are they looking any more round?

[Neptune]

I don't have much of an eye for shape yet. But sometimes I look at my fish and think they are getting somewhat round and other times ehhh.
Shape looking any better??

****ignore the runt!*******

[Ryan925]

I don't have much of an eye for shape yet. But sometimes I look at my fish and think they are getting somewhat round and other times ehhh.
Shape looking any better??

****ignore the runt!*******

For me it's tough to tell. I think you've just gotta be patient and let them mature. I would say it does look like an improvement then when you first got them

[Dhavalsp]

agree with Ryan, they are looking better. ....have you read about rimming the fin, I think some of them have irregular fins...

[Neptune]

never heard of rimming

[atlantadiscus]

Jeez,for a second I thought I was on the wrong forum,LOL!

[Pokediscus]

^;)lol.

[jmf3460]

Jeez,for a second I thought I was on the wrong forum,LOL!

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I had the same thought!!

OP your fish are so cute I just want to give them a hug!! The corydora in the second to last picture looks like a statue. I think your fish are coming along very nicely.

[Second Hand Pat]

agree with Ryan, they are looking better. ....have you read about rimming the fin, I think some of them have irregular fins...

I think this is what Dhaval has in mind http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?27044-Heckel-Hair-Cut!!!!&highlight=heckel+hair+cut.
Pat

[Dhavalsp]

Jeez,for a second I thought I was on the wrong forum,LOL!

lol...'TRIMMING'...I need to pay more attention before hitting that post quick reply button!

[Neptune]

welllll I gotta tell ya, I googled discus rimming and it got real weird real quick! :eek:

[Neptune]

Ok, read the TRIMMING thread. I won't be doing that just for better looking fins....I don't mind the el naturel look.

Now lets talk about that runt...of course my wife loves her/him! It holds its own in the pecking order and eats just fine!
BUT it simply amazes me how little this fish grew! It is literally 5x smaller than all the others!

[Phillydubs]

Are those stendker tefe's?

Sorry if I missed it in another post or thread? What size did you get them, how long have you had them, etc?

A few do appear to have rather different fin shapes and sizes, not sure why, but if they are super young they may just need to mature...

[Ryan925]

Ok, read the TRIMMING thread. I won't be doing that just for better looking fins....I don't mind the el naturel look.

Now lets talk about that runt...of course my wife loves her/him! It holds its own in the pecking order and eats just fine!
BUT it simply amazes me how little this fish grew! It is literally 5x smaller than all the others!

I'd say the runt is probably stunted as well. Maybe by being a runt he was more affected by the care of the LFS prior to your care

[Neptune]

Are those stendker tefe's?

Sorry if I missed it in another post or thread? What size did you get them, how long have you had them, etc?

A few do appear to have rather different fin shapes and sizes, not sure why, but if they are super young they may just need to mature...

They are Heckel Cross. I got them at about 50 cent size in July. I'm guessing 6 months old???

Backstory:
Local breeder was selling them for $10 each so I jumped on it! They spent the month of July with me in a heavily planted tank with lots of neglect due to travel for work most of July.
It was bad timing but for the price I figured I'd take a shot at my first discus attempt. I lost one early on, one died the whirly dying thing....
but since then I have redone my sump, added a purigen reactor and do LOTS of WC's. Have not lost any since.
So bad shape, fins, etc. is probably due to that month of neglect at my hands at a crucial time.

[Phillydubs]

Neptune:

Appreciate the back story... $10 a pop and 50 cent size... Sounds like you got a great deal to at least train yourself and learn. If you continue your regiment I can't see why you can not get some nice fish out of there. I love the colors and that blue hue...

You may have set them back a bit but nothing that can't be helped with good clean water and lots of good food!

Discus remind me of teenagers in so many ways, sometimes you see them as youngins and they have braces and acne and big glasses and are just goofey and maturing then boom you get beauties...

Keep doing what you are doing, I can't wait to see how they turn out!

[Neptune]

Thanks Phillydubs...
do you think 6 months looks/sounds about right?
They have REALLY had a growth spurt of late.

[Phillydubs]

Unfortunately I am not the best person to ask for that. I have never grown discus out that small...

Some have rules like an inch a month or 1/2 " until this age, xyz... I am not sure. Also given your early cirumstances it may be hard to get too accurate but your guess seems close to me and like I said you can tell they are suoer young. The eyes dont look huge to me wither in relation to the body. They still have that juvi point I call it, I often see young discus have that pointed look before they round out...

How often do you do water changes now?

[rickztahone]

They are Heckel Cross. I got them at about 50 cent size in July. I'm guessing 6 months old???

Backstory:
Local breeder was selling them for $10 each so I jumped on it! They spent the month of July with me in a heavily planted tank with lots of neglect due to travel for work most of July.
It was bad timing but for the price I figured I'd take a shot at my first discus attempt. I lost one early on, one died the whirly dying thing....
but since then I have redone my sump, added a purigen reactor and do LOTS of WC's. Have not lost any since.
So bad shape, fins, etc. is probably due to that month of neglect at my hands at a crucial time.

Just to give you a comparison, this is what my group looked like at just a little over 6 months of age:

https://youtu.be/hJqDGBwuFPI

[Neptune]

Unfortunately I am not the best person to ask for that. I have never grown discus out that small...

Some have rules like an inch a month or 1/2 " until this age, xyz... I am not sure. Also given your early cirumstances it may be hard to get too accurate but your guess seems close to me and like I said you can tell they are suoer young. The eyes dont look huge to me wither in relation to the body. They still have that juvi point I call it, I often see young discus have that pointed look before they round out...

How often do you do water changes now?

I do 60% WC at least every other day. 2/3 tap water and 1/3 RO aged 24hrs before using. Sometimes every day if I over feed. I have a 29 gallon sump with a purigen reactor.

[Neptune]

Just to give you a comparison, this is what my group looked like at just a little over 6 months of age:

https://youtu.be/hJqDGBwuFPI

hmmm mine aren't nearly that big, round or colored up yet.

[Ryan925]

Neptune:

Appreciate the back story... $10 a pop and 50 cent size... Sounds like you got a great deal to at least train yourself and learn. If you continue your regiment I can't see why you can not get some nice fish out of there. I love the colors and that blue hue...

You may have set them back a bit but nothing that can't be helped with good clean water and lots of good food!

Discus remind me of teenagers in so many ways, sometimes you see them as youngins and they have braces and acne and big glasses and are just goofey and maturing then boom you get beauties...

Keep doing what you are doing, I can't wait to see how they turn out!

Totally agree with that. I had a couple in my group that I thought so had stunted.. After making the necessary changes they have shown really nice growth. Catching up to the rest and really rounding out

[Pices]

You should be proud of yourself here Neptune! They are really coming into themselves. I can't wait to see them next month. I agree with Phil and Ryan.
Sometimes I think mine are growing and other times I think not. Tomorrow I get my 3 replacements and it'll be interesting to see their size and compare. It's hard to tell with pics and when you are watching them grow before your very eyes.
BTW I love your set up Phil! So serene, but what is that cone shaped thingy?

[mrstsang]

Your fishes are cute and pretty! :o

[Phillydubs]

Patty - those are not my fish, they are Ricardos, but I will glady take credit for that awesome tank and the job he has done with them...

Honestly, if he wasn't my friend, I don't think his tank would be half as nice. So he owes IT ALL TO ME!!! LOL

[Ryan925]

You should be proud of yourself here Neptune! They are really coming into themselves. I can't wait to see them next month. I agree with Phil and Ryan.
Sometimes I think mine are growing and other times I think not. Tomorrow I get my 3 replacements and it'll be interesting to see their size and compare. It's hard to tell with pics and when you are watching them grow before your very eyes.
BTW I love your set up Phil! So serene, but what is that cone shaped thingy?

So true. It's much like a puppy or even your own kid for that matter lol. When you see them everyday you don't realize the growth at times. My dad just paid me a visit yesterday and thought the fish had grown a lot since his last visit maybe a month ago

[Neptune]

My fishing buddy came by last night.....LOL..

He said my sunfish looked great! LOL..

[rickztahone]

You should be proud of yourself here Neptune! They are really coming into themselves. I can't wait to see them next month. I agree with Phil and Ryan.
Sometimes I think mine are growing and other times I think not. Tomorrow I get my 3 replacements and it'll be interesting to see their size and compare. It's hard to tell with pics and when you are watching them grow before your very eyes.
BTW I love your set up Phil! So serene, but what is that cone shaped thingy?
If you were referring to my video as Phil pointed out, then you are looking at an inverted worm cone feeder. It is where I feed Freeze dried black worms. Best way IMHO to feed them. Check out my grow out thread and you will see that almost all the videos revolved around the cone :)

Click here to view my grow out thread (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?120710-75g-w-sump-Group-of-25-discus-grow-out-thread)

[rickztahone]

Patty - those are not my fish, they are Ricardos, but I will glady take credit for that awesome tank and the job he has done with them...

Honestly, if he wasn't my friend, I don't think his tank would be half as nice. So he owes IT ALL TO ME!!! LOL

Take all the credit you want pal!

[Neptune]

Take all the credit you want pal!

Rickztahone,
Do you just have a bulkhead plumbed into the side of the tank for WC's?

[rickztahone]

Rickztahone,
Do you just have a bulkhead plumbed into the side of the tank for WC's?

yes, it is a bulkhead at a position where it drains about 65% of the DT water. It has a True union ball valve behind the tank and when I do a WC I just turn the valve and it is routed with pvc out to my front yard in to a plant bed. They absolutely love it.

Daily WC's

[Phillydubs]

That sun fish is cool! How big is that and where does it live and all?>

[warblad79]

The shape aren't that bad at all since you mention they are Heckel cross but the growth is kind behind the norm. I hope you don't discourage because they are still a nice fish, just keep up with daily water changes and provide high protein foods.

[Dhavalsp]

Ricardo's fish are outliers on the higher side...don't go by that progress...I have followed his thread on this batch...he is basically a maniac!

I think a healthy runt who stands up to all the aggression is good to have, in my opinion, it helps other fish to grow faster...but don't be surprised if you see a sudden growth spurt in that little guy...

keep up with your current schedule and you will love the progress 3 months...

[Clawhammer]

Its great to see these guys progressing! I definitely see them rounding out, although some of the fins are skewing the rounder body shape. I love seeing these guys get top notch care and look forward to watching them progress :) Great work!

[Pices]

Thanks Rick- I'm definitely checking out your build. Sorry, I still get mixed up on who's posting what. I see these tanks or fish and my eyes glaze over like a junkie or something....that tank is so mesmerizing.
I should have known it was crowded enough to be Phils.tee hee just kidding Phil...

[Neptune]

That sun fish is cool! How big is that and where does it live and all?>

sorry philly just saw this.
that is a long eared sunfish. native to Mn.
They are voracious eaters and aggressive/territorial for their size.