[Kal-El]

Jumbo 7" are always a min of 1.5-2 years of age. Much older one 3-5 years can show signs of age by scale lost of color.

[Second Hand Pat]

If you think about it this is a concern for any adult fish that you do not know the history of. Really no reason to single out large fish.

[John_Nicholson]

It all depends on if you buy from a trusted source or not.

-john

[Chicago Discus]

It all depends on if you buy from a trusted source or not.

-john

+10 ........josie

[Skip]

Op.. ask toni.. she bought 4" and grew them out to 8" plus

[dirtyplants]

I would think that an older fish might be problematic for breeding if you chose to purchase as a mate?

[Skip]

People have had fish for double digit years.. still spawning. .

The only jumbos I would buy are from hans

[Skip]

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?98945-Updates-on-my-quot-Little-Ones-quot

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?95547-Hans-Discus-1-Year-Later&highlight=


Here u go. Toni and her jumbo grow out in a year

[dkeef]

The 7" ones sold by hans or kenny is about how old?

[strawberryblonde]

I would think that the jumbo's that Hans has for sale are somewhere around 1+ years to 18 months old. Mine easily reach 7" in the first 18 months of life and don't actually reach the 8+" size till about 2 years old. I'm currently growing out a group of 3" discus from Hans. The largest two are now almost 5"...and I'd guess that they are about 5 months old.

Ohhhh, also meant to mention that Hans sent me four 6" discus in mid August. One of them quickly grew to 7"...within the first 6 weeks and is on par to reach 8" by Christmas. They were sold as adult discus, but I'd guess that they were only about a year old. Two of the others are currently 7", so slightly slower growth, but still on track for typical growth rates from Hans fish. If they grow like my other Hans discus, they'll continue to fill out slowly till late next year.

So what I'm saying is that IF you purchase from a reputable dealer like Hans or Kenny you can be pretty sure that jumbo's are still young adults with many years of life left in them. I'd be quite leary about purchasing from a local person for exactly your concerns...that they might be much older. I'd also be worried about health and diseases.

You could always do what I do. Buy them at 4" and grow them out for 18 months! =)

[terps]

I always wondered, once u get like 7"+ jumbo discus, what if this fish is towards the end of its life?
due to natural aging???

They're certainly collecting social security. ;) Most likely old breeders from fish farms. That's why it's always best to buy young 3 inch size fish and grow them out yourself.

[Tautog]

What is the average age of Discus in good WQ condition and warmer water say 87.5F? I understand there may be a high probability that warmer water may speed metabolism and shorten lifespan of smaller dwarf cichlids such as German Blue Rams which I have observed.

My 6 Discus are living in 87.5F and they keep spawning so far two weekends in a row. As expected no fry but they don't seem to be taking very long breaks.

I'm considering easing temp to 85-86F. My Eheim 300W is hard to accept change so may be shopping for a higher quality heater

Any recommended heaters.

[John_Nicholson]

Nope. A healthy male will breed wth any healthy female if you provide the right environment.

-john


I would think that an older fish might be problematic for breeding if you chose to purchase as a mate?

[Skip]

That's why it's always best to buy young 3 inch size fish and grow them out yourself.

not many people here can grow out 3" fish to Jumbo..

HOWEVER.. it helps that the fish have good genetics..

not many sponsors sell JUMBOS.. on a regular basis.. so it is a feat to grow any discus out that large in my opinion..

[Skip]

What is the average age of Discus in good WQ condition and warmer water say 87.5F?

this reminds me of some of Math Problem from my Engineering classes..

[Tautog]

I meant ask what is the average size not age... Sorry. Multitasking in iPhone.

[Keith Perkins]

Nope. A healthy male will breed wth any healthy female if you provide the right environment.

-john

Are we still talking about fish?

[John_Nicholson]

Nope.....LOL


Are we still talking about fish?

[BODYDUB]

It all depends on if you buy from a trusted source or not.

-john

Exactly, and I would say this applies to any fish that was bought from anywhere...............