Juvies vs Adults

[BigBoom217]

Just a little question nagging me.

Has anyone ever mapped out the cost of buying juvies versus adults.

Say 35$ for a juvie with daily water changes, the cost of heating the water for the water changes, the water itself (if on city water like I am) and aggressively feeding 5 times a day vacuuming up what isn't eaten... over a six month period kinda sounds like it might come close to say 150$ an adult.

[MD.David]

I treat my Juvi's and adults the same way, the only difference is a few extra feedings to my Juvi's. My adults get their water changed about just as much as my 2½in Juvi's do (80-90% daily).
It totally depends on your goals in the hobby what you wish to achieve. Some people love doing grow out, some love breeding, others just want the largest, fattest disucs they can find and want 35 large adults in a 185g planted tank.
I have done all of the above and I find it all rewarding. Some is more labor intensive then others.
It's just depending on your passion and what you really enjoy.
Regarding the cost I think it all ends up costing money no matter what way you slice it.

[Filip]

I have never done any math on this one but I think that on the long run buying Jumbos would be cheaper than raising ones , for us hobbyists.

Anyway regardless of the price i think everybody would like to try nis hands on raising juvies at certain point of this hobby.

[BigBoom217]

Totally, I am thoroughly enjoying growing out my little dudes. It felt so good when they finally warmed up to me and eagerly wait at the top of the tank for food instead of bolting in 100 different directions at the same time.

I was just curious but you're right it all costs money anyway haha.

[SNap0283]

There are so many factors and they are different for everyone. Me personally, I have lived in apartments that did not charge for water, one place divide the water bill vs all tenants. One did not charge for gas so hot water was free. The place I live now I have free water and electricity so its a pretty inexpensive hobby for me at the moment. Then food, if you make a homemade mix vs feeding other foods. I could probably grow a batch of 10 fish to 8" for under $100 others it may cost over $1000.

[Surfnturf]

When you buy a 6" discus it is pretty much guaranteed not stunted or a runt. Also you know what coloration and pattern will be.

[DISCUS STU]

There are so many relative variables to this that it can't really be well quantified.

The cost of adults or juveniles can vary tremendously according to the strain and the seller. The cost of resources; food, electricity, water, etc. can also vary tremendously according to circumstances. Some people only feed relatively inexpensive beef heart with great results while others may feed much costly prepared foods like Discus Bio Gold and frozen Blood worms.

Adults can be upwards of hundreds of dollars depending on the strain and seller while raising much less expensive juveniles economically may make the sames strain much less expensive overall.

I would suggest to go for what you like and want. My personal preference is to raise smaller fish to adults which gives me a much greater feeling of, or pride of accomplishment. I'd like to raise wild Discus but usually I cannot find them as juvies. Breeding Discus, when I can, to full adult hood is the A+ feeling of accomplishment for me. This is also a pattern from when I got into the hobby about 30 years ago when generally only juvies where generally available to me.

[Akili]

My personal feeling is that getting adults is a short cut as aquarist. Raising juvenile fish is very fascinating, rewarding and are generally healthier, eat more of a variety of foods, disease and parasite free.

[Lighthouse7]

Its a nice experience to try both, then you will know which one is best for you after growing out some juvies myself i am now leaning toward buying 4 inch or bigger - Lighthouse

[rickztahone]

If you buy a batch of roughly 12 2" discus, it will be cheap for sure, but, out of those original 12, you will probably only like half. However, you can still make a little bit of money selling the ones that aren't quite up to your standards. Plus, raising discus is very rewarding. In the end, it really depends why you are in the hobby. Someone trying to breed discus on a large scale is going to want to get larger discus close to pairing off stage and are willing to pay for the size.