Stunted discus growth

[MatthewJanssen]

Hi Guys,

If a discus is at 6-7cm at 6 months of age, what is its likely maximum size?

Thanks, Matt.

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Guys,

If a discus is at 6-7cm at 6 months of age, what is its likely maximum size?

Thanks, Matt.

Hi Matt,

7 cm is 2.75 inches. Discus grow the most between 0 to 6 months and you want to get to 4 to 5 inches by the time they are six months old. After six months discus grow much slower but you want to aim for a discus to be 6 inches (15/16cm) by the time they are a year old. Note that this can vary per strain etc.

I think you will be lucky to get 4 inches from your little guy at a year old. :(
Pat

[MatthewJanssen]

Thanks for the reply Pat, not my discus by the way, was just wondering how a discus stunted like that could grow, saw it advertised for sale online.
Do these guys look stunted?
http://www.trademe.co.nz/pets-animals/fish/fish/tropical-fish/auction-980055435.htm

Thanks, Matt.

[Second Hand Pat]

Matt, are there any local breeders in your area? These look like your typical LFS discus quality wise.
Pat

[MatthewJanssen]

There are no local breeders in my city, and i'm not even sure if there are any current breeders selling in my country sadly.

I was lucky enough to find 6 blue turks that were still only a month or 2 old at around 3cm so I can grow them out myself without stunting. Practically everything available in the country seems to be stunted and low quality.

Thanks, Matt.

[Second Hand Pat]

Matt, do you have any discus importers?
Pat

[MatthewJanssen]

So those fish don't look any good? I think they're probably my best bet sadly.

[MatthewJanssen]

I cannot import discus into the country, need a license and so on. Don't know anyone who can either.

[Akili]

A yellow pages search ................ Redwood Aquatics Give them a call http://www.redwoodaquatics.co.nz/

[MatthewJanssen]

They're a pet store, so i'm assuming their discus are also lfs quality fish. They're also around $150-$200 per fish of around 7cm.

[MatthewJanssen]

I guess I may as well go have a look at redwood aquatics. See how they look, will let you know what I find.

Thanks, Matt.

[Skip]

So those fish don't look any good? I think they're probably my best bet sadly.

the discus in the pics are not bad.. more on the not bad .. side.. the eye to body ratio pretty fair.. seem a whole hell of a lot worse!!

[Filip]

I guess I may as well go have a look at redwood aquatics. See how they look, will let you know what I find.

Thanks, Matt.

Maybe you can talk with the store manager and arrange a pre-paid and a preorder discus fish from abroad.
If you buy a box of 10 or more fish maybe he will be able to order it for you, with some commission for him also.

[Braydon00]

True, I agree they dont look too bad. BUT you wont catch me paying anywhere near $99 for 1. Complete rip off

[Akili]

Can you not put an Ad in Trade Me that you looking for some Discus and maybe some local breeder may have some. The other way is to find out from local aquarium clubs if there is a local breeder in Chirstchurch.

[rickztahone]

I know it seems very dismal to not have anyone close to you to provide you with discus, but you can also view this as an opportunity. If you were to start some kind of breeding program with discus, you would be the sole provider of quality discus :)

Keep in mind, if a discus' genetics are good, even if it is stunted, it can still have normal looking discus. The key words here are 'good genetics' though.

[hogan92]

I think 5 inches at 6 months is ambitious. Are we talking standard length (SL) which is measured from the mouth to the base of the caudal fin? Normally the caudal fin is not included in length measurements. I've noticed that discus sold by sponsors on this site that are shown pictured lying on a ruler are advertised using the total length. It can be confusing to members like myself to figure out where are discus should be in terms of age and growth.

[rickztahone]

I think 5 inches at 6 months is ambitious. Are we talking standard length (SL) which is measured from the mouth to the base of the caudal fin? Normally the caudal fin is not included in length measurements. I've noticed that discus sold by sponsors on this site that are shown pictured lying on a ruler are advertised using the total length. It can be confusing to members like myself to figure out where are discus should be in terms of age and growth.

For the most part, the general usage is TL (total length) as opposed to SL (size length). However, there are a few people on this forum that sell them as SL and you have to look out for that. Additionally, I will say that although 5" at 6 months is ambitious, it certainly isn't out of the norm. In my current grow out group, one is 4.5" and the rest average 4" and they aren't past the 6 month mark.

[MatthewJanssen]

Hi guys,

As to the price of the fish, $100 is about the cheapest you can even get a discus here in pet shops etc. That's around $60 usd. I'll go have a look at redwood today. I have asked on Facebook "Christchurch Totally Tanked" page, and there WAS a local breeder but he recently stopped.

Thanks, Matt.

[pastry]

Can you import from Australia?

If not, then even with stunted discus you can breed and raise normal sized discus. Not something anyone should set as goal but in your predicament, always a "nice to know"

[MatthewJanssen]

Cant import from Australia either, but yea. It is nice to know that I can raise my own with stunted parents. I will keep an eye out, maybe something good comes up.

[pastry]

If serious about it then latch on to skip, John, Ricardo, Rick, Pat,Toni, and many many others on here if you want to breed then raise them big. The knowledge is here and very easy to do if open to it.

Also, talk with Hans, Kenny, Forrest, and other sponsors. Exhaust all sponsors here for ability to send to NZ.

[MatthewJanssen]

Hi,

For now i'll focus on raising my 6 blue turks as best I can, and see if I can get them pairing off later on. Even if there are suppliers willing to send to me, I cannot import them sadly.

Thanks, Matt.

[MatthewJanssen]

So just to check, am I doing this right on my growout tank?

Tank Size: 200L
Tank Type: Barebottom
Filtration: Two canister filters, both rated at 200-250L
Ammonia: Lowest Reading
Nitrite: Lowest Reading
Nitrate: Lowest Reading

WC Schedule: 30-50% most days, 80% every 3-4 days.

Feeding cobalt aquatics breeder pro pellets, discus granules, and bloodworms. Occasionally feeding grated beefheart.

Thanks, Matt.

[MatthewJanssen]

Only 6 3-5cm discus in growout tank.

[rickztahone]

So just to check, am I doing this right on my growout tank?

Tank Size: 200L
Tank Type: Barebottom
Filtration: Two canister filters, both rated at 200-250L
Ammonia: Lowest Reading
Nitrite: Lowest Reading
Nitrate: Lowest Reading

WC Schedule: 30-50% most days, 80% every 3-4 days.

Feeding cobalt aquatics breeder pro pellets, discus granules, and bloodworms. Occasionally feeding grated beefheart.

Thanks, Matt.


Only 6 3-5cm discus in growout tank.

That should be fine for 2" discus. It is going to be a tight fit, but you can make it work. What is the footprint of the tank? If you can pull off more frequent wc's or more volume at a time, even better. Target 50% daily if you can. If you are doing a WC already, may as well make it a 50% right?

[MatthewJanssen]

So you mean it'll be a tight fit when they're larger? I say 30-50% but it does tend to be towards the 50%, so i'll target 50%. Can't really do more frequent WC as I am aging and heating water in a seperate tank.

[rickztahone]

So you mean it'll be a tight fit when they're larger? I say 30-50% but it does tend to be towards the 50%, so i'll target 50%. Can't really do more frequent WC as I am aging and heating water in a seperate tank.

yes, that is what I meant. When they are all adults, it will be a tight fit. More than likely it will work, but you can't add any other fish and be very limiting on deco.

[MatthewJanssen]

I will likely get a larger tank in the future, by the time they're adults. Only keeping them in 200L for growout.

[Akili]

Hi guys,

As to the price of the fish, $100 is about the cheapest you can even get a discus here in pet shops etc. That's around $60 usd. I'll go have a look at redwood today. I have asked on Facebook "Christchurch Totally Tanked" page, and there WAS a local breeder but he recently stopped.

Thanks, Matt.List of local aquarium clubs in New Zealand, Try contact them for a local breeder there may be more than one http://aquariumworld.nz/local-clubs/

[MatthewJanssen]

Have emailed them now, will see.

[Akili]

Have emailed them now, will see.Hopefully you get some good news keep us posted.

[MatthewJanssen]

In the meantime, what do you think of these?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=978265961

[Akili]

In the meantime, what do you think of these?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=978265961I am not a expert on Discus so Wait till someone else chimes in. In the meantime my thoughts "Do not rush in to anything till you have exhausted all possibility of finding a local breeder, Trust me You will so happy when you get fish from a local breeder. I have been burnt countless times for picking up fish from here, there and everywhere .I have lost so much money trying to save some fishes which I had paid good money which in the end was useless. I started keeping Discus in 1990 When my wife agreed for me to keep Discus again I went to a well known breeder here in Ontario. Canada"

[Filip]

In the meantime, what do you think of these?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=978265961

This one looks stunted for sure.His eyes look huge.
Plus It says in info 4 months -3-4 cm.
They should be at least double at 4 months.

Your first link discus looked much better IMO.

[pastry]

This one looks stunted for sure.His eyes look huge.
Plus It says in info 4 months -3-4 cm.
They should be at least double at 4 months.

Your first link discus looked much better IMO.

Exactly. Use the "eyeball" trick if nothing else. Should be able to look at eyeball size and pretend that at least 5 or 6 of that discus' eyeball would fit if stacked from directly above to below its eyeball. Looks like just over "3" on average for those in the pic.

[MatthewJanssen]

Hi guys,

Good news, found some 1-2cm discus from a local breeder that he wants to get rid of. He has been caring for them well with daily WC so I don't think they will be stunted. They are under 1 month old. Getting 15 of them for $50 nzd (30 usd).

Thanks, Matt.

[Akili]

1-2 cm discus are too young, usually Breeders are beginning to cull at this stage, hopefully you select the one that will have a normal growth.

[donnacona]

Have you tried http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/como/fish/high-quality-discus-fish-new-shipment-specials-this-week-only/1076159318 on Kijiji in new zealand
or others on kijiji
stu

[Akili]

Have you tried http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/como/fish/high-quality-discus-fish-new-shipment-specials-this-week-only/1076159318 on Kijiji in new zealand
or others on kijiji
stuOP will require a permit to get fish from Australia to New Zealand it is in the earlier posts